general excellence 2

+ Bloggers attack Arthur Allen

Chief executives who tell em-ployees why their presidential vote matters are getting grilled by bloggers.

Consider the latest victim: Ar-thur Allen, the founder and chief executive of the Naples technolo-gy firm ASG Software Solutions.

A motley assortment of self-appointed bloggers blasted Allen for suggesting in an email to his employees that a vote for Barack Obama threatens the future of the privately held company and its in-dependence.

But Allen wasn’t telling em-ployees how to vote. He told them their vote has a consequence. Big difference.

+ JetBlue service is up in the air

Ted Soliday is working hard to get JetBlue to start nonstop service to Naples Municipal Air-port.

But Soliday, the airport’s exec-utive director, has plenty of hur-dles to overcome, not the least of which are vocal residents near the airport who don’t want noisy jetliners flying over their homes.

Delta Connection was the last carrier to operate scheduled airline service to Naples from Atlanta, but it discontinued the service in 2007.

Apparently, JetBlue doesn’t want to get involved in local Na-ples squabbles. The airline sus-pended discussions with Naples airport officials until everyone can agree that commercial air service is worth having.

Besides, JetBlue offers regular service from nearby Southwest Florida International Airport.

+ Governor shares lessons from office

At a recent event held by the CEO Council of Tampa Bay and the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, Gov.

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Rick Scott continued to tout that running a state really is not that different from running a business — that is, aside from the ruthless media scrutiny.

Following this theme, as Scott talked about his priorities for the state (educa-tion, jobs, etc.,) he also threw out tips that have translated from his previous life as an executive to his life in public office. The following are some takeaways he gave to the 200 or so CEOs in atten-dance:

• Meet someone’s needs. Whether it’s students in the classroom or customers for your business, the singular goal be-hind every action should be providing something your customers need, Scott says.

• Use metrics. In his tenure leading Columbia Hospital Corp., Scott was in-famous for his diligence to metrics. He says this approach is one he’s also trying to bring to government, particularly in education. “Set a goal, and measure the living daylight out of it,” he says.

• Get good advice. The key to imple-menting something new successfully, Scott says, is talking to anyone who has done what you’re trying to do. “Talk to as many people as you can,” Scott says.

• Be specific. During his time as gov-ernor, Scott has asked several groups to put in writing specific things he can do to help them. “I told them, I can’t fix any-thing if you don’t give me lists.” The same can help business owners identify prob-lems and prioritize solutions.

• Manage the message. Scott says during his campaign, he didn’t read any-thing with his name on it and stuck to the sports channels to avoid distracting political noise. “It’s important to stay on your message,” he says. “What has made it easier for me is I actually believe what I’m saying.”

+ Reach for the sky, and your wallet

A big-time marketing opportunity on the Gulf Coast is up for grabs for a bold-thinking — and deep-pocketed — busi-ness.

The opportunity is so way up, in fact, it revolves around landing naming rights on the tallest building in downtown St. Petersburg. The asking price for the rights, to get on top of the 386-foot, 28-story One Progress Plaza building, is

www.review.net 3

ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT

What the data show: Taxable sales in the building invest-ment category include those from building contractors, well drillers, lumber suppliers, roofers, air-conditioning and electric contractors. Services provided by these businesses are generally not taxable. The latest data is for July.

What it means: With the ex-ception of Punta Gorda, build-ing investment is growing on the Gulf Coast, albeit from low levels. More affluent areas such as Sarasota and Naples are reporting bigger jumps in building investment than other areas of the Gulf Coast, and the state as a whole is up on an annual percentage-change basis (up 10.8% in July). In July, Fort Pierce and Vero Beach re-ported the biggest gains in the state, up 20.2% and 17.3% respectively.

Forecast: Residential construction

has been rising, particularly in second-home markets such as Collier County. Meanwhile, commercial construction is expected to follow suit as population migration to Florida rebounds. Low levels of construction from the bust means annual percentage-change comparisons will easily remain in the double digits for the months ahead.

BUILDING INVESTMENTJULY BUILDING INVESTMENT($ in millions) AnnualArea Investment ChangeSarasota-Bradenton $53.8 14.6%Naples $30.7 13.9%Tampa-St. Petersburg $194.3 8.5%Cape Coral-Fort Myers $49.8 6.7%Punta Gorda $12.8 -3.9%

Source: Florida Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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When Joseph “Joey” Ciolli decid-ed to expand Grimaldi’s Pizzeria to Florida, he picked Fort Myers for the first location.

Some questioned Ciolli’s decision because when the restaurant opened in Fort Myers two years ago, the area was in the depths of the real estate and consumer spending had fallen. “Ev-erybody kept saying how bad the re-cession was down there,” Ciolli recalls.

But Ciolli reasoned that if the Fort Myers restaurant performed as well as he thought it would, he could be suc-cessful in other Florida locations.

“I like to challenge our brand,” says the president and CEO of the Scott-sdale, Ariz.,-based pizza restaurant company.

Turned out Ciolli was right. Grimal-di’s has since opened five locations in Florida and it’s planning to open a sixth location at the Westshore Mall in Tampa. (The company now has 28 locations in six states.)

Of course, it helped that shopping-center rents fell dramatically during the downturn and Ciolli seized the opportunity where others feared to expand. “Three or four years ago you could get great deals,” Ciolli says.

Ciolli’s says his strategy is to forge relationships with major landlords, with whom he negotiates a master lease. Then, he tweaks the lease for each new location depending on the demographics. “We look for lifestyle center where they put restaurants in the front; that’s really important for us,” Ciolli says. “We want to be acces-sible when the mall is closed.”

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TAMPA BAY Homeowners goes to NYSE

Homeowners Choice Inc. will transfer the listing of its com-mon stock from the NASDAQ to the New York Stock Ex-change this month.

Homeowners Choice Chair-man and CEO Paresh Patel says moving to the NYSE is a milestone marking the firm’s fiscal health. “It’s where the big boys play in our industry,” Patel told the Business Review. “It tells everyone we met the highest, most stringent finan-cial criteria.”

The company, one of the largest providers of property and casualty insurance in Flor-ida, says it expects its shares to

begin trading on the NYSE Oct. 25 under the new symbol HCI.

IT firm expands againConnectWise Inc., an IT

software vendor, has leased 35,000 square feet at Fountain Square II in the Westshore area of Tampa.

ConnectWise will occupy the entire fourth floor of the 134,000-square-foot Class A office building.

The firm was listed No. 2680 on the Inc. 5000, a ranking of the fastest-growing com-panies. In July, ConnectWise opened a new location to house its corporate headquarters, subsidiary LabTech Software, and software development firm Quosal Inc.

Burger chain eyes N.C.Burger 21, a Tampa quick-

casual eatery from the owners of The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc., are eyeing Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., for expansion.The company says it believes the two metro areas could potentially support 12 to 15 locations of the gourmet burger restaurant. Since February, Burger 21 has signed four agreements to develop six fran-chised restaurants in Atlanta, Orlando and Voorhees, N.J. The company was founded in 2010 and now has 10 total franchised and company-owned units, including four in Tampa Bay.

SARASOTA-MANATEEHomebuilder’s sales surge

Lakewood Ranch-based homebuilder Neal Communi-ties reported 442 sales in 2012 through September — which beats its 403 sales in 2011.

In September, the firm sold 62 homes, up 59% from the 39 sales it had in September 2011.

The company says a key community in its sales surge is Central Park in Lakewood Ranch, just east of Intestate 75. Neal sold 17 homes there in September, and has sold 314 homes there in two years. Riv-er’s Reach, a newcommunity in Parrish, has also contributed to the sales growth, with 19 sales since June 1.

County approves incentives The Sarasota County Com-

mission approved $200,000 in relocation and expansion subsidies for a local technology company that plans 50 new jobs over five years.

Thomas Frost of Datum Corp., an IT services firm, put up a personal guaranty to secure the incentives. Founded in 2002, Datum specializes in working with retail and restau-rant chains.

Datum recently bought an 11,365-square-foot building in the Lakewood Ranch Corpo-rate Park, which will be the firm’s headquarters. Datum paid $975,000 for the building, formerly the corporate office for Lee Wetherington Homes.

Board hires superintendentThe Manatee County School

Board named David Gayler, who ran Charlotte County schools for a decade, its new interim superintendent.

Gayler replaces Tim Mc-Gonegal, who resigned in September. McGonegal had a sometimes tumultuous rela-tionship with the school board, which culminated in the find-ings last month that the district overspent $8 million in the 2011-2012 school year.

Gayler says his first priority will be to restore public trust in the school district.

CHARLOTTE-LEE-COLLIERMetJet starts flights

MetJet started a weekly flight between Fort Myers and Green Bay, Wis., the first nonstop flight between the two cities.

MetJet is an airline startup that began flights on Oct. 7 with a Boeing 737 aircraft. The company is based in De

Pere, Wis., and was started by investors there to provide air service from Green Bay to key markets such as Fort Myers and Orlando.

MetJet will fly on Wednes-days from Southwest Florida International Airport to Green Bay’s Austin Straubel Interna-tional Airport through April.

Collier Bar presidentThe Collier County Bar Asso-

ciation named Jeanne Seewald president of the county’s as-sociation of lawyers.

Seewald is managing partner of the Southwest Florida of-fices of Hahn Loeser & Parks. As co-chair of Hahn Loeser’s corporate transactions group, Seewald focuses her legal practice in the areas of general business and corporate trans-actions, mergers and acquisi-tions and intellectual property. She is board certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in intellectual property law.

GULF COAST WEEKREGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS AT A GLANCE

EXECUTIVE DECISIONWhat’s your forecast for the economy in the upcoming year?

To vote in this week’s poll, visit: review.net/decision

Results from last week’s poll:

Are you in favor of affirmative action hiring practices?

91%

9%Yes

No

Construction has started on a $39 million expansion of the area around the passenger terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers that will eventually link it to a future second runway.

The Lee County Port Author-ity says the expansion of the apron and taxiway around the terminal will pro-vide space for more aircraft to move or park. The estimated

completion date for this project is December 2013.

The taxiway and apron expan-sion paves the way for an even-tual link to a second runway. The airport has commissioned the design of a second 9,100-foot runway and the relocation of the control tower to handle the expected future growth. That project is estimated to cost $432 million.

Airport starts expansion

GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEWOCTOBER 19 – OCTOBER 25, 2012 www.review.net 5

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certainly steep: $5 million for 10 years. Bank of America, which at one point leased more than 7,000 square feet in the building, pulled its name off the top last year.

Built in 1990, One Progress Plaza is in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. Darin Kucera, managing partner of Kucera Properties, a family-run firm that owns the 300,000-square-foot building, says naming rights will allow a company to “instantly increase or create name rec-ognition.”

From at least one perspective, more-over, $500,000 a year for the name on top of the St. Petersburg skyline is a bargain. Tropicana, for instance, pays roughly $1.5 million a year for the nam-ing rights at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Still, the asking price scared off at least a few potential naming rights clients. Bank of Tampa and Raymond James, for example, current One Progress Pla-za tenants, negotiated with Kucera but failed to reach a deal. Regarding Bank of Tampa, Kucera tells Coffee Talk the sides “couldn’t come to an agreement on the final economics.”

Kucera hired The Clear Agency, a St. Petersburg-based advertising firm, to help find a naming rights partner. The goal is to land a company with a local presence, but Jenn Greacen, executive director with the agency, says they will also market the opportunity outside the region.

The naming rights prospect marks the second time this year a tall Gulf Coast building seeks a replacement name for Bank of America. The other one is on Main Street in downtown Sarasota, where BofA plans to leave its space in the Ellis Building, a Benderson Devel-opment property. The bank is building a new branch a few blocks away, while Benderson has been marketing the ground floor and naming rights since February.

+ Sunny report on Florida’s tax climate

Florida has something in common with Alaska, South Dakota and Wyo-ming, a trio of states more accustomed to a cowboy way of life than sunshine.

It turns out all those states, plus Ne-vada, make up the top five states for business tax climate, according to a new report from the Tax Foundation. The Washington, D.C.-based foundation is a nonprofit and nonpartisan research or-ganization.

Now in its ninth year, the foundation’s survey collects data on more than 100 tax provisions for each state. The states are then compared against each other. “Even in our global economy, a state’s strongest and most immediate competition often comes from other states,” Tax Foundation economist Scott Drenkard says in a re-lease. “State lawmakers need to be aware of how their states’ business climates match up to their immediate neighbors and to other states in their region.”

Florida was one a few states the survey noted for not having an individual in-come tax. Wyoming, South Dakota and Nevada collect neither personal nor cor-porate income taxes.

The poor performers, meanwhile, are the usual suspects from the Northeast, and, no surprise, California. The bot-tom five states on the survey are Rhode Island, at 46, followed, in order, by Ver-mont, California, New Jersey and New York.

Who says the Gulf Coast construction industry is dead?

Transitions Optical, a Pinellas Park-based adaptive eyeglass lenses company, clearly doesn’t see it that way. Indeed, the company recently built the largest photo mosaic in the world — as judged by Guinness World Records.

The record-setting photo mosaic, consisting of 176,750 individual pho-tographs that make one recognizable image, was assembled Oct. 11 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The project, according to the company, commemorates World Sight Day.

