“Orlando’s Own” Podcast

Season 2, Episode 3

The KPMG Lakehouse with Isaac Jaurez

In 2020, KPMG’s $450 million high-tech campus opened up in Lake Nona Florida. But why would KPMG choose to invest this much money into Orlando?

In this episode, Isaac Juarez, KPMG’s Office Managing Partner, shares with us why KPMG wanted to invest in Orlando and is continuing to invest in Central Florida. From talent to infrastructure, there seems to be no better place to bring your company than Orlando, Florida. In the second half of this episode, Isaac talks about why Orlando means so much to him. As a first-generation college graduate, he understands how tough it can be navigating higher education without much parental advice. With hundreds of thousands of college students withing a 100 mile radius of Orlando, it allows Isaac to find his passion of helping mentor many students in and around Central Florida.

Orlando’s Own is produced by the Orlando Economic Partnership, a public-private, not-for-profit economic and community development organization that works to advance Broad-based Prosperity™ by strengthening Orlando’s economy, amplifying Orlando’s story, championing regional priorities, empowering community leaders and building a brilliant region.

Season 2, Episode 2

Breaking Down Stereotypes and Building New Ones with Sonya Montgomery (CEO of The Desoto Group)

The IEA conducted an analysis of over 2,500 energy firms and showed that women make up less than 14 percent of senior managers.

Sonya Montgomery is a veteran, cancer survivor, and woman founder of The Desoto Group, a company that works within infrastructure, energy, and telecom utilities. Sonya’s story is one of twists and turns, but there is always one constant. Her community.

From where she got the name of her company to why she recently brought her company from Jacksonville to Orlando, community has always played a large role in her life. She recently announced that The Desoto Group is looking to hire and even shared her advice on what type of talent she is looking for and how you could stand out.

Season 2, Episode 1

Tupperware To The Moon? with Tupperware’s CEO Miguel Fernandez

Look around your kitchen, you’ve probably got some Tupperware laying around somewhere, but did you know that Tupperware creates more than just the food holders around your house?

Tupperware is one of the most innovative companies in Central Florida as they have been working with NASA for over 10 years with bringing their Tupperware technology into space.

Other than the moon, Tupperware has a lot more under their sleeves than you may think and that’s why this episode is with Orlando’s Own, Miguel Fernandez.

Season 1, Episode 4

Bringing NeoCity To Life with Dr. Alexander Cartwright (University of Central Florida’s President)

NeoCity is recognized as the up-and-coming world epicenter for smart sensors, photonics and optics, and has ready-made synergies with the University of Central Florida (the nation’s largest producer of aerospace engineers), University of Florida, University of South Florida, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University, as well as Central Florida’s large concentration of Department of Defense partners and contractors.

NeoCity bolsters a new STEM focused high school, named NeoCity Academy, aimed to disrupt traditional education.

One of the biggest players in bringing this deal to Central Florida was Dr. Alexander Cartwright. He is a the President of the University of Central Florida. On this episode, Dr. Cartwright shares his insights into why this deal is so important to this region and why he came to Orlando.

Season 1, Episode 3

How Ocean Insight is Making the World Cleaner, Safer and Healthier with Dr. Michael Edwards

On February 24, 2021, Ocean Insight had the official grand opening of their new 52,000-square-foot facility in Orlando. Ocean Insight uses spectral technology, application expertise and manufacturing scalability to help customers take on important challenges for a safer, cleaner, healthier future.

Don’t know what that means? Don’t worry, in this episode Tim dives into what Ocean Insight does as a company, and his guest , Dr. Michael Edwards, shares some of his leadership insights.

Season 1, Episode 2

Behind the $100 Million Deal for Travel + Leisure with Michael Brown

On January 6, 2021, Wyndham Destinations bought Travel + Leisure for $100 million dollars. Why would a timeshare company buy a media company? Michael Brown, who was the CEO of Wyndham Destinations, is now the CEO of Travel + Leisure. He is the mastermind behind this deal, and in this episode, we get an inside look of what it takes to not only start, but close this deal.

Why Travel + Leisure? Why during a pandemic? What is the future of hospitality? We find all of the answers in this episode of Orlando’s Own.

Season 1, Episode 1

Managing Orlando’s Latest Unicorn with Scott Faris

Taking a company public is one major feat, but managing it is a whole other challenge. In this episode, we dive deep into Scott Faris’ journey to becoming the Chief Business Officer of Luminar, a lidar company that is helping make autonomy safe.

Key topics addressed in this episode include: how Scott landed in technology after bouncing around in various industries, what Scott would do to turn Orlando into the next tech powerhouse, how he maintains a “nicest guy” persona even through the hard work and stress of working at a high-growth tech company.