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News

  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • October 19, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Kaplan buys Bradenton store for MRT LawnBenderson plans retail on State Road 681 parcelSarasota's Unique Air moves to ManasotaPraedium Group buys Capital Realty portfolioAdvanced C4 Solutions relocating to Drew ParkLand Capital Group buys Bloomingdale siteHotel developer buys Fifth Avenue buildingsPrince-Bush brings Village Tavern to Fort MyersFort Myers' ESPO Capital buys Plymouth CenterDevelopers gearing up for Charlotte Regional Center

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • October 12, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Edens & Avant buys Colonial CrossingsLiberty Investment Properties plans second Fort Myers hotelLocation Finders plans small retail stripHoliday Cove RV Resort sold, may turn condoAmsdell family buys site for self storageTempus Electronic owner building new home, moreInvestors acquire Largo's Wachovia buildingBayfront Health System buys suites in St. PeteSterndrive Engineering moving to Oldsmar

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • October 12, 2007
Coffee Talk

Papa's Calistoga's empire to be: There's only one Calistoga Bakery Cafe. But the single Naples location will multiply to eight by next year, including restaurants in fast-growing Bonita Springs and Estero between Fort Myers and Naples.Former politician turns to real estate: Former Florida State Rep. Donna Clarke, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 after leaving state government, is getting back into the game.First Community Bank unshackled: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. recently lifted its "cease and desist" order on First Community Bank of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, more than two years after it criticized the bank for its high number of residential construction loans and the need to beef up its scrutiny of customers who might have links to terrorism.Magnetic Receives Web Award: Magnetic, a Tampa-based Web development firm celebrating its 10th anniversary (featured in the June 25, 2007 Review), has received a 2007 Shopping Standard of Excellence WebAward from the Web Marketing Association for its work on www.askergoworks.com, the Web site for Ergo Works Inc., which provides ergonomic products and consulting services.Trump Tower minus Donald equals lawsuits: In another legal wrinkle to a continuing saga, a new lawsuit has been filed against the developers in the Trump Tower condo project in downtown Tampa, a building that if built, would be the tallest on the Gulf Coast.Market Stree

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • October 5, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Songy Partners drops D'Jamoos at The ForumJMP Farms LLC buys High Cotton propertiesSpace Box Storage builds facilityHollywood investor groupbuys Oneco SquareAbsolute Metal Roofingmoves to SarasotaFormer St. Augustine couple acquires Holiday Inn ExpressDinerstein Cos., Perennial Properties planning Westshore apartmentsCommercial brokers invest in Twiggs office buildingWal-Mart buys land for Supercenter

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • October 5, 2007
Coffee Talk

For sale or lease: new Re/Max building: Down 40% from its sales volume peak, Sarasota-based Re/Max Properties Inc. is looking to trim its overhead by turning to one of its biggest investments, its building.Neomedia wants out of Fort Myers: Neomedia Technologies, a company that provides Internet technology to mobile phones, is contemplating moving its headquarters out of Fort Myers.Naples makes its flight on time: You can call it an airport's version of the consolation prize.Manufacturing partnership releases five-year stats: The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership recently released its five-year numbers.Job growth slows, score remains the same: The Tampa Bay Partnership released the fourth edition of its annual Regional Economic Scorecard this week and the result: no change in the overall score from last year.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 28, 2007
Coffee Talk

Ooh la Latina!: Erika Pena, the Fort Myers jewelry designer, was listed among the 10 most stylish Latinas on the popular Stylist section of AOL.com recently.Tomorrow is just a day away: The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is climbing aboard the tough times caravan.Electric utilities consolidating?: Nothing official yet, but talk is heating up again about possible mergers in the electric utility industry. With the number of people they employ, this could be a bomb.Gulf Coast Realtor 'joins' the Navy: The Gulf Coast business community has no shortage of executives willing to serve on community and charity-related boards, from school councils to civic groups to national foundations.Getting good exposure on the tube: Tampa-based tech company Actsoft Inc. got some national exposure recently and didn't pay a dime for it: on the TV series "CSI: Miami."Legal battles continue for OSI: Three months ago, OSI Restaurant Partners shareholders approved a management buyout of the Tampa parent company of Outback Steakhouse, but legal work remains.Existing home sales and prices continue to dropGuaranteeing a good time (to buy)

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 28, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Automotive Management buys 15 acres on Pine RidgeSouth Dakota's Summit Group plans Fort Myers Hyatt PlaceMonmouth Real Estate buys Charlotte FedEx warehouseTA Associates fund acquires 210 WatermarkChanges in Latitude buys Siesta Key StorageCorona family invests in Peridia office buildingSea Crest Apartments sells for $8.2 millionGentile Group buys 11 Wyndham propertiesTwo partners buy Port Richey Comfort Inn

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 21, 2007
Commercial whistling the subprime blues?