The idea behind the mosaic began when Transitions asked customers to submit photos of their favorite sites, the ones they would miss the most if they

had vision problems. “We are proud to have set the new Guinness World Records title for the ‘World’s Largest Photo Mosaic,’” Transitions Marketing Manager Dan McLean says in a release. “Throughout our Sightseeing City Tour, we’ve raised awareness among tens of thousands about the importance of healthy, enhanced vision and the role it plays in ‘sightseeing.’”

Some other facts about the record mosaic include:

• It spread 21,645 square feet; • It used 15 miles of tape; • It had 350 rows by 505 columns of

pictures;• It took 34 hours to lay photos;• A team of about 50 people worked

on the project.

Company’s photo sets Guinness record

Transitions Optical created the world’s largest photo mosaic Oct. 11.

1) Wyoming2) South Dakota3) Nevada4) Alaska 5) Florida

6) Washington7)New Hampshire8) Montana9) Texas10) Utah

TAX FOUNDATION SURVEYTOP 10 STATES

Source: Tax Foundation


economicFORECASTFOR THE GULF COAST

Nancy DeNike

Grand openings are happening with increasing frequency as the regional economy recovers. Brett Diamond recently held a grand-opening party for Venture X, co-working space in Naples that will be a hub for entrepreneurs.

The Elephant in the RoomCan executives get past the election? Some say they won’t make any plans for 2013 until

they have more certainty about taxes, health care and other critical business issues.

Almost any conversation about forecasting 2013 with a Gulf Coast business owner or executive in-

variably brings up the national election.And everyone agrees on this point: We

need to get past Nov. 6 so we can go on with the economic recovery.

Consider entrepreneurs such as Steve Marino, the founder and president of Home-Tech in Fort Myers, an appliance-repair company. He doesn’t plan any ma-jor moves until he knows who will be in power in Washington, D.C.

“If we don’t have a change in admin-istration … I see 2013 as a pretty dismal year,” says Marino, who is scouting loca-tions to expand but is reluctant to move ahead. “There really are two ways to go.”

Restaurateur Craig Peden, president of Rib City chain of 29 barbecue res-taurants, says he’s holding off on open-ing another four restaurants until he’s satisfied with the results of the election. Health care could turn into a greater ex-pense next year than in 2012, he says.

Commercial real estate broker Barry

Seidel in Sarasota says entrepreneurs are anxious about the outcome of the elec-tion. “The election will be a big decider,” he says. Seidel says business has picked up, but there’s anxiety, too. “We’re getting a lot of calls and we’re busy, but no one’s happy,” he says.

“A lot of business owners don’t want to expand until they know what their taxes are going to be or what their health care costs,” says Ron Wheeler, CEO of The Sembler Co. in St. Petersburg. “What’s holding everything back is that we don’t

have strong employment growth.”To be sure, a lot of the Gulf Coast com-

panies that survived the recession now have the means to expand even if the will isn’t there.

“A lot of it is us psyching ourselves out,” says Joe Gammons, president of Office Furniture & Design Concepts, who sup-plies furniture, flooring and handyman services to commercial customers. “All the business people I’m talking to say their businesses are healthy and in a po-sition to expand,” he says.

“For me, I don’t think it matters who wins,” says Joe Buckheit, president of MediaBrains and AgingCare.com in Na-ples. “We need to get past it and people need to start operating their businesses. People are understaffed and waiting to hire.”

Some say high-profile global crises are part of the operating landscape today. “I don’t know how you plan for this global uncertainty,” says Lee Arnold, chairman and CEO of Colliers International Tampa Bay, Central & Southwest Florida. “This is the world in which we will operate. That’s just how we’re going to do busi-ness going forward and we’ll become ac-customed to it.”

Most agree that the Gulf Coast seems to be on the cusp of broader recovery in 2013. “We’ve received more inquiries in the last three months than the last three years,” says Tony Ceresoli II, president of advertising agency Ad Partners in Tam-pa. He’s planning to add another three to four employees to his company’s 18-per-son staff next year because he says his clients’ advertising budgets are back to pre-recession levels.

““Ron Wheeler, CEO, The Sembler Co.:“Our pipeline of new deals in Florida is more vibrant than

it’s been in the last four years.”

by Jean Gruss | Editor/Lee-Collier


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Steve Marino, the president and founder of Home-Tech, says he’s putting off major busi-ness decisions until after the election in November.

Brian Tietz

Joe Gammons, president of Office Furniture & Design Concepts, says his customers are ready to expand.

REAL ESTATE DRIVERReal estate is the economic engine of

the Gulf Coast, and it’s a leading indica-tor of things to come.

Homebuilder Taylor Morrison plans to nearly double the number of communi-ties in which it builds in 2013. The com-pany currently builds in 17 communities from Tampa to Naples. Steve Kempton, president of Taylor Morrison West Flori-da, says he’s expecting about 20% growth in new-home sales next year.

“Collier County is doing very well right now from a sales standpoint,” says Kemp-ton. “Up in Tampa, we’re seeing move-up families starting to buy again.”

The availability of new and existing homes has shrunk from Tampa to Na-ples and demand is rising. “The big talk among Realtors is that inventory is really

down and they’re concerned,” says An-thony Solomon, executive vice president and owner of Ronto Group, a Naples-based residential real estate development company.

An increase in residential construc-tion will spur job growth. “Everybody I’m talking to, from builders to contractors and trades, are all running at maximum now with the crews they have,” says Sol-omon. “People want to just see another few months of activity before they make a commitment to hire.”

On the commercial real estate devel-opment side, Sembler says new grocery- anchored developments are on the draw-ing boards. “Our pipeline of new deals in Florida is more vibrant than it’s been in the last four years,” says Sembler’s Wheeler.

In addition to grocery centers, Wheeler says the company continues to develop sites for retailers such as Walgreens and Wawa convenience stores. “What we will probably not do is mixed-use or lifestyle deals or high-priced urban infill deals,” he says.

In anticipation of increased business activity, Arnold says his company has hired 20 brokers this year. “There’s a lot of private equity groups that have been put together to buy property in Florida,” he says. “There is more demand than there is product.”

Investors are seeking out opportunities because they believe they can lease emp-ty buildings with new tenants and boost rental rates, says Arnold. “There’s plenty of upside,” he says.

The strongest property type right now

is retail, and Arnold says his top broker operates in that field. “Who would think retail is as strong as it is?” he says.

In Sarasota, Maurice Opstal, president and managing partner of Stellar Develop-ment, says he’s building a 35,000-square-foot shopping center in Lakewood Ranch that already has a dozen tenants signed. “We’ve seen clients dusting off ideas and blueprints that they may have had on the shelf for a while,” he says.

Still, Opstal says the most opportuni-ties now are in Miami, where investors from Latin America are eager to buy commercial real estate for safety. “Folks aren’t waiting to be 100% leased any-more,” Opstal says. “We haven’t seen that for a long time.”

See OVERVIEW on page 17


Tonya Elmore PresidentTampa Bay Innovation Center

Largo | Technology

BUSINESS: Through the motto “mind to market,” the nonprofit has been rec-ognized statewide and nationally for its development work with early stage com-panies. Founded in 2003, when it was the STAR Technology Enterprise Center, Elmore says the key metric for the center is how many high-tech jobs are created from client-companies. On that front, the news is good, with nearly 100 jobs in 2012 that pay at least $60,000 a year. “Our activity has increased,” says Elmore. So much so that the center plans to ex-pand in 2013. It hopes to open a second Pinellas County office, and the center also recently launched the Entrepre-neur’s Hub, an online portal for the local technology community.

INDUSTRY: Elmore, who is a certified incubator manager, a designation from the National Business Incubator Asso-ciation, says three technology sectors are worth watching in 2013: energy compa-nies, especially ones with solar or other alternative methods; medical technology software companies; and data-mining firms. On data, Elmore says businesses constantly crave more information in the digital age. “People want to tap into data,” Elmore says. “That’s the trend right now.”

REGION: Elmore, who sits on several local technology and academic boards, echoes what many others think: Uncer-tainty will linger through the presidential election. Past that, Elmore says one hitch in any recovery is the fact that many small businesses, especially in technolo-gy, struggle to obtain bank-based financ-ing. “Even the banks that are lending,” says Elmore, have rates that make it diffi-cult. Adds Elmore: “Banks are still tight.”

Gregg NicklausPresident | Sirata Beach Resort & Conference Center

St. Pete Beach | Hospitality

BUSINESS: The comeback from the 2009-2010 dead zone, marked by the BP oil spill and a cold snap, is in full effect in 2012, says Nicklaus. Indeed, the Sirata, a 382-room resort spread on 13 acres, is up 10% year-over-year in both occu-pancy and average room rates. Nicklaus projects 2013 will still be a growth year at the resort, though the rate might slow somewhat to a more average pace, in the single digits. The good news, he says, is the stream of in-state vacationers has re-turned. “We’ve come from what was an abyss,” says Nicklaus, “and gotten back to the norm.”

INDUSTRY: A property makeover is al-most the only way to survive, much less prosper, in hospitality and resorts, says Nicklaus. “You see it in almost every property that’s performing well,” he says. Sirata, for instance, recently underwent a $3 million upgrade that touches ev-erything from TVs in the guest rooms to the fire alarm system. Nicklaus, however, says a major challenge the industry fac-es is the threat of high gas prices. That could have both a psychological and a lit-eral impact on occupancy rates.

REGION: Nicklaus, who has helped run Sirata since 1980, says one key positive nugget in the local economy is hous-ing prices, at least in several St. Pete Beach communities, are back to 2007 levels. Moreover, inventory levels, says Nicklaus, are down. Nicklaus also be-lieves the economy will get a boost from sheer numbers in that 200-300 people are moving to Florida every day. That’s a positive migration trend that would end several years of slow, or zero, popu-lation growth. Those new people, Nick-

laus projects, will leave their recession thoughts in their previous home. “There is a new normal,” says Nicklaus. “People feel the likelihood of another recession is small.”

Jamie Harden

President and CEO Creative Sign Designs

Tampa | Manufacturing, signs

BUSINESS: The firm, which manufac-turers and assembles interior, exterior and digital signs for clients on the Gulf Coast and nationwide, is on a three-year growth spurt. It has grown from $5.2 million in sales in 2008 to more than $10 million this year. Harden, who bought the business in 2005, projects 2013 will be another year of at least 25% annual sales growth. He also expects to hire at least 10 people next year, which would bring the payroll to 90 employees, up from 45 in 2008. “We’re as busy as we’ve ever been,” says Harden, who says restau-rant activity and banking consolidations are some of the growth spots.

INDUSTRY: One of the more signifi-cant challenges in manufacturing, says Harden, is finding employees and man-aging their benefits. On the benefit side, Harden says the uncertainty of the fed-eral health care overhaul is a sore spot — a frustration he shares with some peers. “Health care is a real concern,” Harden says. “It’s a crazy thing that a piece of legislation was passed two years ago, and still no one knows what it means.”

REGION: Harden is confident the econo-my is improving, though he sees signs of potential stalls in tighter margins, poten-tial inflation and cost-of-living increases. “It does fell like there is a positive vibe out there,” says Harden — who adds he has been wrong the last few times he thought things were on the upswing.

Frank FerreriFounder, Managing PartnerFerreri Search

Tampa | Staffing, recruitment

BUSINESS: Ferreri says the firm, with a niche in recruitment for IT, accounting and finance jobs, suffered heavily un-der the weight of the recession in 2009 and 2010. That’s when clients stopped seeking new employees. “Things got ugly,” says Ferreri, who founded the firm in 2007. “We almost went out of busi-ness,” he adds. “I was living off my line of credit.” But the firm began to rebound in 2011, when revenues were up 50% over 2010. Revenues are up about 25% this year, says Ferreri, and he expects at least that kind of growth in 2013. The firm, down to five employees in 2009, is up to 14 now, including two new recent hires. Says Ferreri: “We have started to grow again.”

INDUSTRY: The recruitment and staff-ing industry is essentially in hurry-up-and-wait mode. That’s because the good firms, says Ferreri, need to have staffing in place to meet demand when the em-ployment market does come back. “We’re coming out of a period when a lot of com-panies have done zero or little hiring,” Ferreri says. “But our business is such that we can’t wait to hire people until we are busy.”

REGION: Ferreri sees some positive signs in the local economy, though lingering worry over the election and other uncer-tainties erase any momentum. Ferreri, in fact, says nine out of 10 conversations he has with people lately have some-thing to do with the election. “The over-all economy is very fragile,” says Ferreri. “People are very concerned about where we are and where we are going. I’m con-cerned.”

economicFORECAST TAMPA BAY

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Bryn WeschCOO/Deputy CFO Novus Medical Detox Center

New Port Richey | Health care

BUSINESS: The center’s niche, says Wesch, is to go further than standard drug or alcohol detox rehab programs at hospitals and medical centers. “We want to do it better than anyone else,” Wesch says. “We want to create a positive first step environment.” The 12-bed, for-profit center opened in 2007, and the past year has been its biggest to date, with 50% growth in occupancy over 2011. Wesch

projects 2013 will also be a growth year: The center, with a staff of 36 doctors and clinicians, is finalizing plans to expand to 31 beds and surpass 50 employees. Novus will handle any substance abuse situa-tion, though the focus lately is on opiates and painkillers, given the recent wave of prescription drug abuse in Florida and nationwide. “Unfortunately,” says Wesch, “it’s an epidemic that’s completely out of control.”

