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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • August 7, 2015
Super paella

An entrepreneurial chef turned a farmers market paella stand into a franchise catering operation that can feed hundreds of people at a time.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • September 11, 2015
Oil pressure

The collapse in oil prices has implications for Florida tourism and real estate. Will a possible recession in Canada slow growth in the Sunshine State?

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • August 25, 2022
Trio of projects set to transform a portion of downtown Sarasota

The flurry of activity from three major downtown-area projects in the fast-growing, art-infused city is too much for some but just right for others.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • June 19, 2023
Software entrepreneur finds his footing after personal medical scare

Chris Abbott turned a dreadful few weeks into a new opportunity to get back to what he calls his "entrepreneurial roots."

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 7, 2007
Gulf Coast Week

Redevelopment is key: Most attention has been focused on the plan for a waterfront ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays, topped with a soaring sail strung from a 320-foot-tall mast.Distributor to expand: A Miramar-based liquor distributor plans to add as many as 550 employees and build a huge warehouse facility in south Hillsborough County.Class action suit proceeds: The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has certified a landowner-government dispute in Sarasota County as a class action case open to all property owners in the effected areas.First Banks enters Florida: St. Louis-based First Banks, one of the largest privately held bank holding companies in the country, is officially entering Florida, and specifically the Gulf Coast, at a bargain price.I-75 widening debate: Lee and Collier county commissioners will decide by January whether to agree to toll the two new lanes that will be built by the state on Intestate 75 in the next several years.November permits plunge: Residential homebuilding permits fell 83% in November from the same month a year ago in Lee County. Lee County's community development department issued 60 residential permits in November compared to 357 in November 2006.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • June 17, 2005
Urban Oasis

It took creative deal making, but EcoGroup's New Port Tampa project appears poised to produce lucrative returns.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 19, 2008
Gulf Coast Week

Ethanol plant changes: Litigation and water challenges in finding financing have led a company to abandon plans for an ethanol production plant at the Port of Tampa.Verizon changing command: Alan Ciamporcero, who led Verizon's operations on the Gulf Coast and throughout the Southeast the past five years, is retiring July 25.Project holdups linger: Delays are once again plaguing a development in downtown Bradenton involving property once controlled by St. Petersburg developer and entrepreneur Frank Maggio.Buchanan honored by USF: The business education side of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus has been renamed the Vernon G. Buchanan College of Business Wing after the congressman, who gave the school $100,000 last year.Sarasota County saves jobs: In an effort to avoid more layoffs and wage freezes, Sarasota County Administrator Jim Ley recommended to Sarasota County commissioners that the county dip into it's so-called stabilization fundNew Fort Myers hospital: Boca Raton-based Promise Healthcare Inc., a long-term acute care hospital company, plans to build a new hospital in Fort Myers.Air Berlin adds flight: Air Berlin, the German airline that recently acquired rival LTU, plans to boost the number of flights from Germany to Southwest Florida International Airport this summer.EDC chief takes buyout: Regina Smith, the executive director of the Lee County Economic Development Office, recently announced

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • May 9, 2008
Building New

Is this any time to start a construction company? Two Gulf Coast entrepreneurs are betting it is.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • January 22, 2010
1-800 Niche Filled

A Gulf Coast entrepreneur is on a mission to show fellow entrepreneurs the power of the toll-free vanity phone number.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • February 23, 2012
A Better Position

A Naples technology startup didn't get the venture capital funds it sought in 2008. But that turned out to be a blessing.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 11, 2013
Corporate Report: Oct. 11

A roundup of the top corporate news of the week.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • January 24, 2014
The M word

Bonita Springs enacted the nuclear option of growth management: a development moratorium. As the recession fades, the familiar development battles pitting anti-growth activists against developers reemerge.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • April 4, 2014
A bellwether project

A 300-unit condominium project in downtown Naples is a bellwether real estate project for the region. Its success may usher in a new era for condo development in Southwest Florida.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jean Gruss |
  • September 25, 2015
Luxury living

Stock Development found a luxury niche by building hundreds of speculative furnished homes. Now the firm is ready for more.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • October 9, 2025
Morgan Richmond, 39

40 Under 40 winner Morgan Richmond is president of The Furniture Warehouse.

  • Class of 2025
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 19, 2003
Coffee Talk

This week's items: Quote from Michael Kovac Executive Director of High Technology Engineering Development Old Station in Fort Myers soldCell phone linking to UPC bar codes in Fort MyersJudicial Qualifications Commission case

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • August 24, 2012
Punch line no more

The city of Pensacola altered its governing structure in 2009 after a tumultuous, and somewhat leaderless, decade. Now the city thrives under a strong mayor.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 18, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

102 Development, RAR-1 LLC buys Collier's Pelican PlazaLee County 20/20buys 31 acres for preserveTaylor Morrison of Floridabuys 21 Treviso Bay lotsStevens Constructionrenovates Florida Hospital ER,Lutgert Cos. renovatingVillage on Venetian BayNew Port Richey trustbuys Woodland OaksTampa investor buysformer PolyGard buildingInvestor buys LeveretteHome Design CenterWestfield seeking approvals to enlarge SouthgateTwo U.K. companiesbuy Venice commercial landBradenton real estate partnersbuy Morgan Johnson landSchenkelShultz Architecturedesigns unversities joint-use facilityBank forecloses on Mariner

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 9, 2007
Coffee Talk

Area construction firms look past condos: Sarasota-based construction executive John Wiseman says he's not going to leave a candle burning in the window for the dark Gulf Coast condo market.Alico-Ginn deal a clue to real estate future: To get a sense for when the real estate market will rebound in Lee County, take a look at the recent restructuring of a deal between Orlando-based developer Ginn Development and Alico, the giant agribusiness headquartered in LaBelle.And now live, from Tampa Bay, it's . . .: With just the perfect mix of being in the right place at the right time, almost anything can happen.WCI stock may be a treat, if it doesn't trick Does Michael Burry know something we don't?: On Halloween, Burry acquired 5.7% of the outstanding stock of WCI Communities, the Bonita Springs-based homebuilder that is now chaired by billionaire investor Carl Icahn.Florida bankinghead leaving: Susan Martinez, regional president for Region's Financial Corp. in Tampa, a banking industry veteran of 35 years in Florida and one of the few female banking presidents, is retiring at the end of the year.Engineers call a bottom to the housing market: You shouldn't lose your sense of humor, especially when times are tough.We're number nine! We're number nine!: Drum roll please: Florida ranked...ninth in 2007, behind first-place North Carolina and seven other states on Site Selection magazine's annual business climate rankings.Media Gene

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • February 11, 2005
A Green Lumberjack

Kimal Lumber Co. looks to technology for increased efficiency and environmental sustainability.

  • Entrepreneurs
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