Biz(941) September-October 2014

Downtown Sarasota Booms

Page 70

People to Watch 20 men and women reshaping our region PAGE 26

BOTTOM LINE ADVICE Smart business lessons for nonprofits PAGE 78

Pe r

son Wat to c T i mo h th y He a ro n

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Whether it’s our commitment to you, or to our work in the community, involvement will always play an essential role in our game plan.

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T O L E D O

T O L E D O

the POSSIBILITIES Building Bridges for Entrepreneurs

As a Treasury-Certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Manatee Community Federal Credit Union, is transforming how small businesses gain access to capital - "Building Bridges for Entrepreneurs" in the Greater Central-Southwest Florida Region.

As a CDFI, it is our mission to help the underserved pockets of our community.

With leadership from our government partners ranging from the Cities of North Port, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda to the Counties of Manatee, Sarasota and Lee - MCFCU is proud to launch its $5 Mil ion Dollar REVOLVING LOAN FUND with the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP). We are thril ed to facilitate your transition from a high-potential business to a high-performing business!

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Lori Sax

SEPT. | OCT. 2014 Bright Lights, Big Business What do Timothy Hearon of Boomerswork, Paul Woods of Algenol and Mark Pentecost of It Works! Global have in common? They—and the 17 other business and civic leaders who comprise this year’s Biz(941) People to Watch—are risk-takers, problem solvers and innovators with a seemingly endless supply of Big Ideas.

In industries as diverse as sports, science, tourism, technology, law, retail, finance and real estate, the 2014 People to Watch are impacting our region in ways large and small, from the man spearheading IMG’s multimillion-dollar expansion to the attorney dynamo who is bringing in new hope and enterprise to Newtown. Each one of them is shaping our communities with new energy and jobs, and by helping to put Sarasota and Manatee on the map.

We take pride in compiling this annual list of dreamers, movers and shakers (with the help of dozens of readers, who send us their submissions). These are the region’s influencers, the people whose names you’ll want to keep in your contact list.

Also in this issue, you’ll meet the developers behind downtown Sarasota’s resurging building boom. And you’ll glean useful ideas for your small business from one of Florida’s most successful big companies, Publix.

Inspiring? You bet.

susanb@biz941.com

26

People to Watch

Biz(941) presents the 20 innovators who are changing our world in sports, retail, health, real estate and more. Cover Photo by MATTHEW HOLLER

70

B oom Redux

Meet the developers responsible for downtown Sarasota’s new building frenzy.

ervice Rules 76 SWhat supermarket giant Publix can teach us little guys.

ASURE YOUR VALUE 78 ME Steve Rothschild’s advice to nonprofits: Start thinking like a for-profit.

8

94 Education

Talk

Stuff you need to know, from a successful local toy developer to how to stop bullying in the workplace.

91 What I’ve Learned

Turnaround expert Walter Aspatore.

100 FAST TRACK

Movers, shakers and Report The Lifelong Learning headline makers.

Academy for seniors keeps breaking records.

108 THE SEEN

People and events

97

in pictures.

Financial Intelligence

How to solve the short-on-cash conundrum.

ADVERTISING SECTIONs

19 55 81

116

OFF THE CLOCK

Andrew Bers of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty and his four-legged buddy, Cadillac.

City of North Port Stories of Hope Outstanding Family- Owned Businesses

biz941.com Check out our website, featuring new and archived articles, and sign up for our e-newsletter, Biz(941) Daily.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 3

CEO Dan Denton Executive Vice President & Kelley Lavin Group Publisher Vice President & Pam Daniel Editorial Director Consulting Publisher Randy Noles

WORKFORCE & ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ‘15

Vice President & Pamela Flanagan General Manager

Editor Susan Burns Editorial Managing Editor Ilene Denton Senior Editor Kay Kipling Associate Editor Hannah Wallace Web Editor Megan McDonald Web & Editorial Assistant Chelsey Lucas

Hear from Florida’s Chief Economist, Rebecca Rust Rebecca Rust, with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, will be sharing labor market insights for Manatee and Sarasota counties with special focus on high demand occupations such as construction, health care, information technology & manufacturing.

Art and Production Publications Director Norma Machado Art Director Lauren Pritchard Designer Amy Hoffarth Advertising Services Katherine Orenic Manager

Advertising Senior Account Executive Kim Davis Account Executive Keith Magnuson Account Executive Debra Clark Maradiaga Account Executive Dan Starostecki Account Executive Sandy Moore Account Executive Christie Busch Sales Support Manager/ Regina Walters Assistant to the Group Publisher

Marketing

Director of Cindy Christo Brown Events & Marketing

Circulation

Circulation Director Diana Clenney

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Contributing

Writers David Ball, Brad Edmondson, Lori Johnston, Kim Hackett, Cooper Levey-Baker, Rich Rescigno, Jackie Rogers, Carol Tisch, Abby Weingarten, Johannes Werner, Jeff Widmer

Contributing Jenny Acheson, Barbara Photographers Banks, Kathryn Brass, and Artists Matthew Holler, Chris Lake, Gene Pollux, Lori Sax, Alex Stafford

330 S. Pineapple Ave., Suite 205, Sarasota, FL 34236 Phone: (941) 487-1100 Fax: (941) 365-7272 Biz941.com | SarasotaMagazine.com

4 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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BIZ(941) 5

Name: Jackie Home: Sarasota, Florida Age: 8 weeks Education: Preschooler, Southeastern Guide Dogs Profession: Guide dog in training Favorite Activity: Belly rubs followed by a good nap Hobbies: Making fuzzy things squeak Attributes: Curiosity, friendliness Destiny: Transforming “can’t” into “can”

Today, he’s one-part clown and one-part blood pressure medicine. But someday, and with your help, he’ll be mobility, safety and companionship for a person who could really use his support. It’s not that dogs like him love us. It’s that we’re lucky enough to love dogs like him. He’s a gift— named Jackie. A gift made possible by people like you.

Find out how you can help at GuideDogs.org

Talk SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

I NNOVATOR

➜ Erika

Pope-Gusev

Stay-at-home mom Erika Pope-Gusev, now 41, watched her then 8-year-old son quickly demolish a dryer box he’d made into a rocket. After a disappointing search for a better option, the Sarasota resident was inspired to create and launch her make-a-fort-kit company, Fort Magic, in December 2011.