INDUSTRY: The No. 1 challenge for-prof-it, niche-driven medical facilities face is the battle with health insurance pro-viders, says Wesch. Providers regularly decline to pay for the Novus program, which means Novus employees have to

cajole to get payment. “We have to fight a lot,” Wesch says. One good sign, at least, is more patients have begun to pay out of pocket, Wesch says. She takes that to mean more people realize the severity of the addiction.

REGION: Like many other Gulf Coast business leaders, Wesch says the weight of the presidential election looms large over which way the economy will shift. “We are all anxious to see how the elec-tion turns out,” says Wesch. In general, though, Wesch thinks things are on the mend. “We have all seen a nice little in-crease in the economy,” says Wesch. “It’s not what we would all like it to be, but it feels like it has stopped declining.”

File

Jamie Harden, a former loan executive at Bank of America, bought Tampa-based Cre-ative Sign Designs in 2005.

Mark Wemple

Frank Ferreri founded Ferreri Search in 2007, focusing on IT, accounting and finance jobs.

Mark Wemple

Bryn Wesch is the chief operating officer/deputy CFO of Novus Medical Detox Center, a substance abuse rehab facility with a focus on opiates and painkillers.


Kim Martinez

CEO | Bonitas International

Sarasota | Retail, fashion

BUSINESS: Bonitas International is the parent company behind BooJee Beads, a fashion-forward lanyard for holding an ID badge or eyeglasses the company calls “decadently affordable.” Martinez says business at the $2.5 million company, after a few rough recession years, has been great in 2012 — a trend she expects to continue well in 2013. The company, which sells products online, wholesale and in big-box stores, was up 30% this year in sales, and will likely be up at least that much next year. Says Martinez: “We are in profitable growth mode.”

INDUSTRY: The fashion accessories sector has a lurking enemy: rising overseas man-ufacturing costs. Martinez says the costs, which include raised tariffs, means she has had to raise her prices, what she calls “stressful and concerning.” Martinez, how-ever, will take a counterintuitive approach to the challenge: She plans to spend more money on marketing in 2013. Her efforts include a heavy emphasis on social media. “I’m plowing as much cash as we can into marketing,” Martinez says.

REGION: Martinez, who co-founded Boni-tas in 2003 with her sister-in-law, believes the middling economy might be around for a while. So she is directing her thinking in that way, toward what many call the new normal, on everything from housing ap-preciation to profit margins. In doing that, Martinez says one of her goals next year will be to avoid “chattering monkeys” who talk down positive economic news. “It’s not as easy as it was before,” says Martinez. “Success requires more innovation than it has in the past.”

Angela Massaro-Fain and John FainOwnersGrapevine Communications

Lakewood Ranch | Advertising, marketing, public relations

BUSINESS: A marketing, branding and public relations firm, Grapevine survived the recession in part from adherence to an old business rule: Maintain a diversified customer base. Grapevine’s clients range from nonprofits to health care companies to construction businesses. John Fain, who runs the 11-employee firm with his wife, Angela Massaro-Fain, says revenues are up

35% this year, and will likely be up at least 40% next year. The company had $10.1 million in revenues in 2011. One positive sign for 2013, says Angela Massaro-Fain, is Grapevine is responding to more requests for proposals than in previous years.

INDUSTRY: Certainly more clients, or potential clients, is good for the entire advertising and marketing industry. Still, those clients seek more services and atten-tion than ever before — at the lowest pos-sible price. It’s a do-more-with-less mantra found in many other sectors. Says John Fain: “People are looking to get a lot of re-turn on investment and creativity.” Another trend in the industry, say the Grapevine ex-ecutives, is a continued interest in trying to improve social media outreach efforts.

REGION: The spouses, prominent net-workers in the Sarasota-Bradenton com-munity, hear one word more than any other in terms of the economy: uncertainty. “I still think a lot of people are waiting to see that happens in November,” says An-gela Massaro-Fain. John Fain adds that the certainty of any president would be an im-provement from the current limbo. John Fain also says that despite the surge in business in Grapevine, the local economy is tough to project. Says Fain: “I’m still very cautious and certainly not very optimistic that the market is back.”

Jack BrownPresident and CEOGulf Coast Collection Bureau

Sarasota | Debt collection

BUSINESS: The firm, which focuses on personal debt collection in the medical and health care industry on the Gulf Coast, was founded in 1978. Clients include some ma-jor hospitals in the region. Brown’s father bought it in 1998, and the younger Brown, an attorney, took over ownership earlier this year. Brown projects the 33-employ-ee company, at $2.5 million in sales, will grow revenues at least 20% in 2013. He attributes the projection partially to an economic rebound, where more people are able to pay off old bills. “Business,” says Brown, “is going great.” Also significant: Brown expects new contracts to lead to a hiring surge, with at least 20 new employ-ees in 2013. The company recently expand-ed to the Panhandle, and might reach out for clients in Georgia and Alabama next year, too.

INDUSTRY: The debt collection industry is essentially under siege from regulators, Brown says, both the state and federal va-riety. New rules and regulations, many in response to the 2008 financial crisis, moni-

economicFORECASTSARASOTA-MANATEE

File

Kim Martinez says her firm, Bonitas International, which makes and sells fashion-for-ward lanyards, is in “profitable growth mode.”

File

Angela Massaro-Fain and John Fain run Lakewood Ranch-based Grapevine Communi-cations, a $10.1 million marketing and branding firm. The couple projects revenues will be up at least 40% in 2013.

Lori Sax

Jack Brown runs Sarasota-based Gulf Coast Collection Bureau. Most of the firm’s cli-ents are in the health care and medical industry.

Mark Wemple

Lisa and Josh Leuchter run Snackworks, a Bradenton-based vending machine and cof-fee service business. Sales at the company have been flat in recent years, due partially to high local unemployment numbers.


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tor how and when debt collection agencies operate. Says Brown: “A lot of (the indus-try’s future) will depend on regulation. We want there to be a balance.” Brown says the industry deserves recognition for its inte-gral role in helping companies survive the recession through recovering lost accounts receivables. “Debt collection is essential for business,” says Brown. “No two ways about it.”

REGION: Brown says he sees one good sign within the local housing market rebound, in that houses are starting to sell with eq-uity. “That hasn’t happened in the past four of five years,” Brown says. That’s not only good for the debt collection industry. It’s also a positive development for general consumer spending. Brown also says the logjam of business-to-business debt has begun to loosen, which could mean com-panies have more to spend on reinvest-ment and growth.

Lisa and Josh LeuchterOwners | Snackworks

Bradenton | Office vending machines, coffee and water

BUSINESS: Snackworks is one of the largest office vending machine and coffee/water service companies in the Sarasota-Bradenton region, with 18 employees and clients in five counties. Clients include any facility with a high employee count, from hospitals to factories, in addition to workplaces open a lot of hours. No surprise, then, that high unemployment levels have taken a toll on Snackworks’ sales. Josh Leuchter, who runs the busi-ness with his wife, Lisa, says revenues will be flat in 2012, just like in 2011. Ditto for 2013. Still, the company is combating the sluggishness with an aggressive strategy. It recently took on clients in Punta Gorda,

and is growing in Pinellas and Hillsbor-ough counties. The firm is also re-doing its website, and its social media approach. “We have to be much stronger and effec-tive marketers,” says Lisa Leuchter. “We have to get our story out there.”

INDUSTRY: The vending machine in-dustry is yet another one in regulators’ crosshairs. The reason: A trend towards healthier eating, the Leuchters say, will eventually target all the goodies inside a machine. The challenge, of course, is cus-tomers can’t see the backs of packages in a vending machine. So that means a whole host of changes are forthcoming, from new packages to digital screens that display calorie totals. “The health move-ment has always been huge in our indus-try,” says Lisa Leuchter. “It’s a not a new conversation, just a louder conversation.” Still, those changes can curb Snackworks’ margins.

REGION: The Leuchters’ view of the economy going into 2013 is decidedly ho-hum. The economy is clearly better than it was, says Josh Leuchter, “but getting off the floor with any great momentum is a problem.” Adds Leuchter: “The recovery is very uneven and choppy. We see that con-tinuing in the short term.” Lisa Leuchter’s perspective is similar. “The deep fear and anger seems to have subsided,” she says. “But I don’t hear any wows.”

Tom O’BrienPresident | O’Brien Family Farms

Bradenton | Agriculture, retail and wholesale produce

BUSINESS: The farm, a wholesale agri-cultural operation with a family-friendly retail component, covers more than 500 acres in east Manatee County. Produce,

sold through the O’Brien family-run C & D Fruit and Vegetable Co., include cu-cumbers, onions, peppers, strawberries, squash, and zucchini. Clients range from Sysco to independent restaurants up and down the East Coast. The crops side of the business has struggled somewhat in recent years, Tom O’Brien says. But the retail side, with a U-Pick patch and an educational center, is thriving. The fam-ily launched the retail side in the fall of 2010, and O’Brien says “business has picked up every year.”

INDUSTRY: Competition, mostly from Mexico, is a significant challenge to farming in Florida. “It’s getting tougher,” says O’Brien, who adds that low wages Mexico growers pay workers is a major issue. Even China has become a competi-

tive force against Florida farming, says O’Brien, mostly because of its labor cost structure. O’Brien Family Farms has up to 400 employees during busy growing and picking seasons, so wages are a con-stant competitive issue, much like it is for many tomato growers statewide. “We’re driving costs out of our system,” O’Brien says. “We’re working hard to be more ef-ficient.”

REGION: O’Brien says he began to no-tice a slight improvement in the local economy last winter, when the farm was busy every weekend. Many customers, he adds, were snowbirds. Seeing that kind of disposable income return, says O’Brien, was a good sign he hopes to see again this year. Says O’Brien: “It seems like we are on a little bit of an upswing.”

Lori Sax

Tom O’Brien, who has been in the agricultural business for more than 35 years, runs Bradenton-based O’Brien Family Farms. The farm and a retail center are in Manatee County, about six miles east of Interstate 75.


Deanna RendaPresidentNaples Soap Co.

Naples | Retail

BUSINESS: Deanna Renda operates four retail stores that sell luxury soaps, including one that recently opened in Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota. Naples Soap also plans to expand it manufactur-ing facility near its Naples headquarters to 5,000 square feet. The company’s Key West store on Duval Street will open in January. “We’re confident in the feed-back that we get back from our custom-ers,” says Renda. “Our growth rates have been significant enough to warrant the expansion.” Renda says some customers drive from as far as Boca Raton to buy her natural soaps that sell for $8 a bar. In addition, Naples Soap has a distribu-tion agreement in Japan, and it’s working with hotels such as Ritz-Carlton to sup-ply guests.

INDUSTRY: Renda says other retailers she’s spoken to have seen an increase in business and expectations are good for this winter tourism season once the national election is decided. Renda says she’s had an easier time selling soaps than her colleagues who sell higher-priced goods like jewelry and art, but even the high-end stores are seeing posi-tive trends. “High-end luxury is starting to pick up,” Renda says.

REGION: “The outlook from our perspec-tive and our neighbors is very positive,” Renda says. “Most of the retailers I’ve talked to are expecting a stronger season,” Renda says. That’ll be the case especially since the uncertainty of the elections will be over. The steady drumbeat of bad eco-nomic news will fade after the election because the debating will be over, Renda believes. “We’ll see people start to settle in with their spending,” she forecasts.

Ted ToddPresidentTed Todd Insurance

Bonita Springs | Insurance

BUSINESS: Ted Todd’s insurance com-pany has acquired six agencies in recent years and in 2013 he’ll focus on im-proving those operations. That includes growing the company’s customer call center so agents can focus on prospects for growth. Ted Todd Insurance has sev-en offices from Sarasota to Naples and on the east coast in Delray and Viera. “Right now we’re trying to focus on finding the formula so it’s repeatable,” says Todd. He expects single-digit percentage growth next year.

INDUSTRY: Better economic conditions have brought new challenges. “I do see challenges from competition of all sorts,” says Todd. “Whenever there’s opportu-nity there’s competition that comes in.” During the downturn, Todd was aggres-sively growing. “Some of the old com-petitors went away and that was a good thing for us; they didn’t survive the hard times.” But now that the recovery is un-der way, the competitive landscape is growing. “There’s been a ton of new small competitors pop up and some of those are getting more organized,” says Todd.

REGION: “We’re starting to see some new business, but it’s not crazy like it used to be,” says Todd. There are areas of growth, such as north Naples and the Lakewood Ranch area of Sarasota. “There are these pockets that continue to do pretty well,” says Todd. “I’ve noticed some of the shopping centers that were empty on U.S. 41 are starting to fill in,” he says. “There are definitely people who want to move to Florida, but they’re being selec-tive and particular.”

Jim HendersonPresidentWilliam C. Huff Companies

Naples | Moving and storage

BUSINESS: Jim Henderson says his moving and storage company, which caters to affluent customers, has seen a 25% jump in business so far this year, and he expects that to rise at a similar clip next year as baby boomers start moving en masse to Florida. “We’ve had our busiest September we’ve had since the boom in 2006,” Henderson says. Many older customers have decided to sell their homes up north and are mov-ing to Florida after delaying those plans during the recession. “It’s going to pick up,” Henderson says. “If you look at the census bureau numbers, it has to.”

