Florida is a haven of opportunities for small businesses in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers were resolute through the COVID shutdown, as the nature of their business did not allow for employees to work from home. During this session, we'll overview the manufacturing ecosystem in Florida, discuss lessons learned over the past year, and look ahead to  the upcoming FloridaMakes Summit.

This Town Hall is a hold over from June and is being presented at noon vice 4 pm (EDT). Please join us via the Zoom link and anyone can always watch live or the recorded video later on our Facebook page.

As we learn with every industry that we touch on with FAVOB, do not underestimate the value that your own business products and services can provide to manufacturers. Whether large or small operations, manufacturers need accountants, attorneys, financing, insurance, employee benefits, consulting, and so on. Whether you are a manufacturer or not, please take this opportunity to learn more about this industry that accounts for nearly 5% of Florida's gross state product.

We'll be joined by industry experts from FloridaMakes, the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida, and a small business owner in manufacturing.

Christian Davidson is the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida (MACF). She originally joined MACF in 2007 after graduating from the University of Central Florida. Go Knights! After working with MACF for two years, she was afforded an opportunity to go to work in the manufacturing industry, becoming an account manager for Celmark International, a manufacturer of nutraceuticals and topicals in Orlando. Christian then returned to MACF in 2018 in her current role where she works to promote Central Florida manufacturing by creating awareness through multiple social media platforms. She additionally serves on the Orange Technical College Advisory Council, the Lake Technical College Advisory Council, and the Seminole County Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation Center Advisory Council. Christian has also spent time working in marketing and management in the health and fitness industry, allowing her to bridge her passion for running, health and exercise to her career.

Guilford Cantave is President & CEO of FermiTron, Inc., an AS9100 certified full-service electronic product design & manufacturing corporation that provides engineering/manufacturing support to companies ranging from promising entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 firms and government. FermiTron, Inc.’s services (www.fermitron.com) include analog/digital electronic circuit design, RF/wireless, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, firmware development, hardware prototyping & testing, printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), production / production-support and more. A Marine Corps veteran, Guilford currently resides in Orlando, FL and gives back to his community by volunteering as a youth soccer, and track & field coach. He also serves as a board member of the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) Alumni Chapter to help prepare today's engineering and computer science students for industry tomorrow.