Maddux Report - Tampa Bay's Business, Finance and Development Magazine

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Rush Limbaugh of Internet Radio
Stewart White, chief executive officer of Clearwater-based Lightning Link Communications, has a long way to go to earn the moniker as the Rush Limbaugh of Internet radio, but he's working on it. White and techie wizard Shawn Daley team up Tuesdays at 3 p.m. for an hour-long radio show, entitled "The Lightning Link Internet Update," aired on WTAN 1340 AM and WZHR 1400 AM. The show, which reaches the Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota markets, also has a live Internet feed (www.llc.net/theupdate).

"We get the latest tidbits of news to help people use the Internet investment they have at their fingertips," White says. "It's not too technical. We try to keep the show light and informative."

The pros and cons of Web hosting, tips on registering domains, information on current computer operating systems such as Linux and other technologies driving the Internet have been topics on the program. The format includes phone-in audience participation and instant e-mail communication with the hosts. "We're not getting the calls like Rush Limbaugh yet," admits White, "but I'm not dissatisfied. We've received calls from people out of the area who are listening to the show on their computers."

White, who worked in the radio industry in Miami during the '70s, has a twofold objective for his Internet show that hit the airwaves in June. First is to provide awareness of Lightning Link Communications, a national Internet Service Provider. "The other reason is to satisfy my latent desire to be on the radio," he says. "This is a fun business."

DataGlyphics Scores Again
Recognition for Web site designs by DataGlyphics Inc. has accrued the St. Petersburg-based firm a second Standard of Excellence Web Award from the Web Marketing Association. Last year DataGlyphics received the honor for Nokia Mobile Phones' site (www.nokiala.com). This year the award goes to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute (www.floridamarine.org) site.

"This is a nationally recognized award," says William Stover Jr., CEO of DataGlyphics. "The winners are usually large organizations."

Previous winners have been, for instance, the Web sites of National Geographic, Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola, Compaq and Nike. Entrants are scored on design, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation and ease of use and technology. Thirteen hundred sites were entered in this year's competition, with multiple awards given for various categories.

"The DataGlyphics team provides us with innovative thinking and sound technology that help make our site successful," says Catherine Billick, FMRI's Web site coordinator. The institute is based in St. Petersburg. Other Web sites recently designed and hosted by DataGlyphics include www.siliconbay. org for Pinellas County Economic Development and www.stpetepartnership. org for the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.

The firm is currently developing Web sites for Teltronics, a telecommunications company in Sarasota, Paradigm Learning and Lazzara Yachts in Tampa and the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg (www.poynter. org).

"This is a total redevelopment for Poynter," says Stover. "We're also designing a new flight information system for the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. We'll integrate that system onto their Web site (www.fly2pie.com)

Incubate Those Tech Ideas
No one ever said it was going to be easy to get help financial or otherwise when trying to start a new high-tech company based on a solid idea. But don't get discouraged. Help is available in the form of "incubators" along Florida's high-tech corridor, which stretches from Tampa Bay eastward to Melbourne and the Space Coast.

For example, one of Florida's oldest incubators is Titusville-based Florida/NASA Business Incubation Center, which works to increase the number of successful technology-based small companies originating in, developing in, or relocating to Brevard County. All of its tenants are either technology-product oriented or are commercializing a NASA technology.

In Maitland, MILCOM Technologies, Inc.'s ultimate mission is to ensure that technology partners and investors reap substantial economic benefits from the expeditious transformation of military technology into products offered by market-dominant technology companies for use in the commercial market space.

In Largo, there is the Young-Rainey STAR Center, a facility that houses 25 varied technology firms including Raytheon, Constellation Technology, Concurrent Technologies, Pace Technology and National Technical Systems. Firms assist one another within the center with their varying technologies and products, and business incubation is also an important community outgrowth.

In Daytona Beach, the Central Florida Community Development Corporation (CFCDC) works with micro-enterprises and home-based businesses in need of assistance. In Orlando, the Central Florida Innovation Corporation (CFIC) in Orlando focuses on creating new, high growth potential companies by licensing technology from large corporations, government labs and universities. The CFIC then works with partners to incorporate the new companies, define their markets, build their infrastructure, and raise investment capital. These are just a few. For a list of others, you might contact the Florida High Tech Corridor Council through its Web site: www.floridahightech. com

Bradley Simulated
Lockheed Martin Corp. in Orlando says it has delivered its first trainer simulator kit for the newest edition of the U.S. Army's Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The simulator kit is the first of 33 this year and 77 in five years that Lockheed Martin Information Systems will hand over to the Army. The contract for those systems is valued at nearly $17 million.

High Tech Notes:
Melbourne-based Harris Corp. says it signed a letter of intent in September on a $90 million contract with The Boeing Company to design and develop a military satellite communications system for the U.S. Air Force. It also was awarded a $2.3 million contract by Norhtrop Grumman.