Business and Community Leaders Convene at Nova Southeastern University’s Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation

“What we determined by research is that Miami-Dade and Broward County have the largest number of startups, every single year, of any region in the country.”

Two years ago, just a few months before the debut of the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation at Nova Southeastern University, Alan B. Levan told SFBW, “As I asked our board members to join in this initiative, I had no turndowns. Even when I approached the county commission, not only was it unanimously approved, but each commissioner wanted to speak in favor of it. It’s one of those ideas whose time had come.”

By now it has become clear that Levan’s dream has come to fruition, as evidenced by a recent CEO Connect panel discussion hosted jointly by SFBW and the Levan Center.

John Wensveen, Ph.D., the Center’s chief innovation officer and its executive director, assumed hosting duties, eliciting insights from Levan—who is also the chairman of BBX Capital and the CEO and chairman of Bluegreen Vacations—along with George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D., president and CEO of Nova Southeastern University; Bob Swindell, the president & CEO of Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance; and Kathleen Cannon, president and CEO, United Way of Broward County.

The event carried the encompassing theme, South Florida Impact: Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship, and Levan reinforced his mantra of right time, right place. “When you create a business, and this is a business—these 54,000 square feet represent a startup business—you have to determine whether a need exists,” he said. “What’s the opportunity for your business in your locale or that you’re marketing to? So, I would ask, if we took all these lofty aspirational goals but we were in the Dakotas, would it be the right time, and would we have the opportunity? I would say no. What we determined by research is that Miami-Dade and Broward County have the largest number of startups, every single year, of any region in the country, but it is not a good place to scale up. They start but they don’t finish. That tells us that the entrepreneurs are here and hope springs eternal, and what they need is help to get to the next stage so they can take these dreams and put them into viable businesses that are commercialized.”

Wensveen noted, “Our goal is to have local, regional, national and international impact, and just to put that into perspective, we have entrepreneurs who are now leading other cities across the country and other cities around the world and they’re incorporating right here at the Levan Center, creating their LLC’s using this as their home address. We’re now proceeding with what we call the country desk model, and the country desk means we negotiate with innovative nations from all over the world that have strong entrepreneurial ecosystems that we can link together. We signed our very first country, which is the Cayman Islands, and now we have access to the whole international network of the Cayman Islands.”

Wensveen, who oversees the Center’s day-to-day operations, said that being the Center’s chief innovation officer is the best role of his career. “I have to thank Dr. Hanbury and Alan Levan for the opportunity, because when we started here, I kind of remember saying there was one rule: There are no rules. And that’s what spurs innovation, and it’s been an exciting journey to date and we have so much more to do. We thank the community for its support because we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

Photo by Eduardo Schneider

You May Also Like
Florida Automobile Dealers Association Welcomes Ed Morse Into its Dealer Hall of Fame

His namesake’s business is one of the nation’s fastest-growing and most respected automotive and motorcycle dealer groups.

Read More
Ed Morse
Vision Board: Linde Grindle 

She serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Spirit Airlines.

Read More
Linde Grindle
Vision Board: Gregg Goldstein

Along with business ownership, enhancing the community is at the top of his priorities.

Read More
Gregg Goldstein
Jamie Wasserman Assumes Chair Position on Leadership Broward Foundation Board

The Boca Raton resident is a Partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP.

Read More
Jamie Wasserman
Other Posts
Vision Board: DeAnn Hazey

Explore her vast experience and connections that significantly influence her community.

Read More
DeAnn Hazey
Vision Board: Dr. Luis Soro

Dr. Soro was born and raised in Miami.

Read More
Dr. Luis Soro
Real Estate Entrepreneur Phil Gutman Unveils Gutman Development Marketing in Miami

The consulting firm aims to help the local market.

Read More
Vision Board: Dr. Ann Monis

Meet the trailblazing figure in Florida’s healthcare industry.

Read More
Dr. Ann Monis