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Entrepreneurs

    By
  • Alex Walsh
  • December 18, 2009
Fight On

Entrepreneurs know the path to small business success is never linear. It has been true for Michael Westafer, who rebounded from a frightening start to the year to double his company's revenue in 2009.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • December 4, 2009
Kickin' It

The ability to earn a black belt in taekwondo can help an entrepreneur battle through just about any business issue — recession included. Here's how one group of local executives does it.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • December 4, 2009
Necklace Niche

Kim Martinez leveraged everything she owned to sustain her $2 million business through the recession. With the worst part behind her — she hopes — Martinez is planning to double sales next year.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • December 4, 2009
The Turning Tide?

A majority of residents and business people rejected the concept of requiring business owners to replace any greenspace they cover. Could this be the beginning of the end of anti-business attitudes in Gulf Coast communities?

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 25, 2009
Bang the Rum

An accomplished executive has pumped nearly $1 million into a quenching entrepreneurial venture since leaving the corporate world. Now he's on the cusp of a recession-laden risk: Will he find customers?

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 25, 2009
Young at Heart

Nicci Kobritz began reforming her own health care business long before the industry became a political powder keg. The result is a $4 million company that has grown revenues almost 60% during the recession.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • November 25, 2009
Kingpin

Patrick Ciniello polished bowling balls as a boy in exchange for free games. Today, he runs one of the biggest bowling-equipment companies in the world.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Jean Gruss
  • November 19, 2009
Want to buy a bridge?

Researchers at the University of Maine figured a new way to build a longer lasting, easy-to-assemble bridge for the U.S. Army. Now, a Bonita Springs-based company plans to sell it to states and municipalities.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 19, 2009
Stormy Dreams

The hurricane shutters industry has endured two major problems the past three years: A recession and few major storms to draw attention to drive demand. One entrepreneur hopes to beat back the trend.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Alex Walsh
  • November 12, 2009
Lion's Share

Upbeat Tampa entrepreneur Jason Sullivan had an idea for a portable GPS tracking device almost 20 years ago. As his product, the LEO, nears deployment, Sullivan is still smiling.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 12, 2009
Now Hear This

When hearing aid entrepreneur Mark Krywko couldn't find the kind of outside sound reduction headphones he wanted, he and his engineers created their own. Now that discovery is the basis of a bulging business.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 12, 2009
Jolt App

A Gulf Coast startup technology firm is using the iPhone as a conduit into a new marketplace. It hopes to be a pioneer in the field.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 5, 2009
Hoop Dreams

The glut of empty warehouses on the Gulf Coast reeks of the sour economy. But one entrepreneur sniffed an opportunity in jump shots.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 5, 2009
Smooth Move

Many entrepreneurs are being forced out of their comfort zones to find a way out of the crushing economy. One is not pounding the pavement.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Mark Gordon
  • November 5, 2009
Smaller is Better

Al Jeffrey and Jim Wilheim had to wrestle with a difficult entrepreneurial crossroad: Had their business, a chain of 15 scuba diving stores from Orlando to Key Largo, gotten too big?

  • Entrepreneurs
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