• Alternate Text
  • Loading

  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Public Notices
  • 40 Under 40 Nomination
  • Mobile App
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • News
  • Strategies
  • Entrepreneurs
  • M&A
  • Leadership
  • Regions
    • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    • Manatee-Sarasota
    • Charlotte-Lee-Collier
    • Florida
  • Industries
    • Business Support
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Residential Real Estate
    • Development
    • Finance
    • Food-Beverage
    • Health Care
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • Sports–Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Travel-Tourism
  • Insights
  • More
    • Advice
    • Transactions
    • 40 Under 40
    • Big Book of Business
    • Subscribe
    • Opinion
    • Executive Diversions
    • Change-Makers
    • Reprints
  • News
  • Strategies
  • Entrepreneurs
  • M&A
  • Leadership
  • Regions
    • Regions
    • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
    • Manatee-Sarasota
    • Charlotte-Lee-Collier
    • Florida
  • Industries
    • Industries
    • Business Support
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Residential Real Estate
    • Development
    • Finance
    • Food-Beverage
    • Health Care
    • Manufacturing
    • Retail
    • Sports–Entertainment
    • Technology
    • Travel-Tourism
  • Insights
  • More
    • More
    • Advice
    • Transactions
    • 40 Under 40
    • Big Book of Business
    • Subscribe
    • Opinion
    • Executive Diversions
    • Change-Makers
    • Reprints
  • Newsletters
  • Podcast
  • Public Notices
  • 40 Under 40 Nomination
  • Mobile App
  • Subscribe
  • Login

Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • June 24, 2005
Siren Song

After blowing the whistle in the 1990s on his competitors and city officials, Frank Griswoldthought he'd finally gotten his chance in Tampa's ambulance industry. He was wrong.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • August 3, 2007
Coffee Talk

West Tampa feels the urban awakening: First there was Hyde Park in south Tampa. Then Seminole Heights. Then northern Ybor City. Then Tampa Heights north of downtown. Then Channelside.Bulldozers coming to Westshore: For those who don't know: Westshore is the largest business district on the Gulf Coast with more than 11 million square feet of offices. Some put it past Miami.Homebuilders strive to melt the housing slump: Homebuilders have resorted to all kinds of gimmicks - that is, incentives - when it comes to pushing product in the current slumping real estate market. Boat company sails through good times and bad: Clearwater-based boat retailer MarineMax's hot 2006 has so far only led to a cold 2007.What's in a name?: If you're wondering whether Raymond James & Associates Inc. made a wise investment in sponsoring Raymond James Stadium, the answer is yes, says one family member.Loan-seeking entrepreneurs experience express success: Budding small business owners and entrepreneurs know the drill when it comes to getting loans for a new business venture: Swallow hard, close your eyes and brace for the dreaded "no."And now, Governor blah, blah, blah

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 12, 2003
Coffee Talk

This week's items: Commercial buildings are hot. Should the Collier County Commission fund a economic development diversification pilot plan? Expo at Branley set to open in Fort Myers. Creative Tampa Bay debutes.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • October 28, 2021
Lofty ambitions: Drone-based businesses navigate their way to success

Using the devices for commercial purposes can be a turbulent ride. Some innovators in the region lead the way to clear skies.

  • Technology
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Matt Walsh |
  • October 2, 2020
2020 Election Recommendations: The amendments

As always, many of the proposed constitutional amendments sound good. But they aren’t.

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 6, 2006
Corporate Report

Gevity opens new Chicago officeTIB Financial Splitting StockHillcrest Bank Florida starts retirement branch expansionCarbiz plans store expansion, targets FloridaFort Myers site for new GMC dealershipProgress Energy pushing for efficiency programsSarasota Memorial tops healthcare consumer choiceSchifino Lee Advertising produces Networking ViewsIA Global appeals de-listing from AMEXNeoGenomics introduces new Genetic Pathology servicesSarasota Ritz to host government healthcare conference

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • January 26, 2008
Coffee Talk

Million-dollar tax bill goes to court: Fresh off selling his multimillion stake in Venice-based window manufacturer PGT Industries, Paul Hostetler sought a bank and an investment firm to reduce his and his family's tax bill.WCI: Icahn makes banks blink: News that banks granted Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities until June 2009 to gets its financial house in order had Carl Icahn written all over it.Westshore's Austin bullish on Giuliani: Al Austin, the Tampa developer known as the father of Westshore, Florida's biggest business district, keeps busy with more than real estate these days.Sarasota money draws a crowd: In these tough economic times, Coffee Talk was surprised to hear yet another wealth management firm is entering the Sarasota market.Downtown Fort Myers condos on hold for duration: If construction hasn't started on a downtown Fort Myers condo tower yet, buyers will have to wait until the residential downturn is over. Sawgrass Creek building nears completion Managers eye Merrill's Florida pension businessMcKibbon goes green with new hotelsMetro, Shaw enter joint venture HMA gets bump from Wachovia analystSt. Pete to issue RFP for Trop site

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 13, 2008
Coffee Talk

ASG on the acquisition path: Is Naples-based ASG Software Solutions on the verge of another blockbuster software-company acquisition?Tom James shares a few pearls: It was akin to an E.F. Hutton moment.Sunny days are here to stay in Sarasota: The business axiom of thinking and selling global is in full rotation at Sun Hydraulics, the publicly traded Sarasota-based cartridge valve manufacturing firm.And the not so sunny news awards go to...: While Sun Hydraulics basks in the glow of its Business Week Hot Growth companies rankings, two other Gulf Coast-based publicly traded companies are wilting from being included on a related listCrashing through transportation barriers: Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos recently visited Bonita Springs to discuss one crisis when she ran up on another.Region's women still strong on Barron's rankings: A pair of Gulf Coast financial planners have made the cut on Barron's Top 100 Women Financial Advisors list - one for the third straight year, while the other finished third place for the second time in a row.Happy days if you manufacture and export: We all keep looking and hoping for a positive consensus from the economic prognosticators. Who needs yet another economist telling us what we already know?