INDUSTRY: Most people moving today are affluent baby boomers. Middle-class professionals stopped moving during the recession for financial reasons, hurting many moving companies that had built their business around them. Henderson says those companies that focus on high-end moves that offer secure storage, such as William C. Huff Cos., will benefit from the mass migration of boomers moving south. “I think you’re going to see a re-cord number of people moving in over the next three years,” Henderson says. Many will need storage because they’ll be moving from large homes to smaller ones. “Eighty percent of the people that I have seen this summer are downsizing,” Henderson says.

REGION: “This economy has everything to do with age and health,” Henderson says. He says his moving company has seen a 700% increase in the number of one-way moves from the Northeast to Florida this year and he expects that to continue, translating into real es-tate sales along the Gulf Coast. That’s good news for anyone who caters to the boomer population, from health care to furnishings. However, Henderson says most boomers will seek homes that don’t require major maintenance and are smaller in size from their family homes up north.

Craig PedenPresident | Rib City

Fort Myers | Restaurants

BUSINESS: Craig Peden says any major business decisions he takes will be de-layed until after the national elections in November. “I’m not doing anything un-til after the election,” Peden says. “That’s going to steer me for where we’re going to go.” Peden won’t say which candidate he’s backing, but he’s holding off on plans to open four more Rib City barbecue res-taurants from Tampa to Fort Myers until the election is resolved. That includes plans for two restaurants in Sarasota, one in Port Charlotte and another in Fort Myers. “I need to make sure that we’re heading in the right direction eco-nomically,” he says. “It’ll make me feel a little better.” Peden hopes to increase sales in 2013 after a flat year in 2012, but he says consumers remain cautious about spending. Rib City currently oper-ates 13 corporate-owned restaurants and 16 franchises.

INDUSTRY: The restaurant industry is in a state of confusion over the require-ments of Obamacare, which could dra-matically increase the health care costs for employers. Peden points to the recent news that Darden Restaurants, the Or-lando-based chain that owns such res-taurants as Olive Garden and Red Lob-ster, is considering changing the status of full-time employees to part-time sta-tus to avoid that cost. “Darden is a huge

Nancy DeNike

Deanna Renda is expanding her company’s soap-manufacturing facility in Naples to handle additional growth in retail sales.

Brian Tietz

Ted Todd says competition is increasing as the region’s economy recovers.

economicFORECAST LEE-COLLIER


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corporation and they can pay people to figure out what that means,” says Peden, who says he’ll be watching closely.

REGION: Peden’s discussions with other business owners from Tampa to Fort My-ers indicate that the recovery is uneven. He says that cuts across all major indus-tries, from construction to hospitality. “I hear good and I hear bad,” says Peden. Consumers remain very cautious. “You could have great service and product, but people don’t have money,” he says. The biggest impediment to growth is the lack of available financing. “Right now, if you try to get a loan it’s near impossible.”

Larry NorrisPresidentNorris Home Furnishings

Fort Myers | Furniture retail

BUSINESS: “I’m expecting a great year next year,” says Larry Norris, who owns three retail furniture stores in Fort My-ers, Naples and Sanibel. “We’re up to 83 employees now and by the end of next year we’ll have 100 employees.” Norris says he’s expecting sales increases rang-ing from 20% to 25% in 2013. “It’s still

a tough economy, don’t get me wrong,” Norris cautions. Customers are furnish-ing one room at a time instead of an en-tire house. “They’re very conscious of the value they’re getting,” Norris says.

INDUSTRY: “I think most companies are seeing some modest growth,” says Norris. Competition is increasing as consumers spend more on big-ticket items such as furniture. “Competition doesn’t bother me,” Norris says. “You just have to be on top of your game.” New-home construc-tion is fueling some of the growth in fur-niture sales. “We’re talking to builders and developers,” Norris says. “We’re very

aggressive in that area.”

REGION: “I think Southwest Florida is a very unique, special place,” says Norris. “I think we’re off the bottom.” Norris says manufacturers’ representatives tell him that Southwest Florida is the best region in the state for furniture sales. If winter forecasts of heavy snow in northern states this season turn out to be true, the region’s economy could experience a significant boost. Norris says excessive government regulation is a burden. “There’s so much regulation on banking it makes it tough,” Norris says. “Our government is so big and bureaucracy holds business back.”

Nancy DeNike

Jim Henderson says he is counting on more affluent baby boomers moving to Florida.

Brian Tietz

Craig Peden says he’s waiting until the election is over before he decides to open new Rib City restaurants in the region.

Nancy DeNike

Larry Norris says increased residential sales will benefit furniture retailers in the region.


economicFORECAST

CHARLOTTE, COLLIER, GLADES, HENDRY AND LEE COUNTIES Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 406,868 476,634 8,721 2.14Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 10,122 10,083 -5 -0.05Mining 150 134 -2 -1.33Construction 26,885 35,883 1,125 4.18Manufacturing 7,591 8,330 92 1.22Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 74,983 86,060 1,385 1.85Information 4,787 5,310 65 1.37Financial Activities 19,637 22,712 384 1.96Professional and Business Services 41,044 50,276 1,154 2.81Education and Health Services 50,481 62,018 1,442 2.86Leisure and Hospitality 58,204 68,210 1,251 2.15Other Services (Except Government) 16,374 18,398 253 1.55Government 58,425 66,463 1,005 1.72Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 38,185 42,757 572 1.5

HERNANDO AND PASCO COUNTIES Employment Annual Change

Industry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 147,195 176,327 3,642 2.47Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 815 996 23 2.78Mining 116 127 1 1.19Construction 7,709 10,984 409 5.31Manufacturing 3,986 4,234 31 0.78Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 30,684 35,049 546 1.78Information 954 995 5 0.54Financial Activities 5,138 6,121 123 2.39Professional and Business Services 12,725 17,571 606 4.76Education and Health Services 27,391 34,108 840 3.07Leisure and Hospitality 17,148 19,347 275 1.6Other Services (Except Government) 5,906 6,951 131 2.21Government 24,150 27,595 431 1.78Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 10,473 12,249 222 2.12

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY Employment Annual Change

Industry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 647,937 746,289 12,294 1.9Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 10,599 11,389 99 0.93Mining 286 306 2 0.87Construction 25,619 32,520 863 3.37Manufacturing 22,710 23,030 40 0.18Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 110,625 120,631 1,251 1.13Information 17,095 16,870 -28 -0.16Financial Activities 52,998 59,184 773 1.46Professional and Business Services 113,192 150,264 4,634 4.09Education and Health Services 79,864 95,541 1,960 2.45Leisure and Hospitality 59,594 64,035 555 0.93Other Services (Except Government) 20,095 22,383 286 1.4Government 82,350 92,290 1,242 1.51Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 52,910 57,846 617 1.17

MANATEE COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 120,764 138,208 2,180 1.81Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 4,999 4,789 -26 -0.53Construction 5,914 7,678 220 3.73Manufacturing 7,719 7,796 10 0.12Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 19,455 22,331 360 1.85Information 977 1,080 13 1.32Financial Activities 4,469 5,056 73 1.64Professional and Business Services 18,078 22,129 506 2.8Education and Health Services 15,943 19,264 415 2.6Leisure and Hospitality 13,741 15,939 275 2Other Services (Except Government) 4,559 5,147 74 1.61Government 12,157 13,439 160 1.32Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 12,731 13,541 101 0.8

PINELLAS COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 433,724 482,431 6,088 1.4Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 99 101 0 0.25Mining 30 17 -2 -5.42Construction 17,375 19,826 306 1.76Manufacturing 30,521 29,843 -85 -0.28Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 68,434 71,662 404 0.59Information 6,939 6,716 -28 -0.4Financial Activities 28,614 30,967 294 1.03Professional and Business Services 72,552 94,487 2,742 3.78Education and Health Services 71,656 82,318 1,333 1.86Leisure and Hospitality 45,439 47,860 303 0.67Other Services (Except Government) 15,889 16,898 126 0.79Government 46,005 49,186 398 0.86Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 30,171 32,550 297 0.99

SARASOTA COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentTotal, All Industries 151,858 174,458 2,825 1.86Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 329 324 -1 -0.19Mining 47 40 -1 -1.86Construction 8,508 11,075 321 3.77Manufacturing 4,926 5,236 39 0.79Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 24,904 28,042 392 1.58Information 2,221 2,382 20 0.91Financial Activities 9,054 10,034 122 1.35Professional and Business Services 18,488 22,194 463 2.51Education and Health Services 28,802 34,165 670 2.33Leisure and Hospitality 20,243 23,115 359 1.77Other Services (Except Government) 7,172 7,913 93 1.29Government 14,509 15,836 166 1.14Self-Employed and Unpaid Family Workers 12,655 14,102 181 1.43

The two charts show estimates of jobs produced by industry. Nearly every industry was predicted to gain new jobs except for the mining and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting industries. In the sole exception, Hillsborough County was predicted to lose jobs in the information industry through a decline in clerk jobs. Region-wide, the educa-tion and health services industries are expected to have the largest gains.

CHARLOTTE, COLLIER, GLADES, HENDRY AND LEE COUNTIES Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentEducation and Health Services 50,481 62,018 1,442 2.86Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 74,983 86,060 1,385 1.85Health Care and Social Assistance 45,902 56,265 1,295 2.82Leisure and Hospitality 58,204 68,210 1,251 2.15Professional and Business Services 41,044 50,276 1,154 2.81Construction 26,885 35,883 1,125 4.18Retail Trade 59,422 67,693 1,034 1.74Local Government 48,383 56,460 1,010 2.09Government 58,425 66,463 1,005 1.72Ambulatory Health Care Services 22,300 29,650 919 4.12

HERNANDO AND PASCO COUNTIES Employment Annual Change

Industry 2011 2019 Total PercentEducation and Health Services 27,391 34,108 840 3.07Health Care and Social Assistance 24,582 30,680 762 3.1Professional and Business Services 12,725 17,571 606 4.76Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 30,684 35,049 546 1.78Ambulatory Health Care Services 10,282 14,033 469 4.56Administrative and Support and Waste Management 7,365 10,834 434 5.89Retail Trade 24,612 28,061 431 1.75Government 24,150 27,595 431 1.78Administrative and Support Services 6,540 9,850 414 6.33Local Government 20,659 23,942 410 1.99

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY Employment Annual Change

Industry 2011 2019 Total PercentProfessional and Business Services 113,192 150,264 4,634 4.09Administrative and Support and Waste Management 54,039 78,724 3,086 5.71Administrative and Support Services 52,475 76,929 3,057 5.83Education and Health Services 79,864 95,541 1,960 2.45Health Care and Social Assistance 69,086 82,845 1,720 2.49Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 50,901 62,450 1,444 2.84Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 110,625 120,631 1,251 1.13Government 82,350 92,290 1,242 1.51Ambulatory Health Care Services 28,547 37,307 1,095 3.84Construction 25,619 32,520 863 3.37

MANATEE COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentProfessional and Business Services 18,078 22,129 506 2.8Education and Health Services 15,943 19,264 415 2.6Health Care and Social Assistance 13,994 16,928 367 2.62Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 19,455 22,331 360 1.85Leisure and Hospitality 13,741 15,939 275 2Administrative and Support and Waste Management 11,620 13,637 252 2.17Administrative and Support Services 11,522 13,540 252 2.19Ambulatory Health Care Services 6,263 8,270 251 4.01Retail Trade 14,703 16,640 242 1.65Construction 5,914 7,678 220 3.73

PINELLAS COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentProfessional and Business Services 72,552 94,487 2,742 3.78Administrative and Support and Waste Management 36,691 51,893 1,900 5.18Administrative and Support Services 36,073 51,192 1,890 5.24Education and Health Services 71,656 82,318 1,333 1.86Health Care and Social Assistance 64,187 73,613 1,178 1.84Ambulatory Health Care Services 27,202 34,587 923 3.39Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 26,040 31,749 714 2.74Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 68,434 71,662 404 0.59Government 46,005 49,186 398 0.86Construction 17,375 19,826 306 1.76

SARASOTA COUNTY Employment Annual ChangeIndustry 2011 2019 Total PercentEducation and Health Services 28,802 34,165 670 2.33Health Care and Social Assistance 26,186 30,967 598 2.28Professional and Business Services 18,488 22,194 463 2.51Ambulatory Health Care Services 10,628 13,861 404 3.8Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 24,904 28,042 392 1.58Leisure and Hospitality 20,243 23,115 359 1.77Construction 8,508 11,075 321 3.77Retail Trade 19,468 21,684 277 1.42Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 9,038 11,249 276 3.06Accommodation and Food Services 15,203 17,258 257 1.69

INDUSTRIES GAINING THE MOST NEW JOBS

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity


BY THE NUMBERSFLORIDA JOBS PROJECTIONS BY INDUSTRY


economicFORECAST

Single-family construction is on the upswing with almost all regions seeing growth from 2010 to 2011. The sole outlier, Pasco County, reported a 52-permit dip in single-family construction in 2011 compared with the previous year. The multifamily permit numbers were more mixed, likely reflecting both increased demand for apartments and the sluggish condominium market.

