Summary
Gaming software company Electronic Arts' Orlando facility produces some of the company's most popular games. * Largest Private Employers * Walt Disney, 62,000 employees * Florida Hospital (Adventist Health System), 16,000 * Universal Orlando, 13,000 * Orlando Regional Healthcare System, 10,000 * Lockheed Martin, 7,200 * Marriott International, 6,300 * Central Florida Investments, 6,155 * Darden Restaurants, 5,950 locally * SeaWorld Orlando, 5,500 * Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, 5,350 * Rosen Hotels and Resorts, 4,100 * Must-Know Contacts * Dick Batchelor, CEO of Dick Batchelor Management Group, is a former state representative who remains influential locally and statewide. * As president of the Walt Disney World Resort, Meg Crofton oversees a workforce of nearly 62,000 employees. * Frank Billingsley is the city's director of economic development. * David Brown, CEO of Broad & Cassel law firm, is a major behind-the-scenes player who had a big hand in luring Scripps Research Institute to Florida. * Cari Haught Coats, a longtime local consultant and influential business leader, was recently named executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Rollins College. * Kelly Cohen, principal, Southern Strategy Group, is an up-and-comer who can get most of the people on this list to return her calls. * Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, a Republican, is being term-limited out of office and is expected to run against U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando. * Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has steered downtown resurgence since he was first elected in 2003. * Deborah German, founding dean of UCF's College of Medicine, has been in town only three years but impressed people with her work to build a med school from scratch, raising enough money to fund full-ride scholarships for the entire first class. * Ray Gilley is president and CEO of the Metro Orlando EDC. * University of Central Florida President John Hitt played a key role in steering the school's new med school to the Med City complex at Lake Nona. * Lars Houmann, president and CEO of Florida Hospital, is active in the state's growing biotechnology sector. * Hal Kantor, partner, Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed, is a well-known land-use attorney and leader in philanthropic efforts such as United Arts of Central Florida. * Margot Knight, president and CEO of United Arts, has a close relationship with the business community. * Fred Leonhardt, a partner at Gray Robinson law firm, is a well-respected leader at both the local and statewide level. * Marcos Marchena, senior partner in the law firm of Marchena and Graham, chairs the Hispanic Leadership Council for * Clarence Otis runs Darden, one of the two Fortune 500 companies in Orlando. * James Seneff Jr. is chairman and CEO of CNL Financial Group and a major political fund raiser.
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Economic Life
By far, hospitality and food service remain the largest industry group in Orange County, with nearly 100,000 employees, followed by retail trade. The county's unemployment rate has risen to 10.8% in the economic downturn - the same rate as the state's as a whole. The steepest job loses have been in the construction ...
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