2023 Golden 100: A closer look at Central Florida's top privately held companies

Welcome to Orlando Business Journal's weekly LinkedIn newsletter. I'm Digital Producer/Senior Staff Writer Richard Bilbao, rounding up Orlando business news to keep you in the know when time is short.

Orlando Business Journal is celebrating the achievements of the 2023 Golden 100, Central Florida’s largest privately held, locally based companies.

These 100 firms based in Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake counties represent metro Orlando's business excellence. The listmakers together employ 27,755 local workers, and are known for boosting the region’s economy. Local businesses compete annually to be named one of the Golden 100, based on gross revenue for the most recent year-end.

These companies have proven their resilience through uncertain times, providing Central Florida with thousands of jobs and bring in many millions in the area. This year’s Golden 100 together reported $13.8 billion in 2022 revenue, up 11.3% from the year-earlier period's combined revenue of $12.4 billion. Two companies posted more than $1 billion in revenue.

Read the rest of the story and learn more about the listmakers here.

And now, on to other big business deals, transactions and activity headlines from the week.

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Real estate news of the week

• How experts say Brightline will boost local development: "People are increasingly interested in living near mass transit."
• Downtown tower project gets new developer, dining concept: A new construction timeline has been unveiled by the Miami-based developer.
• New $70M Clermont project in the works after land sale: Click to see what's next for 28 acres that sold in 2 recent deals totaling $7 million in fast-growing Clermont.
• Groundbreaking set for DeBary's built-from-scratch downtown district: The start of construction also will be the groundbreaking for the larger DeBary Main Street project.

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Orlando news bites

Don't miss these other top stories:

• Demings' bombshell would delay hotel tax funding for two major projects: Mayor Demings tweaked his suggested plan in a Sept. 28 memo to use hotel tax funding for major projects, but it leaves two key players out — accounting for more than $200 million. Click to find out which projects are now on the outside looking in — and when they may get funded.
• 5 takeaways from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's 2023 State of Downtown address: He touched on the economy, safety in the urban core and more.
• Orlando International Airport OKs 10-year strategic plan: The airport has adopted a new strategic plan with 4 key priorities for the next decade of its growth. Click to see some of the examples of how those might be implemented.

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Restaurant news & notes

Check out the latest news on popular local places to eat:

• Restaurateurs team up with luxury liquor store chain The Good Pour: Last month The Good Pour revealed it is the new tenant for a College Park retail space.
• Huey Magoo’s eyes new HQ, 250 more restaurants: The Lake Mary-based chicken chain's 50th restaurant is set to open in North Carolina.
• Orlando Brazilian steakhouse Adega Gaucha cooks up 2nd location: The eatery — one of Yelp's Top 100 restaurants in Florida — will open a second area location. See where and when.

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Nominations & Events

Things to put on your busy calendar:

• Nominate now for Orlando Business Journal's 2023 Veterans of Influence, which?recognizes military veterans who have made a significant achievement in their careers in the past year, have a strong record of innovation or outstanding performance in their work, and are involved in our community. The deadline is Oct. 6.
• Orlando Business Journal's 2023 C-Suite Awards event will be held Oct. 19 to recognize Central Florida’s top CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, CMOs, COOs and others who are outstanding in business and the community.
• Nominate now for the 2024 Women Who Mean Business, which honors the top businesswomen in Central Florida. The deadline is Nov. 9.

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Finally ... make your voice heard!

These?OBJ?polls are live. Let us know what you're thinking.

• How does your company celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month?
• Should applicants for Orange County tourist tax revenue have to put in some of their own money for their projects?
• Will UCF's entry into the Big 12 Conference lead you to attend college football games?
• How often do you plan to ride Brightline?

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Closing Note

The Orlando Business Journal now is unlocking a story in our morning and afternoon newsletters, making it available to read for free, for subscribers and non-subscribers alike. You’ll know which story is unlocked because its headline will start with “GIFT ARTICLE.” Be sure to sign up for our newsletters here: bit.ly/3s9UkKB. To ensure you never miss a story, subscribe here: bit.ly/3QHey8W.

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That's all for this week's top headlines, and thanks for supporting?OBJ.

This weekly round-up of Orlando business news was compiled by Richard Bilbao, digital producer/senior staff writer. Questions? Comments? Concerns? News tips? Send them to [email protected].