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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Ocean Insight Expands Orlando, Florida, Headquarters & Operations

12/18/2020
Optical sensor manufacturer and applied insights company Ocean Insight is expanding at Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, Florida. The company will invest $4 million in its new facility with plans to create 100 new jobs over the next three years.

The new 52,000-square-foot facility encompasses the company’s corporate headquarters as well as manufacturing, engineering, and administrative teams. A large portion of the products manufactured at the company’s Orlando facility are exported around the world and are used in essential industries including medical devices and defense.

“Having a world-class facility enables Ocean Insight to inspire our employees to contribute their best and deliver results,” said the President of Ocean Insight, Michael Edwards, Ph.D. “Ocean benefits substantially by having close proximity, through the Orlando community, to world-class machine shops, electronics vendors, and other suppliers. This backbone of industry makes Orlando also a rich pool of technical talent, which assists us in recruiting to the area as well as providing great local employee options.”

The company employs over 200 people around the world with additional offices in Europe, India, and China. More than half of those employees are currently based in the company’s Orlando operations.

“We appreciate this long standing partner in Florida’s tech community,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell, the president and CEO of Enterprise Florida. “Ocean Insight has been a consistent regional community partner and we hope that continues for many years to come.”

According to Orlando Economic Partnership the strong photonics presence in the Orlando region is one of the biggest reasons Ocean Insight chose to expand there. Central Florida Research Park is the nation’s sixth largest with specialized research labs and one of the top technology incubation systems in the U.S. Large employers like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Siemens all have a major presence in the area, attracting key specialized talent to the region.

The benefits of a low cost of living and ease of doing business in the region also played a role in the company’s decision, as well as access to major highways, lodging and Orlando International Airport (MCO). Plus, Orlando’s status as a top visitor destination makes it easy to host client visits and training sessions for employees.

“The success of companies like Ocean Insight are the perfect example of an ‘Orlando. You don’t know the half of it.’ story, and we are thrilled to support the company’s growth here,” said Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership. “Most people know Orlando for its tourism industry, but we have been a leader in photonics dating back to the 1960’s space race and continue to grow in this area of expertise.”

The Orlando Economic Partnership worked together with the State of Florida, Enterprise Florida, Orange County, Duke Energy and JLL to support the company’s growth in Orlando. The Partnership assisted with fast-tracking the company’s permitting process in collaboration with Orange County. The Partnership also assisted the company with applying for a sales tax exemption for manufacturers.

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