One solar step at a time, Robert Reynolds and Solis Energy can help light the way for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere.

Robert Reynolds readily concedes he once knew little about solar energy. So he went to school, almost literally.

Reynolds had agreed to team with his teenage son on a summer project that involved creating a solar unit to generate power in their home’s Florida room. Reynolds bought the requisite solar panels and batteries. He Googled and asked business associates. And he goofed up, a lot. Read more

The secret to winning in this economy is a high SEQ score — and to model your company after a futuristic smash-hit movie.

The economic meltdown coupled with advances in technology has birthed a new species of businesses classified as Social Enterprises. Companies of all sizes that adopt this New Normal are winning with their customers as well as their balance sheets.

WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

An organization with a transparent leader who fuses strategically chosen social technologies into the corporate culture, business model and systems. The result is improved economic value for employees, customers, partners and community.

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE QUOTIENT (SEQ)

Your SEQ pinpoints your location on the social enterprise spectrum. That location becomes your starting point to develop your strategic playbook. The higher your score is the greater the propensity for economic success. There are seven elements of the SEQ, including ecosystem, business model, culture, brand, customers, partners and competitors.

(1) ECOSYSTEM

Measuring the health of your ecosystem is the first step to SEQ. Let’s take, for example, the movie “Avatar.” Pandora, the moon on which the movie took place, was the environment where the Na’vi lived and worked. Similar to how we overlooked the last few decades of irresponsible fiscal policy, the Na’vi did not stop the RDA Corp. — a mining company from Earth — in time to prevent their ecosystem from collapse.

(2) BUSINESS MODEL

Does your current model work in the New Normal? Where are the bottlenecks? What metrics are you tracking?  The Na’vi’s business model included the main ingredient in any social enterprise, the “Tree of Souls.” James Cameron, the director of “Avatar,” referred to it as “a big input-output station.” The Na’vi were connected to this web of information all the time. Social enterprise companies have comparative systems. They tie data from the Internet and their internal databases, and mine new data from Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other sources to touch their customers where they are located.

(3) BRAND

How do you leverage your brand with social technologies to reach new customers? The Na’vi were known for being great warriors who cared greatly for their ecosystem. They had high influence and respect. Their brand was well defined and easy to follow because they were connected to all their constituents in real time.

(4) CULTURE

Is your CEO transparent and does he or she foster an environment of collaboration, plus have a project-management mentality? The Na’vi were open, trusting and collaborated on everything, and even with competitors.

(5) CUSTOMERS

Do you who and where your raving fans are? How do you nurture and sustain them? A segment from the SEQ asks a simple question: Are you for us or against us? The objective is to move as many bystanders to the Raving For and Influencer For columns.

(6) PARTNERS

Do you know which of your vendors, investors, friends, affiliates and others are prominent online, and with whom you could be leveraging your relationships? Since the Na’vi were connected to their network, they were able to draw on those relationships and defeat their arch rival, the RDA Corp.

(7) COMPETITORS

Which of your competitors are influential, and how are they using social technologies? What are they saying, and how successful are they?

Editor’s note: Mark A. Carbone is FirstMonday’s resident “technology catalyst.” Follow him on Twitter @MarkACarbone or e-mail mark@marksnewnormal.com.

Science in Toyland

Orlando Science Center

Remember those science classes that were practically painful to sit through? What if you had toys to learn those same scientific principles? Now children can at Science in Toyland, which opened Jan. 30 and runs until early May at the Orlando Science Center.

The exhibit features several interactive areas, all designed to bring science to the world of toys. At Bridges and Cranes, for example, youngsters can use Tinker Toys to build a bridge that spans across a “valley.” They can experiment with different construction methods and learn which combination of shapes makes a sturdy truss or tall crane. At Roller Coaster, they can learn about acceleration and momentum by adjusting the incline of a racetrack. At Catch the Wind, they can discover the Bernoulli principle at work as they position the sails of a sail boat at different angles and watch how the wind causes the boat to move.

The Bernoulli principle? This exhibit is for grown-ups, too.

For Old Florida National Bank, 2009 was a year of leadership succession, capital accumulation and branch growth. With the help of a few neighbors. And just for starters.

While many companies — OK, most companies — were stuck somewhere between neutral and reverse last year, Old Florida National Bank found open road. With the January arrival of three-decade banking veteran Randy Burden as chairman and CEO, the federally chartered, locally owned and managed independent bank changed its name from Orlando National Bank. Three months later, the bank had raised $50 million through a stock offering and increased deposits by another $50 million. Since April, Old Florida National Bank (www.oldfnb.com), founded in 1982, has grown from two to seven locations across metro Orlando. Also, in October, John Burden, 33, the son of Randy Burden, was named president. Previously executive vice president, senior lender, he replaced veteran John Christman, who became chief operating officer. Read more

The Central Florida Partnership is proud to present its 2010 Volunteer Leadership Team.

The Central Florida Partnership — America’s Newest Regional Partnership — is an essential place for leaders to convene, set priorities, address our region’s toughest challenges and identify our greatest opportunities. It provides a platform where positive ideas are advanced on behalf of our region — ideas that matter most to the millions of people who live, work, learn and play in Central Florida. The Central Florida Partnership is moving “Ideas to Results.” Read more

Funding in challenging times typically makes for high-stakes drama, but particularly for companies in the promising life sciences industry.

Buoyed by the potential of a medical city at Lake Nona, the future of the region’s life sciences industry appears bright. Indeed, the growing demands for healthcare, as well as innovative therapies and technologies, mean that the long-term prospects for the life sciences sector are alive and well. Read more

Entrepreneur/philanthropist David Maus is driven by passion in business and compassion in community.

