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Statement Issued by Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs
June 24, 2013
In May, I convened the kickoff planning meeting for the Modeling, Simulation & Training (MS&T) Blue Ribbon Commission, a coalition of community leaders and industry stakeholders who have accepted leadership roles as advocates for this high-value and high-wage economic sector in Florida. The Blue Ribbon Commission commenced its efforts with an inaugural meeting on June 24th, under the leadership of Commission Chairman Waymon Armstrong, co-founder and president of Engineering & Computer Simulations Inc.
The Commission will align our approach to be in sync with local military command leaders, and will serve as a resource for industry leaders in telling the story of the science-driven, innovation-based MS&T economy. I am proud of the support we have received from a broad coalition of supporters, including Thomas l. Baptiste, Lt. Gen., USAF (Ret), President and Executive Director of the National Center for Simulation, U.S. Congressman John Mica, Rick Weddle of the Metro Orlando EDC, Jacob V. Stuart of the Central Florida Partnership and Randy Berridge of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council.
Mobilizing this group has created an unprecedented collaboration and partnership between industry, academia, our military and defense contractors, and smart government with the shared goal of protecting this high-tech industry from sequestration and future Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) recommendations.
Our MS&T industry contributes more than $4.8 billion to Florida’s gross state product, and directly employs more than 27,000 Floridians with an average salary of almost $70,000 annually. Protecting, nourishing, and growing this capital-intensive and innovation-driven sector is vital for all future generations of Floridians.
I wish to thank all of our stakeholders and community leaders for supporting my MS&T Blue Ribbon Commission and for joining our efforts in protecting this valued economic sector in Florida.
