Tailor made for risk

The unexpected Sept. 2 death of his mentor and friend, Rick Fawley, left more than a hole in JB Taylor's heart.

It also motivated Taylor, one of the longest-serving executives at east Manatee County-based Fawley|Bryant, to do something he never thought he would do: start his own business. That company, Bradenton-based Taylor Studios, is a partnership with his wife, area artist Sarah Taylor. The firm's services include architecture, interior design and public artwork. “We have a little bit of everything going on,” JB Taylor tells Coffee Talk.

But there would be nothing, says Taylor, without Fawley — whose late summer death after a short illness shocked his colleagues and many others in the business and civic community. Fawley hired Taylor to work at his firm before the 1994 merger with Mike Bryant formed Fawley|Bryant. Taylor then came along for the combination, and helped secure and work on dozens of projects for the company. He never intended to leave the Fawley|Bryant, and even rejected at least one opportunity to work for a competitor.