Retailing for $199 online at fortmagic.com and on Amazon, the 382-piece Fort Magic kit includes a series of sticks and connectors of varying shapes and sizes. A full-color instruction manual with 20 designs for small, medium or large forts—castles, pirate ships, airplanes and submarines—is included, though Pope-Gusev says the pieces combine to create unlimited designs.

She relied on networking with local businesses and manufacturers to obtain the materials and construction of the product. Then she researched patents, worked with an accountant to create a business plan and, with her mother, invested $250,000 into the development of a prototype.

Pope-Gusev began to market online and by Christmas that year the company sold 21 units. (To date, more than 2,000 forts have been sold.) The toy received the Tillywig Brain Child 2014 Award, Dr. Toy’s Best Classic 2014 Award, Parents’ Choice Recommended 2014 and the 2014 PAL Award.

She advises other entrepreneurs to reach out to business experts who understand startups.

“You’ve got to have a tremendous amount of stamina and tenacity,” she says. ■ By Chelsey Lucas

8 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

alex stafford

Toy Developer

Biz Rules

o v er h e a r d

“Shopping is the No. 1 activity for tourists and they no longer buy ashtrays. They’re buying Nike tennis shoes and Coach handbags.

Typically they go one brand higher on vacation.”

—Retail consultant Robert Gibbs of Gibbs Planning Group, talking to Sarasota officials and citizens this summer about the retail climate.

METRIC

65.5

%

The percentage of residential sales that closed in the first six months of 2014 in Sarasota County that were all-cash. Last year, the percentage was 64.4. In 2005, the percentage was 17.3. In Manatee County, the numbers are 53%, 58.3% and 18.1%.

SOURCE: Sarasota Association of Realtors and Manatee Association of Realtors.

By Chelsey Lucas

Workplace Bullying Workplace bullying affects as many as 35 percent of employees in the U.S., according to a recent study by the Workplace Bullying Institute, and is more common than sexual harassment and racial discrimination. The organization defines workplace bullying as “repeated, health-harming mistreatment” and as “abusive conduct… which prevents work from getting done.” The institute found that 62 percent of workplace bullies are men and 38 percent are women.

The reason it persists?

According to Sarasota employment discrimination attorney Natashia Hines of Lancaster & Eure, P.A., no laws exist to prohibit such misconduct or protect victims. Still, Hines says workplace bullying can be handled.

“Document, document, document,” she says. As the plaintiff, the burden of proof falls on you.

Any incident should be written down and safely stored for access

in case of employment termination. Because these cases can take up to two and a half years, it is crucial to keep detailed notes in the event that there is a trial.

She also advises reviewing your company’s employee handbook when you decide to take action.

Cases are subject to dismissal if protocol in the handbook is not followed as outlined. Generally, businesses require internal action through human resources before an employee can take legal action.

If filing a claim, contact the Florida Commission on Human Relations in Sarasota County and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the closest office is in Tampa.

Victims are frequently afraid of the potential repercussions of reporting their bullies, so incidents often go unreported. So, Hines says, “I always tell a new client: ‘Congratulations, you took a stand.’” ■

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 9

Talk

biz makeover

Cathleen Swackhammer, a recent graduate of USF SarasotaManatee, has her sights set on a career in hospitality, and she’s looking

for a management position where she can exercise her passion for customer service and problem-solving. Cathleen’s final lesson is learning how to dress with style and a bit of bold color.

Cathleen’s Goal “I wanted a fresh, polished look that was complete, beautiful and professional. I also wanted something that I would have never chosen for myself.”

Jackie’s Goal “Cathleen needed a modern update to her ‘always in black’ interview outfits.

Traditionally the hospitality industry wears a type of uniform on the job; however, I wanted to amp up her style. The silhouette and length of this knit jacket define Cathy’s figure, and the open neckline is flattering and presents plenty of options for jewelry. The subtle pattern of the jacket adds interest and depth to the look while still being black. The bright yellow top is something Cathy never would have tried on her own and suits her vibrant personality and makes her stand out from the crowd. The chunky beaded necklace balances the outfit by breaking up the long jacket and top. To complete the look, Ashley at Fresh Salon gave her face-framing layers and an easy-to-maintain style. Linda, also at Fresh Salon, showed her the subtle power of pink lip color, which was something Cathleen never would have tried.” cathleen’s Take “I was amazed at how I looked in yellow. I also had a blast, and this experience will help me throughout the rest of my career.” story and styling by Jackie Rogers Photography by alex stafford, Hair by Ashley Fagan, Make-up by Linda Para , of Fresh Salon. Spa. Style.

10 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

after BEFORE

Too relaxed

Ready to serve

Where to buy Misook knit pant, $200, top, $128, and jacket, $400; Calvin Klein leather pumps, $89, and necklace, $58; all from Dillard’s. Hoop earrings, her own.

Leadership takes

Vision, Commitment, Character And a Great Team

Leading the way in our community.

Sarasota: 1718 Main Street (941) 363-3180 | 2815 University Parkway (941) 355-5313 | 3600 S Tuttle (941) 925-1050

3323 17th Street (941) 951-1018 | 8181 S Tamiami Trail (941) 552-3724 Bradenton: 5310 State Road 64 E (941) 487-3050 | 6351 Manatee W (941) 795-4211 | 5844 14th Street W (941) 758-7800 www.iberiabank.com | Member FDIC

Talk

By Ilene Denton

MATT HOLLER

How’s Biz?

Sandy Ramsey

Tim Brown

“We’re a Christian-based,

“We’re a 49-unit hotel

President, Artisans’ World Marketplace nonprofit fair trade store; everything we carry—jewelry, clothing, accessories, foods—has been handcrafted by an artisan somewhere in the world living below poverty level. We started 18 years ago in downtown Sarasota with a $25,000 inventory loan and $800 in the bank, and we’re still here.

That’s partly because the First Methodist Church is our landlord and gives us free rent.

“When the economy tanked, gift stores didn’t fare very well.

Our saving grace was what we do: The first Christmas after the economy tanked, people came in and said, ‘If we’re going to give a gift, we want to give one that counts.’

We count. The more we sell, the more we can give.”

Manager, Inn at the Beach across from Venice Beach that’s been here since the 1950s.

We had a record year, with 72 percent average occupancy. In season we fill up every night, mostly with Northerners; in summer we see a lot of locals and also Europeans from all over the continent. Our main advertising is word of mouth through the Internet. Lonely Planet named us their top choice in Venice, and TripAdvisor named us the No. 1 hotel in the Venice area based on guests’ positive reviews and photos.”

