Business Observer | Business Observer

Business Observer Staff
July 25, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Ringling College buys store, motel, lotSun Hydraulicsbuys Tallevast landRauch companybuys Sara Sea on Siesta KeyDaVinci Center sold, available for leaseUBS' agriculture groupbuys 1,066-acre Alva GroveLee County school boardbuys 79 acres in Cape CoralBayStar Hotel Group buys Heritage HotelTampa's Hachems buyLenox Place, Royal BreezeColumbus Drive LLCbuys Wilson Industries building

Manatee-Sarasota

Business Observer Staff
July 25, 2008

Coffee Talk

+ Dupe the media!Rake in profits!Someone finally figured out how to make money on the stock of WCI Communities, a stock that has fallen from the $20 range into $1 territory.+ Student housingin growing demandNot all of real estate has slowed to a crawl.+ Battle heats up oversoutheast Lee CountyAn epic legal battle is looking more certain with the resignation of a well-respected development consultant from a committee formed to examine land uses in southeast Lee County.+ Hot hogs focusof shocking studyTampa's Stinger Systems Inc. had a problem. It needed to prove the cardiac safety of its key product, the Stinger S-200 electro-stun gun, but it's hard to find human volunteers willing to endure the repeated shocks, close study and eventual surgery required.+ New C12 groupin Fort MyersC12, a nationwide group of organizations for Christian chief executive officers, has added a new franchise in Fort Myers. + Flagler Westshore purchaseexpensive, development delayedCoral Gables-based Flagler Development Group appears to be waging a big bet on its new Westshore property.+ Fight to widenPine Island RoadBuilders in Cape Coral plan to redouble their efforts to widen the busy Pine Island Road corridor despite the governor's veto.+ Not your parents'flea marketYou may have thought flea markets were a thing of the past, but a newly built one in Collier County takes the concept to a whole new level.

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Business Observer Staff
July 18, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

Business Observer Staff
July 18, 2008

Coffee Talk

+ Gulf Coast banksin the doghouseIt's been no fun being a publicly held bank company lately, especially on the Gulf Coast of Florida.+ Bottom-hitting talk lingers onTalk of hitting the proverbial bottom of the Gulf Coast's residential real estate market malaise has been percolating for months - but clearly the chatter hasn't led to any consensus.+ How to getbalanced in lifeA common refrain among ambitious business people - especially each class of the Review's 40 Under 40 - is that elusive quest for finding balance in their lives.+ New office productemerges more slowlyCrescent Resources has built some of the Gulf Coast's newest and most distinct Class A corporate office buildings, including three in Tampa's Westshore business district on Boy Scout Boulevard with tenants like OSI, parent of Outback Steakhouse.+ Tattle-Trailin the marketAnother company has emerged from the Star Center business incubator in Largo: Tattle-Trail LLC.Tattle-Trail has created a monitoring product about the size of a garage door opener that allows a driver to see the vehicle he's towing, in case there is a flat tire or mechanical problem behind him.+ Networking groupmixes blogging with eatingA networking group for small business owners and entrepreneurs in Sarasota has added a twist to the standard lunch meeting: Combining it with an online network.+ Special committeenot so special anymoreWhat's so special about the s

News

Business Observer Staff
July 11, 2008

Coffee Talk

+ Optimism a tough sellfor small business ownersIf you like optimistic outlooks on the economy and feel-good statements about when things will turnaround, then the latest survey from the National Federation of Independent Business isn't for you.+ Bank of Floridastock takes a hitWhat prompted the precipitous fall of the stock of Bank of Florida in recent days?+ Candidate's support comesfrom surprising sourcesJono Miller, an unabashed pro-environment Democrat running for Sarasota County Commissioner, is getting some big-name support from some unlikely sources. Namely, three of the area's most prominent landowners and homebuilders.+ Russell index leaves littleroom for Gulf Coast muscleThe annual reconfiguration of the stocks that make up the family of Russell Indexes wasn't very friendly to Gulf Coast companies this year. + Russell index leaves littleroom for Gulf Coast muscleThe annual reconfiguration of the stocks that make up the family of Russell Indexes wasn't very friendly to Gulf Coast companies this year. + The search is onfor new chamber headAfter seven years at the helm, Kim Scheeler has announced that he is leaving his post as president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce to accept a similar job in Richmond, Va. + Tampa tech forumhits the right chordsThey've come a long way since their early days at the Tampa Theater.