After nearly 17 years of doing “whatever it takes” for customers and building his business into a successful empire, David Maus has become one of the most recognizable faces in Central Florida. Read more

If you’re going to survive the economic turmoil, you must innovate your way out of it. Here are nine ways your company can create one bright idea after another.

Yes, the recession still is with us, and companies everywhere continue to feel the pain. Amid the lingering malaise, even the most optimistic leader might wonder, is there an end to this particular tunnel?

Sure there is, but you’re going to have to excavate it yourself — and you’re going to have to light your own way. Read more

Getting an offer is only part of the job in finding new employment. Here’s how to sweeten your compensation deal.

A lot of talented folks are out of work or “in transition” in Central Florida these days, and most are doing whatever they can to land a new job. When that goal is finally reached, when someone says, “We love you; please come to work for us,” the tendency is to respond with, “Thank you, YES.” Read more

BREVARD

J. Stanley Payne, chief executive officer of the Canaveral Port Authority, has been named to the 2009-2010 executive committee of the board of directors of the American Association of Port Authorities. AAPA is an alliance of leading ports in the Western Hemisphere. The mission of the organization is to protect and advance the common interests of members as they connect their communities with the global transportation system. It is governed by a 57-member board, consisting of elected representatives of the corporate membership from each of the port regions. Payne represents the U.S. South Atlantic port region. With extensive experience in port operations and shipping, he began his tenure with the Canaveral Port Authority in 2004 after serving as a deputy executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. In addition to his AAPA service, Payne is chairman of the board of directors for the Florida Ports Council. He also is past chairman of AAPA’s Security Committee, past president of the North Atlantic Ports Association and a member of the Governor’s Seaport Security Standards Advisory Committee.

LAKE

For the first time in the county, a family has received funding through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and moved into a new home, located in Eustis. The aid arrived with the help of the Lake County Department of Community Services and Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter. The NSP was created by the U.S. Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to respond to rising residential foreclosures and property abandonment. The NSP’s main purpose is to stabilize neighborhoods negatively impacted by foreclosures. Lake County received $3.1 million to acquire, renovate and sell foreclosed homes at affordable prices to eligible families. To have the most impact on neighborhoods hardest hit by foreclosures, the targeted areas were selected by ZIP code, including some in Clermont, Leesburg and Eustis.

ORANGE

In 2005, with a goal of replacing 10,000 trees by 2010, the city of Orlando began its 10,000 Trees Initiative. The planting of a final few trees citywide during the holiday season marked the achievement of that goal. In 2004, hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne wreaked devastation not only on residents and businesses, but also on Orlando’s landscape, with the city losing thousands more trees than it does in the average year. The city’s Parks Division, along with Green-Up Orlando and Keep Orlando Beautiful, brought together individuals and resources to restore the tree canopy. A core focus of the initiative was developing creative solutions for funding, such as seeking capital improvement funds, grants and donations. Orlando citizens and organizations joined the successful effort. The city continues to offer tree programs to residents and neighborhood organizations, and volunteer opportunities remain for tree planting through Green-Up Orlando.

OSCEOLA

Stacia Hetrick, aquatics agent with the University of Florida/IFAS Osceola County Extension Office, has won a national award from the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals for work on the office’s Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project Web site (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/osceola). Extension agents nationwide competed for the award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to natural resource education. Dr. Tina Bond, Osceola County National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System coordinator, also was recognized for contributions. The Web site provides information on a variety of topics, including hydrilla, hygrophila and other non-native invasive aquatic plants, as well as their management and what the county is doing to find solutions. The site represents one component of the outreach strategies of the Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project, which seeks to find new, cost-effective solutions to better manage aquatic weeds and enhance the overall health and quality of lakes.

POLK

Energy 5.0, a renewable energy company, has announced plans to design and construct a 25-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric-generating station in the county. The Florida Solar I Project will be located on approximately 350 acres of reclaimed phosphate mine land. Preparation of permit applications and preliminary design work are under way. Staff members of the Central Florida Development Council had worked with Energy 5.0, Tampa Electric Co., Enterprise Florida and the county’s growth management personnel for the past year to help the company bring the project to Polk. Construction is slated to begin this fall. Under the terms of the agreement, Energy 5.0 will deliver the full output of the facility to TECO Energy at a fixed price per kilowatt hour. The project is expected to produce enough energy to power 3,400 households, and it’s anticipated that the clean technology will avoid the emission of more than 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide over the 25-year contract term.

SEMINOLE

The U.S. Tennis Association Florida named Seminole County Leisure Services Department as 2009 Member Organization of the Year. The USTA award is recognition of the organization’s contribution to tennis in the state of Florida. USTA Florida is a nonprofit tennis association composed of more than 1,000 member organizations throughout the state, with approximately 50,000 individual members. According to county officials, local residents also benefit from the recognition, which enables the county to continue to attract and reap the economic rewards of regional, statewide and national tennis tournaments. By winning the 2009 USTA Florida Member Agency of the Year, the Leisure Services Department gained considered for national recognition with USTA. Seminole County Leisure Services manages more than 6,000 acres of natural lands, 24 parks and 80-plus miles of trails.

VOLUSIA

The city of Daytona Beach has opened its first skateboard park, located within Bethune Point Park. City officials tout the skateboard park as one of a kind and one of the premiere facilities in Florida. Among the park’s features: a large precast concrete clam shell, precast skate-able art pieces and a precast bank textured with grooves — all elements in an innovative skating experience. The park also features an “in-ground bowl.” Skaters under age 17 must provide a signed parental consent form. Breaking Ground Construction, a Jacksonville firm specializing in skateboard park building, constructed the park, which was designed in partnership with Spohn Ranch, a California-based company known for designing courses for several “X-Games” competitions.

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