12 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Barry Rainwater Owner, American Shore

“We have two businesses on Main Street Lakewood Ranch: the Barbary Shoppe, a gentleman’s upscale barber shop, and our surf and skate-inspired apparel shop, American Shore.

We opened American Shore in 2012 and moved it to a slightly bigger location on Main Street in November. Business is growing.

“We like to say we’re for teens, young adults and young at heart, but we are changing our merchandise focus toward a slightly older customer—the Jimmy Buffett crowd versus teens—with brands like Tommy Bahama, Sperry Topsider and Vans. Most of our business is from Lakewood Ranch residents. It’s a matter of having the right things for our customers who live here, things that support their Florida casual lifestyle— summerwear year-round.” ■

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People | Product | Service

Talk

By Susan Burns

F I V E Q UES T I O N S

Nelleke van Lindonk, co-founder and director, PINC For 15 years, Dutch native Nelleke van Lindonk has organized PINC, a one-day annual conference on innovation and creativity that takes place in Zeist, just outside of Amsterdam.

On Nov. 6, PINC—which stands for people, ideas, nature and creativity—comes to Sarasota, the first time the gathering will be held outside the Netherlands. Nelleke co-founded PINC with her husband, Peter, who died almost two years ago, and continues their vision to extend PINC’s reach.

NELLEKE VAN LINDONK

Q. How did PINC begin?

“My husband and I had a publishing house for 30 years and we published books that had a creative context—freezing a book into an ice block, for example, or putting a [real] radio on a book cover and broadcasting a special program to people who had the book in their possession. Creativity was always on our minds. My husband saw an ad in Fast Company about TEDx and went there and called me immediately and said, ‘This is fantastic.’

We asked TED founder Richard Wurman if he could start it in the Netherlands and he wasn’t interested.

So we started our own.”

Q. Why Sarasota?

“We visited one of our authors in Venice [Fla.] 32 years ago and enjoyed it very much. Sarasota is also a circus town, and my husband had a strange hobby. He was the ringmaster for a circus in Amsterdam for three weeks at Christmastime. Then our son, Olivier, studied

sports management in the States and got an internship with Nick Bollettieri and is now a sports agent at IMG in Bradenton. But importantly, [in 2013] Fast Company named Florida as the most innovative state in the country.”

Q. How is PINC different from TEDx? “We are not looking for the CEO but for the man or woman who has the passion. We want someone who can talk from the heart. We’re also smaller so people can meet one another. This first conference we will only have 220 attendees to hear 16 speakers who each speak for 20 minutes.”

Q. Who will be speaking?

So far, we have Dickson Despommier of the U.S.A., founder of the Vertical Farming Project; David Gallo, U.S.A., of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Miles Rohan, U.S.A., founder of the Corduroy Appreciation Club; Jon Jefferson,

14 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

American author and television documentary maker of The Body Farm in Tennessee; Dorji Wangchuk of Bhutan, [who will speak about] the Happiness GDP; U.K. historian Christopher Lloyd; John Barker [of Germany] on face transplants; and Alan Moore of the U.K. on Reshaping the Rules.”

Q. What do you want your audience to take away?

“We are about capturing the imagination. If you listen to creative people in different fields, you will learn and be able to use their ideas in your own company or work.” ■

PINC Sarasota is an all-day conference, Nov. 6, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. at Florida Studio Theatre in downtown Sarasota. Tickets are $425 and include breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information, go to pincsarasota.com.

Talk

Agenda

S eptember & october

SEPT. 3 East Meets West Business Expo, presented by the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. $5 in advance; $10 at the door. For details, visit eastmeetswestexpo.com.

SEPT. 5 Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County Annual Meeting, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. $65. Register at edcsarasotacounty.com.

SEPT. 18 Venice Area Chamber of Commerce 90th Annual Banquet and Installation of Officers, 5:30-9 p.m. at Jacaranda West Country Club, 1901 Jacaranda Blvd., Venice.

Reservations required; email Debra Mattar at vchamber@ venicechamber.com.

SEPT. 25 SCOPE

13th Anniversary and Boundary Crosser Award Celebration, honoring Cathy Layton, 5-6:30 p.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 East Ave. S., Sarasota. $35. Register at scopexcel.org.

SEPT. 25

CareerSource Annual Meeting with keynote speaker Rebecca Rust, chief economist, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club, 7650 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Bradenton. Early registration by Sept. 12 is $45, $55 after that date. Registration deadline is Sept. 19; no refunds will be issued after that date.

OCT. 3 Venice Area

Chamber of Commerce Expo, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.

OCT. 8 Sarasota County Bar Association Diversity Committee presents “From Cradle to Grave: Representing the LGBT Client,” 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Francis, 1280 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. $60 for SCBA Diversity Committee and regional bar association members; $75 for nonmembers. Register by Oct. 3 at sarasotabar.com.

OCT. 23 The Greater

Sarasota Chamber of Commerce 94th Annual Meeting, 11:30-1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota. $55 for members. Register at sarasotachamber.com.

16 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

tre n d spotter

Going Mobile

% of American adults aged 18 and older who own a tablet 2010 (May): 3% 2011 (May): 8% 2011 (Dec.): 10% 2012 (Nov.): 24% 2013 (Sept.): 34% 2014 (January): 42% SOURCE: Pew Internet & American Life Project report, January 2014

reader meter

How often will you shop at The Mall at University Town Center when it opens this fall?

10%

Once a week

63

Once a month

%

Four to six times per year

19% 8%

more than once a week

SOURCE: Biz(941) Daily poll

RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

Nuturing, Growing, Cultivating “People like you help students achieve their dreams purely out of the goodness of their hearts. Thank you!”

Lillian Gottwald | Class of 2012 | Illustration

Learn how you can invest in the new, creative economy with Ringling College. www.ringling.edu/giving 941.309.4733 giving@ringling.edu

RINGLING COLLEGE_biz.indd 1

8/4/14 1:20 PM

Think of it as

Healthier Care.

TM

At LernerCohen Healthcare, our patients are always our primary concern. That’s why we limit the number of patients we treat, never keep you waiting, and always answer the phone when you call, every day and any time.

• Board Certified in Internal Medicine • Exceptional, Experienced Primary Care Physicians • Personal Attention • Unlimited Visits • 24/7 Access with No Waiting When you’re considering your overall wellness plan this year, think about Healthier Care from Lerner Cohen.

