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Entrepreneurs

  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • June 3, 2011
Big Fix

Owners of yachts more than 60 feet long now have to travel to Miami or Fort Lauderdale for maintenance. The Levi family hopes they'll change course for Fort Myers Beach.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • June 3, 2011
Snap to it

Cheryl Bourque knows how to dress up the flip-flop with fun accessories. She's hoping young girls will snap them up.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • May 27, 2011
No Excuses

Jason Gunter runs his own law firm and still finds time to train for Ironman triathlons, despite the fact that he's a double amputee. His advice to busy CEOs about exercise: You have no excuses.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 27, 2011
Back in the Salsa

An entrepreneur with a potentially tasty opportunity is on the hunt for investors.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • May 20, 2011
Anchors Away

A pair of diligent and persistent business partners with diverse backgrounds dips deep into the maritime industry. It's a risky course.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • May 20, 2011
The Egg Man

Craig Sweet, a Fort Myers fertility doctor, says there's a business solution to abandoned embryos. He's encouraging their owners to donate them to his company.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • May 6, 2011
Free Fall

The wild spending ways of the federal government have driven one entrepreneur mad. He hopes for change.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • May 6, 2011
TV in Paradise

Two former New York City television producers who moved to Naples found a niche in the area's hotels. Paradise Coast TV can now be seen in 5,000 rooms.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • May 6, 2011
Collared Dreams

A Gulf Coast inventor-entrepreneur wants to shake up an industry — menswear — that has been pretty staid. He dreams big.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Carl Cronan
  • April 29, 2011
Stuck on an Idea

Debra Weisser invented Hem-Eze while looking for a solution to varying pants lengths. After introducing the product on HSN, she's moving into mass marketing with Walgreen's.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • April 29, 2011
Cool Opportunity

Service and repair industry entrepreneur John Barbour delayed growth plans for five years. But the time to grow, Barbour believes, is now.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • April 22, 2011
Bounce Back

A partner dispute cost Kristi Bonsack a lot, including control of the firm she founded. But Bonsack made a big comeback.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • April 22, 2011
Just Did It

Heather Hackett grew up 'hunky and chunky.' The experience is the driving force behind her entrepreneurial venture.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • April 22, 2011
A Wise Move

Courtney Wise left Florida for California, but she came back for the chance to run a business. Challenges abound, but she has no regrets.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • April 22, 2011
Client Driven

Samantha Howes says her entrepreneurial clients urged her to strike out on her own. She now has 50 clients six months after she formed her accounting firm.

  • Entrepreneurs
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