Business boom forces broker to refocus

Joe Varner has made a good business for himself brokering the sales of Gulf Coast companies since 2010.

But there's one thing Varner, owner of SunBelt Business Brokers of Tampa Bay, hasn't done with his listings: He's never bought one of the businesses for himself.
Until now. Varner, with a territory that covers Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and counties, bought Anna Maria Vacations last April. He saw the income potential at the rental properties firm and decided “it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”

Varner has been right, judging by the boom in business. He projects the firm will surpass $4 million in 2012 revenues, more than double what it did in 2011. Anna Maria Vacations specializes in leasing high-end properties on the island, many to European vacationers.