Brad S. Lerner, MD • Louis M. Cohen, MD 1921 Waldemere Street, Suite 814 Sarasota, FL 34239 • LernerCohen.com The Doctor Is In. Always.

941.953.9080 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 17

Ask the Originals www.DineOriginal.com

Eat Like a Local “What are some area restaurants that offer private dining rooms for holiday and office parties?”

Talk

By Hannah Wallace

Biz bites Inspired sandwiches and fresh-

baked bread at the Savory Street International Café and Bakery.

CHAD SPENCER

(941) 951-9200 | andreassarasota.com

(941) 479-7827 | blumangrovegrill.com

THE PLACE

(941) 921-4848 | cafebacisarasota.com

(941) 794-1100 | dereks-bradenton.com

The Savory Street International Café and Bakery, 411 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota, (941) 3124027, thesavorystreet.com. Sunlit Savory Street takes full advantage of its high-ceilinged corner spot in Orange Avenue’s Citrus Square, creating a strong European café vibe, but with a friendly attitude that hints at the tradition of American diners. The airy room includes tables, chairs and a banquette, as well as

18 BIZ(941) september | october 2014

a counter and pastry case displaying fresh-baked goods.

THE PEOPLE

Polo-shirted professionals talking business over chicken salad; young families taking a break from play dates.

TIME FACTOR

Quick, if needed, but comfortable enough to take your time.

THE FOOD The

lunch menu features a variety of refined approaches to classic sandwiches

served on housemade bread. The two varieties of chicken salad sandwiches, served on specially made croissants, are elevated with curry and coconut (in the case of the curried chicken salad), or cumin, coriander and sunflower seeds (for the Mediterranean).

There are also beef, salami, ham and turkey sandwiches and hearty vegetarian creations. The fresh breads range from brioche to ciabatta to 10-grain. ■

A GREAT PLACE FOR YOU–AND YOUR BUSINESS– TO CALL HOME

Founded in 1959, North Port is a young, dynamic city with an unwavering commitment to quality of life: outstanding schools, an abundance of parks and recreational facilities, a state-of-the-art performing arts center and excellent municipal services. The business climate is positive and full of potential too. “Housing permits continue to increase, commercial construction continues to trend upward and the city’s small businesses tell us they are growing and prospering,” City Manager Jonathan Lewis reported in his recent State of the City address. Impact fees and utility and land costs are among the lowest in Southwest Florida.

The workforce is young and skilled (with a further investment in job training to come with the 2016 opening of the North Port campus of the Sarasota County Technical Institute), and its proximity to I-75 makes the rest of the region easily accessible.

That’s why Forbes ranked North Port among the Top 100 for America’s business and careers.

“Our company has grown as a direct result of our location.

We relocated here after more than 15 years in Texas. North Port is conveniently located near many transportation hubs and right on the interstate system.

The work force is available and skilled. And the city boasts of a wonderful year-round climate.”

Kevin Harris, CEO of Hot Sauce Harry’s which sells custom-labeled hot sauces to a national market and Canada

CityofNorthPort.com

SPONSORED REPORT

SPONSORED REPORT

One of the fastest-growing and largest cities in Florida, North Port is the lead city in the North Port-BradentonSarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

GREAT LOCATION “North Port’s policies allow smaller businesses the leniency sometimes necessary to make it through the early stages of growth and expansion, and there is much greater personal, direct access to city officials than you might find in larger cities.”

Strategically located in Sarasota County between Tampa and Fort Myers on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Jamie Lovern, founder and CEO, Lolablue, manufacturer of eco-lux candles and soaps

Excellent access to

75

6

and international, regional and municipal airports

1 hour’s drive from the Port of Manatee, the closest deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal

11

PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

6

elementary schools

3

middle schools

2

high schools

89.4%

STRONG EDUCATIONAL ASSETS

60,659 Total population, nearly tripled since the year 2000

CityofNorthPort.com

Home to the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, and serviced by State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Edison State College

$49,239 40.9 Median household income

Median age

of residents have a high school diploma or higher

16.7% have a bachelor’s degree or higher

HEALTHY DEMOGRAPHICS

SPONSORED REPORT

HOME TO

6

Housing options for every income level, including 2 agriculturally zoned sections, North Port Estates and Woodland Estates

DIVERSE HOUSING

gated communities (3 of them golf course communities) and

3

deed-restricted communities

NATURE ENVIRONMENT FEST The 1,023-seat North Port Performing Arts Center is the secondlargest theater in Sarasota County

FIRECRACKER 5K RUN

POINSETTIA PARADE AND FESTIVAL – just some of the community events that take place year-round

CULTURE AND RECREATION “A great benefit of being in North Port is our ability to recruit talent to an area where they would want to live. With the quality of life being so important to people these days, it helps when your facility is in a great location such as North Port.”

Jeffrey King, President, King Plastic Corporation

ACHIEVE ANYTHING IN NORTH PORT Second-best metro area in Florida to work for small business – Wallet Hub, 2014 Ranked among Top 15 Cleanest Cities in the U.S. – American Lung Association, 2014 Named a Playful City USA for the fourth consecutive year – Humana Foundation, 2014 Ranked in Top 100 for America’s business and careers – Forbes Magazine, 2014 Ranked in Top 10 Digital Cities survey for the third consecutive year – Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities, 2013 Ranked No. 2 U.S. Best Place to Live (affordable homes) – CNN Money, 2012

For more information about the City of North Port, Florida, call 1-8NORTHPORT (1-866-784-7678). And discover more about the City of North Port at CityofNorthPort.com.

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PEOPLE TO

WATCH 2 014

As we celebrate our community’s big thinkers and change makers, we also thank our sponsors for their support of this exceptional group.

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Hiring an ad agency is a big deal. It confirms you are ready to take the stage and properly show your audience what you do and how you do it.

There are many options out there, so you want to know precisely what you need and what to expect before you make the jump. You also don’t want to make the costly mistake of choosing the wrong partner.

So, do you go with the smaller boutique agency or do you hire a full-service firm?

A boutique agency tends to keep its client list short, and many service only a particular industry, style of media or content, or even a certain locale. As appealing as boutique agencies sound for their ability to work with many freelancers, larger, more established agencies offer some persuasive arguments about why they’re the best option for your business.

Command Attention.

Creating, maintaining and exposing your message to all forms of media commands the attention of an agency that can do it all with an experienced creative team, not just focus on certain segments. Therefore, if your business demands the full service and support that covers the full breadth and scope of your needs,

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it’s a better idea to explore the cost-efficient results of an all-inclusive, proven firm, like Grapevine Communications.

