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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • December 10, 2020
Area products company shifts to face masks, then to gadgets

Throughout the pandemic, ZipKord has kept a core concept at forefront: remain nimble.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Matt Walsh |
  • October 7, 2020
Complicated amendments include taxes, veteran issues

Some key backers of amendments up for a vote remain in the background.

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • September 28, 2018
Table top: Entrepreneur revs up his operation to deal with unexpected success

Tony Utegaard and the unique products made by his Safety Harbor, Florida-based company, Car Pool Tables Inc., are about to be introduced to a whole new market thanks to Costco.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • August 31, 2018
Two tech-infused real estate firms capitalize on lucrative industry shift

Software and technology advancements present opportunities for nimble companies to handle multiple parts of a transaction — not one person for title, one for mortgage, etc. as is usual.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • April 6, 2018
Through professional athletes, company with unique products builds trust

Cool products, even a cool name — SeaSucker has both — will only go so far, an entrepreneur discovers. A "foot on the gas" marketing mantra is a key response.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • April 28, 2022
Tampa bakery, amid rapid growth, rises to the occasion

Thanks to an unsolicited celebrity endorsement, Tampa bakery The Cake Girl has been on a wild ride. Some frosty obstacles to more growth include inflation and staffing issues.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 3, 2017
After the Storm

An old life platitude — be prepared — came in handy for multiple insurance companies across the region in dealing with life post-Irma.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • May 13, 2016
Podcasting profits

A target audience that willingly tunes in to a show to hear about a business and its message is marketing gold. Several entrepreneurs dig in early.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • October 17, 2014
Economic forecast

Tampa Bay

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • July 10, 2024
No American left behind: The life of Tampa rescue guru Bryan Stern

Bryan Stern leads an A-team of global operators on life-and-death missions to get Americans out of harm's way. His leadership mantra: Don't be a spectator.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • March 10, 2025
St. Petersburg mayor has spoken with investors interested in buying Rays

The mayor says that the city will work with whoever owns the team to move forward with the agreed upon ballpark and that Gas Plant redevelopment remains a priority.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • February 20, 2025
Manatee entrepreneur uses social media to build crafty business following

Papercrafting company Pink and Main fills a niche that big-box retailers cannot, according to owner Michelle Currie.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jim Stinson |
  • February 27, 2024
Florida CBD retailers worry statewide hemp legislation will crush them

A pair of legislators from the region remain steadfast in their beliefs: Current regulations on certain hemp products need to be tighter.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Anastasia Dawson |
  • September 12, 2025
Tampa physician invests in AI-powered preventive medicine app

Dr. Lyda Lindell, wife of Tampa real estate investor Carl Lindell, is pioneering new technologies in longevity medicine

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • November 14, 2025
SWFL media exec pursues long-shelved dream: Running for Congress

The president of Fort Myers-based radio and television station company Sun Broadcasting is vying for Florida's 19th district seat to serve the community and fulfill a lifetime goal.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 14, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Local investors buy Sanibel Islander's CenterChick-Fil-A companybuys land for restaurantSunshine Structures finishes work on Pine Jog ElementaryLandmark buys Lakeside North at CarrollwoodBelleair Development Groupbuys Port Richey Lone StarThree companies buy share inMidtown Professional Center1st Manatee Bank buys Cortez branchConnecticut investorbuys Venice warehouseAPAC-Southeastreceives resurfacing contractSarasota's Players Theatreuses grant for improvementsHolland Landscaping Service improving Honore Trail ParkContractor to start secondbuilding in commerce park

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • July 30, 2004
Welcome to Skip Sack's Neighborhood

Burton 'Skip' Sack made his Applebee's neighborhood restaurants one of the chain's most successful franchises.Now he's bringing his recipe to the National Restaurant Association.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Matt Walsh |
  • November 1, 2018
Amendments advice: Where does it fall on the freedom scale?

There are exceptions, of course. This is why it helps to know some of the background and nuances of the questions. As we know, legislators and others sometimes create confusing questions that, on the surface, sound reasonable, but in practice are meant to

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 15, 2006
Robust Restaurants

Sales at Peach's and First Watch restaurants average $1 million per store. But growth plans for both lie in opening new stores nationwide.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 17, 2006
Coffee Talk

Icahn buys 4% of WCI, credit downgradedSource Interlink chief resignsNaples-based TIB Financial Corp., the parent of TIB Bank, acquired The Bank of Venice for about $16 million. That's about 1.9 times book value.Private companies in need of capital might find what they're looking for at the Florida Venture Forum's 16th annual conference Feb. 6-7 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton.Goldman Sachs investment banking division co-chief Scott Kapnick and his family recently gave $10 million to the Naples Botanical Garden for the development of 160 acres that will include cultivated gardens at Bayshore and Thomasson drives.Naples-based International College named its business school for Kenneth Oscar Johnson, a former ExxonMobil executive and CEO of Florida-based Belcher Oil.eal Estate executives from across the country converge on the Gulf Coast to talk strategy.

  • News
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