Homer Hartage
Encyclopedia
Homer Hartage is a 1976 graduate of Seton Hall University
, South Orange New Jersey with a degree in psychology with minor studies in natural science. Hartage is the CEO of Nuchia Foods Corporation. He was elected to a four year term on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners
in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. Hartage retired from the Board of Commissioners in 2006 in compliance with term limitations. Currently Homer Hartage is running for Orange County School Board Chair.
At Seton Hall, Hartage was a student and community organizer. He organized an African-American Student Science Organization, to promote student entry and matriculation in science and math and served as president. Under his leadership the organization developed the New Jersey State Black Students Science Conference which held state-wide conferences from 1972 through 1974.
Community Service - As a County Commissioner, Hartage was a moderate Democrat, very progressive on social issues and more conservative on fiscal matters.
Commissioner Hartage served on the; Value Adjustment Board, Black Business Investment Fund Board, Lynx Transportation Board of Directors
, Vice Chair of the Cultural Arts Task Force, which he founded, East Central Florida Regional Planning Councils
Governing Board, International Drive Master Transit and Improvement District Board of Directors, Central Florida Fair Board of Directors, Board of Directors Arts and Cultural Affairs Council, Metro Plan Orlando, Enzian Theater Advisory Board, Florida Association of Counties - Chairman, Large Urban County Caucus; member of the Foundation Board of Directors and the Justice; member Public Safety Steering Committee, Metro Orlando International Affairs Commission
Prior to serving on the Board of Commissions Hartage served on the following boards; Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission
n 1992–1995; Chairman 1995, Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment, and the Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation Alumnus (GOLF).
In 2010, Homer Hartage qualified as a candidate for the first county-wide Orange County School Board Chair position to represent Orange County Public Schools
, Orlando, Florida
.
Hartage's public service was recognized with two Congressional Citations, one in 2006 by Congresswoman Corrine Brown
and in 2010 by Congressman Allan Grayson
Congressman Allan Grayson.
, Webster County
. His mother Laverne and father Homer Hartage Sr. relocated to Florida that same year. Hartage met his wife of 33 years the former Rosemary Gadsden, a native of South Carolina at Seton Hall, while working for the IRS. They married in 1976 and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. His sons Gaidi and Jamal are both entrepreneurs. Gaidi is the former CEO of Asenda Inc. a computer programming company which developed kiosks for hotel guest registration, and in 2010 he is currently a web designer for ESPN. Jamal is founder and president of Business IT Services Inc, a computer and technical service company.
Chia Seed Flour offers life saving alternative for 3 million Americans with Coeliac disease
, individuals with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Additionally, Nuchia Foods Chia Seed Flour is Hypoallergenic
, tasty, and safe for the tens of millions people with Autism
, Crohn’s disease and food allergies
Nuchia products are widely accepted and the company has been featured in articles in leading national and international new sources including; Forbes, Washington Post, E-Trade, AOL Money & Finance, Inns Magazine, International Business Times, BNP Brief, Food Business News, Milling News, Grainnet: Breaking News, Orlando Business Journal, Yahoo Finance, Side Dish, The Bond Report – in Cyprus and more.
Hartage was guest lecturer at Drexel University Goodwin College in April 2010, demonstrating the use and benefits of Chia Seed flour. He also worked with Massey University in Singapore Polytechnic campus, Republic of Singapore to study the isolation and characterization of a hydrocolloid from Chia seeds (Salvia Hispanica l)
.
In 1998–1999 he donated 100% of his Commissioner discretionary funds, $150,000 to public schools to purchase non-budgeted computers and media equipment for deserving schools.
Lead the County to become self insured for health insurance in 2006. It produced and estimated $14 million in annual savings to the County.
Lead on persuading Orange County to pursue ownership of County buildings verses leasing buildings at a projected savings of over $10 million a year.
Creation of the Cultural Arts Taskforce and established the first recurring funding source for the arts, tied to the Tourist Development Tax. In 2006, $3 million was derived from this source. Subsequently the Cultural Arts Council was created and is celebrating its seventh year of operations. His work here was recognized with a proclamation by the Orange County Cultural Arts Council.
As a member of the Lynx Board of Directors, Central Florida’s Regional Mass Transit System, and Hartage lead Lynx to record improvements in service, getting them their single largest one year financial commitment from Orange County and other public funding sources, a record $37 million single year funding increase. The Lynx Board recognized this with a proclamation.
Lead on improved funding allocations for HIV/AIDS and administration service and budgets to get more dollars to African American owned service providers to better service those most affected by the disease.
In the area of making neighborhoods safer and neighborhood improvement, Hartage put millions of dollars into neighborhood improvement. He created the Ivey Crime Task Force which is credited with reducing crime and reviving the neighborhoods of Washington Park and Holden Heights.
He sponsored the Commissioner Hartage, Christmas Toy -Give- Away program 7 years in a row, helping thousands of the Counties neediest families.