When it comes to comprehensive, businessboosting services, Grapevine – the region’s most award-winning and highly respected advertising, marketing and public relations agency – stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Some of Grapevine’s clients include: • Center For Sight • Nathan Benderson Park/SANCA • Autumn of Sarasota • Anna Maria Oyster Bar • Freedom Boat Club • Koval & Koval Dental Associates • VoiceTech, Inc.

A longtime fixture serving the SarasotaBradenton market under the leadership of Angela Massaro-Fain and her husband/partner John Fain, Grapevine packs a powerful multimedia punch that has helped the firm experience substantial organic growth to its cross-industry client base. This expansion of clientele has been complemented by a collection of accolades,

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Additionally, the agency has continually garnered attention for its exceptional work, winning nearly 110 ADDY and AMY awards to date. “We’ve always been proud of our reputation for making waves in the industry,” said Angela Massaro-Fain. “They’re watching, we’re performing, and our clients are seeing the results.”

As a full-service solution, Grapevine Communications offers a broader range of capabilities than any boutique agency – and each one is performed by the talented in-house staff of art directors, copywriters, web designers and public relations experts. The firm provides clients with such services as conceptualization, branding, messaging and design covering all imaginable channels. Grapevine also brings expertise in additional areas of exposure, including media buying, market research, press dissemination, strategic market planning, interactive marketing and more.

Grapevine’s time spent in the business also allows them to engage longstanding relationships with local media resources to ensure you get the coverage needed to reach your audience. “Many advertising firms only focus on doing what they can to satisfy their client list,” says John Fain, Partner and Executive Vice President. “We reach well beyond that idea. We consider what the patrons of our clients expect from the companies they love and trust – honesty, consistency and accurate brand messaging, for example. Ultimately, this plays in the favor of the businesses that choose our services in the form of better results and increased customer loyalty.”

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People to

Watch 2 014

Meet the 20 innovative individuals who are transforming our region.

Biz(941) once again asked readers and business leaders to nominate the individuals impacting Sarasota, Manatee and places far away with their ideas and energy. You responded with an avalanche of names from up-and-coming young professionals to experienced and already successful innovators from every arena.

The impressive 20 individuals on these pages—from the maker of fuel from algae to the manager of our new megamall—rose to the top as our 2014 People to Watch.

Shellie Terry Benson, Susan Burns, Ilene Denton, Kim Hackett, Chelsey Lucas and Abby Weingarten contributed to this story.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT HOLLER

Timothy Hearon When Timothy Hearon was managing a telecommunications and health care staffing firm in Sarasota, baby boomer clients kept telling him they were having trouble finding jobs, and didn’t know how to market themselves online. Then he heard about Boomerswork, an online service founded in Canada that matches boomer managers and executives with parttime or term-assignment jobs.

Recognizing that this region’s large population of educated boomers is a perfect market for this service, he invested in the company and became its COO. Hearon, now 40, launched the U.S. headquarters in Sarasota late last year. He hopes to sign up 5,000 boomers and 500 companies in the next 18 months and triple those numbers in five years. “There are 300,000 boomers retiring each month in North America, 15 percent of them managerial stock,” he says. “We’re trying to educate the workforce to employ them, and to enable this massive demographic to market themselves.”

PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

I'm the greenest company on the planet. One hundred million gallons is just the beginning.

"

Paul Woods with his algaebased fuel.

28 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013

Paul Woods As a genetics student in college in the 1980s, Paul Woods invented a way to turn algae into fuel. Now 52, Woods, who retired as a multimillionaire from a successful career in natural gas, has returned to his first passion and launched Algenol, a Lee County company that purchases carbon emissions from utility company stacks (ingeniously turning carbon into an asset for utilities) and pumps the CO2 into bags of special algae to produce ethanol. With $250 million in private capital, Woods is shopping for land east of Manatee-Sarasota to build a $1.3 billion facility that eventually could produce 100 million gallons of biofuel a year for 50 cents to 75 cents cheaper than customers now see at the pump. If EPA approval comes through, his fuel can go to market immediately. “I’m the greenest company on the planet,” Woods says. “This process creates more fresh water than fuel. Think of the possibilities for certain parts of the world.

One hundred million gallons is just the beginning. Everything to date has been about taking carbon out of the ground, burning it and letting it go into the atmosphere. Our fuel is natural and recycled, the way Mother Earth has always done it.”

Octavio “Tav” Ortiz III As general manager of The Mall at University Town Center, Octavio “Tav” Ortiz III, 48, is expected to deliver an unforgettable shopping experience when the mall opens on Oct. 16. The 880,000-square-foot, high-end mall marks a big shift in the region’s retail landscape, targeting shoppers from Fort Myers to St. Petersburg with many stores and restaurants that have not been here before. Ortiz, who works for major mall developer Taubman Centers, has been handling the marketing, security, staffing, landscaping and other operations since groundbreaking. He’s also been busy building relationships with the community, such as the grand opening bash Oct. 15 that gives the public a sneak peek at the mall while donating all proceeds to local charities. A startup shopping mall veteran, Ortiz has worked along Florida’s east coast, but this is his first west coast experience. “It’s been so overwhelmingly positive,” he says.

“Everyone’s so excited.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

STEVE ROTHMAN When his 87-year-old mother died from a treatable post-op ailment in 2003, Steve Rothman didn’t sue; he set out to fix the system. Rothman, 66, a former MIT think tank consultant, and his brother, also a data-analysis expert, observed and dissected loads of medical practice information. The Florence A. Rothman Index is a computer program (named for their mother) that integrates with electronic medical records and, using more than 50 health indicators, generates a line graph showing a patient’s relative health. Via Rothman’s company, PeraHealth, the Rothman Index is already in use in some top-ranked hospitals, including Yale-New Haven and Seattle Children’s. Rothman founded Alive Sciences to bring this technology to nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and independentliving senior communities, so residents’ health could be surveyed well before the need for hospitalization. “We’re applying this tracking index across the continuum of care,” he explains, “not to extend life but to extend quality of life.”

30 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

PEOPLE TO WATCH

JEFF JACKSON

Joy Randels High-energy Bradenton entrepreneur Joy Randels runs three companies, speaks around the country, sits on multiple boards, and urges area entrepreneurs to get into the game. She figures she’s helped launch more than 75 companies, raised more than $300 million in venture capital and led 17 acquisitions.