News

Business Observer Staff
July 10, 2008

Coffee Talk

+ Wine entrepreneur seeksconnoisseurs with cashGrant Cats built a multimillion dollar, 30-plus franchise wine business in Canada over 10 years - no easy feat in a country with alcohol taxes so high that customers sometimes pay as much as $5 in taxes on a $12 bottle of wine.+ Southwest Floridaregionalism gets a new lookThere's nothing like an economic downturn to revive the talk of regional cooperation.+ Red hot Sirionon a roll of good newsSirion Therapeutics, Inc., a five-year-old Tampa biopharmaceutical company, is on a serious roll.+ Sarasota real estate firmtakes auction process nationalWith the residential real estate market puttering along, auctions have become a Realtor's salvation on the Gulf Coast. Several of the recent top-dollar sales in the Greater Sarasota market, for instance, have been conducted through auctions.+ Real estate vetsbranch out to investThe heads of CLW Real Estate Services Group in Tampa have formed another company, LVR Real Estate Partners, to focus on real estate investment opportunities.+ The millionaire next door:Neighborhoods are crowdedThe Gulf Coast economy might be slogging its way through, but the number of millionaires, at least in the Tampa area, is growing. + Sher takes on rolewith LightningCraig Sher, executive chairman of the Sembler Co., the St. Petersburg-based retail development and management firm that did BayWalk and many other projects, is now part

News

Business Observer Staff
June 27, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Shoot Straight plans Fort Myers gun shopLee County Port Authority buys 285 acres for airport connector Shaw-owned company buys two Winkler office buildingsWood Street owners explore third building CC Properties buys Prudential, Watch Connection buildingPort Manatee park owners sell land to development districtJackson Transformer buys warehouseBrandon Eye Associates move to Medical Oaks DriveTurbine Diagnostic Services buys Odessa warehouseBlackhawk Realty Advisors buy Sun Lake Apartments

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

Business Observer Staff
June 27, 2008

Coffee Talk

+ I'll take the Obama girl dress: It's called the Tank Leaf Print dress, but Chico's FAS should rename it The Michelle Obama dress. Or come next year, maybe the White House dress.+ Quick I-75 relief comes from hard work, luck: Thousands of commuters and drivers in northern Manatee County were happy, relatively speaking, to be back on the road heading southbound on Interstate 75 to start the workweek June 23.+ Infinity acquisition comes through the Review pages: Dale Ott decided about 10 months ago that his Sarasota-based technology-consulting firm, Vitil Solutions, was getting too big and unwieldy.+ WCI Communities: An Icahn transaction?: In a recent filing for Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities, Carl Icahn says he may enter into a "transaction" with the builder.+ Accountant fights in Washington D.C.: It might only have been five minutes, but Bradenton accountant Byron Shinn didn't hold anything back when he got a chance to speak before a U.S Congressional committee about challenges facing small businesses.+ Getting 245 mpg electric in Clearwater: Gulf Coast residents have heard a lot about electric cars, but they haven't been easy to find.Going green in St. Pete: Part environmental, part marketing, whatever the motivation, the green trend seems here to say.GULF COAST UNEMPLOYMENT RATEFort Myers area sees no foreclosure letup: The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area registered the nation's second-highest foreclosure

News

Business Observer Staff
June 19, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Safe-Start Inc. changes Fort Myers warehouseCollex Collision Experts buys Cape Coral repair shopAssociates in Cosmetic Surgery buys back buildingInvestors buy, renovate former D&W buildingFP&L buys 8 acres for Manasota Industrial substationDoctors Hospital plans medical office scheduled to open in July Stuart S. Golding Co. renovates building for V.A.

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

Business Observer Staff
June 19, 2008

Coffee Talk

Continental Airlines jets out of Sarasota: Talk about the high price of gas.What's behind Riverside Bank shakeup?: The shakeup at Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast in Cape Coral is not because of pressure from banking regulators, Elmer Tabor, the bank's chairman, assures Coffee Talk.Tampa real estate market seen as deals and steals: Tampa-area Realtors might want to grab a copy of the June 23 issue of Fortune magazine for office framing.Early Father's Day present for Gulf Coast money manager: Money manager Robert Stovall has just about seen and done it all in his 50-year plus career in the stock marketsBanks sell more loans to clean up books: As a way to strengthen their books, some Gulf Coast banks are selling more non-performing commercial loans, sometimes at a discount, to get the loans off of their bookshe Heights shifts to commercial: The Heights, a 50-acre mixed-use redevelopment project along the Hillsborough River just north of downtown Tampa, has delayed its residential work and will instead focus on the office portion of the project first.Riverwalk project gets a boost: Tampa entrepreneur, chief executive and real estate veteran Brenda Doring recently brought a local industry group into the effort to improve downtown.WCI's next big date: Aug. 5 and $125 million: Bonita Springs-based homebuilder WCI Communities is going to face its biggest test this summer on Aug. 5.Landowners seek hotel deals on empty l

