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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • March 17, 2022
Wage warrior: CEO goes above and beyond for worker pay

Tampa-based Volt Lighting has raised its starting hourly pay rate to double the state’s minimum wage.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • March 3, 2022
Sauce is the secret for young entrepreneur with an 'old soul'

Starting out with just a dream in his parents' kitchen, David Habib's star has risen like a rocket in the food industry as his Clearwater, Florida-based company, Yo Mama's Foods, sees rapid growth.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • March 31, 2022
Competitive fires flare up over alleged poaching of doctors, patients

A pair of Tampa Bay area health care firms fought a years-long legal battle over noncompete agreements. The result, beyond a $3.3 million payout, can teach employers valuable lessons.

  • Law
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • June 27, 2008
Coffee Talk

+ I'll take the Obama girl dress: It's called the Tank Leaf Print dress, but Chico's FAS should rename it The Michelle Obama dress. Or come next year, maybe the White House dress.+ Quick I-75 relief comes from hard work, luck: Thousands of commuters and drivers in northern Manatee County were happy, relatively speaking, to be back on the road heading southbound on Interstate 75 to start the workweek June 23.+ Infinity acquisition comes through the Review pages: Dale Ott decided about 10 months ago that his Sarasota-based technology-consulting firm, Vitil Solutions, was getting too big and unwieldy.+ WCI Communities: An Icahn transaction?: In a recent filing for Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities, Carl Icahn says he may enter into a "transaction" with the builder.+ Accountant fights in Washington D.C.: It might only have been five minutes, but Bradenton accountant Byron Shinn didn't hold anything back when he got a chance to speak before a U.S Congressional committee about challenges facing small businesses.+ Getting 245 mpg electric in Clearwater: Gulf Coast residents have heard a lot about electric cars, but they haven't been easy to find.Going green in St. Pete: Part environmental, part marketing, whatever the motivation, the green trend seems here to say.GULF COAST UNEMPLOYMENT RATEFort Myers area sees no foreclosure letup: The Cape Coral-Fort Myers area registered the nation's second-highest foreclosure

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

Location, pricing ... still the success keys: Amid the gloom surrounding residential real estate, there are pockets of sunshine based on the fundamentals of the industry.Fort Myers back on Grubb & Ellis map: Grubb & Ellis is back in Fort Myers.Southwest Florida still bankers' trouble spot: Of all the regions in Florida, the southwest area and Lee County in particular, remain tough places for bankers. Pro-business campaign receiving high marks: When a few of Sarasota's top business leaders gathered together late last year to combat a growing anti-business sentiment in the community, they expected a positive responseWait it out, the affluent remain: Companies selling luxury goods and services have felt the changes in the economy. Consumers of those items have seen the impact on their portfolios.Zirkelbach Construction builds for Honda, FedEx: Two of the most well-known brand names in the country - Honda and FedEx - now symbolize a lot more than reliable cars and on-time overnight deliveries to one Manatee County construction firm.Tense times for Tampa Tribune: First there were layoffs at The Tampa Tribune during the last two years. More recently, some sections of the newspaper have been cut or consolidated.Former elected official running for new office: Donna Clarke couldn't stay out of the game for long. The former Florida State representative, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2006, is getting back into poli

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 2, 2007
Comic Reality

Lamar Berry and Dean Young spent more than $4 million to build a franchise support system for Dagwood's before the first sandwich was served. Ambitious plans call for 4,900 locations within five years.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Andrew Warfield |
  • December 7, 2018
Poof! A new invention by a serial product designer

Therapouf inventor Judy Cutler-Teeven

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • June 21, 2019
Virtual vindication: Tech firm's gutsy decision to stay put pays off

Immertec, a Tampa, Florida, tech startup, won a $100,000 pitch competition funded by investors led by Steve Case, founder of America Online.