Several real estate brokers report capital woes are impacting their commercial closings.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 21, 2007
Coffee Talk

Marco bank deal called off: Bad loans at Marco Community Bancorp scuttled a deal with the influential Barron Collier and Lutgert families in Collier County.Random acts of freebies: Free giveaways at banks are usually relegated to the coffee and donut display in the lobby. Maybe you'll land a Frisbee and a key chain, or even a lollipop, if you're lucky.D'Alessandro's body recovered: Commercial real estate brokers speculated for days about what happened to well-known Fort Myers broker Frank D'Alessandro.A treat for cookie and cupcake eaters: The wholesale bakery operation behind some of the Gulf Coast's most talked about, and eaten, cookies, muffins and cupcakes is going retail.Have lights, will sell franchises: St. Petersburg entrepreneur Nick Schriver, a 28-year-old landscape architect, started Decorating Elves three years ago as a sideline business that decorated homes for Christmas.Help us find the top tech companies Technology rules.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 21, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Breifs

BPG Properties buys Westshore office parkEmpire American Holdings buys two Tampa apartmentsLocal investors acquires Brookside GardensKessler buys land for St. Pete's Grand BohemianMeridian Business Center approval approachesPalmetto hotelier buys Bayshore InnCourthouse Centre developer planning Adams Lane projectVenice brothers buy Punta Gorda landInvestor change leads to $15-million salWiegold & Sons moving to Enterprise Avenue

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 13, 2007
Coffee Talk

Diamonds are elected officials' best friend, too: In terms of sheer size, Gemesis, a Lakewood Ranch-based company that manufactures cultured diamonds, is more than doubling its physical location. It's adding a 31,000-square-foot building to its campus in a corporate park near the University Boulevard exit of Interstate 75.Naples Realtors may publish monthly stats again: Every month, the Florida Association of Realtors publishes existing-home sales data for every metropolitan area.Help us find the top tech companies: Technology rules. From Tampa to Sarasota, Fort Myers and Naples, entrepreneurs have developed amazing technologies that wowed us with their ingenuity. For five years, the Review has highlighted their successes with our annual Technology Innovation Award issue.Shake it like a Polaroid: Part-time Naples resident Michael London is going to shake things up at Polaroid.Tampa CFOs, CIOs will be hiring: CEOs could use a little good news on the Gulf Coast economy.Fighting business comes out swinging: Andrew Neitlich is having a solid first round in his effort to build a franchise-based nationwide mixed martial arts league headquartered in Sarasota.Make traffic tickets go away with convenience and humor: Products claiming to save the "busy business executive" valuable time are as common as a 90-degree August day.Banker takes home statewide award: Charlie Murphy, the chief executive officer of Sarasota-based Bank of Co

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 7, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Covrus International, Svenson acquire final piece of Sanctuary CoveSt. Louis-based firm buys San Marco buildingKauffman, partners eye Bayou projectRoyal Senior Care buys Palmer ClubLakeland developer plans Trinity retail centerTurtle Cove Marina ownership preparing for expansionInvestor buys Clearwater's Brookside GardensBonita Springs investor buys McGregor Design CenterWing City Grille buys siteTA Associates acquires Punta Gorda Crossings

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • September 7, 2007
Coffee Talk

Medical products economy huge: The medical products industry in the Tampa Bay region contributes a total direct economic output of $3.4 billion and employs more than 12,000 workers, according to a study commissioned by the Florida Medical Manufacturers' Consortium.Slow market calls for foreign response: Howard Rooks is not a novice when it comes to international real estate customers. Beginning in the 1960s, he spent three decades building up Mount Vernon Realty, a 35-office, 2,000-agent firm blanketing the Washington D.C. area, where foreign citizens were common customers.Review welcomes new associate publisher: Angie Basile has joined the Gulf Coast Business Review as associate publisher for Lee and Collier counties.WCI gloomy shareholder meeting: Annual shareholders' meetings are supposed to be uplifting, joyous affairs at which executives present the company's plans for the year ahead.Shutts & Bowen targets Tampa: Miami-based corporate legal firm Shutts & Bowen has beefed up its Tampa operations, growing from a four-lawyer office in March 2006 to 21 attorneys today.More criticism for Odyssey: Tampa-based Odyssey Marine Exploration took a broadside recently when The New York Times editorialized that the sea exploration company should give the riches it found underwater to the Peru government.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 31, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Miami family buys Seville ApartmentsInvestment group plans Gridley Medical BuildingDeveloper begins work on Lehigh mixed-use projectTennessee hoteliers overhauling Sleep InnDiablo Performance moving to Rosemary DistrictCity of Sarasota mulls over downtown parking garageLaramar Group buys Clearwater's Bay ParkMiami Beach apartment owners acquire Sun Pointe PlacePebb Enterprises buys Citrus Park outparcel

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • August 31, 2007
Coffee Talk

Donut entrepreneur focuses on Far East: Sarasota entrepreneur Marvin Kaplan is selling a majority of his stake in 18 Gulf Coast Dunkin' Donuts shops, just as he gets closer to his long-stated goal of opening a series of stores for the franchise in China.Downturn claims advertising victim: AdvertisingWorks, a 12-year-old advertising firm in Naples that recently won several awards at the Collier Building Industry Association's annual Sand Dollar Awards, is closing its doors.Downturn claims advertising victim: AdvertisingWorks, a 12-year-old advertising firm in Naples that recently won several awards at the Collier Building Industry Association's annual Sand Dollar Awards, is closing its doors.Tampa International needs more international flights: CEOs that travel appreciate Tampa International Airport after sprinting through endless terminals and riding trams, escalators and moving sidewalks for what seems like miles at other airports.Nationwide pullout opens opportunity: You can appreciate cost cutting if you run a business. But it's a tad different when the cost cutting may affect you.Bank of America surge: made in Tampa: Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis made some headlines earlier this year when he urged his top managers to "Go for the jugular" in taking more market share.WCI's winners: Bankers and lawyers: Shareholders and bondholders of Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities are licking their wounds as the value of their holdings h

  • News
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