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| Working hard preparing for the Flip the Magnet launch at Citizen’s Circle! (L to R: Cliff Craig, Emily Cummins, Ryan Kirby) |
The first 16 days of 2013 have been nothing short of exciting and full of new experiences.
For starters, I had my LAST first day of school. Wow. I graduate from the University of Florida in less than four months. Time is flying!
Outside of my typical college kid life, both myself and fellow Ocala Power Plant Business Incubator intern, Cliff Craig, are investing our time, passion and energy into creating a movement in our community. What do I mean by that? We’re Flipping the Magnet of Ocala. Every community is like a magnet in that it either attracts or repels students. Sadly, many in my generation view Ocala as the negative side of the magnet. The Ocala Power Plant Business Incubator’s dream is to change that perspective.
Our mission is two-fold: identify promising entrepreneurs and help them create successful businesses. Each Spring, nearly 3,000 students graduate from a Marion County High School and go off to college or the workforce. That is awesome and something to truly celebrate. But the story doesn’t stop there. Sadly, the majority of those 3,000 aspiring, talented individuals don’t return to Ocala, the place they call home. They don’t see Marion County as a place of opportunity.
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Talk about a paradigm shift. Opportunity is what you see—or rather, what you choose to see—and I see amazing potential in Ocala. We as a generation must choose to invest in the community that has invested so much into us, step in, and change culture as we know it.
To launch this Flip the Magnet movement, we’re hosting a party in the heart of our community at Citizen’s Circle on Friday, January 25 at 7:00 PM. Click here for all the details & to RSVP.
To add to my new experiences, I was honored to be a guest on WOCA’s radio show, the Voice of Ocala, this week! Thank you Buddy Martin and the team for inviting me to represent the Ocala Power Plant & invite Ocala to partner with us in Flipping the Magnet!