  • Strategies
  • 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 Business Observer Staff |
  • October 12, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Edens & Avant buys Colonial CrossingsLiberty Investment Properties plans second Fort Myers hotelLocation Finders plans small retail stripHoliday Cove RV Resort sold, may turn condoAmsdell family buys site for self storageTempus Electronic owner building new home, moreInvestors acquire Largo's Wachovia buildingBayfront Health System buys suites in St. PeteSterndrive Engineering moving to Oldsmar

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 29, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Contemporary Cabinets buys Coke plantOE Racing moves to Centre buildingInvestor buys tattoo parlorVegas developer plans Westshore ElementTampa developer buys Mercantile BuildingHonolulu investors buy Tampa AutoZoneGVA gets Oldsmar GalleriaPF Holdings buys Lynwood SquareTimberstone Group buys Arborgate landPro-Build closes on Cox Lumber land

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 17, 2006
Corporate Report

General Dynamics awarded $6.1 million contractDNAPrint Genomics test shows Thatcher not all BritishPSCU signs AT&T deal to move Phoenix data centerGerdau Ameristeel revenue jumps, net income for nine months upReptron Electronics still in red, loses $1.4 million Ablest Inc. net income grows 7% in quarter, down year-to-dateTeltronics sales virtually stagnate, net income tanks 85%

  • Industries
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 16, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Technical high school construction completeLandmark Residential buys Colony At El ConquistadorU.S. Postal Servicesbuys land for McIntosh annex Myakka City cattle rancherbuys additional 220 acresCounty micro surfacingeight-neighborhood roadsCharles & Chase Groupstarts Regency House phase twoPunta Gorda Lodging buys Hilton landBrookwood Value Partnersbuys Bella Vida home lotsNaples investor buysJPMorgan Chase building Rollin' Oats owners buy Nature's Harvest storeSchool District of Pasco Countybuys Handcart property Kissimmee area Patel familybuys Tarpon Springs innTower Realty Partners Inc.to lease Tampa office building

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • February 18, 2005
Real Estate Briefs (Sara/Mana edition)

RPM Exotics hits governmental snagHeritage Harbour developer buys land from dairy farmParsons Insurance buys office buildingMichael Saunders & Co. records $2.57 billion in sales HMA buys Venice hospitalInvestors buy Indian Beach apartments

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 25, 2008
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

Exeter Property Group buys Fowler centerFurniture Row Cos. buys Tampa warehouseBright House buys Brandon centerJoMar Development plans port industrial parkInvestors buy Holmes Beach propertiesFederal Express plans Manatee centerOaks Development buys, restructures Cypress CenterCole buys Fort Myers Pep Boys, eight othersLutgert renovates Village on Venetian BayFort Myers group buys office building

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 16, 2007
Commercial Real Estate Briefs

TB&W Enterprises acquire Bonita Springs developmentInvestment group buys 40 acres in CharlotteRLR Investments buys Royal Shell VacationsAndersen Racing owners buy Palmetto trackPossible buyer probes School Avenue siteKaplan, Bennett eye State Road 64 developmentsBenderson's university center passes Planning CommissionChicago firm buys Adagio ApartmentsLake City hotelier invests in Wesley Chapel ERSeven One Seven Parkingacquires Tampa parking lot

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Amanda Postma |
  • May 30, 2023
The Louis Vuitton of real estate, Living Vogue seeks to glam up industry

In four frenzied years, luxury real estate brokerage Living Vogue has added a second location and is now up to 100 agents. "We had confidence in ourselves," the co-founder says.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • December 22, 2022
Dunedin hotel for Toronto Blue Jays players gets $14M in financing

A Tampa company with more than 100 years of experience in the hospitality sector plays a key role in a major-league hotel project.

  • Commercial Real Estate
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 22, 2006
Mass Mergers

Community banks continue to capitalize on missteps made by banks going through regional and national consolidations. A good marketing strategy, backed up by being the anti-big bank, helps.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • December 1, 2006
Building Blocks

A builder with 20 years experience in both Sarasota and Naples takes his views to Tallahassee.

  • Entrepreneurs
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