LAKELAND, Fla., October 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Florida Southern College is proud to announce that Entrepreneur-in-Residence Justin Heacock, College Director of the Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship, has been appointed Business Observer exclusive 40 Under 40 list.
Heacock, 32, is a sophomore in charge of the Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship. Under Heacock’s direction, the center has helped several Florida South Students earn more than $30,000 for business ideas.
Justin Heacock, director of the Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship in Florida Southern, and his father Ford Heacock at the 40 Under 40 Awards celebration.
The mission of the Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship is to instill an entrepreneurial mindset and strengthen the principles of free enterprise Florida Southern College and the community in central Florida that lead to the creation of new ventures and innovations. The center helps create an entrepreneurial mindset and reinforces the principles of free enterprise through academic programs, experiential learning, and student engagement.
“It feels good to be recognized for the hard work you put in,” Heacock said. “Normally in academia we are sometimes disconnected from the business world, so it’s good to see awards like this so that individuals from all parts of the community can be recognized.”
economic observer has been printing the magazine’s 40 Under 40 since 2003 with the aim of finding, honoring and celebrating the best of the best among the rising stars.
To be recognized as a 40 under 40 awardee, applicants must demonstrate achievement in their field. Another key factor economic observer looks for people who “make an effort, strive and create their success. People willing to go against conventional wisdom and the go-getters to meet when you’re new in town,” according to the nominations page on his website.
The 40 under 40 award is open to entrepreneurs, executives and professionals from any field or industry, including non-profit organizations Polk through necklace counties.
Heacock attended the 40 Under 40 Awards celebration 13 Oct in Lakewood Ranch and prepares to go there Las Vegas possibly accepting four more awards for the college.
Out of 27-30 OctoberIn the University of Nevada-Las VegasHeacock will attend the annual meeting of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC).
Heacock said the center is open for four awards but won’t know if Florida South won until the award ceremony 29 Oct.
Florida South Center for Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship is nominated in the following categories:
- Excellent Emerging Entrepreneurship Center, schools with fewer than 5,000 students
- Outstanding student engagement and leadership, schools with fewer than 5,000 students
- Outstanding Contributions to Establishing Ventures
- Exceptional activity in entrepreneurship in all disciplines
Florida South compete against schools worldwide in the last two categories.
The annual GCEC Awards showcase and celebrate the best in university entrepreneurship. The nine different categories allow centers and leaders to select areas where they believe they will make the greatest impact.
Around Florida Southern College
founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private university in the country. The College continues its commitment to academic excellence through more than 70 undergraduate and distinctive graduate programs in business, education, nursing and physical therapy. Florida South has a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II national championships. Florida South is ranked #8 among “Best Regional Universities in the South” by US News & World Report in his 2023 Best Colleges guide and is included in The Princeton Review’s 2023 The top 388 colleges Guide and the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023. The 2022-2023 Colleges of Distinction Guidebook praises Florida South AACSB-accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the college’s School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets & Quants, US News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review also recognize the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as the nation’s leading business and nursing education programs. Home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture, FSC has appeared in The Princeton Review’s national top 20 Most Beautiful Campus list for 13 consecutive years. Connect to Florida Southern College.
SOURCE Florida Southern College
