To this day, Carol Ann Logue calls herself 鈥渁 farm girl from Arkansas,鈥� even after living in Florida for more than 40 years. She鈥檚 worked at 麻豆原创 for the past 23 years, with the last seven dedicated to nurturing economic development in the area as director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 . 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 鈥� patience, thoughtfulness and optimism 鈥� are also evident. Now she鈥檚 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 麻豆原创.
鈥淭he timing couldn鈥檛 be better,鈥� Logue says. 鈥淲e have no crisis, no funding gap 鈥� just a healthy business environment [for] the foreseeable future. I can walk away with peace of mind that our 鈥榞row your own鈥� approach has become the hallmark of economic development in Central Florida.鈥�
Under Logue鈥檚 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鈥檚 approach to her work has captured the attention of colleagues across the country, serving as a testament to her strong work ethic and humility.
鈥淚鈥檝e followed a crooked path,鈥� Logue says, 鈥渂ut I鈥檝e never forgotten where I came from.鈥�
The Farm Girl From Arkansas
Logue learned how to drive from the seat of a tractor at age 10. She can鈥檛 begin to count how many piglets she bottle-fed or the hours she spent picking, cleaning and canning vegetables from her family鈥檚 enormous garden. Logue鈥檚 granddad ran the general store. Her father earned a degree in agricultural engineering, but didn鈥檛 stray from his rural roots where everyone knew each other as neighbors and helped each other as friends.
鈥淢y upbringing close to the Earth prepared me to work with entrepreneurs even back when I had other plans,鈥� 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鈥檚 route bounced around the south 鈥� to Louisiana State University for a master鈥檚 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.
鈥淎griculture is the original STEM field,鈥� 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 鈥� for the region, for 麻豆原创, and, as Logue believed, for her own career.
鈥淭he ground had shaken after 9/11,鈥� she says. 鈥淚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 鈥� the city, the county, private enterprise. And at the center of it all: 麻豆原创. It wasn鈥檛 just talk. Innovation would drive entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship would grow the greater community. I鈥檇 always wanted to be in a place where I could see those kinds of long-term results.鈥�
Laying the Groundwork for Orlando’s Economic Boom
When Logue arrived at 麻豆原创 a few months later, she saw the equivalent of a big field 鈥� 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.
鈥淛ust like it is when you鈥檙e growing crops, you keep watch, knowing there will be factors outside your control,鈥� Logue says. 鈥淏ut you keep nurturing, keep fending off pests and focus on the harvest ahead.鈥�
Orlando鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檒l probably find yourself still standing in Central Florida.
This is the fruit reaped from sowing locally, and it鈥檚 due in large part to 麻豆原创 鈥� and to Logue.
鈥淐olleagues from around the country ask how we do this,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 tell them 麻豆原创 always has a seat at the table. During conversations, you can鈥檛 tell who works for government, who works for industry and who works for 麻豆原创. It鈥檚 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.鈥�
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 麻豆原创鈥檚 main campus. It鈥檚 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.
鈥淚t isn鈥檛 me,鈥� she says with down-to-earth modesty. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the vibrant economic environment here. I know it will be sustained long after I leave.鈥�
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鈥檒l vacation in Eastern Europe and visit her grandkids in Alaska. But near the top of the list is a trip she鈥檚 been thinking about for a long time. This trip will be to the pastures of Lexington, Kentucky, and the foothills and flatlands of Arkansas 鈥� home.
鈥淏ack to the place that prepared me in ways I never saw coming,鈥� 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to have a big garden,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I look forward to spending a lot of time in it.鈥�
