• 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

Strategies

    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
From the gut

Michelle Nelson built a $2 million-plus technology business mostly on her leadership instincts. One big lesson for other entrepreneurs: Never go against your intuition.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Capsules of Care

Intezyne, a Tampa company that uses polymers to protect medication until it can get to the bad cells, is on the verge of worldwide distribution.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Solar Independence

Government subsidies for "green" energy may be generous, but don't bet your business on them. They might disappear when the hoopla over green building fades away.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Corporate Report

WellCare postpones latest 10-Q filingNetWolves Corp. close to Chapter 11 exitTheHomeMag adds regions, lowers fees for smaller areasMax Muscle franchise flexing into Tampa BayChico's FAS reports downturn in store salesGunnAllen Financial settles with FINRAOdyssey Marine outlines response to SpainAerosonic gets contract for helicopter indicatorsJohn Heagney creates B&L campaign

  • Industries
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
The Pool Zapper

It's hard to persuade people their backyard pools are germ buckets. Entrepreneur Jon Lalibertesays he's got a better way to kill the toughest germs using ultraviolet light.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Calendar of Events

View events around the Gulf Coast for free.

  • Strategies
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Patient Place

Billy Springer thought his latest project would be a fitting end to a distinguished career. But it's the delays that have been endless so far.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 22, 2008
Gulf Coast Week

Judge supports St. Joe's: St. Joseph's Hospital remains alive in the competition to build a hospital in the growing south shore area of southern Hillsborough County.Council delays brewery: Joe Redner, Tampa's famous strip club owner and continual political candidate, wants to try another business venture: brewing beer.St. Pete loses air carrier: High fuel prices have claimed another victim: USA 3000, the second-busiest carrier at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.Infrastructure spending: Sarasota County commissioners approved $14 million in infrastructure spending earlier this month, the first approvals since county voters approved an increase to the county's bond borrowing capabilities in a May 6 referendum.Arts Day canceled: Arts Day, an annual event held in downtown Sarasota to showcase the region's artists, musicians and performers, has been canceled for 2009Mercier exits commission: Paul Mercier, who has been considered by some to be one the most pro-development members of the Sarasota County commission during the past eight years, has decided not to run for a third termLee approves bond sale: The Lee County Commission approved the issuance of $63 million in private-activity bonds to finance Pacific Retirement Services' acquisition of Cypress Cove at HealthParkNew flood maps for Lee: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the final flood-insurance maps for Lee County.New Le

  • Finance
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
TO WATCH (Sarasota-Bradenton): Chad Roffers

Sensing a bubble burst was a-brewing, Chad Roffers left his lucrative executive job in the technology industry in 2000. He moved from San Francisco to Sarasota with his wife and decided to seek a new career. He settled on real estate, naturally, he says with a chuckle, knowing he was entering the biggest of bubble-bursting industries.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
TO WATCH (Sarasota-Bradenton): Joe Gonzalez

But long before that triumph, Gonzalez was a true New York City success story. The son of a Cuban immigrant and the grandson of an East Village bar owner, Gonzalez had grown up relatively poor in the Big Three of New York's notoriously tough neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, Washington Heights in the South Bronx and Jamaica, Queens.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
Gulf Coast Week

Tampa water vision: Tampa's growth northward and increasing demand for water has city leaders thinking about using reclaimed waterApartment tower proposed: Although the condominium market has taken a hit, Crosland, a Charlotte, N.C. developer, thinks a 26-story apartment tower can work in downtown Tampa.Rail supporters fight on: A $649 million deal with CSX Transportation to create a commuter rail network in Florida has collapseProject delayed again: More than 25 acres of undeveloped waterfront property in downtown Bradenton is undergoing a foreclosure sale later this month, the latest problems facing what was supposed to be a mixed-use project with the potential to reshape the cityMills sells insurance firm: Former Sarasota County Commissioner David Mills sold his independent locally based insurance brokerage to Insurance & Benefits Consultants, a subsidiary of a publicly traded Southfield, Mich.-based firm.Project expansion denied: Citing congestion concerns, Sarasota County Commissioners voted down a major expansion for Thomas Ranch, a large-scale mixed-use project in the southern edge of the county.Naples mandates recycling: The Naples City Council on May 7 voted to require businesses to recycle. The vote was 6-to-1 in favor, with Teresa Heitmann dissenting.Business program incubating: Economic development groups from Sarasota, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry and Collier counties are working to create a small-business

  • Finance
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Sarasota-Bradenton: JIM ABRAMS

Jim Abrams is a sought-after executive to almost celebrity-like status. It's easy to see why.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
TO WATCH (Tampa Bay): Joy Gendusa

Being a good parent is what motivated Joy Gendusa to eventually become a successful entrepreneur.Gendusa, 43, a New York native, worked a number of jobs, including selling vacation packages at night and doing typesetting, earning $8 to $12 an hour.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
ENTREPRENEUER OF THE YEAR OVERALL WINNER: BARRY SHEVLIN

Barry Shevlin has $500 million dreams for his company, already a big success that started off with a $3,000 loan.

  • Entrepreneurs
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • May 15, 2008
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Lee/Collier: REINHOLD SCHMIEDING

Few people have heard of Reinhold Schmieding, but the reclusive Naples entrepreneur has quietly built one of the world's leading medical-device manufacturing companies.

  • Entrepreneurs
« 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 »
The best of Business Observer, delivered directly to your inbox

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

Sign Up

Latest News

1
  • December 15, 2025
Lee Health CEO to step down
2
  • December 15, 2025
Credit union names market president for three counties in region
3
  • December 15, 2025
3 Polk County residents charged in $2M COVID fraud case
4
  • December 15, 2025
Pinellas artwork manufacturer completes $13.5M facility expansion
5
  • December 14, 2025
Luxury tower tops half-billion dollars in sales

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 © 2025 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