Ahead of the Pack

Sarasota executive R. Charles Murray is staring down a monumental decision for his company, a choice that puts him in an atypical spot: to buy or not to buy a 100,000-square-foot building listed at $4 million.

The purchase would primarily be a gung-ho gamble that the products he's behind — alcohol packaged in a pouch — are ready to take off.

Murray's company, PPi Technologies Group, has manufactured pouches that store a range of food and beverage products, from raisins and cookies to Spam and chocolate milk, for more than a decade. It had $20 million in 2011 revenues, up 17.6% from $17 million in 2010. It has about 50 employees, including 10 hired during the past year.