Sure, Todd Katz, attorney and co-founder of Tarpon Coast Bank in Punta Gorda, says all the right things about how to successfully launch a bank on the Gulf Coast: Top-shelf central location is a priority; great customer service; competitive rates and the best use of new banking technology. If you're in the residential real estate business, it's important to know what's happening up north.One builder's loss is another builder's gain. Now that the boom in new-home construction has abated, commercial builders say they're looking forward to stabilizing costs for materials such as concrete and fill dirt. That's welcome news as commercial construction keeps booming in Southwest Florida.. According to a survey by Robert Half International Inc., 75% of executives say their firms are taking some action to reduce their employees' exposure to added gas costs. La Belle-based agriculture company Alico Inc. owes the Internal Revenue Service between $39.4 million and $82.3 million in taxes and penalties, according to a recent securities filing by the company.The Florida Venture Forum is looking for growing private companies interested in presenting at the 16th annual Florida Venture Capital Conference Feb. 6-7 in Boca Raton.The Gulf Coast is well represented in Inc.'s just-released 2006 list of the 500 fastest growing companies.While many donations to victims of Hurricane Katrina came in the form of much needed money and shelter, a Saras