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 25, 2008
Coffee Talk

+ Analyst claimsHMA selling overdoneDid investors overreact to the recent resignation of Health Management Associates Chief Executive Officer Burke Whitman?+ New home permitshit new all-time lowThe city of North Port, a onetime tiny retirement village in southern Sarasota County, has grown so fast it recently overtook Sarasota as the biggest city in the county in terms of total population.+ Where's the beef?Making the female pitchTampa-based family sports restaurant chain, Beef 'O' Brady's, is feeling the pinch like all restaurants these days. Bailout watch:Everyone wants a pieceGulf Coast real estate investors are watching the government's proposed bailout closely, wondering if that's going to stem foreclosures and home-price declines.+ Engel steps downafter long EDC tenureThe Manatee County Economic Development Council is adding a new twist to its mission to recruit and keep companies.+ Frozen markets thawed -enough to finish dealNot even one of the biggest collapses on Wall Street and in U.S. financial history could stop The Plasencia Group, a Tampa hotel brokerage, from closing a sale recently.+ Million-dollar problemsgo national in JournalSarasota and Bradenton were recently featured prominently in a long Wall Street Journal story. But it wasn't the type of clip the Chamber of Commerce will be framing anytime soon.

  • News
  • 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 Business Observer Staff |
  • July 27, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Publix Supermarkets buys Lehigh's CrossroadsPartnership starts infrastructure for 90-acre Meridian CenterFGCU foundation buys marine research facilityColonial Bank plans Nokomis branch21st Century Oncology opening Lakewood Ranch officeWillis A. Smith Construction awarded SCTI expansionArea Dunkin' Donuts buildings up for saleGoldenTree, Cypress Creek buy 501 KennedyBaycare Health System buys land for hospitalCalif.'s Pacificia Cos.acquires Sun City residence

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Amanda Postma |
  • January 20, 2023
Celebration of life becomes face of funeral industry

The funeral home business is going through some generational shifts, and a Sarasota-based company looks to stay ahead of the trends.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • July 14, 2022
Magicians cast their spell over local audiences — and reap the rewards

Thanks to the arrival of Zubrick Magic Theatre in St. Petersburg, you don’t need to brave the Las Vegas Strip to experience the razzle-dazzle of professional illusionists.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 3, 2006
Coffee Talk

American Banker honors Orion Bank's Jerry Williams Michael Saunders & Co. is going Hollywood - for a day, anyway. The real estate firm's founder, Michael Saunders, recently flew out to Beverly Hills, where she was a top speaker at a Christi's Great Estates conference on innovative marketing for small residential projects or large-scale developments. Sarasota County Commissioners recently approved giving the EDC $60,000 to create a Film and Entertainment office.Analyst says Chico's stock may jump The Review's 2006 Entrepreneur winner, Amscot Financial founder Ian MacKechnie, was named "Person of the Year" by an industry trade group.Home sales down across the boardTech Forum award finalists announced Sun Coast Industry Expo postponed

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 4, 2008
Corporate Report

Intertape launchesbiodegradable filmWalter Industries adoptstakeover protection planRib City opens 15th franchise,first restaurant in MissouriRhythm and Groovesadds Vibecast-SBRoper Industries' dividendto show 13.8% increaseSEC investigation endsagainst Jabil stock optionsFlanders Corp. CEOawarded three-year contractOSI Restaurant aimingto sell Lee Roy Selmon'sStinger Systems releases updated S-200 stun gun

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 4, 2008
Scary Stories

What's it like to be on the inside of a bank in crisis? It's amix of gray hairs, tears, fist pumps and lots of heartache.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jay Brady |
  • June 25, 2009
Shedding light on renewal

Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham sets the record straight on the Community Renewal Act after opponents and editorial boards misrepresent the law's key provisions.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 19, 2003
In Pursuit of Sand and Tan

Move out of the way: Tourism on the Gulf Coast has returned to 2000 levels and is expected to go higher next year.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jay Brady |
  • November 12, 2009
Cracking the Code

While legislators look for a science-based, politically acceptable plan for oil drilling, new technology for extracting natural gas is aligning with state and federal energy policy to potentially unlock Florida waters and the eastern Gulf.

  • Florida
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Jay Brady |
  • October 22, 2010
Planning by Ballot Box

A diverse coalition opposing Amendment 4 have no shortage of predictable negative consequences with St. Pete Beach as their poster-child. Both sides agree that passage would mean a lot more lawsuits.

  • Florida
« 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 »
The best of Business Observer, delivered directly to your inbox

Get the latest business and commercial real estate news from Tampa Bay to Naples.

Sign Up

Contact

  • 1970 Main St.
  • Third Floor
  • Sarasota, FL 34236
  • Phone: 941-362-4848

Extra, Extra!

  • Newsletters
  • App
  • Podcast
  • Big Book of Business

more

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Distribution Points
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Accessibility Options

sister sites

  • Your Observer
  • Jax Daily Record
  • Orange Observer
  • Accessibility Options
  • Copyright © 2026 Observer Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved
×
3 Articles Remaining!
Not a Subscriber?

Click here to Subscribe

Already a Subscriber?

Click here to Login

Sign Up for Daily Brief

Start your day with the top Gulf Coast business news you need to succeed.

Sign Up for CRE Central

Stay updated with a weekly roundup of big deals, market shifts and the people shaping commercial real estate from Tampa Bay to Naples.


Smart People Subscribe.

Turn headlines into game plans. The playbook’s right here.
Subscribe to the Business Observer today.

Subscribe Now