GrowFL seeks growth rock stars

In partnership with the Edward Lowe Foundation and the University of Central Florida, GrowFL seeks nominees for its annual Florida Companies to Watch program.

The awards, which will be handed out Oct. 23 at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, honors second-stage companies with high performance, innovative products or processes, or are noteworthy in some other way. Fifty companies will be chosen for the award this year.

“Being selected for the Florida Companies to Watch awards program provides growing businesses the credibility and recognition that distinguish them among their competitors,” says Dr. Tom O'Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute, in a statement. “In Florida, they account for 5% of the companies and nearly 30% of the jobs.”

To be eligible, nominees must be a privately held, commercial enterprises that are currently in a growth stage and out of their startup phase. Companies must be headquartered in Florida and have between six and 99 full-time equivalent employees and between $750,000 and $50 million in 2013 revenues. Click here to apply. The deadline to nominate is Sept. 17, and the deadline to submit an application is Oct. 8.

GrowFL is the program of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida.