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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • December 16, 2005
Retire? Too Many Opportunities

Peninsula Bank CEO Simon Portnoy keeps a low profile on the Gulf Coast. But this experienced Gold Coast banker knows what he's doing. Keep your eye on Peninsula.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • December 27, 2005
Fur-flying Fun

With Fun Friends' manufacturing done in China, entrepreneur Julian Parry has parlayed furry cell-phone coversinto a fashion accessory for teenaged girls.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • July 8, 2005
Fitness Machine

Lifestyle Family Fitness LLP grew from eight to 27 centers in less than two years. With $8 million in new capital, it's on track to double its units in the next two years. Geoffrey Dyer says he's running the business like a public company.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • February 20, 2006
WANTED: Skilled Workers in Shrinking Industry

Florida's manufacturing sector has lost 78,400 jobs since 1997, but there are still about 400,000 high-paying factory jobs begging for skilled workers.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • April 17, 2006
A Clinical Success

From investing in the stock market as a teenager to turning around failing retail businesses as an adult, Bryan Shobe has shown a knack for fixing things. His latest venture is taking an animal hospital chain national.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 19, 2008
Bank Returns

The new boss at Freedom Bank comes with a stellar resume and track record. Will it be enough to lead a turnaround?

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 27, 2008
Turning the Ship

When John Barnott first took his customer-first, private-business principles to county government, mostof the employees on his watch quit. Now he's got his hands on a Gulf Coast county building department.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 11, 2009
Millage Mayhem

With taxable property values way down for the second year in a row, the rolled back tax rates look to be heading up — but not without a fight between elected officials, their staffs and property taxpayers.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • August 13, 2009
Survive and Thrive

Gulf Coast fast-food restaurant owner Jonathan Ith isn't about to back down from a minor roadblock like a recession. He spent most of his youth, after all, in a life-and-death survival mode while growing up in the killing fields of Cambodia.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 24, 2010
Court Presence

Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach is an aggressive debater in court and in the Legislature and hopes to debate his way to the attorney general post.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Dan Ping |
  • June 24, 2011
High-tech Dream

Orlando wants to become the Silicon Valley for the digital-media industry. A third-generation Floridian has a plan to do just that by building a $1 billion high-tech village.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jay Brady |
  • July 21, 2011
Growth and Taxes

A new Florida Gulf Coast University study shows that metropolitan areas with higher taxes had lower growth and high-growth areas had lower taxes.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • February 26, 2021
Want to build leadership confidence? Fire your workplace villain

After a punch-to-the-gut setback, a high-flying C-Suite executive learned some big lessons in the consistent confidence it takes to be a standout leader. Now she shares her secrets with other leaders.

  • Leadership
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • December 14, 2018
Sub chain CEO: 'I'll clean the worst restrooms'

Don Fox was recently in Tampa for a University of South Florida Muma College of Business “Conversation with a CEO” event. In an interview with the Business Observer, Fox talked about leadership, franchise best practices and connecting business with philan

  • Leadership
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • November 8, 2019
Insurance firm aims to keep up regular communication with customers

Can an insurance firm be less robotic and more empathetic? One company says yes and will use that model to grab more market share.

  • Insurance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • August 18, 2017
Bed Heads

A Tampa-based e-commerce 'bed-in-a-box' startup is armed with a patented mattress. It also has a dream-big mission.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Beth Luberecki |
  • May 5, 2017
Grow with Care

Technological innovation is the new plow for farming. A family-run operation leads the way.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • August 26, 2016
Set sights

The developers of the Heights are armed with a keen sense of urgency for a project with decade-long timeline. Another key driver? Avoid debt.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Traci McMillan Beach |
  • April 15, 2016
Shine the light

Andrew Samuel rose from bank teller to president of an $18 billion powerhouse, using many non-traditional banking approaches along the way. He seeks to duplicate his success in Florida.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • August 27, 2024
Naples Airport leaders float a controversial idea: Moving the airport

The Naples Airport Authority mulls what to do after a study released this summer identified four potential relocation sites.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
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