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Results for:

  • By Elizabeth King |
  • January 30, 2026
Sarasota jeweler goes viral with videos — including baby squirrel

Jeweler Todd Alan's patient path to success in a competitive market is led by a core principle: building trust with clients.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Amanda Postma |
  • June 17, 2022
A shortened workweek: Can it work?

In the great quest to retain employees, some companies, in Florida and worldwide, are taking a less-is-more approach, by cutting out 20% of the workweek.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Rod Thomson |
  • May 18, 2012
Sex Apparel

Former TV star and comedian Rhonda Shear has broken a lot of molds. But creating a global company growing at a torrid pace may be her most shocking.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Beth Luberecki |
  • March 19, 2021
After five-year growth surge, contractor nears $150 million in revenue

Employee retention is both an underlying strength and an ongoing challenge at B&I Contractors. The strong side has led to an unprecedented growth surge at the company.

  • Construction-Development
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • June 8, 2018
Rowdy return: Leader comes back with a plan

Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards had double-bypass heart surgery last year, but he's back and ready to resume his visionary role in St. Petersburg.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • March 16, 2023
Activist investor explains decision to go public with performance concerns

Legion Partners Asset Management has challenged Tampa-based Primo Water Corp. for what it views as a subpar return on invested capital and customer growth.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • January 25, 2023
Battles between neighborhoods, developers are growing bigger — and louder

Development plans often lead to long skirmishes between neighbors looking to preserve the status quo and developers looking to build.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 25, 2007
Coffee Talk

Ray Jay in play? Nay, they say: Shares of regional retail brokers shot up earlier this month in response to Wachovia Corp.'s announced deal to buy A.G. Edwards for $6.8 billion, creating the nation's No. 2 regional broker.Gulf Coast bank deal nearly complete: The sale of one Sarasota's most successful community banks is one step closer to being complete, as federal regulators have approved the $77 million deal between People's Community Bank and Birmingham, Ala.-based Superior Bancorp.Allen to the rescue, and make it quick: In its biggest acquisition to date, Naples-based software company Allen Systems Group completed the purchase of Mobius Management Systems for $211 million.Hip restaurant chain still might hit Sarasota: Coffee Talk hears that P.F. Chang's, the trendy Chinese bistro chain, will be coming to the Sarasota market after all - only not to Pineapple SquareMotley Fool takes aim at Jabil Circuit: The financial performance at Jabil Circuit, the St. Petersburg-based electronic products solutions company, drew the attention of one of the writers for the Motley Fool personal finance website recently.NCH Healthcare sells lab company: Naples-based NCH Healthcare, responding to competitive pressures on hospital services, sold off DSI Laboratories to LabCorp, the laboratory testing giant.Go ahead, befriend your colleagues: It turns out executives are comfortable with employees becoming friends with co-workers while on the job

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 6, 2007
Lending Lessons

Loan loss reserve portfolios are increasing up and down the Gulf Coast, and for good reason: Banks don't want to be left without a seat when the real estate music stops.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 12, 2007
Prescription for Success

Get doctors and nurses involved in the medical-supply buying process and an amazing thing happens: hospitals save millions of dollars. Here's how a cooperative effort by two Southwest Florida hospital groups does it.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 8, 2008
Follow Follit

Evelyn Follit has spent most of her working life defying stereotypes. The latest: Proving career coaches can be a great asset for any executive.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • August 1, 2005
'Winning Again'

Bay Communities has been on a spree, spending $200 million on Florida apartments. One of the figuresbehind the firm is Boston's ex-'Condo King,' an extraordinary dealmaker who built his empire while in federal prison.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • April 17, 2006
Right Way to Sell

Developers seeking an edge in the competitive world of selling real estate can learn from one of the nation's best, Claudine Leger-Wetzel: She starts by believing in the product and selling the dream.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • May 12, 2006
Entrepreneur 2006 Finalists

For the past eight years, the Review editors and staff have evaluated the performance and stories of the best entrepreneurs in the Sarasota-Manatee area. This year, that job expanded to finding the top entrepreneurs from Tampa Bay to Naples.Selecting the final 15 (five from each region) was based on several factors: 1) The financial performance and employee growth of each entrepreneur's company over the last three years. 2) The details of that growth, what we call the "wow" factor: How did they do it? What kind of challenges did the entrepreneur overcome? What were the conditions of the individual's industry and the economic climate in which he opeerated?Over the next week, the Review will continue to pare down the list. In next week's issue, we will name an overall winner and three regional winners from each area. Here are the top 15, listed alphabetically:

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 30, 2008
Choppy Waters

Strong headwinds from multiple fronts assail commercial real estate, but glimmers of hope peer over the horizon.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • January 23, 2009
Choppy Waters

Strong headwinds from multiple fronts assail commercial real estate, but glimmers of hope peer over the horizon.

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 4, 2008
Betting on a Winner

Two prominent Southwest Florida families are betting that TIB Financial will weather the storm battering the state's community banks. Will their investment pay off?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • April 10, 2009
The next show

Commercial real estate lending is the bread-and-butter business of community banking on the Gulf Coast. With vacancies rising, could this sector overwhelm banks with bad loans?

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 3, 2004
Acrid Split

Bernice Saxon asks a judge to appoint a receiver to oversee the liquidation of Salem Saxon PA. Richard Salem files counterclaims.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 3, 2003
Democracy Gone Awry

New constitutional initiatives being considered for the 2004 ballet pose a threat to state employers.It's obvious too many people don't understand what a right is and isn't. Here's what a "right" does: A right confers no obligation on another. Afforda

  • Opinion
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