Moe Wishkaei and two of his colleagues worked for a national restaurant chain in the Tampa Bay area, but they dreamed of owning their own business.Late last year, the three men, who had been friends for more than 10 years, took a leap of faith. Wishkaei, Ghyslain Lefebvre and Ted Steiner quit their jobs and bought three Atlanta Bread Co. locations.Optimism, plus a dose of realityDevelopers are traditionally an optimistic lot, and John Simon, CEO of Pineapple Square Properties, is normally as cheery and positive as they come. And for good reason: He's behind a $200 million mixed-use project with the potential to reshape downtown Sarasota with as many as 40 new stores over 130,000 square feet, 275 condos and 525 public parking spots. An unlicensed consumer loan company will cease operations in Florida and offer refunds to consumers after about 10 years in business, according to an agreement that Tampa Investment Services Inc. reached with the Florida Attorney General's Office.Florida's leading small-business advocacy group continues to grow: The National Federation of Independent Business recently hired Bill Herrle as its executive director, one of several leadership positions the group is filling as it strives to add more members while maintaining its pro-small business lobbying presence in Tallahassee.
