The new year is ringing in new projects and new leaders, but one familiar face stands out in the crowd — and for good reason.
Dr. Deborah German, the University of Central Florida’s first dean of the College of Medicine in Lake Nona, is taking the helm on a project that the college has waited for for nearly a decade: to establish a teaching hospital. And that’s why German is one of Orlando Business Journal’s 2018 game changers.
“Every great medical school has a teaching hospital, and great hospitals are affiliated with top-notch medical schools. If you’re sick and have exhausted all the treatments of your local hospital, where do you go for the next level of care? Many people say Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Cleveland Clinic. All of those are teaching hospitals,” German told Orlando Business Journal.
A hospital to advance teaching and clinical research programs has been a UCF priority since the university opened its medical school in 2009.
German is working with the university’s partners at Hospital Corporation of America in setting the strategy and vision for the new 100-bed teaching hospital adjacent to the 50-acre College of Medicine campus in Lake Nona. The teaching hospital is expected to be completed in 2020.
German will help select the new hospital CEO and serve on the hospital’s governing board, which has equal representation from UCF and HCA. Overall, she will work with HCA to ensure that the hospital keeps its promises to all of its stakeholders and the community.
The new teaching hospital will be a living/learning lab for training medical, nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy and social work students in teamwork skills and communication.
Plus, it will help address a serious statewide problem: lack of doctors. The Teaching Hospital Council of Florida and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida forecast that shortage will grow to 7,000 physician specialists in the state by 2025. German has said that UCF started building residency programs a few years ago to address the shortage and now has 255 slots and expects to have more than 560 by 2020 through the partnership with HCA.
“The physicians there are faculty at the medical schools and national leaders in their specialty. In addition to caring for patients and teaching, they also do cutting-edge research. We will be able to attract these physicians to our community, and we will create this kind of physician, as well. We will provide patients with a new academic approach to care, where teaching and research are embedded in the care of every patient,” German said.
The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s 12 public universities, approved the public/private hospital in March. That approval allows UCF to grow the hospital up to 500 beds.
Tim Giuliani
Title: President and CEO, Orlando Economic Partnership
Why he’s important: This year, Giuliani was selected as president and CEO to oversee the merger of the former Orlando Economic Development Commission and the Central Florida Partnership, now known as the Orlando Economic Partnership. The economic development entity assists companies in relocating and building headquarters in the region, which results in creating high-wage jobs and capital investments. Through its efforts, the region has landed Amazon.com Inc.’s (Nasdaq: AMZN) $130 million Orlando fulfillment center, KPMG LLP’s $430 million training center and the U.S. Tennis Association’s national headquarters. The OEP also worked with members in the region to submit a proposal for Amazon’s second headquarters location.
What’s happening in his industry now: Competition for relocations and expansions from other growing cities across the United States
Benchmarks for 2018: Creating high-value jobs, expanding Central Florida’s global reach and competitiveness, supporting and enhancing educational/skills preparedness in the talent pipeline, strengthening advocacy for improved infrastructure and community resources, and creating an enviable quality of life.
“The Orlando Economic Partnership is focusing on job creation, growing our regional chamber of commerce and Leadership Orlando programs to better serve the needs of the community, furthering the narrative of our highly effective regional business branding campaign and engaging the community in forward-thinking regional transportation solutions that accommodate our market’s explosive growth.” — Tim Giuliani
Tom Roehlk
Title: Vice president of real estate development, Tupperware Brands Corp.
Why he’s important: As of Jan. 1, Roehlk is vice president of real estate development, after serving in the role as chief legal officer since the late 1990s. His responsibilities include the completion of the development surrounding the Tupperware headquarters (NYSE: TUP) campus in Osceola County, such as a SunRail station, Orlando Health’s 122,000-square-foot medical center project and a 128-room Hampton Inn Hotel, as well as infrastructure work taking place on the road and utilities along the Orange Avenue corridor that is needed to boost development activities.
What’s happening in his industry now: Transit-oriented development is hot. Businesses want to be located at high-traffic areas and also have ease of transportation.
Benchmarks for 2018: The SunRail Phase 2 South segment of the commuter rail line will open, which includes the SunRail Tupperware Station. Tupperware also anticipates the completion of the Orange Avenue widening project, along with the completion of the new four-lane bridge over Florida’s Turnpike. The Tupperware campus also was one of the sites the Orlando Economic Partnership pitched to the Amazon.com site selection team in a quest to land Amazon HQ2.
“As the infrastructure projects are completed, we anticipate the closing of transactions near the SunRail station and the beginning or completion of construction. We also await the selection by Amazon of a site for its second corporate headquarters and are hopeful of the opportunity to participate.” — Tom Roehlk
Stan Thornton
Title: COO, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Why he’s important: Thornton oversees all the capital programs and daily operations, including security maintenance, engineering and construction, at Orlando International Airport. The airport is currently building its $2.15 billion south terminal complex. Part of the expansion is the automated people mover and Intermodal Terminal Facility. The ITF will house about 200,000 square feet of space that will be the final destination for the $3.5 billion Miami-to-Orlando Brightline train by 2020. The ITF also is expected to house stops for the $1.3 billion SunRail commuter train and an as-yet-undetermined light rail. Ground transportation that includes taxis, shuttle buses and public bus operations also will be accommodated at the front of the complex.
What’s happening in his industry now: Orlando is the No. 1 tourist destination in the U.S. The area continues to see record-breaking numbers of visitors, and the airport already serves about 44 million passengers a year. Capacity has become a huge challenge for airports, but with Orlando International’s 2,400-space parking garage, other expansions and the ITF, travelers will have a wide selection of transportation alternatives to pick from.
Benchmarks for 2018: The ITF is slated to be completed this year. Brightline operator, Coral Gables-based All Aboard Florida, will have its workers begin interior train station buildout in January and will start laying down tracks next spring that will get the Brightline train from Cocoa to the airport.
“This is the first time we are going to have an intercity rail system embedded into an airport in the United States. That truly makes us intermodal. You can get anywhere from Central Florida to anywhere in Florida by aviation and rail.” — Stan Thornton
Nicola Liquori
Title: Executive director and CEO, SunRail
Why she’s important: Liquori is responsible for managing the daily SunRail operations on the currently operating 32-mile corridor, overseeing the construction of the 17-mile southern expansion of the system into Osceola County and developing a funding plan for the 12-mile northern expansion that will extend service from DeBary to DeLand.
What’s happening in her industry now: Transportation is a key driver for economic development. Part of that growth is in new transit-oriented development projects, such as the recent approval of the $180 million DeBary Town Center development being built by the DeBary SunRail station.
Benchmarks for 2018: SunRail’s $186.9 million Phase 2 South extension into Osceola County is set to begin operation in 2018. The south extension will extend the rail line from Sand Lake Road in south Orange County for another nearly 18 miles and add four new train stops: Orange County’s Meadow Woods neighborhood, the Osceola Parkway station near Tupperware’s corporate campus, downtown Kissimmee and Poinciana. Meanwhile, the Phase 2 North alignment, once funded, will extend the existing corridor for 12 more miles from Volusia County’s DeBary to a final station in DeLand. Funding options could come from grants, state and local funding, and/or federal dollars. SunRail also plans to launch its mobile app in the early part of 2018 that will help riders plan their travel and manage their account.
“SunRail is the backbone of a modern infrastructure network that provides a transportation option that allows customers to enjoy a stress-free commute, while avoiding the congestion of the surface roads.” — Nicola Liquori