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North Tampa Chamber
holds grand opening
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will hold an open house from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 9 at its new location, 11778 N. Dale Mabry Highway, between Mimi's Cafe and Krispy Kreme Donuts. Food will be donated by Panera Bread, Mimi's Cafe, O'Brien's Tavern, Krispy Kreme, Michael's Grill and Cookies by Design. Reservations, $12, are required for the luncheon, which will begin at noon. (813) 961-2420.
Bancshares of Florida Inc. enters Tampa market
Bancshares of Florida Inc., the holding company for the Bank of Florida Naples N.A., Bank of Florida Fort Lauderdale and Florida Trust Co., opened a loan production office at 500 N. Westshore Blvd. in Tampa. The bank will further expand in Tampa by opening a full-service branch next year, says Bancshares President/CEO Michael McMullen.
Bancshares is a $175 million-asset bank holding company based in Naples.
Florida Hospitals place
second in national ranking
The Agency for Health Care Administration noted Florida ranked second in the sixth annual Health Grades Hospital Quality in America study. The study ranked nearly 5,000 hospitals on whether patient outcomes were better or worse than could normally be expected for 26 common procedures.
Florida Magazine Association meets, awards, in Sarasota
Publishers throughout the state met recently at the Sarasota Ritz-Carlton for its annual convention. "AAA Going Places" won three bronze awards for design excellence and one gold "Charlie" award for writing excellence. The gold for best feature headline went to Senior Editor Tom Wuchovich for "Mississippi Yearning."
Pasco's Westfield to build
master-planned community
Westfield Homes will offer a line of villa homes in a master-planned community to be called "The Villas of Willow Creek." Westfield will build three villa designs starting in the mid $140s, including lot. Plans will range from 1,385 to 1,800 square feet. Westfield will build on 106 home sites, many which will overlook conservation areas, ponds or wetlands. The community will feature a neighborhood pool with cabana.
First National Bank of Florida to build in Port Charlotte
First National Bank of Florida, a wholly owned subsidiary of F.N.B. Corp., bought land to build a full-service financial center in Port Charlotte, marking the bank's entry into the Charlotte County area.
The 5,624-square-foot branch office will be built on an acre in the Charlotte Harbor Professional Park, at the corner of U.S. 41 and Lister St.
Natural pest control company joins Naples chamber
The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce announced the arrival of NaturZone Pest Control Inc., an "environmentally friendly pest control company," to serve Collier and Lee counties.
Elite to begin operations
at Sarasota International Airport
Elite Flight Solutions of Sarasota plans to begin operations at its Sarasota -Bradenton International Airport facility. The company's hangar will house up to six planes for traditional jet charter services.
Prince Michael of Kent
to visit Sarasota
Prince Michael of Kent and U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Sarasota, will be the guests of honor and keynote speakers at the First Annual Transatlantic Business Forum to be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive, on Nov. 3 and 4. The events are designed to allow civic and business leaders to network with national and international dignitaries and business leaders.
The main business part of the forum will occur Nov. 4. More than 250 senior level business executives from across the United States and overseas will attend. International delegates are already committed to attend from the United Kingdom, Russia, Canada, Nigeria, Brazil, Ecuador and the Cayman Islands. Delegates are also scheduled to come from New York City, Newark, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and across the state.
The British contingent will feature corporate leaders Godfrey Ainsworth, chairman of Gambit Financial Corp.; William Brooks, CEO of Brandenburg Securities; and Phillip Cooper, managing director of Venture Wales. Stanley North III, of Sills Cummis Capital Markets, will lead a New York/New Jersey delegation.
The event is being organized by Sarasota-based New Horizons Florida.
Taylor Woodrow reports
41% increase in earnings
Taylor Woodrow PLC, the U.K.-based public home builder, reported operating profits of $76 million on revenue of $524 million, a 41% increase compared to the same six-month period a year ago. For the six months ending June 30, the company's North American operations, which are based in Bradenton, sold 1,386 homes and 1,909 lots.