ANNUAL NEW PRIVATELY OWNED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003Charlotte 302 293 286 312 932 3,052 2,479 2,331 1,953 Collier 872 674 630 652 1,068 2,829 4,052 4,202 3,376 Hillsborough 3,075 2,903 2,470 3,110 4,472 8,639 12,386 11,066 10,256 Lee 1,262 1,175 891 1,185 4,356 14,700 21,593 14,834 9,668 Manatee 1,196 1,144 931 1,012 1,086 2,564 4,497 4,659 3,267 Pasco 960 1,012 999 1,182 2,052 5,007 8,097 6,820 5,981 Pinellas 340 297 259 416 620 1,786 2,771 2,250 1,669 Sarasota 638 560 386 571 1,129 3,418 6,886 6,321 4,630

NEW PRIVATE HOUSING UNITS AUTHORIZED BY BUILDING PERMITS IN FIVE OR MORE FAMILY BULIDINGS 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003Charlotte - - - 31 232 852 1,166 1,111 266 Collier 259 371 202 185 829 1,023 1,919 2,001 1,907 Hillsborough 1,046 981 1,246 2,993 2,733 2,414 2,937 2,039 5,367 Lee 263 85 14 313 1,473 3,819 6,843 3,781 3,951 Manatee 386 52 250 155 300 897 1,091 1,556 47 Pasco 360 532 752 1,045 504 657 1,416 1,791 549 Pinellas 14 394 958 230 461 383 1,062 1,281 1,803 Sarasota 90 125 144 205 58 609 1,233 1,298 679

HOUSING

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

NEW COMPANIES

Based on new business entity filings, 2011 was the most active year since the start of the housing decline. Last year, a total of 378,512 entity filings were created, the highest level since 2007, which had 414,134. The most popular business entity filings covered limited liability companies, domestic profit and factious names. ENTITY FILINGS STATEWIDE 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003Domestic Profit 109,022 103,868 103,113 111,449 135,240 157,310 168,182 170,207 161,559Domestic Nonprofit 11,777 11,836 12,227 11,549 12,249 13,058 12,918 11,912 11,170Foreign Profit and Nonprofit 5,212 5,694 5,264 5,460 6,334 7,924 7,516 7,283 6,521Limited Liability Co. 152,275 138,287 128,548 123,592 135,851 130,251 130,558 100,070 62,406Trademark 1,251 1,310 1,359 1,417 1,775 1,631 1,270 1,325 1,540Partnerships 1,254 1,991 2,135 3,673 3,047 3,559 5,377 4,806 3,925Miscellaneous Entities 23 120 22 35 2,806 1,675 188 248 248Designation of Agent 79 118 82 90 57 52 57 78 91Fictitious Names 97,619 94,105 98,159 107,054 116,775 112,972 111,355 105,435 99,786

Source: Florida Department of State Division of Corporations

EMPLOYMENT

AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRIVATE NON-AGRICULTURAL JOBS, IN THOUSANDS 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005Cape Coral-Fort Myers 166.3 160.8 164.0 179.3 194.3 198.4 188.7Naples-Marco Island 100.6 97.2 97.2 107.2 115.6 119.2 112.9North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice 213.3 211.0 214.7 233.4 245.9 253.2 247.8Punta Gorda 35.7 35.1 34.4 36.5 38.5 38.6 36.4Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater 977.7 957.1 968.6 1,039.9 1,082.8 1,086.3 1,062.1Florida (not seasonally adjusted) 6,176.0 6,082.7 6,139.2 6,608.8 6,895.9 6,903.2 6,718.8

Source: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (rounded to the nearest hundred)

WAGES

AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGE County 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004Charlotte $32,831 $32,382 $32,580 $32,935 $32,848 $32,387 $31,907 $30,025Collier $40,975 $40,807 $39,813 $40,186 $41,280 $39,338 $38,175 $34,874Hillsborough $46,086 $45,111 $44,722 $43,334 $41,762 $40,392 $38,486 $37,501 Lee $38,188 $37,605 $37,638 $37,881 $37,677 $37,093 $35,647 $33,969Manatee $36,953 $35,965 $35,743 $34,930 $34,812 $33,801 $31,918 $30,565Pasco $33,344 $32,975 $32,349 $32,625 $31,862 $31,075 $29,434 $28,726Pinellas $42,379 $41,098 $39,957 $39,264 $38,007 $36,981 $35,581 $34,315Sarasota $39,169 $38,660 $38,456 $38,255 $37,762 $37,376 $35,453 $33,338

Average annual wages grew year over year in all Gulf Coast counties in 2011 and most of the areas — with the exception of Charlotte and Lee counties — saw similar gains in 2010. The biggest year-over-year wage inflation in 2011 occurred in Pinellas County, which has experienced $1,000-plus wage gains year over year six out of the last seven years.

POPULATION

2011 Estimated 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004Charlotte 160,463 166,746 165,455 165,781 164,584 160,315 154,030 156,985Collier 323,785 331,405 333,032 332,854 333,858 326,658 317,788 306,186Hillsborough 1,238,951 1,203,245 1,196,892 1,200,541 1,192,861 1,164,425 1,131,546 1,108,435Lee 625,310 613,546 615,124 623,725 615,741 585,608 549,442 521,253Manatee 325,905 319,293 318,404 317,699 315,890 308,325 304,364 295,242Pasco 466,533 440,628 439,786 438,668 434,425 424,355 406,898 389,776Pinellas 918,496 927,994 931,113 938,461 944,199 948,102 947,744 943,640Sarasota 381,319 388,268 389,320 393,608 387,461 379,386 367,867 358,307


Source: Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research

BY THE NUMBERS


economicFORECAST

TAXABLE SALES BY MAJOR CATEGORY ($ Million) CAPE CORAL-FORT MYERS 2012 (Jan.-July) 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007Total 6,119 9,647 9,131 8,947 9,806 11,434 Autos & Accessories 1,047 1,564 1,463 1,339 1,490 1,929 Consumer Durables 399 681 632 621 725 917 Tourism & Recreation 1,485 2,175 2,033 2,002 2,088 2,214 Consumer Non-durables 2,027 3,327 3,164 3,155 3,241 3,437 Construction 371 600 577 541 677 955 Business Investment 790 1,301 1,262 1,289 1,587 1,981 NAPLES-MARCO ISLAND Total 3,707 5,906 5,572 5,385 5,838 6,514 Autos & Accessories 471 790 751 671 678 842 Consumer Durables 272 488 434 433 497 620 Tourism & Recreation 1,101 1,539 1,523 1,457 1,550 1,580 Consumer Non-durables 1,197 1,826 1,814 1,762 1,843 1,956 Construction 216 391 326 314 414 533 Business Investment 452 792 724 748 856 983 PUNTA GORDA Total 1,190 1,898 1,860 1,776 1,917 2,286 Autos & Accessories 203 309 296 222 251 321 Consumer Durables 88 149 146 135 170 232 Tourism & Recreation 236 353 342 341 338 356 Consumer Non-durables 431 707 696 695 707 737 Construction 102 164 160 139 160 338 Business Investment 132 216 220 245 291 301 BRADENTON-SARASOTA-VENICE Total 6,053 9,701 9,237 9,049 9,824 10,982 Autos & Accessories 991 1,556 1,471 1,392 1,510 1,878 Consumer Durables 403 676 647 632 715 928 Tourism & Recreation 1,382 2,037 1,895 1,871 1,952 2,043 Consumer Non-durables 1,980 3,266 3,152 3,129 3,225 3,396 Construction 376 587 558 506 631 756 Business Investment 922 1,579 1,515 1,518 1,971 1,979 TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG-CLEARWATER Total 22,595 36,985 35,507 35,038 38,075 41,752 Autos & Accessories 4,035 6,284 5,890 5,524 6,200 7,725 Consumer Durables 1,368 2,315 2,192 2,030 2,415 2,981 Tourism & Recreation 4,653 7,242 6,833 6,810 7,343 7,494 Consumer Non-durables 7,372 12,553 12,312 12,339 12,563 12,921 Construction 1,295 2,099 2,063 2,035 2,365 2,614 Business Investment 3,872 6,492 6,216 6,300 7,188 8,016

TAXABLE SALES

BY THE NUMBERS

UPCOMING

OCTOBER 23ARTS BUSINESS: Randy Cohen, vice presi-dent of research and policy for Americans for the Arts, will share results from a study of the economic impact of art. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall at 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Cost is $45 per person. For more information visit edcsara-sotacounty.com.

OCTOBER 25LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: The Argus Foundation will honor Bill Getzen of Wil-liams Parker Harrison Dietz and Getzen and posthumously honor Rick Martin of Purmort & Martin Insurance Agency with its lifetime achievement awards. The reception will be held at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota at 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. For more information visit argusfoundation.org.

SUB LESSONS: L. David Marquet, a retired U.S. Navy officer who commanded the nuclear submarine USS Santa Fe and is author of “Turn the Ship Around: How to Create Leadership at Every Level,” will discuss leadership at a Lead With Giants event. There is no cost. The meeting will start at 8 a.m. at Keiser University Auditorium, 6151 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota. For more information call Dan Forbes at 941-779-8825.

OCTOBER 30HALL OF FAME: Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida will induct Richard Akin and Phil McCabe to the Collier County Busi-ness Hall of Fame. The event will be held at the Waldorf Astoria Naples, 475 Seagate Drive, Naples. Akin is president and CEO of the Healthcare Network of Southwest Flor-ida Inc., a non-profit primary health care provider in Collier County. McCabe owns and operates the Inn on Fifth, McCabe’s Irish Pub & Grill and four other restaurants. For more information visit jaswfl.org, contact Anne Frazier at 239-225-2590 or email [email protected].

NOVEMBER 1BLUE CHIP: The 18th Annual Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Awards program will recognize successful small business owners in Charlotte, Collier or Lee County who have over-come adversity to achieve success. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Harborside Event Center, 1375 Monroe St., Fort Myers. For more information contact Stacey Mercado of BB&T-Oswald Trippe and Co. at 239-433-7189 or [email protected].

OBAMACARE PRIMER: Allen Weiss, presi-dent and CEO of NCH Healthcare Systems Inc., will discuss the impact on the region of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at a Leadership Collier Founda-tion leadership luncheon. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Profes-

sional Development Center, 615 3rd Ave. S., Naples. Cost is $15. For more information visit napleschamber.org.

ECONOMIC JUMPSTART: Ray Leach, CEO of JumpStart Inc., will discuss Jump-Start’s efforts to promote entrepreneurial ventures in Northeast Ohio at a Gulf Coast Venture Forum and Florida Venture Forum meeting. The event runs from 5:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Trianon Bonita Bay, 3401 Bay Commons Drive, Bonita Springs. Cost is $25 for members and $45 for others. For more information visit floridaventureforum.org.

NOVEMBER 7THE ROSS SHOW: The Collier Building Industry Association will host its annual residential-market presentation featur-ing land broker Ross McIntosh. The event, dubbed the Ross Show, will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist Life Center, 675 111th Ave., Naples. Cost is $25 for members, $35 for others. For more information call 239-436-6100, visit cbia.net or email [email protected].

NOVEMBER 9EMERGING TRENDS: Charles DiRocco, director of real estate research for Price-waterhouseCoopers, will discuss emerging trends in real estate. The meeting, which will also feature a panel of Southwest Florida developers, will run from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Grey Oaks Country Club, 2400 Grey Oaks Drive N., Everglades Room, Naples. Cost is $45 per person. For more informa-tion visit swflorida.uli.org.

NOVEMBER 14ENTREPRENEUR AWARD: Brent Britton, prominent Tampa technology and intellectual property attorney and founding partner of the Britton, Silberman & Cervantez law firm,

will be the feature presenter at the Char-lotte County Eco-nomic Development Office’s entrepreneur award luncheon. The event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Charlotte Re-gional Medical Plaza, 713 E. Marion Ave., Fourth Floor Confer-ence Room, Suite 149, Punta Gorda. Cost is $10. For more information call the Charlotte County Economic Development Office at 941-764-4941.

NOVEMBER 15MEET THE CEO: Margaret Callihan, chair-man, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank will be the honoree at the American Jew-ish Committee West Coast Florida’s 2012 Civic Achievement Award Dinner. The event will start at 6 p.m. at Michael’s On East, Sarasota. For more information contact AJC Regional Director Brian Lipton at 941-365-4955 or email [email protected].

NOVEMBER 16TECH AWARDS: The Tampa Bay Technol-ogy Forum will hold an awards gala to rec-ognize technology entrepreneurs from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Hilton Bayfront, 333 First St. S., St. Petersburg. For more information visit tbtf.org.

DECEMBER 4COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AWARDS: CREW Tampa Bay will hold its 2012 Excel-lence Awards black tie gala dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. N. E., St. Petersburg. For more information visit crewtampabay.org of call Executive Director Sue Fern at 727-943-8280.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Britton

Taxable sales have been on the upswing since 2010. Sales were higher year over year in nearly every category in 2011 and early figures suggest little if any change in that growth in 2012. The sole laggard was business investment in Punta Gorda, which declined slightly in 2011 compared with 2010.

Source: Office of Economic & Demographic Research


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Jerry Wallace, president of J.L. Wallace, a residential and commercial contractor in Fort Myers, says he’s expecting 5% to 15% growth in commercial construction in 2013. “It will primarily be because of the private sector,” he says, noting public-sector spending is falling as tax revenues shrink. Value-oriented dollar stores, gas stations and bank branches are among the new buildings he expects to build next year.

Gammons, whose company supplies office furniture and flooring to busi-nesses on the Gulf Coast, says finance, real estate and insurance companies are expanding. He’s budgeting for a 10% increase in sales in 2013. “We’re fairly cautious in how we’re budgeting, but we think there’s pent-up demand out there,” he says.

