• Alternate Text

  • Loading

  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Public Notices
  • 40 Under 40 Nomination
  • Mobile App
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • News
  • Strategies
  • Entrepreneurs
  • M&A
  • Leadership
  • Regions
    • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    • Manatee-Sarasota
    • Charlotte-Lee-Collier
    • Florida
  • Industries
    • Business Support
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Residential Real Estate
    • Development
    • Finance
    • Food-Beverage
    • Health Care
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • Sports–Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Travel-Tourism
  • Insights
  • More
    • Advice
    • Transactions
    • 40 Under 40
    • Big Book of Business
    • Subscribe
    • Opinion
    • Executive Diversions
    • Change-Makers
    • Reprints
  • News
  • Strategies
  • Entrepreneurs
  • M&A
  • Leadership
  • Regions
    • Regions
    • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    • Manatee-Sarasota
    • Charlotte-Lee-Collier
    • Florida
  • Industries
    • Industries
    • Business Support
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Residential Real Estate
    • Development
    • Finance
    • Food-Beverage
    • Health Care
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • Sports–Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Travel-Tourism
  • Insights
  • More
    • More
    • Advice
    • Transactions
    • 40 Under 40
    • Big Book of Business
    • Subscribe
    • Opinion
    • Executive Diversions
    • Change-Makers
    • Reprints
  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Public Notices
  • 40 Under 40 Nomination
  • Mobile App
  • Subscribe
  • Login

Entrepreneurs

    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • March 12, 2026
Sarasota best-selling author, speaker overcame teenage trauma

Simone Knego overcame some crushing teenage trauma to lead a life of confidence — and consistent accomplishments. Now she encourages others to do the same.

  • Leadership
    By
  • Anastasia Dawson
  • March 10, 2026
St. Pete entrepreneur aims to outsmart AI algorithms with startup

Jon Mest, winner of a spARK Labs by Ark Invest’s Innovation Showcase, is choosing to bootstrap his way with his startup ChatRank.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Elizabeth Djinis
  • March 4, 2026
Tampa entrepreneur invests in European soccer clubs

Not yet 30, Will Freeman is adding to his already-long entrepreneurial resume with a headfirst dive into pro sports investing.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Elizabeth King
  • February 27, 2026
Sarasota County charter flight firm aims to quadruple volume in 2026

Amid a surge in clients, opportunistic air charter business AvSky Charters refuses to relent on white-glove service.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
    By
  • Louis Llovio
  • February 18, 2026
Hillsborough College president says Rays' stadium plan is a big win for all

Kenneth Atwater spoke with the Business Observer about a how proposed deal to build a stadium and mixed-use development on the school's Dale Mabry campus.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Beth Luberecki
  • February 11, 2026
Construction leaders with nearly 50-year age gap are each other's best mentors

A pair of construction leaders at vastly different stages of their careers have a flourishing mentoring relationship at Suffolk's Southwest Florida office. The lessons go both ways.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
    By
  • Elizabeth King
  • February 7, 2026
Development exec behind 7 multimillion-dollar projects 'bullish' on region

While keeping costs down remains a core challenge, Kolter Urban says the market for its offerings on the west coast of Florida is in good shape. At stake: hundreds of units for millions of dollars.

  • Florida
    By
  • Elizabeth King
  • January 30, 2026
Sarasota jeweler goes viral with videos — including baby squirrel

Jeweler Todd Alan's patient path to success in a competitive market is led by a core principle: building trust with clients.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
    By
  • Louis Llovio
  • January 24, 2026
Well-known Florida CRE veteran and raconteur turns novelist

Bill "The Dirt Dog" Eshenbaugh returns to his family roots in a historical novel set during the Civil War.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Anastasia Dawson
  • January 23, 2026
Veteran bankers see opportunity amid surge of industry consolidation

Ambitious executives break a 5-year-long drought of new banks in Tampa Bay with a team-focused startup: Echelon Bank.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Louis Llovio
  • January 16, 2026
40 years after first hotel sale, 'Queen of Clearwater Beach' is still making deals

Local commercial real estate broker Gi Gi Gillis keeps selling hotels along the Pinellas County beaches as her firm looks to grow.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • January 13, 2026
Observer Media Group chairman dies at 95

David Beliles lived a life of grit and guts, and grace and generosity.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Andrew Warfield
  • December 23, 2025
New SRQ airport CEO reflects on first month on the job

New Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport President and CEO Paul Hoback equates SRQ and the region to living and working in paradise.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Louis Llovio
  • December 18, 2025
Rays CEO talks childhood baseball, fan experiences and new ballparks

Ken Babby, who recently took over as one of the owners of the Tampa Bay Rays, says baseball is a game that creates bonds and wants those memories made at Tropicana Field and a new ballpark.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Brian Hartz
  • December 12, 2025
Hoffmann Marine's top executive navigates $150M in deals

Hoffman Marine President Jenny Gezella navigates the acquisition-hungry business of boating through a high-energy, high-reliability approach.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
1 2 3 4 5 »
The best of Business Observer, delivered directly to your inbox

Get the latest business and commercial real estate news from Tampa Bay to Naples.

Sign Up

Latest News

1
  • March 27, 2026
Property owner proposes 46 townhomes to replace Sarasota bowling alley
2
  • March 27, 2026
Three-building complex sells in Clearwater
3
  • March 27, 2026
Furniture store closing Sarasota location
4
  • March 27, 2026
DOJ sues Busch Gardens parent company for rollator walker ban
5
  • March 26, 2026
Athletic training franchise opens in Sarasota

Contact

  • 1970 Main St.
  • Third Floor
  • Sarasota, FL 34236
  • Phone: 941-362-4848

Extra, Extra!

  • Newsletters
  • App
  • Podcast
  • Big Book of Business

more

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Distribution Points
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Accessibility Options

sister sites

  • Your Observer
  • Jax Daily Record
  • Orange Observer
  • Accessibility Options
  • Copyright © 2026 Observer Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved
×
3 Articles Remaining!
Not a Subscriber?

Click here to Subscribe

Already a Subscriber?

Click here to Login

Sign Up for Daily Brief

Start your day with the top Gulf Coast business news you need to succeed.

Sign Up for CRE Central

Stay updated with a weekly roundup of big deals, market shifts and the people shaping commercial real estate from Tampa Bay to Naples.

Smart People Subscribe.

Turn headlines into game plans. The playbook’s right here.
Subscribe to the Business Observer today.

Subscribe Now