• 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 Brian Hartz |
  • August 10, 2018
Cybersecurity sector bear hugs Tampa region

With business and so many other aspects of our daily lives increasingly moving online and into the cloud, it’s never been a better time to be part of the cybersecurity industry. That’s especially true for companies and workers in the Tampa Bay region.

  • Technology
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • May 30, 2014
Bright Shiny Objects

A high school dropout with an appetite for learning is the master builder behind a rocket ship-like success. His firm has gone from $2 million to a projected $30 million in annual sales in four years.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Laura Lyon |
  • April 4, 2025
Tampa duo gives longtime theater new life despite industry challenges

The movie theater business has taken some hits. But Shana David-Massett and Tim Massett are undeterred and optimistic — counting an investment of $2 million — on the industry's future.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Laura Lyon |
  • May 23, 2025
Tampa Bay 3D printing entrepreneur beats the odds with moxie, fortitude

Roy Kirchner has made a career out of comebacks. His next big foe: dealing with tariffs.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • July 10, 2024
No American left behind: The life of Tampa rescue guru Bryan Stern

Bryan Stern leads an A-team of global operators on life-and-death missions to get Americans out of harm's way. His leadership mantra: Don't be a spectator.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Laura Lyon |
  • May 16, 2025
Four-decade restaurant industry veteran ready for her next portion

A high school job at Taco Bell has turned into a high-level restaurant career for Kelia Bazile. Her latest gig? Running $700 million brand Carrabba's.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • By Elizabeth King |
  • March 20, 2026
Sarasota angel investor group doubles in size, seeks local startups

Bridge Angel Investors is actively seeking startups in the Sarasota and Manatee areas to invest in and reports that many pitches in the past year have come from the Tampa Bay region.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 21, 2007
Coffee Talk

Sarasota County freezes impact fees: Lower revenues have some local governments rethinking some of their high fees.CEO buys $1 million worth of Chico's stock: It's always a good sign to see a CEO buy $1 million worth of the stock of the company he runs, especially when that company is Chico's FAS.Vulture funds circling residential: Don't look now, but the downturn in the residential real estate market has vulture investors circling Tampa Bay, trying to buy lots on the cheap.Environmental activist may run for county seat: Jono Miller, a well-known Gulf Coast environmental activist, tells Coffee Talk he is giving "serious consideration" to running for the Sarasota County Commission in 2008.Ideal Image finishing strong: Tampa-based Ideal Image, the laser hair removal chain, is finishing 2007 strong, boosting same-store sales revenues 28% over 2006.WCI gets reprieve from lenders: WCI Communities got a one-month extension from lenders to Jan. 7 to renegotiate the terms of its loans.Lawsuit abuse issue lingers: Lobbying groups fighting for Florida tort reform have even more evidence that frivolous lawsuits, even the threat of one, is bad for both businesses and consumers.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 20, 2008
Walsh: Review and Comment

Have babies; it's all about economic survival

  • Opinion
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • January 14, 2005
Parking Plot

A Tampa valet service with alleged underworld ties goes to court - of all places - when a former employee starts a competing company.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • August 15, 2008
Coffee Talk

+ Kleiner Perkinsinvests in companyKleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the best-known venture capital firms in the world, recently disclosed it is an investor in Lehigh Technologies, a Naples-based company that was the winner of the Gulf Coast Business Review's technology innovation award for the Lee-Collier area in 2006.+ Newsflash: Checkthe copyright booksThe irony of this story is especially sweet: Seems that a group of supposedly well-intentioned attorneys across Florida goofed on a basic legal principle when forming a group to provide free legal services to homeowners facing foreclosure.+ Walter Industriesstock rises and fallsWalter Industries saw its stock jump to more than $104 a share this month on the New York Stock Exchange on the heels of a good quarterly report.+ Commercial propertyowners find tax helpNot every real estate-related business is in the doldrums.+ Developer doesn't give up,despite a massive loan issueA $40 million loan default isn't exactly what Brent Virkus had in mind when he made his initial foray into the Gulf Coast development pool two years ago.+ PODS marksmillionth milestoneClearwater-based PODS Enterprises Inc., the portable storage company, delivered its one millionth PODS container recently to Paul Johnson, a customer doing a home remodeling job in Fullerton, Calif. + Manatee business climatecontinues to sufferIn many cases, the issues facing senior exec

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 21, 2011
Economic Forecast 2012 Overview

The yearning for optimism in how next year's economy will turn out is palpable. The facts, however, don't always meet the desire.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • February 19, 2021
Personal care products firm delivers refreshing approach

Raw Sugar's careful growth strategy, including a heavy emphasis on brick-and-mortar in a world ruled by e-commerce, has proven to be fruitful.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 20, 2019
Small yet mighty: Two community banks outperforming many of their peers

Leaders at Sanibel Captiva Community Bank and First Citrus Bank discuss the strategies that have allowed them to not only survive, but thrive, in a post-recession era of industry consolidation.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • April 19, 2019
Bank shot: CEO returns to his roots with strategic acquisition

Katz Capital, a multifaceted Tampa, Florida, investment and finance holding company, has acquired Camp Grove State Bank, a tiny bank serving farmers in rural Illinois. CEO Brian Katz explains the thought process behind the purchase.

  • Finance
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • December 12, 2025
Hoffmann Marine's top executive navigates $150M in deals

Hoffman Marine President Jenny Gezella navigates the acquisition-hungry business of boating through a high-energy, high-reliability approach.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • June 19, 2006
Coffee Talk

Name change, 2.0: The DOS Computer Center is getting a name upgrade.Sparkling ethics: Most would agree that Gary Trippe is one of the most ethical people around, which is why few will begrudge him keeping a $10,000 diamond he won at an ethics-award banquet.Wealthy people have feelings: The majority of the wealthiest Americans - and Floridians - are pessimistic when it comes to the housing market (who isn't?) yet as a group, these big spenders are almost at record high-levels when it comes to being optimistic about the overall economy.Mercantile pays premium: Quincy, Ill.-based Mercantile Bancorp paid a healthy premium for Naples-based Royal Palm Bancorp of Naples-about three times book value.Really smart people: Sarasota-based New College is Florida's honors college, so by definition, the school has a lot of smart people walking around its leafy campus a few miles north of downtown Sarasota.Sailing delayed: Material delays and labor shortages have forced Bonita Springs-based Expoships to move up the inaugural sailing of its Grand Luxe ship from December 2006 to June 2007.Money in the bank: It's much too early to count the cash, but organizers of the not-yet-chartered Insignia Bank have reason to feel positive.Lead by doing: Surveys and polls from various outlets show the poor numbers when it comes to employee job satisfaction.Insurer to grow in Florida: At a time when insurance companies and brokers are figurin

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 20, 2004
Be Good to Your Employees

International speaker and employee motivator Barbara Glanz might sound corny at first. Then she cites statistics and the bottom line. CEOs are listening.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • November 26, 2005
From Great to Good

2005 was called the Super Bowl of commercial real estate years. For 2006, brokers and developers are forecasting a more moderate pace but still robust by historical standards.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Adam Hughes |
  • April 8, 2005
Real Estate Briefs (Sara/Mana)

Sarasota businessmen to open resort in '06Sarasota dentists buy Aloha Mobile Home ParkThree investors buy Bradenton warehouseWaterford Cos. buys 20 acres for condosRape Crisis Centerexpands on MainSarasota investor buys land out eastKeenan Development Group prepares for new buildingPort Manatee Center lands first tenant

  • Manatee-Sarasota
« 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 »
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