For example, Gammons supplied the furniture to father-son entrepreneurs David and Brett Diamond for their Ven-ture X in Naples, a co-working space they recently opened for entrepreneurs. The 8,000-square-foot space in the up-scale Mercato shopping center has open desks with fast, secure Internet access with amenities such as gourmet coffee. Venture X could turn into the hub that helps launch successful startups.

PLANNING FOR GROWTHRegardless of their political views, most

executives have taken recent growth in their firms as evidence that business is likely to improve next year.

One clue that conditions are improv-ing: increases in trash collection. Larry Berg, senior district manager for trash hauler Waste Management in Naples, says residential bulk waste rose 9% for the first nine months of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011.

Residential bulk waste includes sofas, refrigerators and other large household

appliances. Berg says the increase in this kind of trash indicates more people are renovating their homes, and it’s a sign of improving consumer confidence and an increase in real estate transactions. Berg says his colleagues in the Tampa Bay re-gion have reported gains also.

Consumers are spending more on items ranging from massages to travel. Gordon Kaufman, the managing part-ner of Massage Envy, recently opened a fourth location in Cape Coral, one of the hardest-hit areas of the coast for home foreclosures. Kaufman says he and his partners are spending $500,000 to build the new location. “We have two more lo-cations in mind, but I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag because we have competitors,” he says.

Darla O’Brien, the owner of Designer Fitness in Sarasota, has designed an iPad application that costs $13.99 to reach more customers and help existing ones maintain their fitness. “My personal goal is that I want to spend more time on the broader market,” she says. “I want to reach more people.”

O’Brien tripled the size of her fitness studio during the downturn, a counter-intuitive move that paid off. “It was the best thing I ever did,” she says.

Wilma Boyd, president and CEO of Preferred Travel in Naples, says she ex-pects 15% to 20% growth in sales be-cause of larger corporate and leisure travel budgets. “Our corporate sales have really picked up,” says Boyd.

Boyd says many companies decided to handle their own travel arrange-ments during the downturn, but they’re now turning to Preferred Travel because they’re getting too busy to manage travel arrangements themselves. “They’re re-turning to the travel counselor,” she says.

To get a more complete picture of what the coming year may hold for different industries, the Business Review asked 15 business leaders about their forecasts for their business. Read their responses on pages 8-13.

OVERVIEW from page 7

Nancy DeNike

Joe Buckheit, president of Media Brains and AgingCare.com, says many companies are understaffed and waiting to hire.

Ron Wheeler, CEO of The Sembler Co. in St. Petersburg

Lee Arnold, Colliers International Tampa Bay, Central & South-west Florida

Ed Clement

Gordon Kaufman, the managing partner of Massage Envy, recently opened a fourth location in Cape Coral.

Nancy DeNike

Anthony Solomon, executive vice presi-dent with Ronto Group, says many residen-tial contractors are ready to hire.


Earth Surfaces of America Inc. of Naples, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coastal Capital Acquisition Corp., has submitted an application to distribute its terrazzo concrete products, including countertops and pavers through Lowe’s Home Improvement stores.

Earth Surfaces currently distributes a number of its terrazzo concrete products through Home Depot Online. It is also pursuing in-store sales with Home De-pot.

“We have already expanded our sales force throughout Florida to develop a strong network of licensed contractors, architects, designers and dealers to mar-ket our products to their clients and cus-tomers,” Tony DiNorcia, CEO of Coastal Capital and Earth Surfaces, says in a press release. “Merchandising our prod-ucts through the major home improve-ment chains provides us additional prod-uct awareness and distribution.”

Innovative Software Technologies hires Mazzapica for marketing

Innovative Software Technologies Inc.’s marketing division, INTech Ven-tures Inc. has hired Paul Mazzapica as president.

He was previously chief operating of-ficer for GPS Branding. Mazzapica was also previously CEO and co-founder of Touchpoint Technologies.

“With more than 25 years of sales, mar-keting and operations experience, Mr. Mazzapica brings the ideal background to drive sales for INTech’s wholly owned subsidiary Opt-In SMART,” Peter Peter-son, president and CEO for Innovative Software Technologies Inc. says in a press release.

INTech Ventures Inc. specializes in various forms of digital and social me-dia marketing through Opt-In SMART. The company has a proprietary software technology for managing and executing all social media, sales and marketing and e-marketing.

Quarles & Brady promotes Beyerto Tampa office managing partner

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP has named David Beyer managing partner of the firm’s Tampa of-fice. Beyer succeeds Kimberly Leach Johnson, a senior partner practicing in the firm’s Naples office and a member of the firm’s executive com-mittee, who managed the Tampa office since

it opened in 2010.Beyer practices law primarily as a

member of the firm’s franchise, distribu-

tion and direct sales group. He has exten-sive experience in organizing and struc-turing franchise and other distribution programs. He also represents franchisors on technology-related issues, including website development, e-commerce, cy-bersquatting and channel conflict.

“The firm is thrilled to have David in this position,” John Daniels Jr., chair-man of Quarles & Brady, says in a press release. “David has been with the Tampa office since the beginning, and he’s very well established in the community, so he will keep the office running smoothly and growing steadily.”

Quarles & Brady LLP is a law firm with more than 400 attorneys practicing from offices in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Na-ples and Tampa; Chicago; Madison and Milwaukee, Wis.; Washington, D.C.; and Shanghai, China.

Tampa attorney, former judgechosen for oil spill appeals panel

Guy Spicola, a 17-year Hillsborough cir-cuit judge and two-term chief judge, has been appointed by the Unit-ed States District Judge in Louisiana to serve on the class-action appeals panel for claims related to the BP Deep Water Horizon oil rig explo-

sion and resulting oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Spicola currently runs his own legal practice at the Law Offices of Guy Spicola in Tampa.

The case is currently the largest class-action suit ever. More than 53,000 claims from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Ala-bama and Florida have been filed cover-ing billions of dollars.

Bayshore Solutions wins W3sfor three website designs

Tampa-based Bayshore Solutions was recognized by the International Acad-emy of the Visual Arts with three W3 Awards for its website designs for Bene-fit Crossroads, Cushease and The Melt-ing Pot Restaurants.

The W3 Awards recognize the creative and marketing teams behind websites, marketing programs and video work cre-ated for the Web.

Bayshore Solutions’ custom website design for Benefits Crossroads won a Gold 2012 W3 Award in the insurance category.

Bayshore Solutions received Silver 2012 W3 Awards for The Melting Pot Restaurants website in the restaurant category and the Cushease site in the shopping category.

Valpak debuts business center to track digital coupons

Largo-based Valpak has introduced a new online Valpak Business Center (VBC) for retailers. The new system is designed to allow merchants a way to track every digital Valpak coupon and e-commerce voucher.

The new system is a move by the cou-pon company to ease business concerns over mobile couponing, including the issue of fraudulent coupon redemption.

Valpak says the system should make it easier for retailers to track mobile re-demption and return on investment and gather consumer data.

“By offering our advertisers this safety blanket, they can now feel protected, and take the program full circle, closing the loop on information that was previously very difficult to track,” Michael Vivio, president of Cox of Valpak and Cox Target Media, says in a press release. “It provides simplified reporting to monitor their business, and gives them peace of mind.”

The new system not only tracks re-demptions, but it also captures purchase data, shows how much the customer spent using the coupon and demon-strates the total value of the customer and transaction.

The new system can be accessed through computers and Android and iPhone mobile apps.

Sembler Co. hires Heardto head Southeast development

St. Petersburg-based The Sembler Co. named Charlie Heard its vice presi-dent of development and southeast mar-ket leader. He will operate from Atlanta.

Heard’s duties consist of pursuing new shopping center development op-portunities in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

He has more than 25 years of real es-tate experience throughout the South-eastern United States working with dozens of development projects for re-tailers such as Publix, Kroger, Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, CVS and Wal-green’s and has worked with top-tier re-tailers on site selection across industry sectors.

“I was initially drawn to Sembler by their reputation in the shopping center industry, spanning 50 years,” Heard says in a press release. “Then I realized how well matched my experience was with their strategic plan for the Southeast re-gion, which is to re-focus on developing traditional neighborhood grocery stores and well-anchored power centers.”

Sembler manages and leases more than 12.5 million square feet of re-tail center space, including 3.5 million square feet in the greater Atlanta area.

European health care firmopens new Bradenton operations

C4U Technologies, a European IT health communications company, has now launched its United States opera-tions in Bradenton.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in England, C4U focuses on Web-based electronic communication systems for doctors and patients. It handles 1.2 million patient subscribers and trans-mits more than 500,000 messages per month.

C4U plans to introduce a patient-only health care portal in the coming months.

Lee County’s Yippy Inc. hires former Lycos exec as CEO

Fort Myers-based Yippy Inc. has ap-pointed Edward Noel as the company’s new CEO. Richard Granville, the com-pany’s previous CEO, has been appointed as the executive chair-man of the company’s board of directors.

Prior to joining Yip-py, Noel served as a director on the board.

Noel has more than 15 years of business experience working with Internet com-panies. He was previ-ously the chief revenue officer of social and Web video advertising company Alphabird Inc. From early 1999 to November 2011, Noel served as chief revenue officer/chief strategy officer for the search engine and web portal Lycos Inc. He was also the lead negotiator for the subsequent sale of Lycos to Ybrant Digital in 2010.

CORPORATE REPORT by Sean Roth | Real Estate Editor

Coastal Capital Acquisitionpursues Lowe’s distribution

Venice-based Blue Sky Solar Group has recently completed installing a 2 million-watt solar project on the Nor-folk Naval Base in Norfolk, Va. Blue Sky worked with Bay Electric Co. to complete the work started this spring. The system consists of more than 8,000 solar panels and will power a sig-nificant portion of housing on the base.

Blue Sky Solar Group has also recent-ly secured another contract with the Navy to inspect and maintain solar fa-cilities in Corpus Christi, Texas; Patux-ent, Md.; and Anacostia in the District of Columbia.

Started five years ago, the company built two of Florida Power & Light Co.’s largest solar systems before ex-panding into other states, where the incentives were more generous.

“In the last six months, solar module and balance of system costs have come down dramatically,” David Schroed-ers, president and founder of Blue Sky Solar Group, says in a news release. “We no longer need rebates to make the financials work. One of the biggest

advantages of solar is that it is scalable. Whether their bill is $300 per month or $30,000, the payback and returns are the same.”

Blue Sky Solar Group, a consulting, engineering, procurement and con-struction provider, and its residential arm QwikSolar have managed solar energy projects in 16 states including 2 megawatt ground-mounted systems, large tracking arrays, solar carports at apartment complexes and numerous commercial rooftops.

Blue Sky Solar Groupcompletes navy base solar array

Earth Surfaces of America Inc., a subsidiary of Coastal Capital is working to distribute its terrazzo products to Lowe’s.

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE TAMPA BAY by Sean Roth | Real Estate Editor

BUYER: Aquafinz Management LLC (principals: Howard Cohen and Angela Madonia), TampaSELLER: Lutz American LLCPROPERTY: 16553 Pointe Village Drive, LutzPRICE: $1.3 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $1 million, December 2006LAW FIRM ON DEED: Trow & Dobbins PA, Ocala

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Howard Cohen of Lutz and Angela Madonia of Tampa purchased the 6,200-square-foot former Up The Creek restaurant building in Pointe Village for $1.3 million.

The price equated to $210 per square foot.

The two business partners plan to re-open the Lutz building as a new 200-seat seafood restaurant called Aquafinz.

“We just saw it as an opportunity in a growing area,” Cohen says. “The demo-graphics were perfect for what we were looking to do. It was previously used for a seafood restaurant so there’s already a seafood restaurant [feel] inside, which makes it cost effective.”

The new owners plan to renovate the building with the goal of opening the new business in December.

Cohen says he and his partner have experience in the restaurant business, in-cluding working for high-volume chain restaurants.

The purchase entity Aquafinz Man-agement LLC mortgaged the property to Lutz American LLC of Chicago for $1.2 million.

Robb Sercu of Prudential Commercial Real Estate FL handled the transaction.

Prospect Property Group buys majority of Raintree TownhomesBUYER: Prospect Tampa Townhomes LLC, LongwoodSELLER: Taipan Raintree LLCPROPERTY: 6073 Gibson Ave., TampaPRICE: $2.08 millionLAW FIRM ON DEED: Anthony & Partners LLC, Tampa

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Longwood-based Prospect Property Group purchased 77 of the 81 units in Raintree Townhomes for $2.08 million.

The price equated to $26,948 per unit.Prospect Property Group acquired the

remaining unsold units in the 5-year-old development after a bank foreclosure. Twenty-one of the 77 units will require additional construction.

“It’s a nice property and we just plan to finish those units and lease it up,” says Frank Tetel, vice president of underwrit-ing and acquisitions for Prospect Prop-erty Group. “We also plan to improve the grounds and landscaping. Those town-homes are great; they’re spacious and have garages.”

The new ownership plans to rename the community the Casa Del Toro.

Prospect Property Group already owns 214 of the 312 units in the Mandalay on Fourth in St. Petersburg and 912 units in the Waterside at Coquina Key in St. Pe-tersburg. The real estate firm also owns a number of other properties in Florida and Atlanta.

Father, son investors buy Seminole VillageBUYER: Seminole Village Apartments LLC (principals: William and John Niejadlik), SarasotaSELLER: Property SV LLCPROPERTY: 7770 Starkey Road, SeminolePRICE: $2.65 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $1.1 million, September 1995LAW FIRM ON DEED: Robert D. Barcley PA, St. Petersburg

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: An investment en-tity, led by William Niejadlik of Saraso-ta and his son John Niejadlik Jr. of Boca Raton, purchased the 56-unit Seminole Village apartment complex for $2.65 million.

