by James Coulter
40 new jobs. $560,000 in wages. $75,000 in business revenue. These are some of the results a local business incubator has been able to produce over the past three years for the City of Lake Wales. And those numbers are expected to continue growing.
At their workshop on Wed. June 25, 2025, Lake Wales city commissioners were provided with a presentation from BizLINC, a business incubator located in the historic core of Lake Wales.
As their website states: “BizLINC is Lake Wales’s one-stop source for coordinated business incubation and development services. BizLINC connects entrepreneurs to much-needed resources to achieve success and sustainability.”
Three years ago, BizLINC entered a $1.2 million contract with the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to facilitate the city’s redevelopment and revitalization efforts by providing resources to local business owners and entrepreneurs.
Frank Cornier, CEO and co-founder of BizLINC, claimed that, since its inception, BizLINC has generated $750,000 in business revenue and created 40 new jobs that have resulted in $560,000 in wages, which in turn resulted in a return value of $1.3 million.
As such, the initial investment the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has made into BizLINC has seen a 9 percent return. For every dollar invested, BizLINC has generated a $1.09 in return, he explained.
Such results prove how much of a vital asset BizLINC has been to economic development, especially since the incubator started in a “negative position” three years ago. Essentially, they started with less than nothing and made something from it, Cornier explained.
“Year one was a foundational year for us,” he said. “In some cases, we probably started from a negative position because we are trying to start from zero. But in some communities you come into where private investment has long left, you’re starting at a disadvantaged position.”
BizLINC has facilitated this economic development through 17 business training and seminars, 600 hours of technical assistance, and 10 verified mentorship sessions. Furthermore, while most incubators focus solely on the tech industry, BizLINC has created a mix of white- and blue-collar jobs in construction, health and wellness, and financial planning.
In fact, one construction firm has since doubled its revenue since participating in the incubator, Cornier said. Likewise, another business from Lakeland has expressed interest in setting up a chicken wings eatery on Lincoln Avenue.
Derrick Blue, BizLINC co-founder and COO, averred that BizLinc has also boosted local morale by creating businesses that allow residents to see others working and thriving in their local community.
“[We created] an ecosystem that didn’t exist,” he said. “There isn’t a true entrepreneurial ecosystem in that [Lincoln Avenue] area, and it has not been in a long time. In fact, I think we are the only business that operates right now on Lincoln. What that means for us is that there are children and other people in the community who get to see people walking into a business who look professional…[so] it is a place where people can imagine something different for themselves.”
Both Cornier and Blue have high expectations for BizLINC moving forward. In fact, they expect their numbers to grow by 25 percent the next time they address the Lake Wales City Commission.
Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson was especially impressed by the results. He considers BizLINC to be the standard bearer for the City of Lake Wales investing in prospective non-profit organizations. He wants the City to invest in such a way that non-profits eventually become self-sufficient and no longer require city funding.
“We have been successful. We do have money. And that puts a target on our heads,” he said. “That is not our money. It belongs to the City of Lake Wales. And we are using it for these projects. So, I am interested in measuring the results, and I am very interested in a decline of support from us to where these projects become [as] self-sufficient as much as possible.”
Blue agreed. He hopes BizLINC eventually creates enough businesses in the community that no more can be created.
“We are asking for less,” he said. “Our goal is to put ourselves out of business because we are doing what needs to be done, and people no longer need us.”
Commissioner Keith Thompson claimed his rubric for BizLINC’s success will be the redevelopment of Lincoln Avenue. If the incubator can bring more businesses to that area, he would be more than willing to reward them for their success.
“I think the city should be responsible in rewarding success,” he said. “If you are successful and improving property value and creating jobs, I am more than willing to reward that and get behind that.”
Mayor Jack Hilligoss insisted the City should look at any means necessary to promote redevelopment on Lincoln Avenue, noting the “vacant and unoccupied property” in that area as well as the downtown area. Deputy Mayor Gibson even suggested eminent domain.
“We have a lot of inventory downtown that is not activated, and we have folks that are showing real interest in trying to start businesses down there who are finding it difficult to get in,” Mayor Hilligoss said. “So, one of the things that we should discuss is what we can do as a commission that can really incentivize current owners to get active, whatever we can legally do without violating their rights.”
