1. NEC WPBA MidYear Report Oct 25-March 26

Economic Development Advisory Board Regular Meeting · 2026-06-09 · agenda_item

The National Entrepreneur Center (NEC) is providing a mid-year update on the Winter Park Business Academy (WPBA) program, which began October 1, 2025, and is scheduled to end September 30, 2026. This program aims to support local entrepreneurs through workshops, webinars, and mentoring. The WPBA has engaged 146 unique participants in the current year, with 13.8% coming from Winter Park zip codes. The program also includes digital marketing efforts and international trade opportunities, with a recent success involving Lombardi Seafood. This update is currently under review by the Economic Development Advisory Board. The ongoing program involves educational services, digital outreach, and business development support, with potential for future phases as recommendations are developed. Local contractors, suppliers, and service providers in business consulting, marketing, and event services may find opportunities by engaging early before future program plans and needs are finalized.

unique participants since inception

761

unique participants so far this year

146

Local Representation

13.8 %

Webpage Views

2,338

Unique Users

644

Views of our WPBA digital campaign on Bungalower.com

150,510

Program duration in months

12 -Month Program

Total number of participants that have attended workshops, webinars, or mentoring sessions since program inception

761

Number and percentage of total participants from Winter Park Zip Codes

141

Growth in workshop attendees from first half FY 24-25

60

Growth in workshop attendees to first half FY 25-26

141

Number and percentage of participants that attended a roundtable or a mentoring session

43

Participants in 'Unlocking Major Gifts' workshop

24

Participants in 'Winning the Government’s Yes' workshop

41

Participants in 'How to Do Business with Orange County & Winter Park' workshop

33

Participants in '90 Minutes to Market' workshop

22

Participants in 'AI Toolkit for Business Leaders' workshop (Oct 21)

21

Participants in 'Insights and Outlook 2026' workshop

120

Participants in 'Inbox Domination Unleashed' workshop

19

Participants in 'Global Expansion Isn’t Risky' workshop

26

Participants in 'Step-By-Step Strategy' workshop

16

Participants in 'The Winner’s Secret to Mastering ‘Giving Tuesday’ for Nonprofits' workshop

7

Participants in 'Lights, Camera… AI!' workshop

8

Participants in 'Inside Google Ads' workshop

9

Total WPBA Participants

761

WPBA Workshops Growth

135 %

WPBA Participants from Winter Park Zip Codes

14.5 %

WPBA Mentoring Program Participants

5.6 %

WPBA Participant Businesses - Year Established (2025)

35 %

WPBA Participant Businesses - Year Established (2024)

65 %

WPBA Participants - Low to Moderate Income Level

22 %

WPBA Participants - Home Based Business

78 %

WPBA Participants - Selling Online

42 %

WPBA Participants - Commercial Location

36 %

WPBA Landing Page Visits

2,338

WPBA Digital Campaign Views (Feb 4 - Mar 20)

93,636

WPBA Digital Campaign Views (Feb 4 - Mar 12)

56,884

WPBA Social Media Reach

7,842

WPBA Social Media Impressions

25,917

WPBA Average Engagement Rate

9.1 %

Monthly Emails Sent (Oct-Mar)

3,453

Monthly Emails Opened (Oct-Mar)

1,566

Monthly Emails Click Throughs (Oct-Mar)

125