The price equated to $47,321 per unit.Built in 1984, the 55,920-square-foot

apartment complex features four two-story buildings. The development con-tains only two-bedroom/one-bathroom units ranging in size from 950 to 1,120 rentable square feet. The development occupies 3.08 acres of land.

Seminole Village was 95% occupied at the time of the sale.

Nicholas Meoli, Michael Regan and Francesco Carriera of Marcus & Millic-hap’s Tampa office handled the sale.

“We generated several written offers

within a 45-day marketing period,” Me-oli says in a press release. “Ultimately, the buyer was an all-cash investor who closed within 25 days of an executed pur-chase agreement. This sale reinforces the demand for well-located B-class assets in the Tampa Bay area.”

Etc…• Nancy Surak at Eshenbaugh Land

Co. in Tampa closed a $250,000 sale on an 18,000-square-foot industrial building at 7398 W. Industrial Lane, Homosassa.

• Investor W.A Widell purchased a 14,120-square-foot office and industrial facility at 6738 and 6740 Commerce Ave., Port Richey from Waterfall Victo-ria Mortgage Trust for $390,000. Re-nee Dyer and Matt Kim of Prudential Commercial Real Estate FL handled the transaction.

• Early Learning LLC purchased a 6,000-square-foot building on two acres at Livingston Road and Collier Boulevard in Collier County from Encore Bank for $225,000. Dewey Mitchell, Renee Dyer and Jill Carbonelli of Prudential Commer-cial Real Estate FL represented the seller.

• WW Real Estate Investment LLC purchased a 3,780-square-foot retail prop-erty at 13575 Linden Drive, Spring Hill from SunTrust Bank for $252,000. Robb Sercu and Gus Jadoun of Prudential Commercial Real Estate FL handled the transaction.

• Old Time Pottery has opened a new 65,000-square-foot store in New Port Richey. The new location creates 75 jobs and is the retailer’s second location in the Tampa Bay area. The new store is located at 5217 U.S. 19, New Port Richey.

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SARASOTA-MANATEE by Sean Roth | Real Estate Editor

BUYER: Bethkom Holdings LLC (principal: Vincent Payne), SarasotaSELLER: H&P Realty Group LLCPROPERTY: 1517 State St., SarasotaPRICE: $1.15 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $750,000, June 2002LAW FIRM ON DEED: Icard Merrill Cullis Timm Furen & Ginsburg PA, Lakewood Ranch

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Dr. Gary Kom-pothecras, the namesake founder of the 1-800-ASK-GARY medical/lawyer refer-ral service and president of the accident clinics chain 1st Health Inc., purchased the 14,940-square-foot Enterprise Build-ing on State Street for $1.15 million.

The purchase price equated to $77 per square foot or $98 per leasable square foot. However, Kompothecras agreed to pay the building’s past-due taxes, all com-missions and all closing costs, which add-ed roughly another $160,000.

Less than 3,000 square feet of the three-story building’s 11,700 square feet

of leasable space was occupied at the time of the sale.

Kompothecras plans to locate an in-surance business he owns into the 4,500-square-foot top floor of the build-ing. He also plans to house his IT depart-ment in roughly 800 square feet on the first floor. The remaining 2,000 square feet will be leased out.

Aside from the obvious benefits to his two businesses, Kompothecras says the building was a quality investment and that he feels that downtown Sarasota real estate is cheap right now.

“One of the main reasons I decided to buy it was the free parking across the street,” he says. “I’ve heard the city plans to build a three-story parking garage there. If there hadn’t been parking there, there would have been no purchase. There’s al-most no one with cash right now. I was able to find financing. This is the prime time to buy real estate.”

Kompothecras says he is considering remodeling the building to offer more side views of downtown.

The transaction was done as a short sale.

Lee DeLieto Sr. and Lee DeLieto Jr. of DeLieto & Associates of Michael Saun-ders & Co. represented the seller and Michael Bush of Re/Max Alliance Group represented the buyer.

DeLieto Sr. says the price, particularly on per square-foot basis, was very attrac-tive.

“That downtown core zoning has been averaging $140 a square foot the past three years,” he says.

The purchase entity Bethkom Holdings LLC mortgaged the property to Hancock Bank for $950,000.

Catholic church entity buys land for Sarasota cemetery BUYER: All Saints Catholic Cemetery Inc. (princi-pals: Frank Dewane, Stephen McNamara and Dr. Volodymyr Smeryk), VeniceSELLER: LT Ranch nka LT Partners LLLPPROPERTY: 8990 State Road 72, SarasotaPRICE: $2.9 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $2.37 million, December 1988ATTORNEY ON DEED: Joseph A. DiVito Esq., St. Petersburg

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: All Saints Catho-lic Cemetery, an affiliated entity of the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida, purchased 102.1 acres a mile east of the Bee Ridge Extension for $2.9 million.

The price equated to $28,371 per acre.As the purchase entity name suggests,

the diocese acquired the vacant residen-tial land to develop a Catholic cemetery with a mausoleum complex, grave and columbarium sites, crypts and an office, maintenance area and chapel.

“The land for All Saints Catholic Cem-etery was purchased in response to a grow-ing desire of Catholics in the Sarasota area to be buried in a Catholic cemetery,” says Billy Atwell, director of communications for the diocese. “Combined with this grow-ing desire is a shift in demographics in which an increasing number of people are looking to stay in Florida permanently.”

The Diocese of Venice, which comprises 10 counties from Manatee County south to Collier County, does not currently oper-ate a Catholic cemetery.

Atwell says the site was chosen because of its location in the region and its prox-imity to Sarasota Catholic parishes.

A committee of the diocese is still for-mulating the development plan for the property.

Longboat Key investorbuys Hillview Garden ApartmentsBUYER: My Hillview LLC (principal: Robert Lesser), Longboat KeySELLER: Brazos XV LLCPROPERTY: 2060 and 2066 Hillview St. and 2059 and 2067 Hyde Park St., SarasotaPRICE: $715,000PREVIOUS PRICE: $1.7 million, December 2004 and $500,100, January 2006LAW FIRM ON DEED: Shumaker Loop & Kendrick LLP, Sarasota

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Robert Lesser of Longboat Key purchased the 17-unit Hill-view Garden Apartments for $715,000.

The price equated to $42,059 per unit or $65 per square foot.

The 52-year-old multifamily features a total of 10,965 rentable square feet. The property contains 10-unit and four-unit multifamily buildings, a duplex and sin-gle-family home.

The seller, an affiliate of American Momentum Bank in Tampa, took the property through foreclosure on Octo-ber 2011.

Greg Owens of Keller Williams on the Water represented the seller and Sue Or-ton of H3 Management Services repre-sented the buyer.

“The buyer bought it because of the lo-cation,” Orton says. “The value is in the land not, in the existing buildings. It’s so close to the hospital and a good employ-ment base. [The buyer] just plans to con-tinue to run it as a multifamily property.”

Orton says based on its current zoning, the property could be redeveloped with up to 35 units.

The purchase entity My Hillview LLC mortgaged the property to American Momentum Bank for $500,000.

Etc…• Raymond James Financial Ser-

vices Inc. recently moved its Lake-wood Ranch branch office to 11009 Gatewood Drive, Suite 101, Lakewood Ranch. Jim and Jeff Zientara are the co-branch managers.

• Faith Community Christian Fel-lowship Inc. leased 2,190 square feet at 1000 N. Tamiami Trail, Nokomis from 2 Bal Bay Properties LLC. Deb-bie Anglin of Ian Black Real Estate handled the transaction.

• Windward Design Group leased 41,250 square feet at 1130 Commerce Blvd., Sarasota, from The Carlin Fam-ily Partnership. Michele Fuller and Jag Grewal of Ian Black Real Estate and Bob Kolton of Michael Saunders & Co. handled the transaction.

• EDIF Holdings LLC purchased 5,250 square feet at 1945 17th St., Sara-sota, from T. J. Richardson and Su-san H. Richardson for $260,000. Ian Black and Steve Horn of Ian Black Real Estate handled the transaction.

• Nepsis Advisor Services Inc. leased 2,157 square feet at 6320 Uni-versity Parkway, Suite 304, Sarasota from TCA12 LLC. Debbie Anglin of Ian Black Real Estate and Julia Decas-tro of Lakewood Ranch Commercial handled the transaction.

• Samuel Holdings II LP purchased 12,000 square feet of space at 3103 East 81st Court, Bradenton from Bra-zos XIV LLC for $400,000. Debbie Anglin of Ian Black Real Estate han-dled the transaction.

• Khalea Limited Partnership pur-chased 3,804 square feet at 7313 Mer-chant Court, Sarasota from the Diocese of Southwest Florida Inc. for $425,000. Debbie Anglin of Ian Black Real Estate and Lee DeLieto Sr. of Michael Saunders & Co. handled the transaction.

• Walter R. Tracy II and Eleni Kantas-Tracy purchased a restaurant building and drive-thru at 6850 15th St. E., Sarasota from Dreams Three LLC for $185,000. Rico Boeras and Carl Wise of Preferred Commercial Inc. handled the transaction.

• Triple Sea Investments LLC pur-chased a 27,920-square-foot vacant of-fice parcel at 5135 4th Ave. Circle E., Bradenton from Bailey Land Hold-ings LLC for $150,000. Ken Clanton of Wagner Realty represented the seller and Angela Varga of the Sperry Van Ness Commercial Advisory Group rep-resented the buyer.

• Bach and Sitha Thach leased a 2,281-square-foot auto repair facility at 2336 Fruitville Road, Sarasota from Canlan Development Corp. Linda Emery and Mike Migone of the Sperry Van Ness Commercial Advisory Group handled the transaction.

• Garland & Padelford, Attorneys LLC leased 3,206 square feet of pro-fessional office space at 2424 Manatee Ave. W., Suite 201, Bradenton from HJB Properties. Debra Cooper of Sperry Van Ness Commercial Advisory Group’s Bradenton office handled the transaction.

• Airborne Engineering Dynamics LLC purchased a 1,911-square-foot of-fice condominium at 2341 Porter Lake Drive, Suite 109, Sarasota from Stea-rns Bank for $85,000. Dyrk Dahl of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer and Mike Migone of the Sperry Van Ness Commercial Advisory Group rep-resented the seller.

• Crescendo Audio LLC leased a 5,850-square-foot industrial unit at 7117 24th Court E., Sarasota from Properties No Ink LLC. Rico Boeras of Preferred Commercial Inc. repre-sented the tenant and Carl Wise of Preferred Commercial Inc. represented the landlord.

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LEE-COLLIER-CHARLOTTE by Sean Roth | Real Estate Editor

West Palm Beach-based real estate in-vestment company/homebuilder The Kolter Group has completed its purchase of the Verandah community in Fort Myers from Bonita Bay Group. The purchase in-cludes Verandah Club and all unsold devel-oper-owned real estate. Kolter will serve as master developer for the community.

Verandah, located on 1,456 acres along a 1.75-mile stretch of the Orange River, is a gated community with a private club, 36-hole championship golf course, river house and golf pro shop. The property also fea-tures a fitness and tennis center, commu-nity pool, dog park and nine miles of fitness paths and trails. Of the 1,700 total residenc-es planned for the community, nearly half of the home sites were never built on.

“We couldn’t have been more impressed with the level of amenities and the overall quality of the community development at Verandah,” Jim Harvey, president of Kolt-er Land Partners, says in a press release. “The community is active and vibrant, the club and HOA are strong and the remain-ing land is a great fit for our homebuilding division and a local custom-builder pro-gram. We look forward to continuing the high level of development detail that Bonita Bay Group has brought to this community.”

Kolter says it will support ongoing sales by other builders who already own home sites or neighborhoods in the commu-nity and Kolter plans to introduce its own homes by the end of the year.

Cape Coral Dollar Generalsold as investment to two trustsBUYER: Jack Baskin, trustee of the Jack Baskin Trust (50% interest) and Eugene Millburn and Janice Keith, trustee of the 2006 Millburn-Keith

Family Revocable Living Trust, Aptos, Calif.SELLER: Gleason I LLCPROPERTY: 3123 Chiquita Blvd. S., Cape CoralPRICE: $2 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $655,800, May 2003LAW FIRM ON DEED: Henderson Franklin Starnes & Holt PA, Fort Myers

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Two family trusts associated with SAR Asset Management in California purchased an 11,600-square-foot Dollar General store for $2 million.


The store was built earlier this year. The parent company, Dollar General Corp., signed a 15-year double net lease on the property that obligates it to maintain a por-tion of the building and pay for all associ-ated taxes and insurance. The landlord is still responsible for the roof and structure of the building.

David Wells, senior investment advisor and head of the Wells Net Lease Division of Sperry Van Ness’ Miami office, handled the transaction.

“This year we have seen a 30% rise in both private and institutional capital com-ing back into the market and they’re plac-ing their bets in Florida,” Wells says in a press release. “I sell net lease retail proper-ties across the country. I would say 90% of the transactions in Florida this year were from investors from outside of the state or U.S. In other states it’s much more oriented toward local or regional investors.”

The two trusts, the Jack Baskin Trust and 2006 Millburn-Keith Family Revo-cable Living Trust, mortgaged the prop-erty to Stanford Federal Credit Union for $1.4 million.

