To this day, Carol Ann Logue calls herself 麻豆精品 S渁 farm girl from Arkansas, 麻豆精品 S� even after living in Florida for more than 40 years. She 麻豆精品 S檚 worked at UCF for the past 23 years, with the last seven dedicated to nurturing economic development in the area as director of UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 . Yet you can still detect hints of a Razorback accent during conversations with Logue. The character traits she cultivated from watching the fields as a child 麻豆精品 S� patience, thoughtfulness and optimism 麻豆精品 S� are also evident. Now she 麻豆精品 S檚 relying on her instinct to trust that everything will flourish under the care of others.
In April, Logue will retire from her leading role at UCF.
麻豆精品 S淭he timing couldn 麻豆精品 S檛 be better, 麻豆精品 S� Logue says. 麻豆精品 S淲e have no crisis, no funding gap 麻豆精品 S� just a healthy business environment [for] the foreseeable future. I can walk away with peace of mind that our 麻豆精品 S榞row your own 麻豆精品 S� approach has become the hallmark of economic development in Central Florida. 麻豆精品 S�
Under Logue 麻豆精品 S檚 guidance, the Innovation Districts and Incubation Program has cultivated growth for hundreds of startups, resulting in thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars for the local economy from a medley of industries. Logue 麻豆精品 S檚 approach to her work has captured the attention of colleagues across the country, serving as a testament to her strong work ethic and humility.
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檝e followed a crooked path, 麻豆精品 S� Logue says, 麻豆精品 S渂ut I 麻豆精品 S檝e never forgotten where I came from. 麻豆精品 S�
The Farm Girl From Arkansas
Logue learned how to drive from the seat of a tractor at age 10. She can 麻豆精品 S檛 begin to count how many piglets she bottle-fed or the hours she spent picking, cleaning and canning vegetables from her family 麻豆精品 S檚 enormous garden. Logue 麻豆精品 S檚 granddad ran the general store. Her father earned a degree in agricultural engineering, but didn 麻豆精品 S檛 stray from his rural roots where everyone knew each other as neighbors and helped each other as friends.
麻豆精品 S淢y upbringing close to the Earth prepared me to work with entrepreneurs even back when I had other plans, 麻豆精品 S� Logue says.
Those plans were supposed to include medical school, however, along the way she discovered the world of technology at the University of Arkansas library, where early online databases fed her hunger for knowledge. From there, Logue 麻豆精品 S檚 route bounced around the south 麻豆精品 S� to Louisiana State University for a master 麻豆精品 S檚 degree, back to Arkansas to teach and eventually to the University of Florida (UF) in 1984 where she helped run an information center with rocket scientists.
麻豆精品 S淎griculture is the original STEM field, 麻豆精品 S� Logue says of the connection between farming and technology.
While at UF, she would attend occasional business conferences in Orlando, and each time she became more intrigued about the blossoming potential of the area and the young university on its east side. At one conference in the aftermath of 9/11, she heard a new strategy outlined 麻豆精品 S� for the region, for UCF, and, as Logue believed, for her own career.
麻豆精品 S淭he ground had shaken after 9/11, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t forced every business and municipality to change. During that conference, I heard how technology and young startups in Orlando were poised to diversify the economy beyond tourism. Everyone wanted to participate 麻豆精品 S� the city, the county, private enterprise. And at the center of it all: UCF. It wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 just talk. Innovation would drive entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship would grow the greater community. I 麻豆精品 S檇 always wanted to be in a place where I could see those kinds of long-term results. 麻豆精品 S�
Laying the Groundwork for Orlando’s Economic Boom
When Logue arrived at UCF a few months later, she saw the equivalent of a big field 麻豆精品 S� one incubator in one building. She felt at home. Working with entrepreneurs reminded her of planting seeds. Developing partnerships with the city and county was like watering and fertilizing.
麻豆精品 S淛ust like it is when you 麻豆精品 S檙e growing crops, you keep watch, knowing there will be factors outside your control, 麻豆精品 S� Logue says. 麻豆精品 S淏ut you keep nurturing, keep fending off pests and focus on the harvest ahead. 麻豆精品 S�
Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 business culture today is very different than it was in 2002. The region once known for a busy airport and theme parks now garners global attention for technology and innovation clusters that feed a robust local economy. There 麻豆精品 S檚 expertise in virtual reality, augmented reality, digital twinning, modeling, simulation, gaming and theme park advancements. All of this has been spun into a wide range of business interests: education, hospitality, medicine, real estate, smart city planning and the space program. Trace any of the vendors back to their roots and you 麻豆精品 S檒l probably find yourself still standing in Central Florida.
This is the fruit reaped from sowing locally, and it 麻豆精品 S檚 due in large part to UCF 麻豆精品 S� and to Logue.
麻豆精品 S淐olleagues from around the country ask how we do this, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚 tell them UCF always has a seat at the table. During conversations, you can 麻豆精品 S檛 tell who works for government, who works for industry and who works for UCF. It 麻豆精品 S檚 truly collaborative, which is helpful for entrepreneurs. At the heart of it, we share a goal to drive a better quality of life from within. 麻豆精品 S�
RINI Technologies, one of the first businesses in the incubator program when Logue arrived in 2002, now offers leading research and development from a 12,000-square-foot facility just one mile from UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 main campus. It 麻豆精品 S檚 among the companies Logue and her team have helped grow from laboratory to marketplace.
The successes gained so much attention from the U.S. Department of Defense that when it recognized a need for rapid innovation in 2019, it launched the Central Florida Tech Grove and appointed Logue as director. Five years later, 11 government entities now collaborate with Tech Grove, where the primary mission to grow the defense industrial base for each entity has expanded overall economic vitality. Business leaders from around the world see the ease of integrating with other companies and government and want to know how to be a part of it.
They call the person at the center of the progress: Logue.
麻豆精品 S淚t isn 麻豆精品 S檛 me, 麻豆精品 S� she says with down-to-earth modesty. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 the vibrant economic environment here. I know it will be sustained long after I leave. 麻豆精品 S�
Her Ambitious To-do List for Retirement
Logue plans to take online courses in history, photography and possibly artificial intelligence. There are books to read and documentaries to watch about people, WWI and WWII. She 麻豆精品 S檒l vacation in Eastern Europe and visit her grandkids in Alaska. But near the top of the list is a trip she 麻豆精品 S檚 been thinking about for a long time. This trip will be to the pastures of Lexington, Kentucky, and the foothills and flatlands of Arkansas 麻豆精品 S� home.
麻豆精品 S淏ack to the place that prepared me in ways I never saw coming, 麻豆精品 S� she says.
Then Logue and her husband, Ed, will return to Florida and take a breath before she makes time for a once-familiar hobby.
麻豆精品 S淚 麻豆精品 S檓 going to have a big garden, 麻豆精品 S� she says, 麻豆精品 S渁nd I look forward to spending a lot of time in it. 麻豆精品 S�
