Eustis commissioners hear updates on UCF incubator, MegaWorkplace and chamber economic initiatives

Brian Bedrick, site manager for the UCF business incubator for Lake County, told the City of Eustis City Commission on May 15 that the incubator has grown since he began leading the local site in January and is focusing on three tracks for startups: traction, growth and soft-landing for international firms.

The presentations came during Economic Development Week events the commission proclaimed earlier in the meeting and provided an update on local entrepreneurship supports and partnerships intended to attract jobs and scale small businesses in Eustis and North Lake County.

Bedrick said the incubator is recruiting clients and coordinating with local partners to avoid duplication of services. “We really have 3 different tracks,” Bedrick said, describing programs for early-stage companies that need first customers, growth-stage companies seeking funding and international firms seeking a U.S. presence. He said the incubator also offers executive coaching, a mentorship network of “about 150 mentors,” press and financial review services, and curated introductions to potential first customers.

Bedrick cited recent client milestones as evidence of early traction: two incubator companies — Intelligence Factory and ScanID365 — were selected for the Plug and Play Smart Cities cohort; Upaya Health raised an additional $150,000; and a client called SmartTracker won a contract with the city of St. Louis, he said. Bedrick asked commissioners to continue supporting the program and offered to arrange site visits with incubator clients.

Pam Rivas, chief operating officer of MegaWorkplace and chairperson of the Lake Eustis Chamber of Commerce, described MegaWorkplace as a downtown “hub for economic development” that connects entrepreneurs to training, mentorship and other resources. “We support local businesses. We’re supporting our friends, our neighbors, and our families,” Rivas said, emphasizing the facility’s role in linking startups to partners such as UCF, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Lake Tech.

Rivas outlined programming and partnerships hosted at MegaWorkplace, including business boot camps, a planned HR summit in June, a cybersecurity summit in July and revival of a longer certificate-style program called Excellence in Entrepreneurship. She said MegaWorkplace and the chamber are coordinating with education partners and that one recurring program, 1 Million Cups, averages roughly 238 participants a month at local events. Rivas also described efforts to attract new downtown activity and link students to practical business experiences through the incubator and chamber events.

Both presenters framed their work as collaborative: Bedrick described outreach to chambers, counties and other development organizations to clarify roles, and Rivas highlighted relationships with Lake Tech, area chambers and economic-development partners. Commissioners asked logistical and cost questions about sustaining programs and about how the city should continue to support the incubator and related downtown initiatives.

No formal commission action or funding vote was taken at the meeting; the session served as an informational update and a request for continued coordination. Commissioners asked staff to fold the incubator and MegaWorkplace updates into ongoing economic development planning and to return with specifics if the city is asked to provide new or increased financial support.

For follow-up, Bedrick offered to set up tours of the incubator, and Rivas said MegaWorkplace and the chamber will continue to align event schedules and training with city initiatives.