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Strategies

  • 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
BankEstate

The old banker's refrain - they don't want to be in real estate - is dying as foreclosures multiply across the Gulf Coast. Still, some banks are getting creative in solving the problem.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Corporate Report

Arthrex found guilty in patent-infringing caseBrown & Brown buys assets of Alpha Benefits, HBANCircle signs three new children's animation dealsUtek buying Innovaro Ltd., fosters European growthEvos aims to increase presence

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Face off

The softer economy has put pressure on banks and credit unions to grow their business, which is similar and embattled.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Bank Returns

The new boss at Freedom Bank comes with a stellar resume and track record. Will it be enough to lead a turnaround?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Looking Inland

Lehigh Acres is one of the areas of the Gulf Coast hardest hit by the real estate bust. So why is a group of investors betting a new bank will succeed there?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 19, 2008
Gulf Coast Week

Ethanol plant changes: Litigation and water challenges in finding financing have led a company to abandon plans for an ethanol production plant at the Port of Tampa.Verizon changing command: Alan Ciamporcero, who led Verizon's operations on the Gulf Coast and throughout the Southeast the past five years, is retiring July 25.Project holdups linger: Delays are once again plaguing a development in downtown Bradenton involving property once controlled by St. Petersburg developer and entrepreneur Frank Maggio.Buchanan honored by USF: The business education side of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus has been renamed the Vernon G. Buchanan College of Business Wing after the congressman, who gave the school $100,000 last year.Sarasota County saves jobs: In an effort to avoid more layoffs and wage freezes, Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley recommended to Sarasota County commissioners that the county dip into it's so-called stabilization fundNew Fort Myers hospital: Boca Raton-based Promise Healthcare Inc., a long-term acute care hospital company, plans to build a new hospital in Fort Myers.Air Berlin adds flight: Air Berlin, the German airline that recently acquired rival LTU, plans to boost the number of flights from Germany to Southwest Florida International Airport this summer.EDC chief takes buyout: Regina Smith, the executive director of the Lee County Economic Development Office, recently announced

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
'Growaholic'

Larry Morgan can look back on a lot of success as an entrepreneur, but prefers to plan the next business conquest.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
Business prospects on hold in Lee County

Business prospects in Lee County are dim, but there are some hopeful signs, according to a quarterly survey of more than 200 companies conducted for the Horizon Council, a business group in Fort Myers.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
Calendar of Events

View events from around the Gulf Coast for free.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
Sensing Success

Alaka'i, an engineering research and development firm, is seeing consistent growth through its bomb-detecting sensors.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
Around the World

In the high-stakes world of running an international travel agency, it helps to be opportunistic. Never take no for an answer.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
    By
  • Business Observer Staff
  • June 13, 2008
Leaving the comfort zone

Ben Nelson Jr. says spending time away from his marine-construction business made him a better boss and made is company more successful. Now, he faces the biggest test of that as the newly elected mayor of Bonita Springs.

  • Entrepreneurs
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