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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • April 9, 2022
Hotel expert says hospitality sector is rebounding nicely from pandemic

Hospitality insider Rich Lillis says the hotel industry —especially in Tampa and other parts of the region — is mostly back to pre-pandemic levels.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • October 24, 2014
Build me a plane

Aviation Partners Group installs sophisticated avionics and builds airplanes at the Punta Gorda Airport. Its growth has caught the eye of economic development groups.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Beth Luberecki |
  • March 18, 2024
Skin care entrepreneur prospers with 'failure isn’t an option' attitude

When the pandemic temporarily shut down Alexis Pfropper’s new spa, she shifted. She paid rent in gift cards (the landlord loved it) and even developed a skin care line for a new revenue stream.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • May 27, 2026
Naples exec in high-profile fraud case says his politically-active boss told him to steal

Steven Veneziano claims in court papers that, despite accusations, while working for Oakes Farms, he committed offenses at the behest of Alfie Oakes.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • June 13, 2023
One-on-one with New College interim President Richard Corcoran

No stranger to stirring things up, Richard Corcoran goes all-in on a transformation of a liberal arts college.

  • Education
  • 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
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 16, 2007
Coffee Talk

A recent statewide survey from the National Federation of Independent Business reads as if it's coming out of Taxachusetts, not the Sunshine State. Almost nine out of every 10 business owners that responded to the survey said their commercial property taxes have increased over the last year. Bradenton is losing a company headquarters, as breakfast and lunch franchise operation Peach's is moving to a Columbus, Ohio suburb. As promised, Shutts & Bowen continues to add top-ranked litigators to its first Gulf Coast office, which opened in Tampa last March. The Review is seeking the best and brightest Gulf Coast entrepreneurs for the newspaper's 10th annual Entrepreneur Award. Charlie Kleman's surprise resignation as chief financial officer of Fort Myers-based women's retailer Chico's FAS has some investors scratching their heads as to who could possibly replace him.Florida is projected to become the third most populous state between 2015 and 2020, as the state hits the 21.8-million mark and passes New York to come in behind California and Texas, even though the state's annual growth rate has slowed to about 2%, according to economists.Bonita Springs-based homebuilder WCI Communities has hired Goldman Sachs to evaluate the possible sale of the company.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 26, 2007
Coffee Talk

Big payout looms for Radiation Therapy: Who says private equity deals are dead?Switching up,not giving up: To a developer with major moxie, bad news is just a niggling detail - even bad news like, say, a seriously slumping housing market, where in particular, downtown Sarasota condo sales are as rare as towels in a nudist colony.Another knock against Hometown Democracy: Add Tampa land broker Bruce Erhardt to the list of business people questioning the wisdom of Florida Hometown Democracy, a statewide ballot movement that, if passed, would require citizens to make all major land-use decisions via referendums.Expansion knows no bounds: Brown & Brown, a Tampa- and Daytona Beach-based insurance company, continued its national expansion march this month with the acquisition of Professional Risk Managers of New York.A complicated simplification: Gevity, the Lakewood Ranch-based human resources outsourcing firm struggling with a battered stock price and more recently, a resigned chief executive, says the answer to its problems is to regroup and undertake a simplified and solidified approach to its business.Exodus continues from troubled WCI: The exodus from the corporate ranks of WCI Communities continues as the Bonita Springs-based homebuilder struggles with a brutal housing market.Atlanta nightclub owner hits the links in Naples: Atlanta-based strip club owner Jack E. Galardi of Galardi South Enterprises, has turned his attention

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • December 27, 2005
EO-Sara/Mana: A 'Mild' Correction

Home builders say the four-year period of hyper growth was unsustainable. For 2006, the pace of growth will be slower but still strong.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • May 29, 2006
Real Estate Briefs

HMA purchases Naples Cleveland ClinicMarriott Vacation Club to buy Marco Island RadissonBradenton investor ACQUIRES retail SPACERobb & Stucky plans aggressive expansionNeal Communities buys land for River's Song communityPremier to acquire Turnberry's second phaseRanch Realty plans MEDICAL/OFFICE parkSCI buys Northbay Commerce CenterInvestment group buys Missouri CrossingsCCMS 200-1 Corporex buys Lakecrest Office

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 30, 2008
Coffee Talk

IT folks, others, make a show of force: Where did all these techies come from? The Gulf Coast is well known for its housing and tourism businesses, but a recent tech gathering in Fort Myers shows how technology cuts across all industries.Federal legislators try to control gas prices: Even for a legislative body known more for photo ops than passing bills with actual substance, a recent vote in the U.S. House of Representatives was a true head-scratcher.Going green from Dallas to Tampa: Tampa Heights, the redeveloping urban area just north of downtown Tampa, will be getting a new corporate tenant at the end of the month: The Beck Group, a Dallas-based construction company.On demand flyingexpands on Gulf Coast: Airlines big and small have been fleeing the Gulf Coast, another facet of the economic slowdown.Let's go this summer to Camp CEO: Forget canoeing or archery.High school juniors and seniors will have an opportunity to be chief executive officers at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers this summer.Evos wants faster growth, hires Chipolte exec: The Review profiled Evos, a growing a Tampa-based restaurant chain, in July, and now comes word that the company is preparing to make a major leap in growth.John Sykes gives to University of Tampa again: Tampa businessman John Sykes, whose name is on the University of Tampa's School of Business building, has made another sizable gift to the university, which sits on the edg

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 18, 2008
Baron of Collier

Paul Marinelli says the growth of the Barron Collier Co. is a result of 'we,' not 'I.' But his philosophy on partnerships has generated some extraordinary results.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 7, 2003
Baron of Collier

Paul Marinelli says the growth of the Barron Collier Co. is a result of 'we,' not 'I.' But his philosophy on partnerships has generated some extraordinary results.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • March 6, 2020
Media entrepreneur took on big challenges long before pandemic

Ruth Soukup is living example that being afraid shouldn’t derail anyone’s business dreams. She has a $5 million business to prove it.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • November 1, 2019
Disruptive model takes on residential real estate

To some in real estate, the burgeoning iBuyer trend is a market disruption gold rush, the best thing in the industry since the internet allowed people to search for properties in their pajamas.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • March 29, 2024
Exit interview: Key moments in 30-year transformation of University of Tampa

Ron Vaughn’s turnaround strategy at the University of Tampa nearly 30 years ago was straightforward: Stop overspending. Find the big problems and solve them fast. And prioritize constant improvement.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • January 28, 2005
People to Watch

Will their stars keep rising? Or will they go down in flames? Regardless of the result, these 10 business people are sure to intrigue.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 22, 2009
Battle Royale

Gulf Coast business owners hear the chatter about the supposed end of the recession. While many cling to optimism on that front, the reality is that 2010 could be another Toughest Year Ever for many businesses.

  • Strategies
  • 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 |
  • August 25, 2006
Coffee Talk

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

  • News
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