Christe's furnishings
to open new gallery
Christe's Classic Furnishings Gallery will open a 4,000-square-foot store at 2030 Harvard St. in Sarasota later this month. It will feature classic European inspired furniture. Christe's Inc., owned by Donna Grantham and Carolyn Kofler, is affiliated with Sarasota's UniSource Group. The combined businesses employ a team of 40 in Sarasota and Tampa. UniSource has designed and supplied interiors and furnishings for many of the largest commercial projects in Florida and is one of the area's largest contract furniture dealerships with locations in Tampa and Sarasota.
Company wins award
for Tampa airport construction
Skanska USA Building won the 2003 Construction Management Association of America Award for Skanska's construction work on Tampa International Airport's Airside Terminal Building E. The 270,00-square-feet, $68 million terminal was completed last October.
Medical
with pic
× Dr. Robert Dale Livingston Jr. joined Dr. J. Fred Miller III at Gulf Coast Orthopaedics & Sports Surgery, at 600 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice. Livingston is also a staff physician with Bon Secours-Venice HealthPark Surgery Center. Prior to his position at Gulf Coast Orthopaedics, he was chief of surgery at Maine General Center in Waterville, Maine.
× Dr. Michael Dattoli, founder and physician-in-chief of the Sarasota-based Dattoli Cancer Center & Brachytherapy Research Institute, presented two seminars in the National Conference on Prostate Cancer in Burbank, Calif.
with pic
× Dr. Richard Golub, a Sarasota surgeon specializing in diagnosing and treating diseases of the colon, was included in the third edition of America's Top Doctors, a national guide to medical specialists in the United States. Less than 1% of physicians in the United States have been included in the national guide, produced by Castle Connolly Publishers.
Real Estate
× Sarasota-based Retrieval Dynamics Corp. teamed with Regional MLS Inc. to offer the RMLS membership the Mobile Listing Advantage Program, which will allow agents and brokers to have wireless access to all local Multiple Listing Service listings outside their offices. RMLS comprises three separate real estate Associations in the regional, the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches; the Jupiter, Tequesta, Hobe Sound Association of Realtors; and the St. Lucie Association of Realtors. The RMLs comprises more than 10,000 members.
The Mobile Listing Advantage combines Retrieval Dynamics' wireless MLS software with a BlackBerry Wireless Handheld, produced by Research In Motion and various wireless carriers. The software will allow members to Search, receive and forward the most current MLS listings with their handheld wireless device and receive and respond to their email anytime, anywhere.
× Patrick Utter was promoted from director of commercial real estate for Naples-based Collier Enterprises to vice president of the company's commercial real estate division. Utter joined Collier Enterprises eight years ago as the company's director of property management. Prior to that, he worked at Florida Power & Light. Collier Enterprises maintains a diverse portfolio of businesses, specializing in agribusiness, real estate, and private equity.
with pics
× The Glenridge on Palmer Ranch recently appointed Kathleen Childers to director of accounting services and Denise Voiles to manager of human resources. Previously, Childers served as the regional financial operations analyst for Greystone Communities Inc, a development and management company for a community in Bradenton. Before joining The Glenridge, Denise served as director of human resources and risk management, consulting more than 100 employers in the Sarasota area on a variety of issues.
Technology
× Sarasota-based TechHouse was certified as a Women's Business Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. Women's Business Enterprise certification is granted to a firm that is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women. Founded by Kathy Durfee, TechHouse has been designing, developing, implementing and improving software and network solutions since 1995. TechHouse received National WBENC Certification in May 2003.
× Sarasota-based Studio 16 launched a new website for Serge Polakoff, an artist and author who lives in Longboat Key and Santa Monica, Calif. The site sergepolakoff.com was launched in concert with the release of Polakoff's new coffee table book, "Symbols in Art: The Hidden Keys to Love, Balance and Renewal."
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