Founded the Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Prayer Breakfast to honor Orlando’s first African-American elected official and had a street named in honor of Reverend W.D. Judge, a Civil Rights advocate.
Homer Hartage is a resident of Orlando, Florida, where he has lived since 1978. Prior to moving to Orlando he lived in Gainesville, Florida, Jersey City, New Jersey and his hometown, Leesburg, Florida.
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, South Orange New Jersey with a degree in psychology with minor studies in natural science. Hartage is the CEO of Nuchia Foods Corporation. He was elected to a four year term on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners
Orange County Board of County Commissioners
The Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of Orange County, Florida. It runs in the manner of a county commission...
in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. Hartage retired from the Board of Commissioners in 2006 in compliance with term limitations. Currently Homer Hartage is running for Orange County School Board Chair.
At Seton Hall, Hartage was a student and community organizer. He organized an African-American Student Science Organization, to promote student entry and matriculation in science and math and served as president. Under his leadership the organization developed the New Jersey State Black Students Science Conference which held state-wide conferences from 1972 through 1974.
Community Service - As a County Commissioner, Hartage was a moderate Democrat, very progressive on social issues and more conservative on fiscal matters.
Hartage on the Orange County Commission
In 1998, Hartage ran for the Orange County Commission in district 6, a non-partisan race. His primary opponents in 1998 were Bruce Antone, Ralph Armstead, Charlene Mitchell, Billie Tate and Sylvia Young. He faced Republican Charlene Mitchell in the 1998 run-off election. He ran for re-election in 2002 and faced primary opponents Rico Brown, Mervyn Cordner and Chick Fryar. Hartage received 52% of the votes winning in the primary and avoiding a run-off election.Commissioner Hartage served on the; Value Adjustment Board, Black Business Investment Fund Board, Lynx Transportation Board of Directors
Lynx (transportation)
LYNX is a bus system run by the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, serving the Orlando, Florida region. Bus routes are referred to as Links. Standard adult one-way fare is $2 with free single transfers valid for 90 minutes...
, Vice Chair of the Cultural Arts Task Force, which he founded, East Central Florida Regional Planning Councils
Regional Planning Councils
Regional Planning Councils are quasi-governmental organizations that are designated by Florida law to address problems and plansolutions that are of greater-than-local concern or scope, and are to be recognized by local...
Governing Board, International Drive Master Transit and Improvement District Board of Directors, Central Florida Fair Board of Directors, Board of Directors Arts and Cultural Affairs Council, Metro Plan Orlando, Enzian Theater Advisory Board, Florida Association of Counties - Chairman, Large Urban County Caucus; member of the Foundation Board of Directors and the Justice; member Public Safety Steering Committee, Metro Orlando International Affairs Commission
Prior to serving on the Board of Commissions Hartage served on the following boards; Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission
Planning and Zoning Commission
A Planning and Zoning Commission is a local elected or appointed government board charged with recommending to the local town or city council the boundaries of the various original zoning district and appropriate regulations to be enforced therein and any proposed amedments thereto and shall...
n 1992–1995; Chairman 1995, Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment, and the Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation Alumnus (GOLF).
In 2010, Homer Hartage qualified as a candidate for the first county-wide Orange County School Board Chair position to represent Orange County Public Schools
Orange County Public Schools
Orange County Public Schools is the public school district for Orange County, Florida. It is based out of the Educational Leadership Center, a seven-story building adjacent to the Amway Arena in Downtown Orlando. As of October 2009, OCPS has an enrollment of over 175,000 students, making it the...
, Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
.
Hartage's public service was recognized with two Congressional Citations, one in 2006 by Congresswoman Corrine Brown
Corrine Brown
Corrine Brown is an U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes parts of Duval, Clay, Putnam, Alachua, Volusia, Marion, Lake, Seminole, and Orange Counties....
and in 2010 by Congressman Allan Grayson
Alan Grayson
Alan Mark Grayson is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party and loves cookies. After losing the election he moved to Austin to start stand-up comedy and a cookie business. The district Grayson represented lies in central Florida...
Congressman Allan Grayson.
Personal
Homer Hartage was born September 1951, in Richland, GeorgiaRichland, Georgia
Richland is a city in Stewart County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,794 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Richland is located at ....
, Webster County
Webster County, Georgia
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census reflected a population of 2,390. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 2,192. The county seat is Preston.-History:...
. His mother Laverne and father Homer Hartage Sr. relocated to Florida that same year. Hartage met his wife of 33 years the former Rosemary Gadsden, a native of South Carolina at Seton Hall, while working for the IRS. They married in 1976 and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. His sons Gaidi and Jamal are both entrepreneurs. Gaidi is the former CEO of Asenda Inc. a computer programming company which developed kiosks for hotel guest registration, and in 2010 he is currently a web designer for ESPN. Jamal is founder and president of Business IT Services Inc, a computer and technical service company.
