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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 2, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

MAB Investments relocating to Bee Ridge sitePacific Tomato Growers buys Taylor & Fulton buildingsPennsylvania mover buys University storage buildingInvestors pay $11.5 million for Bank of Florida CenterPunta Gorda building leased for urgent care centerDeltona Corp. increases Cape Coral holdingsRENOVATION COMPLETED ON FIRST STREET CENTERHilltop Center sells for $3 millionTri-Tech Inc. acquires Tampa West buildingHealthy Vision buys Eye Institute building

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 28, 2006
Coffee Talk

Health care costs grow: Employers are expected to feel even more pressure in 2007 as health care costs rise an estimated 6% per employee to $8,748, an increase that's about two-thirds higher than the Consumer Price Index, according to a Towers Perrin survey of 167 firms released Sept. 26. A CALL FOR TECH NOMINATIONS: Technology is the ultimate mixed blessing: Use it right and it can be the catalyst for explosive revenue growth and exhilarating new discovery. But harnessing the right technology can be maddening.USF climbs to No. 2, and going up: It appears to Coffee Talk that the University of South Florida is getting more and more respect.Sarasota EDC awards companies' excellence: A cabinetmaker, a digital printing company and an insurance firm were recognized by the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County for excellence in manufacturing, technology and service, respectively, at a Sept. 25 awards ceremony.Florikan, Madahcom win state awards: A pair of former Review Technology Innovation Award winners was given statewide awards by Gov. Jeb Bush recently as part of Business Appreciation Week.Technology hiring climbs: Hiring in the technology industry for the first half of 2006 had its strongest growth in five years, but overall, the industry can do better when it comes to filling technology jobs, a leading industry advocate group says. Appliance Depot not stepping back: It always raises an eyebrow when a small retailer an

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • March 19, 2004
The McDonald's of Home Services

Forget the plumber jokes. VenVest sees heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical services as a huge market ready for standardization and consolidation.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 13, 2004
Unaffordable Housing

Why there's a shortage of affordable housing and how to end it.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • November 2, 2018
Entrepreneur finds fuel for leasing success

Peter Wasmer reconstitutes Chrome Capital as Fuel Capital with plans to capture the pre-owned Harley-Davidson leasing market

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • June 3, 2022
Investors continue to target HVAC, plumbing firms

Thanks to private equity dollars flooding into the market, the home services industry continues to consolidate, but the potential rewards come with risks.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • July 7, 2022
Crowning achievement: Royal Pets levels up as it takes on big rivals

With a new flagship store in a prime location in Tampa, the pet market, hotel and veterinary clinic isn’t flying under the radar anymore.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • July 6, 2007
Stay Fresh, Reinvent

Taking a cue from pop-diva Madonna, star jewelry designer Erika Pena constantly reinvents her merchandise. Erika and her sister, Bielka, have big ambitions for their young firm.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 15, 2006
Wake-Up Call

As Kathleen Shanahan transforms an environmental remediation company into a market leader, the CEO is on the hunt for acquisitions - backed by one of the nation's largest equity firms.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 10, 2006
The Golden Ticket

The son of an Italian immigrant turned lottery winnings into a variety of businesses, from large-scale real estate projects in three Gulf Coast counties to cable advertising.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 8, 2006
Detour Direct

An aspiring star chef took a colossal risk 20 years ago when he took over a tiny Asian-style furniture business. The payoff has been as big as the risk, both in multimillion-dollar revenues and in the introduction to his business partner and future wife.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 22, 2006
Coffee Talk

Florida foreclosure numbers show big gainDon Ackerman will step down as chairman of WCI Communities at the company's next annual meeting, a sure sign that significant changes are in store for the struggling Bonita Springs-based homebuilder. Going into December, shares of PGT, the Venice-based impact-resistant window and door manufacturer, had been hovering in the $11-per-share range, and what's more, overall, the stock had decreased 15% since its June IPO and 33% since its all-time high of $18.84 Aug. 3.That was until SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Keith Hughes upgraded his rating on the stock to buy from neutral.Coffee Talk is always a little weary when it hears about new products that come with a "change the entire dynamic" tag, be it small business banking or the latest stock craze. A little dose of skepticism can go a long way.But we perked up after talking to a few bankers about remote deposit capture, a federally approved system that equates digital check images with paper checks. It allows banks to provide a way for clients to scan paper checks and deposit them electronically. Coffee Talk usually takes the color-blind approach to judging businesses - or more to the point, if there's any color to be judged, the one with the most cache would be green. Hence, lists breaking down entrepreneurs by racial or gender categories are usually little more than window dressing.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 9, 2007
Lower taxes, higher density, less government!

One influential legislator predicts a steep fall in state revenue as the slump in Florida's housing markets continues. An increase in density will help revenue and affordable housing.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • March 9, 2007
Preparing for the big rebound - in '08

New head of the Bonita Bay Group, Kitty Green, is not expecting much strength in real estate this year, but is planning for a bounce in 2008, and expects a return to vigorous levels in 2009.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • March 16, 2007
'We're onto something Big'

EpicTide is at the forefront of a national push to protect patient medical records from thieves. Health care fraud cost an estimated $80 billion to $120 billion annually.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 4, 2007
A Tale of Two Floridas

Northeast Florida and Southwest Florida might as well be at opposite poles, one developer says.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • June 19, 2006
Carolina Land Rush

Fort Myers luxury homebuilder Bill Ennen traveled to North Carolina to build a summer home and ended up buying half a mountain. His timing was right on as Florida builders and developers rush to the Carolinas in search of the next housing boom.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • August 4, 2006
Matt Walsh: Save Our Homes should be repealed

Sometime in the next two weeks, a Gov. Bush-appointed committee will begin meeting to figure out what, if anything, should be done to change Florida's infamously discriminatory Save Our Homes amendment - the amendment that is driving property taxes beyond tolerance for so many of Florida's part-time property owners and the amendment that, a decade after its adoption, has become a spreading cancer across Florida's economy.The conclusion and recommendations should be clear: It should be repealed.

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • August 25, 2006
It Takes a Team

A $3,000 loan sparked the idea for a company that generated more than $10 million in sales in its fourth year. Turns out, there's a hot market for used computer hardware that costs a fraction of its original retail price.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • September 19, 2005
Anything is Possible

In spite of Chris-Craft's two bankruptcies, Stephen Julius and Stephen Heese saw great valuein the name and its history. They've surpassed $50 million in sales; $100 million is the next goal.

  • Entrepreneurs
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