News

Business Observer Staff
June 13, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Arthrex buys HellermanTyton buildingLiberty Bank buys land for second Cape Coral branchBilly's Rentals acquires Chitwood warehouse spaceAlbertson's sheds Florida stores in deal with PublixSouth Florida Materials buys 200 acres near portFlorida restaurateur buys 19 acres in North PortWellSpring Pharmaceutical buys University Park unitsChrist Church of Longboat Key buys Longview Realty buildingSoutheast Milk Inc. buys Plant City dairyTampa Electric buys Ruskin land for future substationOM Ventures Inc. buys, revises Magdalene East

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

Business Observer Staff
June 13, 2008

Coffee Talk

ASG on the acquisition path: Is Naples-based ASG Software Solutions on the verge of another blockbuster software-company acquisition?Tom James shares a few pearls: It was akin to an E.F. Hutton moment.Sunny days are here to stay in Sarasota: The business axiom of thinking and selling global is in full rotation at Sun Hydraulics, the publicly traded Sarasota-based cartridge valve manufacturing firm.And the not so sunny news awards go to...: While Sun Hydraulics basks in the glow of its Business Week Hot Growth companies rankings, two other Gulf Coast-based publicly traded companies are wilting from being included on a related listCrashing through transportation barriers: Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos recently visited Bonita Springs to discuss one crisis when she ran up on another.Region's women still strong on Barron's rankings: A pair of Gulf Coast financial planners have made the cut on Barron's Top 100 Women Financial Advisors list - one for the third straight year, while the other finished third place for the second time in a row.Happy days if you manufacture and export: We all keep looking and hoping for a positive consensus from the economic prognosticators. Who needs yet another economist telling us what we already know?

News

Business Observer Staff
June 6, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Collier to develop San Carlos retail, storage areasHadge & Associates buys final interest in Summerlin landPrimerica will develop new retail, office centerCedars Tennis Club's new owners plan renovationKaplan Bennett auctioning a pair of landmarksSarasota's Atco buys U.S. 301 BP stationGeorgia auto dealers buy Wesley Chapel ToyotaBlackhawk Realty Advisors buys Hidden Lake ApartmentsClearwater firm buys and plans makeover of St. James Place

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

Business Observer Staff
June 6, 2008

Coffee Talk

Check out on aisle nine: Sweetbay boss moves on: Unless she stays local, the Tampa Bay area may soon lose one of its more colorful and candid chief executive officers.Housing comeback might not be soon: Don Atha might not have the polished resume of well-known Florida housing economists such as Hank Fishkind or David Denslow.Analyst rates Chico's a rare 'sell': Even after all the brokerage scandals earlier this decade, few stock analysts rate the equities they cover a "sell" for fear of incurring the wrath of the management of the companies they follow.Peaceful, easy feeling as Bayshore hooks up park: This one may go down as one of the most interesting projects ever for Tampa-Based Bayshore Technologies, an IT services firm.Growth on agenda in Sarasota County, again: The pace of growth in Sarasota County is yet again primed to take center stage on Election Day, this time in a race for an open seat on the county commission.Bonus commissions could spur more deals: Everyone knows these are not the best days for the real estate industry, but people are taking creative approaches to kick start activity.GULF COAST RETAIL: What the data show: The index of retail activity is constructed to measure personal consumption and it combines the categories of autos, consumer durables, tourism and consumer nondurables.

News

Business Observer Staff
May 30, 2008

Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Bradenton developer plans surgery centerOsprey investor buys Myakka agricultural landPlaza Hotel bound for Burns SquareForeign investor buys Tuscany ReserveCenterco Properties company buys Applebee's in EsteroTalk of the Town Diner buys Mel's Diner in Fort MyersCastriota dealership expands to Port RicheyRyan Cos. buys, begins developing in Telecom ParkPasco County School District buys land for new high school

Manatee-Sarasota

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Commercial Real Estate Briefs

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South Florida developer buys Shell Factory property in Fort Myers

7-story senior living facility coming to downtown Sarasota

Report: Florida leads nation in new business creation

Ringling College names new president

Tampa developer names new president

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