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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 11, 2018
March surge sees region set bed-tax record

Spurred by hotel revenues in March 2018, Tampa Bay’s tourism development tax, also known as the bed tax, has topped $4 million in a single month for the first time.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • February 4, 2005
Build It, And They Will Come

Philosophically, there are multiple reasons to naysay the latest proposal from the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce to increase the county's hotel-room tax from 3 cents to 5 cents per room night to construct and operate a new downtown conference cente

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • March 26, 2020
Cleaning companies grapple with business overload

Industrial and decontamination cleanup companies are the low-hanging fruit of business increases as the pandemic plays out.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 7, 2009
Slowdown impacts trendy club

The recession has hit the Sarasota University Club, one of downtown Sarasota's prime lunch spots of the boom times.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • March 2, 2010
Nfinanse sings the greens

Nfinanse, the reloadable prepaid card provider just rolled out a music Web site, nFinanSeMusic.com, devoted to free downloads of up-and-coming artists.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 31, 2009
Florist uses Facebook to find more fans

Art Conforti, a gregarious New York transplant who runs one of the Gulf Coast's most successful independent florists, has long said he cherishes the personal connections he makes with customers when selling flowers.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • February 25, 2005
Coffee Talk (Sara/Mana edition)

Ranch's condo rush: Palmer Ranch is in the middle of a condo conversion rush.Stretching for success: It took the loss of an employee who was being groomed for the chief operating officer job to convince Lee Wetherington he needed to diversify his company's top operational position.Health care: businesses still buying despite cost: Two-thirds of small businesses provide health insurance benefits for their employees, according to a new study from the International Profit Associates Small Business Research Board. Consumers like little banks: Banks have had happier depositors and borrowers during the past two years, according to the University of Michigan's latest quarterly American Customer Satisfaction Index.Around and around: The way Irish American Properties is acquiring property for the Fruitville Road roundabout it would seem that it was a done deal.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Alex Walsh |
  • July 1, 2011
Thinking Irrationally

Could the research of one USF grad student help you increase sales?According to Burger King's latest ad campaign, the answer might just be yes.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • January 13, 2024
10-story apartment complex proposed for downtown Sarasota site

The developer of 1 Main Plaza intends to transform the 1700 block of Main Street in Sarasota into a 226-unit building that will include 25 affordable housing units.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 12, 2022
New Water Street Tampa restaurant launches hiring process

The Pearl, part of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants’ portfolio, is looking for line cooks, bartenders, servers and other hourly positions.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 2, 2011
Sports Commission in Sarasota

The Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau adds a newly focused branch.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 11, 2015
Sports biz a big boost for Sarasota hotels

Sponsored events in Sarasota County are up more than 50%.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • April 1, 2020
Pizzeria owner adapts to changing conditions in the face of the coronavirus — toilet paper included

In a true sign of the times, Solorzano’s Pizzerias is giving away a free roll of toilet paper to customers who place an order over $30.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 23, 2007
Gulf Coast Week

Hooters founder gets winBrokers look over ProgressTampa lays off 100A Grande decisionJeb joins bank boardBabcock gets early nodCollier County raises taxes

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Amanda Postma |
  • September 24, 2022
Online reputation management firm hasn't stopped growing since its inception

The company is expecting to reach $15 million in annual revenue this year, but it won't be long before it hits a cool $50 million.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 1, 2010
Impact Education acquired

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co. bought the Fort Myers firm.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 2, 2008
Coffee Talk

Tampa entrepreneur sees houses move: The slowdown in the housing market has been reported nationally, but one Tampa company has found a niche in that industry and is seeing signs of a potential turnaround.Eastern Europeans look to Florida: When various marketing and branding gurus on the Gulf Coast coined a version of the 'Time to Buy' slogan for the struggling real estate market last year, they were mostly targeting Floridians.Lee foreclosures hit 1-in-33 households: RealtyTrac, the firm that tracks foreclosures nationwide, recently issued a report ranking metro areas with the steepest rates of foreclosures in the first quarter.Ms. Baugh goes to Washington: Vanessa Baugh, a Lakewood Ranch jewelry store owner who sometimes serves as the unofficial spokeswoman for small businesses in Sarasota and Manatee counties, is used to getting phone calls for help, sometimes even desperate ones.Bradenton bank losses one executive, gains another: Gerry Anthony, one of the grandfathers of community banking in Manatee County, is retiring from his position as chief executive of Bradenton-based Freedom Bank.Software back-ups can cost a little and save a lot: Through last year, former IT professional Dave Miller was running Westcoasthost.com, a successful St. Petersburg-based Web hosting business.Recruiter narrows the executive job search: The growing numbers of unemployed managers, supervisors and executives on the Gulf Coast and Florida could b

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Javar Baity |
  • January 3, 2025
Unicoat Roofing Completes Full Roof Replacement for St. Petersburg Apartment Buildings

Over the course of 60 days, Unicoat addressed both roofing and structural concerns, ensuring that each building was restored to optimal condition.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • December 6, 2013
Tour of duty

Kelly Defebo sells Sarasota County to a large, and global, target audience. She's scored some big successes.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 18, 2005
Real Estate Briefs (Sara/Mana edition)

RPM Exotics hits governmental snagHeritage Harbour developer buys land from dairy farmParsons Insurance buys office buildingMichael Saunders & Co. records $2.57 billion in sales HMA buys Venice hospitalInvestors buy Indian Beach apartments

  • Manatee-Sarasota
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