Randels is currently the founder and CEO of New Market Partners, a tech company “accelerator”; the co-founder and managing partner of Applied G2, a computer forensics company with Fortune 500 clients; and the co-founder of Nurturism Media Group, a holding company that helps established tech companies.

The director of Startup Grind Tampa Bay, Randels is itching to harness the entrepreneurial spirit in the region and is launching Startup Weekend in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte. “What we’re missing here is the collaboration,” she says. “Let’s connect the [educational institutions] and the things that make this community unique.”

32 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Like the impact-resistant windows and doors it manufactures, PGT Industries braced itself for the economic storm that hit the housing market. With the oncoming recovery, PGT is now gearing up for growth, adding 600 staff members since 2013 and promoting executive vice president and CFO Jeff Jackson, 48, to president and COO in June. Jackson takes over operational control, succeeding Rod Hershberger, who remains CEO and chairman of PGT’s board of directors. “We learned valuable lessons during the downturn, and one of those is timing,” Jackson says.

“The last time we were at the same sales run rate we had over 2,100 employees compared to our current 1,600.” Those streamlined operations put PGT in a good position, should another recession hit. “Thankfully, I do not see another downturn in the cards,” he says, as PGT keeps its eye on the 60,000 to 70,000 housing starts in Florida this year alone while acquiring another company for $111 million this summer.

"

We learned valuable lessons during the downturn, and one of those is timing.

"

Jeff Jackson at the PGT plant.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

Chip McCarthy A 5,000-seat stadium, 850 new dormitory beds, a 40,000-square-foot field house—as of July, IMG Academy had the most open construction permits in Manatee County. At the heart of the sports mecca’s expansion is CFO Chip McCarthy. McCarthy, 58, at IMG since 1990, says the academy has been in growth mode since 2009, when it developed its 15-year plan, restructured management and, despite a down economy, “decided to double down and go after market share.” McCarthy also has overseen a 500 percent increase in marketing investment and the development of on-site partnerships with icons like the Gatorade Sports Science Institute and Under Armour, which provide equipment and services in exchange for valuable research. What’s next? An academic building, a 35,000-square-foot student union and a 63,000-squarefoot performance structure start rising this fall. Conservative estimates already put IMG’s economic impact at about $700 million.

“We’re becoming, on a very small scale, sort of a Silicon Valley of sports performance,” McCarthy says.

34 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Chip McCarthy in front of IMG’s brand-new, 5,000seat stadium.

Kirk Boylston In March, Kirk Boylston became president of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc.’s LWR Commercial Realty, responsible for the development of all commercial, multifamily and apartment development in the 31,000-acre, master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch. Improvements are currently being made to include more than 6 million square feet of office, retail, hospitality and light industrial development, and Boylston is reaching out nationally to builders and investment funds. He’s also visiting companies in the Northeast and Canada to find tenants.

“We’re trying to target more national tenants—offices and retailers that we haven’t had before, alternative-use types, such as biomedical or technical,” says Boylston, who has extensive contacts from his former position as regional director of EJM Development Co. in Las Vegas. “We want to increase the variety of jobs in Lakewood Ranch and attract a good pay scale range so the people who live here can also work here,” he says.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

A once-in-ageneration opportunity.

"

Virginia Haley & Michael Klauber Visit Sarasota County’s president Virginia Haley, 60, and board chair Michael Klauber, 59, believe the 45 Sarasota bayfront acres stretching from the vacant Sarasota Quay property north to 10th Street should be transformed into a world-class waterfront destination. The pair has been meeting quietly with civic leaders and activists, and exhorting city leaders to take a second look at the 2007 Cultural Park plan, gathering dust at City Hall since the Great Recession. Among its suggestions: build a parking garage so that the vast Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall parking lot can become a lush green public space for small outdoor concerts, with an expanded promenade for strolling and picnicking along the bay. Klauber calls the project “a once-in-a-generation opportunity.” They’re even lobbying to include the 30 acres across North Tamiami Trail. It’s a long shot, Haley admits, but “the upfront investment in developing the common community vision is critical.”

36 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

In 1953, Icard Merrill planted its hopes in this community. As our community has grown and blossomed, so has the firm. Sixty years later, we are still here, actively engaged in many different aspects of this special area we call home. Our experienced attorneys counsel clients on legal matters ranging from business, construction and civil litigation to real estate, family law and estate planning. Over the years, we have devoted countless hours and donated our resources to support local causes. We do this because we care. This is our home; you are our neighbors. Our roots run deep.

941.366.8100 • icardmerrill.com Mana tee, Sarasota & Charlotte Counties

PEOPLE TO WATCH

BEN BAKKER

Susan Brennan Susan Brennan became a top performer at PNC Wealth Management after arriving in Sarasota from Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2007 as one of its startup executives. She’s at it again, establishing Florida’s first branch of New York Private Bank and Trust in downtown Sarasota. Brennan represents the increasing amount of wealth that is coming to the region. The billionaire New York City real estate investor and philanthropist family of Howard P. Milstein owns the bank (they also own Emigrant Bank), and they cater to extremely wealthy families, offering services that traditional banks usually don’t. “Creative financing is going to be our niche,” says Brennan, 56, the bank’s managing director. Need a loan against a fine art collection? That’s where they come in. Sarasota’s artsy culture is an ideal match. “We feel Sarasota has even better potential than Palm Beach or Naples,” she says.

38 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Ben Bakker, 38, moved to Bradenton as a toddler and has been committed to Manatee County ever since. Vice president of HJB Properties, a commercial leasing company, and a commercial realtor at Michael Saunders & Company, Bakker is president of the Manatee Young Professionals, which has seen record growth during his 1 ½-year term; a founding board member of Realize Bradenton; chair of Bradenton’s Downtown Redevelopment Committee; vice chair of Bradenton’s Planning Commission; on the board of the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce; and president of Leadership Manatee Alumni Association.

Married and the father of two children, Bakker is also a musician, a band director at Bayside Community Church and still finds time to play hockey. He is determined to make Bradenton a standout city with expanding arts, culture, dining and sports.

“We have all the pieces,” he says. “We’re just getting started.”

Ben Bakker at Riverwalk in Bradenton.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

We're working toward a billiondollar brand.

