Is Orlando getting a Major League Baseball team?

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I try to keep these intros pretty upbeat, but I just heard some really sad news…

The Coop (southern food concept from John Rivers of 4Rivers) is shutting down after 9 & a half years because of increasing rents in Winter Park.

This letter from John is a masterclass in…well…class.

Make sure to stop by The Coop one last time before the Winter Park location shuts down for good (this Sunday).

According to a random Instagram comment I saw, you’ll still be able to get The Coop at Orlando City games…so if you’re a soccer fan, you’re in luck!

Alright…now, to some less depressing news.

📍 Keepin’ it Local 📍

Will This 117-Acre Project Transform the Outskirts of Orlando?

Groveland Square, the $250 million project from Green Slate Land & Development, will add nearly a thousand living units — both apartments and single-family homes — and nearly 100,000 square feet of commercial space to Groveland.

The project is going up by the interchange between the 27 and the turnpike, which Green Slate’s Ike Coddle explained to Orlando Business Journal as the logical progression in sunbelt development, citing it as “the next interchange up” from the successful Minneola interchange developments.

Still, Groveland’s rapid growth rate over the last decade may well validate the project's ambitions. The once-sleepy town of less than 10,000 sitting 30 miles outside Orlando has nearly tripled its population since 2010.

New Eustis Location for Cutting Edge UCF Business Incubator

Slated to open next month, the new Incubator will be located in a 99-year-old historic building at 343 North Bay Street, currently owned by Eustis-based commercial real estate broker Mega Properties.

The first iteration of the university’s Business Incubator program opened in Leesburg in 2008 but shuttered after only about 4 years.

Clients will be able to rent space in the building for a very reasonable price once the approximately $300,000 renovation plan is complete. Upgrades include two gourmet kitchens, an open floor plan, big screen monitors, and loads of entrepreneurial support.

In related news…welcome to the Big 12, UCF!

Can Orlando Land a Major League Baseball Team?

The co-founder of the Orlando Magic, Pat Williams, is setting his sights to baseball. In April, his group made an official application for $975M in Orange County tourist tax revenue to pursue an expansion team.

The funds would support the construction costs of a new domed baseball stadium, parking garages, hotel towers, a performance venue, and multiple restaurants and retail spaces.

Mark Raumaker and I weighed in on this story on a recent episode of Orlando Business. Check it out here 👇

🔥 Spicy Take 🔥

Hire a Helper recently did an interesting study on corporate relocation — and surprise, surprise…lots of companies are moving to our incredible state.

Florida ranked #1 for corporations moving in, compared to the number of companies leaving the state.

But when I looked at the specific cities that corporations are moving to…Orlando wasn’t on the list.

Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami are in the top 10…which begs the question:

What could Orlando do to make the cut?

Here are 3 things that came to mind for me…

1. Better transportation infrastructure — across the city, but also to the coasts.

   
   It makes sense why Florida coastal cities are at the top of the list — beaches are tough to compete with. The Brightline to Miami (and soon Tampa) are a big step in the right direction for us. But we’ve got to get better public transportation connecting our suburbs to downtown.
   

2. Theme park perks for corporate employees.
   
   What if the city brokered deals for local corporations with our theme parks? Sure, we don’t have (real) beaches. But imagine being able to give your employees annual passes to Disney, Universal, or SeaWorld as an employee perk.
   
   Or what if your sales team could wine and dine prospective clients with special VIP theme park experiences?
   
   Could benefits like that tip the scale our way for a company that wants to relocate to Florida? I think they could.
   

3. Talent pipeline
   
   I’ve owned a business in Orlando for 8 years…and we’ve made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies the last 3 years. But I’ve never once had a local university try to partner with me to place their graduates at our company.
   
   We have incredible schools like UCF and Full Sail in our backyard. If we figured out how to better connect the talent coming out of those schools into local companies…it would be a win for everyone (and it could attract some great companies to relocate here).

🥳️ Have Some Fun 🥳

• Dreamgirls will be at the Garden Theatre until Aug 6. My wife and I went to the last preview night, and it BLEW US AWAY. The vocal performances were some of the best I’ve ever seen (and we go to a lot of shows).

• The fastest growing automotive event in the nation will be at Camping World Stadium tomorrow, July 15. The Clean Culture Car Show will have activities like drifting, burnout competitions, ride-alongs, RC race tracks, live performances, and more.

• For all you Swifties out there, House of Blues is hosting Club 90s Taylor Swift Night: Speak Now Edition tomorrow, July 15. Tickets are between $18-70 and it starts at 8pm.

That’s a wrap! If you liked this week’s newsletter, forward it to a friend 😃

And if you have a hot take on how Orlando could attract more companies to our city…hit ‘reply’ on this email and send me your thoughts!

James Carbary
Founder, Orlando Business