Higher and higher (expectations)

Findings of a national SunTrust Banks survey — high expectations of improved business conditions, a better U.S. economy and a better global economy — are in line with business leaders' expectations in the Tampa Bay area, says Chairman, President and CEO of SunTrust Banks' West Division Allen Brinkman II.

“These are consistent themes among most, if not all, of the companies I talk to on a regular basis,” Brinkman tells Coffee Talk.

He says the Tampa Bay business community is a microcosm of the companies surveyed from Jan. 4 to Jan. 16 in the annual Business Pulse Survey by SunTrust Banks and Radius Global Market Research. Decision-makers at more than 500 small businesses ($2 million to $10 million in annual revenue) and middle-market businesses ($10 million to $150 million in annual revenue) participated in the report.