"

MARK PENTECOST Mark Pentecost, founder and CEO of 14-year-old It Works! Global, believes in the direct-sales business model made famous by Amway and Mary Kay. Since moving from Michigan to Manatee County in 2011 (the better for entertaining the company’s 90,000-plus international independent distributors), It Works! has notched 1,047 percent revenue growth, making it one of Inc.’s 500 fastest-growing companies and Pentecost an Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist. The 57-year-old former high school teacher credits his direct-sales success partly to word-of-mouth enthusiasm for the company’s fast-acting health and beauty products. (Pentecost came up with the company name after hearing his customers say “It works!” when they tried his flagship product, the body-contouring Miracle Wrap.) Debt-free since 2009, It Works! weathered the down economy and this spring, with total revenues approaching $500 million, expanded into a renovated fivestory, 50,000-square-foot headquarters on Palmetto’s riverfront. “We’re working toward a billion-dollar brand,” he says.

40 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Mark Pentecost at his new 50,000-squarefoot headquarters.

• A fee-only Registered

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• For investment philosophy and results please visit our web site

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

Sherod Halliburton This summer, Sherod Halliburton, 47, president of the Manatee Community Federal Credit Union, launched a first-of-its-kind loan program in the U.S. to help small businesses ineligible for traditional loans find financing. The credit union has worked with more than 20 government, financial and technical assistance providers over the last year. The result is a $5 million revolving loan fund, supported by the national Urban Entrepreneur Partnership, which will work with individual businesses. This project will serve as a bridge to traditional financing with credit building and loans available up to $50,000.

Supporting entrepreneurs is a passion for Halliburton, who has held leadership positions with the Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency, the Central Economic Development Center, CareerEdge Funders Collaborative and Suncoast Community Capital. “Small businesses create the lion’s share of new jobs in our community,” he says. “My mission is to be on the forefront of creating the framework for success.”

42 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

LIFE SIMPLIFIED

AWARD WINNING ARCHITECTURE & GREEN DESIGN 941.362.4312 | AA-0002961

www.CarlsonStudio.org

PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

During Open Studio on Fridays you can just walk in and see what we’re working on.

"

Karin Murphy at the city of Sarasota’s new Urban Design Studio.

44 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

KARIN MURPHY Karin Murphy, 54, the director of the city of Sarasota’s year-old Urban Design Studio, has spent 20 years in the region’s private and public planning arena.

She managed such complex infill projects as Whole Foods Market and The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Now she wants to help create walkable neighborhoods that will preserve Sarasota’s historic character, promote green building and attract investors.

She’s won fans with the development community, which often complains about the city’s slow and resistant planning process, for her team’s efforts to bring developers and residents together to work on revising building codes. “Our studio [is set up as] a working laboratory so the community can have access during the planning and design process,” she says. “During Open Studio on Fridays you can just walk in and see what we’re working on, give us feedback, ask questions or discuss your own ideas.”

TRacy Ingram Inspired by his mother’s near death as the result of a misdiagnosis, Sarasota’s Tracy Ingram, 40, CEO of Intention Technology, has been working with a team to develop Bioscan, software that can help track and prevent medical problems. His efforts are part of the Qualcomm Tricoder XPRIZE, a 3 ½ -year global competition with a $10-million prize for developing a hand-held device that can diagnose 15 health conditions. Three hundred teams entered the competition; Ingram’s tiny startup is one of 21 that remain. Ingram represents the next generation of mobile health. “I wanted to go beyond diagnosing,” he says. “I wanted to predict.” If Ingram doesn’t reach the XPRIZE finals, he has no intention of stopping. “I’ve already received publicity on an international stage and an agreement with the FDA for fast tracking,” he says. “I can help doctors save lives; help people take care of their own lives.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

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PEOPLE TO WATCH

MARTY BLACK Marty Black, 52, served for four years as city manager of Venice, but in 2008, tensions with the city council led to his retirement. After two years as the city administrator for Green River, Wyo., Black has returned to Florida as general manager of Mattamy Homes’ Thomas Ranch development in North Port. Mattamy Homes, Canada’s largest homebuilder, purchased 9,650 acres of the ranch for $86.25 million in May. The project, in partnership with Sarasota’s Vanguard Land, is approved for 11,000 homes and should begin development in 2016. Black understands the area’s planning history and the often shaky ties between the cities and county.

He sees Thomas Ranch as an opportunity to generate a more collaborative spirit. “That takes a patient approach and understanding all the infrastructure that goes into it, but also making sure we match the needs of the market and don’t bring it too quick,” he says.

46 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

Newtown is not separate from Sarasota.

"

SHELLI FREELAND EDDIE Shelli Freeland Eddie, 40, moved to Sarasota from Kentucky 11 years ago after finishing law school. In June, marking her growing commitment to the historically black Sarasota community of Newtown, she opened an office on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, making her the first professional to hang a shingle at the new mixed-used project Marketplace at Janie’s Gardens. Eddie specializes in family, civil, criminal, business and asset protection law, appears regularly on Black Almanac (WWSB-TV), is helping to inaugurate a curriculum at Booker High’s Law Academy, creating partnerships with local nonprofits like the Women’s Resource Center, and acting as vice chair of the Newtown Community Redevelopment Area. She plans to hold monthly workshops in Newtown on civil and business legal matters, inviting anyone who needs help. “Newtown is not separate from Sarasota,” she says. “I want to inspire more people to come in, to open space for more opportunities.”

48 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Shelli Freeland Eddie in front of her office at Marketplace at Janie’s Gardens.

PEOPLE TO WATCH

"

We have to find a way for young people to become more involved.

"

Fritz and Ping Faulhaber When the G.WIZ science museum closed last year, among the casualties was its high-tech Fab Lab. Created with a $400,000 gift from Dr. Fritz and Ping Faulhaber, the lab had sophisticated machinery that enabled budding inventors to create models. The Faulhabers, both engineers who own a scientific manufacturing company in Germany, want to open a new Suncoast Science Center in Sarasota with that machinery. A temporary space at the Sarasota County Technical Institute opened in August and they’re seeking a permanent home.

The couple also helped develop summer science programs at Girls, Inc. and the Newtown Boys & Girls Club. Ping Faulhaber cites government predictions for a 62 percent increase in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers by 2020, yet only 16 percent of high school seniors plan to pursue them. “The need is urgent,” she says. “We have to find a way for young people to become involved in the experimental sciences.”

50 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

Culp-Henson Private Cardiology and Internal Medicine.

Culp-Henson integrates all of your medical care in a single practice with trusted physicians.

3830 Bee Ridge Road Sarasota, FL 34233 (941) 924-4729 Culp-Henson.com

Culp-Henson Private Cardiology and Internal Medicine is a concierge medical practice founded by Dr. Stephen C. Culp and Dr. Kenneth D. Henson.

