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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Steven Benna |
  • June 3, 2016
Flavor frenzy

Spend more to make more — sales and products — is an ongoing theme at a St. Petersburg ice cream making business. Growth has followed.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Kevin McQuaid |
  • June 3, 2016
'Heartbreaker' of a deal

A veteran real estate agent took on a failed car dealership site in Tampa. The result? A lawsuit, $12 million in debt, guns, drugs and seven contracts.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • June 10, 2016
Familiar twist

Purchased from Kraft Foods in 2012, Back to Nature has grown from a granola company to one with 117 products and more than $100 million in sales.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • June 24, 2016
Eat, sleep, dive

Wayne Hasson co-founded the Aggressor Fleet with one scuba boat in the Cayman Islands more than 30 years ago. Today, the fleet consists of 20 luxury yachts that ply 31 exotic destinations around the world.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • January 22, 2016
No barriers

A young entrepreneur's bold recession-era decision saved a company. Now she grapples with a new set of challenges.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • November 14, 2014
Healthy plans

Marion County doctors created their own health-insurance plan in 1981, and its popularity is spreading to other areas of the Gulf Coast. Such plans could be the cure for spiraling premiums.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 16, 2015
Michael Lake, 33

Director of sales, Turbine Generator Maintenance

  • Class of 2015
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • October 23, 2015
Stores of love

It takes discipline to manage growth. Chef Norman Love won't add stores until he's sure the quality remains superior.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Laura Lyon |
  • June 21, 2024
The business of crane safety: From skyscrapers to zoos to toilet paper

The boom in construction over the past several decades has led to a boom in cranes operating across Florida. That, in turn, has boosted a company dedicated to training people how to use cranes safely.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • April 9, 2025
Naples land, nature conservancy kicks off $70M campaign with $25M gift

Philanthropic family thinks big and long-term with a large donation to an environmentally focused conservation nonprofit.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Lesley Dwyer |
  • May 5, 2025
Manatee County considers buying $23.5M building out east

Staff is proposing to move the administration building to Lakewood Ranch.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Laura Lyon |
  • May 8, 2025
Beck Besecker scaled $20M 3D software firm through grit, perseverance

"The reason we do this is we like to build things. That's pretty intoxicating, getting to kind of build stuff all the time." –Beck Besecker, 3D Cloud

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • May 17, 2024
Softball bat maker plans to double workforce, add baseball bats

The owner of Pure Sports Technologies moves to Manatee County with his eye on the ball — baseball — as he expands his bat manufacturing business.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • October 30, 2023
Sarasota has a YMCA again, behind major nonprofit merger announcement

A no-quit group of volunteers and deep-pocketed donors, paired with some like-minded nonprofit executives, rejoice over the news Sarasota is no longer a city without a Y.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • July 19, 2025
Real estate agent goes viral with racy jokes, Trump impersonations

Bidets, big trucks and everything in between. Not much is off limits for broker Breanna Banaciski as she carves out a comedic cult-following in a competitive field.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • August 16, 2024
Sarasota window company declares bankruptcy, owes more than $1.2M

Sash & Sill owner Todd Hoch has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and been censured in Sarasota County.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • August 30, 2024
Mall owners turn from new tenants to complete redos

While the future of traditional malls continues to be in flux, new mall owners see the huge pieces of land as an opportunity to reinvent.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • March 19, 2024
Toy executive turns C-suite failure into his greatest success

Purpose and clarity are the bookends for retired toy executive Jamie Gallagher’s four leadership must-dos. In between those are two C's: culture and creativity.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • September 21, 2023
Seltzer's owner slows down but says restaurants aren't going anywhere

Harold Seltzer’s Steakhouse has put its location in Port Richey on the market, but the company’s owner says the deal has to be right for customers and employees.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • December 5, 2025
Water filter manufacturer in Manatee, with new product, in expansion mode

After building a local supply chain, Epic Water Filters is poised for growth. Plans include moving to a larger facility and doubling its payroll.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
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