FMI Hansa Medical Productsbuys industrial building, landBUYER: Production Avenue Properties LLC, Madison, Ala.SELLER: Larus Properties LLCPROPERTY: 3511 Plover Avenue, NaplesPRICE: $1.08 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $431,500, October 2002

SELLER: Larry and Rusty Wolny

The Kolter Group buysBonita Bay’s Verandah

PROPERTY: 3493 Shearwater St., NaplesPRICE: $283,369PREVIOUS PRICE: $278,100, March 2002TITLE FIRM ON DEED: Florida Universal Title LLC, Naples

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: FMI Hansa Medical Products LLC purchased a 15,500-square-foot industrial building and an adjacent 1.06-acre lot in White Lake Corporate Park for $1.36 million. The price for just the building equated to $69 per square foot.

Originally constructed in 2001, the build-ing features seven separate tenant spaces.

FMI Hansa Medical Products LLC was

formed when Hansa Medical Products LLC in Naples merged with Huntsville, Ala.-based FMI Medical Products LLC. FMI Hansa Medical Products has since maintained an office in Naples at 11430 Tamiami Trail E.

Calls to FMI for comment were not re-turned prior to deadline.

William Gonnering of Investment Prop-erties Corp. handled the transaction.

FMI Hansa Medical Products is a con-tract medical manufacturer. It’s website describes it as having 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Naples investor group buys Bonita’s Woodsedge PlazaBUYER: Gulf Coast Plaza LLC (principal: Kenneth Ullman), OrlandoSELLER: Woodsedge Plaza 163 LLCPROPERTY: 28701 Trails Edge Blvd., Bonita SpringsPRICE: $1.15 millionPREVIOUS PRICE: $980,000, April 2002LAW FIRM ON DEED: Ram Realty Services, Palm Beach Gardens

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: A private Naples in-vestment group led by Kenneth Ullman of Orlando purchased the 15,618-square-foot Woodsedge Plaza retail strip center for $1.15 million.


The center features three tenants and is anchored by the exotic car dealership Gulf Coast Motorworks. Built in 2003, it was 89% leased at the time of the sale and

had a single 1,668-square-foot vacancy.Mark Shellabarger and Scott Palmer of

CBRE Inc. represented the seller.“It was an attractive center well located

on U.S. 41,” says Shellabarger. “With its three tenants, the property will be rela-tively easy to manage.”

The purchase price equated to a payoff ratio based on current income (capital-ization rate) of 9%.

Costar

Etc…• Fitness Divas Inc. leased 2,000

square feet of space at 1426 Cape Coral Parkway E., Cape Coral from Tuncay and Serife Ozer. Joshlyn Steele, Car-los Acosta, Chuck Smith and Richard Clarke of Lee & Associates’ Naples- Fort Myers office handled the transaction.

• Vincent P. Cardinale DDS P.A. leased 3,412 square feet of office space at 1019 Crosspointe Drive, Unit 2, Naples from Caries LLC. Craig Timmins and Clint Sherwood of Investment Proper-ties Corp. handled the transaction.

• HVAC Supply Inc. leased 5,903 square feet of industrial space at 28731 S. Cargo Court, Units 2, 7, 9 and 10, Bo-nita Springs from Collier District LLC. William Gonnering of Investment Prop-erties Corp. handled the transaction.

• T.G.B.T.G. - Pizzerias LLC leased 2,112 square feet of retail space in the Collier Plaza at 11935-11985 Collier Blvd., Naples, from Collier Plaza LLC. Bill Young of CRE Consultants handled the transaction.

• Sheeley Architects Inc. completed the designs for the new Montessori-inspired preschool Estero Children’s Academy. It features an infant area, tod-dler classrooms, preschool area and a classroom, along with an outdoor play-ground. Estero Children’s Academy is

located at 9410 Corkscrew Palms Circle and is scheduled to open this fall.

• Hayden & Associates Community Association & Commercial Manage-ment Services has been appointed to provide management and accounting services for the Tamiami Square Com-mercial Condominium Association Inc., which oversees the Tamiami Square re-tail center in North Naples. Hayden will also provide property management ser-vices for the Tamiami Square buildings, comprising 52,400 square feet of retail space at 14700 N. Tamiami Trail, for CS Tamiami LLC.

• Sovran Management Co. LLC leased 5,878 square feet of office space at 5692 Strand Court, Naples from Blueprint Sarasota LLC. Craig Tim-mins of Investment Properties Corp. handled the transaction.

• Molina’s Ristorante leased 3,615 square feet in The Promenade shopping center at 26975-26911 South Bay Drive, Bonita Springs from US Bank NA Kar-en Johnson-Crowther of Colliers Inter-national Southwest Florida represented the landlord.

• A. G. Reeves LLC purchased a 12,960-square-foot industrial build-ing at 16170 Old U.S. 41, Fort Myers from Preferred Community Bank for $400,000. Jim Boback of Boback Com-mercial Group handled the transaction.


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The saying “big is bad” certainly is pro-phetic as it relates to the current status of the economy, particularly the consolida-tion of power in our federal government and the consolidation of power in our banking system.

Both the federal government and the banking system oper-ate in as much secrecy with which they can get away. Every time the public demands a secret be revealed, it uncovers govern-ment misdeeds that never should have been concealed from the public in the first place. Ditto for the banking system with only five banks ac-

counting for 57% of the deposits in this country, and the bank’s ally, the Federal Reserve System, a secret organization for creating and making money out of no-where, which has bankrupted this coun-try with government loans and inflation.

Throughout history, large central gov-ernments have, without fail, caused dis-integration of every great society. Today in America, we have both the dominant central government and the secret bank-ing system called the Federal Reserve. The Founding Fathers were born, raised and educated 230 years ago in the Age of Reason and wrote into the Constitu-tion several clauses that resulted in a separation of powers: hence, prohibi-tions against common, known, historical government sins that ruin civilizations, such as the destruction of the country’s purchasing power with debt, war and the consolidation of too much power in the central government. A hundred years ago those powers were destroyed in this country with three pieces of legislation:

1913 legislation Creation of the Federal Reserve Sys-

tem: December 1913, President Wilson issued an executive order creating the Fed. Congress did not authorize the Fed-eral Reserve System. The stated inten-tion of the Fed was to “take away control” from the big banks who were dominating the smaller banks. The aftermath of the creation of the Fed was the opposite.

It has helped big banks to consoli-date their power. As pointed out above, the five largest banks hold 57% of the country’s deposits. That is an enormous amount of power, which has been used to help the banks at the expense of the tax-payers. Remember, these banks are too big to fail. Banks that are too big to fail

are too big to exist. They should be broken up so that no

bank has such a dominant position that they can influence the outcome of a po-litical election. All treasury secretaries and Federal Reserve chairmen over the last 40 years have come from the above referred-to institutions, either directly or indirectly.

16th Amendment The Constitution specifically prohib-

its taxes on income (Section 9, fourth paragraph). The result of the taxation on income is obvious — it is terribly un-fair, and it encroaches upon our individ-ual liberties. It is socialism, and it’s the best way to build a large central govern-ment. The result of the 16th Amendment passed in 1913, and providing for an un-limited tax on income, is exactly what the writers of our Constitution wanted to avoid. By having graduated income-tax rates for different people, the govern-ment sets up classes. What has happened to our “classes” of people? We are fight-ing among ourselves.

Direct election of U.S. senators Amendment 17 destroyed one of the

great separations of power in the Consti-tution, the separation of powers between state and federal government. The Sen-ate has two primary responsibilities, 1) It votes upon presidential appointments and 2) It is responsible for treaties (war). By having U.S. senators elected by the populace, rather than appointed by each state legislature, each senator becomes beholding to his contributors and not to the state legislatures who previously appointed him to the U.S. Senate. The reason each state legislature appointed the senators was so that the senators’ primary attention could be devoted to legislation affecting their state. Prior to Amendment 17 in 1913, it was difficult to get the Senate to vote favorably on going to war. Senators are now not accountable to their state legislatures. They are ac-countable to their political contributors, the bulk of which comes from big banks and big businesses that profit from war: World War I, World War II, Korea, Viet-

nam, Gulf states, Iraq and Pakistan, all since 1913. So now, the Senate is answer-able to political contributors rather than to the state legislature. This is exactly what the founders wanted to avoid.

Examination of the chart below is tell-ing. The U.S. got into World War I in 1917 and got out 11 months later at the end of the war in 1918. Notice that from the ini-tiation of this legislation in 1913 to only 1920, government revenue as a percent-age of total annual spending increased to 12.8% of our GDP from 8.3%. By 2011, those expenditures were 23.2% of our GDP.

Continually borrowing more than $1 trillion a year to supplement government spending is unsustainable. There will be an acute currency collapse, much like that occurring in Iran right now, which is really just a devaluation of Iran’s curren-cy. Or, there will be the chronic currency collapse we’ve experienced for years, called inflation. Commonsense dictates it is ruinous to borrow as much as 8% of the country’s GDP every year, just to sus-tain federal government expenditures.

SolutionConsolidation of power has created our

problems. Disbursement of powers was at the heart of the Constitution. They fooled us in 1913. They will not fool us again if we are smart enough to break up the banks and big businesses that are choos-ing our presidents and senators for us.

Change the income tax amendment (No. 16) to specify a limit on individual

and corporate income taxes not to ex-ceed 17%. That is the amount of money our economy can bear to contribute eco-nomically to a central government and still remain a competitive economy. That amounts to $2.6 trillion for the federal government this year, which is enough to run our government, and then some!

Withdraw the 17th Amendment. Have U.S. senators appointed by each state leg-islature, as was originally intended. That will also keep big bank and big corporate money out of states where they have no business and where campaign contributors just want to control the state’s senate vote.

Putting U.S. senators’ appointments back in the hands of state legislatures will return a power to the states, which will make it more difficult for the federal government to go to war. War is the road to dominant central government and fi-nancial ruin. Phasing out the Federal Reserve System will keep us out of debt and retard inflation. A cap on income tax rates of 17% would provide for ev-erything required of the federal govern-ment by the Constitution. These actions are constitutionally reasonable solutions that would reverse the damaging effects of 1913.

Summary

Conservative investors should remain in high-quality, dividend-paying stocks whose record shows strong dividend in-creases over the years. Cash is still king, especially now with so many financial problems in our economy. Investors should not expect dramatic, positive in-creases in corporate earnings, or in stock values, for several years until structural problems in our country are faced and resolved. Until then, continued stagna-tion will probably be the order of the day.

Caveat Emptor.

MARKET WATCH

We need an un-consolidation of power

INCREASE IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING(SINCE 1913)

Year GDP Federal government spending % of GDP 1912 $37.4 billion $3.1 billion 8.3%1920 88.4 billion 11.3 billion 12.8% 2011 15.49 trillion 3.6 trillion (**) 23.2%

(**) 30% of the $3.6 trillion ($1.3 trillion, or 8.4%, of our GDP) is created by the Fed with a printing press and then “borrowed”by the government to supplement “insufficient” tax revenues.

George Rauch, Longboat Key, is chief executive officer of Bradenton-based Gen-eral Propeller and a former Wall Street investment banker.

GEORGE RAUCH

How the Fed came to exist, and why its power is one of the most dangerous forces in our economy today.


INDUSTRY UPDATE by Jim Jett | Contributor

The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce celebrated In-dustry Appreciation Week Sept. 20 with the Excellence in In-dustry Awards at the Naples Hilton.

Maureen Christensen, director of resource development, and Cotrenia Hood, director of business development, both with The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas White, managing partner at Haw-thorn Suites, and Anne Frazier, president of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida.

Mike Valdes, account manager, and Brian Hamman, manager of market develop-ment, both with CenturyLink.

Daniel Lavender, president, and Timothy Buist, chief financial officer, both of Moor-ings Park Institute.

Caroline Kissel, national accounts execu-tive at Hilton Naples, and Cathy Christo-pher, director of sales and marketing at The Inn on Fifth.

Mike Bauer, president, and Karen Bauer, chief financial officer, both with Pineridge Coach Works.

Robin Woods, accounting director at Physician Regional Healthcare System, and James Warnken, executive vice presi-dent at United Way of Collier County.

AWARDS LUNCHEON Courtesy of Sarasota County EDC

The Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County held its annual luncheon Sept. 21 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. James Tollerton, owner and president of

Professional Benefits in Sarasota, received the Clyde Nixon Business Leadership Award. More than 325 business and civic leaders attended the lunch.

Jeanette Gates, Venice City Council; Teri Hansen, Gulf Coast Community Foundation; Ben Hanan, Shumaker Loop & Kendrick; David Sessions, Willis A. Smith Construction; C.J. Fishman, Fishman & Associates.

Jim Tollerton, Professional Benefits, and Clyde Nixon Business Leadership Award winner; Allen Carlson, Sun Hydraulics.

David Daly, HuB Studios; Assunta Swier, HuB Studios; Jim Shirley, Sarasota County Arts and Cultural Alliance; Rich Swier, HuB Studios.

Bradley Freeman, Clyde Nixon Family; Philomene Staffeld, Sun Hydraulics; Beth Kel-lett, Sun Hydraulics; Lisa Smith, Clyde Nixon Family.

Jamie Purmort, Purmort & Martin Insur-ance Agency; Dale Brill, President Florida Chamber Foundation.


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