Orlando needs to ‘step up its game’ to attract high-wage biz, investor says. Here’s how.

David Mullings sees many similarities between his home country of Jamaica and his current hometown of Orlando. 

That’s because many people outside the region immediately think of tourism when they think of either place, Mullings, founder and CEO of private equity investment firm Blue Mahoe Capital Partners Inc., told Orlando Business Journal. “They don't think about the business opportunities. They don't think about living there. So we need to change that narrative.”

However, Mullings is bullish on the economies of both. His company invests in Caribbean businesses, and Mullings has lived in Orlando since 2007. Mullings previously lived in South Florida, and Blue Mahoe operates out of Miami. There, public officials are trying to woo businesses, tech talent and investors to the region.

Metro Orlando can take lessons from what is happening southward and attract some of the high-wage jobs and deep-pocketed investors moving out of traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley, he said. 

Here, Mullings shares Orlando’s advantages over Miami, what the region can learn from the Magic City and more: 

What changes have you witnessed in the tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems in Miami since you lived there? We've seen a lot of change in the local tech space. But it was a burgeoning tech scene before. We had The Launch Pad, for example, which started at the University of Miami. I was in the first cohort. That has expanded to a number of other universities across the country. We've had many more things from an accelerator and an incubator approach in South Florida. 

Why did you move to Orlando? A close friend of mine who was an investor in my previous startup, Richard Powell Jr., he was co-founder of AP Capital [in Orlando]. He asked me to come and work with him on his holding company. 

What keeps you in Orlando? We have a lower cost of living. It is quieter and nicer for families. We have more green space to go and play. It is more family friendly.

What advantages does Central Florida have over South Florida? My biggest concern with the South Florida region is that even though it's so diverse, it's completely missed the boat on supporting Black startups. That's an advantage that Orlando, Tampa and the Interstate 4 corridor bring to the table. It actually is more diverse in supporting a wider range of entrepreneurs. Another advantage we have not played up is the fact that Miami floods quite regularly, and it will sink, let’s be honest. In Orlando, we don't have to worry about the water issues. In Miami, we have to put up hurricane shutters on our buildings. People aren’t worried about hurricanes in Orlando. It’s in the middle of the state. 

What are Orlando’s biggest strengths for drawing entrepreneurs and businesses? We need to work even harder to get people to realize Orlando is 45 minutes from the Space Coast. We need to play up UCF. Full Sail University, which is one of the top film and music universities in the country, we haven't played that up. That helps you from a marketing standpoint — everything is visual now. Of course, the key one for me is to remind them if you live in Orlando, you can take a 45-minute flight to Miami. 

What can the region learn from Miami? The mayor of Miami has been all over social media, inviting people to come visit. And then he personally would meet with them. You need somebody to champion this place to the world. You have to use social media in this day and age. Orlando has not done that. Central Florida has not been out there as much. The mayor of Miami has been courting venture capitalists and entrepreneurs to take a look. We need to step up our game. We need to use social media better. 

David Mullings, Blue Mahoe Capital Partners 

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