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Results for:

  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • May 19, 2017
Best dressed

The fickle fashion industry can be tough on startups. Yet Camilyn Beth Leavitt has persevered — and prospered. 'Sales are your oxygen,' she says.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Michael Hinman |
  • May 8, 2015
Redress code

Gr8code, like so many startups, began with great promise. A host of problems derailed its potential.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Beth Luberecki |
  • August 10, 2018
Ad agency thrives on innovate or die strategy

Innovation, specifically, has become a necessity in branding and marketing, where big and small players fight for the same work many times. Today Schifino Lee has 22 full-time employees and posted revenue of more than $8 million in 2017. That’s about doub

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 20, 2005
Real Estate Briefs (Tampa)

St. Petersburg office deal exceeds $80 millionStella del Mar residents acquire mobile home parkConfectioner buys Clearwater Beach motel

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • December 28, 2018
Comfort food chain Metro Diner meets challenges with continued growth

In 2018, Metro Diner closed two diners and opened 26, for a net total of 24 new locations.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Grier Ferguson |
  • March 8, 2019
Focus on steady growth, strong culture spells success for area law firm

Blalock Walters, with offices in Sarasota and Bradenton, has 26 attorneys.

  • Law
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • September 28, 2007
Coffee Talk

Ooh la Latina!: Erika Pena, the Fort Myers jewelry designer, was listed among the 10 most stylish Latinas on the popular Stylist section of AOL.com recently.Tomorrow is just a day away: The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is climbing aboard the tough times caravan.Electric utilities consolidating?: Nothing official yet, but talk is heating up again about possible mergers in the electric utility industry. With the number of people they employ, this could be a bomb.Gulf Coast Realtor 'joins' the Navy: The Gulf Coast business community has no shortage of executives willing to serve on community and charity-related boards, from school councils to civic groups to national foundations.Getting good exposure on the tube: Tampa-based tech company Actsoft Inc. got some national exposure recently and didn't pay a dime for it: on the TV series "CSI: Miami."Legal battles continue for OSI: Three months ago, OSI Restaurant Partners shareholders approved a management buyout of the Tampa parent company of Outback Steakhouse, but legal work remains.Existing home sales and prices continue to dropGuaranteeing a good time (to buy)

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 26, 2007
Climate Change

Southwest Florida's real-estate boom is long over, but don't count businesses out. In an executive business-climate survey conducted recently by the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University, a majority of executives remained optimistic about the outlook for their industries over the next 12 months. The Chamber of Southwest Florida commissioned the survey, which polled businesses in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.

  • Entrepreneurs
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • October 5, 2012
Big Appetite

The Seidensticker brothers have nearly made it five years in an industry — restaurants — with a high failure rate. They are hungry for more.

  • Strategies
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 8, 2021
Law enforcement gains ground in attacking PPP fraud cases

At least four people in the region have been charged in alleged fraud cases.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Steven Benna |
  • March 7, 2022
Transactions: Feb. 28 to March 7

Charlotte County shopping center acquisition for $26 million among the week's top deals.

  • Transactions
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • April 6, 2018
In Memoriam: Stu Gregory, 1934-2018

Stu Gregory owned Bradenton insurance agency Des Champs & Gregory and was active in the community.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Steven Benna |
  • May 2, 2022
Transactions: April 26 to May 2

A $121 million multifamily deal leads the way in this week's transactions.

  • Transactions
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • November 30, 2017
Construction exec Ron Royal dies

Royal died Nov. 26 after an illness, surrounded by family. He was 85.

  • Manatee-Sarasota
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Louis Llovio |
  • February 1, 2023
Feds sending $43M in grants to address road safety along Gulf Coast

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding $800 million in grants as part of a program to cut down on fatalities.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • October 26, 2022
Gus Stavros, prominent philanthropist and World War II veteran, dies at 97

He helped more than 400,000 students around the world, including 30,000 in the Tampa Bay region, with financial literacy and career preparation.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • July 28, 2019
More fruit, less loot: trade wars present issues for Florida growers

A University Florida study projects tomato, strawberry and bell pepper growers statewide could face big problems under a new NAFTA.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Business Observer Staff |
  • October 12, 2018
Company falls short of jobs promise, repays county $100,000

rasota Medical only hired 12 people from 2010 to 2015. It fell 49 jobs short of its commitment — even though it already had the county’s $360,000. Company paid back Sarasota County $100,000, with the final payment coming earlier this year.

  • News
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Brian Hartz |
  • May 30, 2023
Construction firm tops out new hospital in Tampa suburb

Built by Robins & Morton, the 282,000-square-foot AdventHealth Riverview Hospital is projected to open in fall 2024.

  • Tampa Bay-Lakeland
  • For Subscribers Only
  • By Mark Gordon |
  • July 27, 2023
Sailing school company promotes internally for new CFO

Offshore Sailing School turns 60 years old next year.

  • Charlotte–Lee–Collier
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