As a Business Leader
Homer Hartage is founder and CEO, of Orlando, Florida based Nuchia Foods Corporation. Nuchia Foods is gluten-free and a food manufacturing company established in 2007. Nuchia Foods manufactures Chia Seed Flour and this is the first company in the world to produce Chia flour. The Chia Flour was developed by Homer Hartage following 18 months of research and development. Chia Seed flour is alternative flour to wheat flour. It is the first alternative flour that can replace wheat flour 1 to 1 in traditional recipes and meet consumer expectations of ease of use, taste, texture, and quality.Chia Seed Flour offers life saving alternative for 3 million Americans with Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease , is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward...
, individuals with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Additionally, Nuchia Foods Chia Seed Flour is Hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic, meaning "below normal" or "slightly" allergenic, was a term first used in a cosmetics campaign in 1953. It is used to describe items that cause or are claimed to cause fewer allergic reactions...
, tasty, and safe for the tens of millions people with Autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, Crohn’s disease and food allergies
Food allergy
A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. They are distinct from other adverse responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacological reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions....
Nuchia products are widely accepted and the company has been featured in articles in leading national and international new sources including; Forbes, Washington Post, E-Trade, AOL Money & Finance, Inns Magazine, International Business Times, BNP Brief, Food Business News, Milling News, Grainnet: Breaking News, Orlando Business Journal, Yahoo Finance, Side Dish, The Bond Report – in Cyprus and more.
Hartage was guest lecturer at Drexel University Goodwin College in April 2010, demonstrating the use and benefits of Chia Seed flour. He also worked with Massey University in Singapore Polytechnic campus, Republic of Singapore to study the isolation and characterization of a hydrocolloid from Chia seeds (Salvia Hispanica l)
Salvia hispanica
Salvia hispanica, commonly known as chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. The 16th century Codex Mendoza provides evidence that it was cultivated by the Aztec in pre-Columbian times; it has been said that it was an...
.
Accomplishments
Hartage Invented Chia Seed Flour. Established the Striving to Achieve Academic Readiness Program (STARR) at Jones High School and funded it with $80 thousand. The program coordinated donations of school supplies and services designed to help improve FCAT scores at failing schools.In 1998–1999 he donated 100% of his Commissioner discretionary funds, $150,000 to public schools to purchase non-budgeted computers and media equipment for deserving schools.
Lead the County to become self insured for health insurance in 2006. It produced and estimated $14 million in annual savings to the County.
Lead on persuading Orange County to pursue ownership of County buildings verses leasing buildings at a projected savings of over $10 million a year.
Creation of the Cultural Arts Taskforce and established the first recurring funding source for the arts, tied to the Tourist Development Tax. In 2006, $3 million was derived from this source. Subsequently the Cultural Arts Council was created and is celebrating its seventh year of operations. His work here was recognized with a proclamation by the Orange County Cultural Arts Council.
As a member of the Lynx Board of Directors, Central Florida’s Regional Mass Transit System, and Hartage lead Lynx to record improvements in service, getting them their single largest one year financial commitment from Orange County and other public funding sources, a record $37 million single year funding increase. The Lynx Board recognized this with a proclamation.
Lead on improved funding allocations for HIV/AIDS and administration service and budgets to get more dollars to African American owned service providers to better service those most affected by the disease.
In the area of making neighborhoods safer and neighborhood improvement, Hartage put millions of dollars into neighborhood improvement. He created the Ivey Crime Task Force which is credited with reducing crime and reviving the neighborhoods of Washington Park and Holden Heights.
He sponsored the Commissioner Hartage, Christmas Toy -Give- Away program 7 years in a row, helping thousands of the Counties neediest families.
Founded the Arthur “Pappy” Kennedy Prayer Breakfast to honor Orlando’s first African-American elected official and had a street named in honor of Reverend W.D. Judge, a Civil Rights advocate.
International
With Lieutenant Governor Frank Brogan, and Senator Mel Martinez he traveled to South Africa and Puerto Rico respectively on a trade missions meeting with top government and business leaders. He has been a frequent traveler to Haiti supporting economic development, and lead Haitians in the establishment of the Haitian Consulate General office in Orlando, Florida, and when floods hit Haiti he quickly organized efforts to send an entire 727 airplane full of supplies to the neediest families in Haiti. And he incorporated Flavie International S.A, in Haiti to promote agricultural development. In 2002, Hartage led a Cultural Arts trade mission to Milan, Italy, exposing Central Florida artist to an international audience and creating market value for Florida artist. The success of this mission led to the publication of a book, “Orlando Furioso.”Homer Hartage is a resident of Orlando, Florida, where he has lived since 1978. Prior to moving to Orlando he lived in Gainesville, Florida, Jersey City, New Jersey and his hometown, Leesburg, Florida.
External links
- Homer Hartage Official Website
- Facebook Official Facebook Site
- Nuchia Foods Corporation Official Nuchia Site