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Industries

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • July 10, 2008
Club Slippage

The "dockominium" boom appears to be suffering just as much as thecondominium market. Yacht Clubs of the Americas is counting on new President Jon Finstrom to keep the business going through the sales slump.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • July 10, 2008
Hoffman's return

Legendary Gulf Coast developer and investor Al Hoffman Jr. is backin the real estate game, scouting for deals in Florida. That's a good sign we're nearing a bottom in the residential real estate market.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • July 10, 2008
Signs of the time

With sales down 30%, a GulfCoast entrepreneur is getting creative - and contrarian - about makingit through the tough times. He'simposed a no-layoff rule, for instance. And he's tripled his marketing budget.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Corporate Report

Court awards permit for Seminole's clean coal unitew owner for Naples, Marco Island boat-towing firmsSweetbay's Vail promoted to president & COONicholas Financial opens branch in TennesseeFashion designer Field to sell new collection on HSN

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Turning the Ship

When John Barnott first took his customer-first, private-business principles to county government, mostof the employees on his watch quit. Now he's got his hands on a Gulf Coast county building department.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Still Truckin'

The risks in building on spec are heightened in a rough economy. A Gulf Coast manufacturing firm mitigates that risk by working with the U.S. Army.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Rooms Service

John McKibbon continues a family tradition of building and managing hotels, expanding the company throughout the Southeast.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Naples protection bubble

Naples was spared the overbuilding of shops that occurred in other areas of the Gulf Coast, and retail sales have not declined there as sharply. Is Naples immune to the retail downturn?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Injecting Innovation

Entrepreneur Frank Daniels carries on a family tradition of leading a water-powered chemical injector company in Largo into new markets.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By 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
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Gulf Coast Week

Tampa wins conference: Tampa will host an international business conference in November that will match entrepreneurs with representatives and business owners from 25 countries in Latin America.Rowdies return to Tampa:A new version of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a professional soccer team that played in Tampa in the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s, is coming back to town next year and may build a small stadium in northwest Hillsborough.Pasco sports complex: Next door, in Pasco County, developers want to build a $40 million project called SportsPlex USA, which will include three ice skating rinks, bowling alleys, rock climbing, laser tag and an 18-hole miniature golf course.Encouragement zone dead: A proposal to create more business in and around Port Manatee through tax breaks and other incentives failed in Tallahassee.More growth sought: One of the biggest commercial developments in Sarasota County could be growing significantly over the next decade.New Cape manufacturer: Applied Cooling Technology, a United Kingdom-based marine manufacturer, opened its first U.S. division in Cape Coral.MIVA cuts 15% of workers: Fort Myers technology company Miva plans to cut 15% of its workforce in July.Collier panther protection: A coalition of landowners in eastern Collier County announced a panther-protection program to better manage the recovery of the endangered species.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 27, 2008
Betting the Farm

How can government take land without paying for it? A successful farming family in Lee County is about to find out on July 1.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Commercial anchor

While retail banks expanded rapidly, The Bank of Tampa centered on its commercial customers. The focus served it well.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Back for More

Gary Tice and Garrett Richter built a legendary banking franchise on the Gulf Coast before they sold it in 2005 for top dollar. Can they succeed again?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By 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
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