Congratulations Downtown Orlando!

• The City of Orlando's Amway Center, which is home to our Orlando Magic, is the first new NBA facility to earn a gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This nonprofit organization encourages environmentally friendly practices during construction and once a building opens. Four other arenas – in Portland, Miami, Houston and Atlanta – have been certified under separate criteria for existing buildings that measure operations. But Orlando's arena is the first arena to earn gold under the criteria for new construction.

• The Downtown Orlando Partnership this week presented its Golden Brick Awards to projects that affect the Downtown Development District and contribute significantly to its quality of life. The EDC's office renovation was a silver brick winner through our management company, Highwoods Properties. Other EDC investors that took home bricks include: Orlando Magic, Florida Hospital, Orlando Health, Florida Citrus Bowl, HKS Architects, and BE&K Building Group. Congratulations to all!

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Central Florida's manufacturing industry, which (despite reports to the contrary) continues to grow, is also highlighted in this issue, along with a description of that industry's efforts to drive STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education at all levels. Another feature shines the spotlight on a few of the global powerhouses that have a presence in Central Florida: Siemens Energy, Darden Restaurants, Tupperware Brands and Mitsubishi Power Systems America.