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Coffee Talk (Sara/Mana)
Hudgins resigns from Fifth Third
Jody Hudgins has resigned from his position with Fifth Third Bank. Hudgins, formerly president of First National Bank of Florida for the Sarasota region, was appointed to senior vice president and senior real estate lender of Southwest Florida for Fifth Third Bank after that bank acquired First National last year.
Asked about other recent employment changes, Jama Dock, spokesperson for Fifth Third, responded, "There has been somewhat of a slight reorganization. But I really think this is probably par for the course for any bank that is looking to grow. Our goal is to triple the size of the bank in Florida by the end of the decade. Kevin Hale will continue to lead Florida as regional president as well as South Florida affiliate president."
Hudgins has served as a bank president in the Sarasota market for more than a decade. He was president of the Sarasota-based West Coast Bank, which later merged with Venice-based Guaranty Bank. That merger formed West Coast Guaranty Bank. West Coast Guaranty was then acquired by First National Bank of Florida.
Hudgins has also been active in Sarasota civic affairs, serving on the Sarasota Housing Authority board and as a member of the Sarasota County Planning Commission.
Lawyers filing W-suits
Could using a "W" land you in hot legal water? One St. Petersburg developer has found it can. In early June, Walker-Whitney LLC, a developer building condominium projects in Sarasota and St. Petersburg under the names of W Flats at the Palladium, W Plaza on Fifth Avenue, W Penthouses on Ringling Boulevard and W Place on Beach Drive, received a cease and desist letter from lawyers representing Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.
According to the letter, Starwood Hotels trademarked the letter "W" name and service mark in connection with its 17 W Hotels and a newer chain of high-end condominiums, W Residence. The attorneys argued that Walker-Whitney's marketing colors and use of the W logo was an attempt to cash in on Starwood Hotel's image and reputation.
The letter states: "Moreover, your selection of W can be no accident. It is obvious that you deliberately chose this name to capitalize on the goodwill developed by Starwood over the years in its W Hotels. This is evident from the language on your Web site, which evokes the same chic, urban 'New York' themes that Starwood has cultivated, from your selection of block font, and the same specialized font use by Starwood for its W mark and even from the red and black color scheme on your website, which mirrors the signage on many of Starwood's W Hotels..."
Blake Thompson, principal with Walker-Whitney, eventually chose to settle the suit.
"This was just a real forehead slapper," Thompson says. "It's just one of those things that is obviously wrong. But it came down to a cost analysis. It would cost so much more to fight it than it would just to settle. We estimated our costs could easily run into the seven figures, and when you are competing against one of the largest hotel companies in the world they have the money to fight us all along the way."
Walker-Whitney is far from alone in Starwood's legal protection of its W trademark. In 2004, the New York Post reported that Starwood lawyers sent letters concerning the letter "W" on apparel associated with President George W. Bush.
Yahoo and Miva make up
Miva Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Craig Pisaris-Henderson has nothing but nice things to say about former archrival Yahoo.
That's a stark change from a few weeks ago when Fort Myers-based Internet marketing company was still embroiled in a patent lawsuit with a Yahoo subsidiary. But on Aug. 15, Miva settled by agreeing to pay Yahoo $8 million and undisclosed future royalties. Before the settlement, some analysts even speculated Yahoo might acquire Miva.
Speaking at a luncheon of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce three days after the settlement, Pisaris-Henderson gushed about Yahoo's success. "Their growth rates are out the yin-yang," he deadpanned. Jerry Yang is Yahoo's co-founder and the Sunnyvale, Cal.-based company purchased Alibaba.com, China's biggest Internet company, for $1 billion in cash on Aug. 11.
Two seminars just for non-profit board members
The Sarasota Bar Association and the Nonprofit Resource Center are holding two presentations Sept. 15 by nationally recognized management consultant Bob Harris at The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, 2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota.
From 8 to 11 a.m. Harris will present The Systems Approach to Nonprofit Management, and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the program will focus on Board Excellence: The Responsibilities and Roles of Serving on a Nonprofit Board. Each presentation is $50; the latter seminar includes lunch.
Harris runs a Tallahassee association management company he founded in 1979. He speaks professionally primarily about non-profit issues and association efficiency. Harris also teaches association management at Tallahassee Community College and is an instructor for the U.S. Chamber at the Institute for Organization Management. The Association Self-Auditing Process he created has been conducted by about 6,000 organizations.
For more information or to register visit www.suncoastnonprofits.org or call 556-7104.
Corrections
• The Review incorrectly reported in the Aug. 19-25 edition the amount of startup capital used so far at Morgan Beaumont. The company's startup costs have totaled $4 million.
• The Review incorrectly reported a foreclosure listing in the Aug. 19-25 edition. A foreclosure notice for Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., et al., vs. David Walter, et al., 2005-CA-1144 should have listed the address of lot 8, block H, Florida Avenue Park.
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