We combine cardiology and internal medicine expertise in a single practice with around-the-clock direct physician access. Board certifications in Cardiology and Internal Medicine allow Drs. Culp and Henson to provide comprehensive care for a broad range of medical issues.

Culp-Henson integrates all of your medical care in one practice with trusted physicians. The number of patients is limited to ensure availability, direct communication and individual attention. Our combination of training, experience, compassion and personal service affords our patients exceptional care.

Choosing your physician is highly personal and one of the most important decisions you will ever make.

Drs. Culp and Henson welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your health care needs.

ADV E RTI SE MEN T

NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AND AWARD-WINNING LAKEWOOD RANCH-BASED HALFACRE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY SPECIALIZES IN FULL SERVICE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

THE HALFACRE DIFFERENCE “EVERY TIME YOU SEE the Halfacre name in front of a project, you can be assured that a dedicated team of seasoned professionals, upholding a strong family legacy, is behind it. That is something I am constantly aware of and proud to uphold,” says Jack Cox, President and CEO of Halfacre Construction Company.

Starting at the top, the corporate culture is one of teamwork, hard work and integrity.

Cox serves as the president of the Suncoast Charities for Children, and is a dedicated community activist and philanthropist who donates countless hours, manpower and dollars to several area nonprofit organizations.

As the area's oldest, most established, locally owned and operated private commercial construction company, the firm’s foundational strengths stand as evidence that its commercial

and industrial construction projects will be delivered on time, within budget, with the utmost integrity and with the expertise and financial strength needed for success. Halfacre Construction also offers its expertise as a green building provider with the resources available to build viable, effective alternatives to reduce energy consumption and preserve natural resources. For more information, go to www.halfacreconstruction.com.

ADV E RTI SE MEN T

FEATURED PROJECTS SIESTA DUNES

Halfacre is currently restoring the exterior four-story beachfront buildings of Siesta Dunes condominiums in Sarasota. The $1.3 million renovation project began in August and will take an aggressive three months to finish.

Two buildings — with 32 units each — will undergo a total outdoor overhaul including replacing all common area walkways with new structural steel, concrete, handrails, guardrails and ceiling system.

CALDWELL TRUST COMPANY

Slated for a November completion, Halfacre is currently building the new corporate headquarters for Caldwell Trust Company. The building plus its courtyard and two parking lots will occupy four acres on a 10-acre wooded site at 1400 Center Road in Venice.

The building will be constructed to withstand winds up to 180 miles per hour.

Concrete ceilings in the vault area will ensure client records will remain intact in case of an emergency.

SUN HYDRAULICS

Star Building Systems, a national and international leading manufacturer of custom engineered metal buildings, recognized Halfacre Construction with the ‘Best in District Award’ and the prestigious ‘Master Builder of the Year Award’ for the Sun Hydraulics III building located at 803 Tallevast Road in Sarasota. The award-winning 75,510-square-foot building also won 'Best in Class' for Large Industrial Projects in North America.

Life’s most important Life’s most important connections can be connections can be found close to home found close to home Proud to serve Sarasota.

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Merrill Merrill Lynch Lynch financial financial advisors advisors are are committed committed to to the the individuals individuals and and businesses in Sarasota.

We can help you build upon your success, businesses in Sarasota. We can help you build upon your success, prepare for for the the future future and and create create aa strategy strategy that’s that’s uniquely uniquely yours. yours. prepare MLC MLC & & Associates Associates Brian J. J. Mariash, Mariash, CIMA® CIMA® Brian Senior Vice President Senior Vice President – – Wealth Wealth Management Management Financial Advisor Financial Advisor Portfolio Manager, Manager, PIA PIA Program Program Portfolio 941.364.5678 941.364.5678 Merrill Merrill Lynch Lynch th 1819 1819 Main Main Street, Street, 12 12th Floor Floor Sarasota, FL FL 34236 34236 Sarasota, http://fa.ml.com/mlc_and_associates http://fa.ml.com/mlc_and_associates Life’s better better when when we’re we’re connected connected®® Life’s CIMA® is a registered certification mark of Investment Management Consultants Association, Inc. Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”), a registered broker-dealer CIMA® is a registered mark ofofInvestment Management Consultants and member SIPC, andcertification other subsidiaries Bank of America Corporation (“BAC”).Association, Inc. Merrill Lynchproducts: Wealth Management available products and Bank services offered by MerrillMay Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”), a registered broker-dealer Investment Are Not makes FDIC Insured Are Not Guaranteed Lose Value and member SIPC, and other of Bank of AmericaMerrill Corporation (“BAC”).

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specia l advertisin g se c ti on

STORIES

HOPE of

Sarasota and Manatee counties’ nonprofit institutions are many, and the level of engagement in their causes by our citizens makes our area unique. This special section illuminates a great many of these caring nonprofits, whose vital role in strengthening our community is shared with all of us.

We are inspired by their stories; we hope that they inspire you as well to take your place in supporting our area’s charitable causes.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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Experience Experience a world a world of of nonprofit nonprofit stories stories andand data data at your at your fingertips. fingertips.

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GOODWILL MANASOTA

MISSION

Helping to provide economic growth and employment in the community.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES for Southwest Florida continue to be grim.

Few employers hire persons with disabilities, especially in these challenging economic times. Goodwill proudly employs people with disabilities and other barriers to self-sufficiency by providing them with the workplace and behavior skills required to maintain stable employment.

Goodwill Manasota is an industryleading, 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization that changes lives through the power of work. With the sales of donated goods and donations, Goodwill is able to assist people with disabilities by providing job skills training and employment opportunities. Goodwill Manasota’s local economic impact is $81.3 million. It accomplishes its mission through a network of Good Neighbor Centers in Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties and Mission Development Services (MDS) around North America. Goodwill Manasota also provides opportunities through numerous programs, such as Donated Goods Employment Services, Job Connection, American Veterans and Their Families Initiative, JobsPlus, Supported JobsPlus, GoodwillWorks, White Glove Services, Good Neighbor Program and Ambassadors Program. Goodwill is one of the pioneers of the reduce/reuse/ recycle movement and this past year diverted 37 million pounds out of the landfill. Goodwill Manasota is legally organized under the laws of the United States and the state of Florida.

Changing lives through the power of work.

In 2013, Goodwill

Placed 537 people

Assisted 329

Diverted 37 million

Had an economic

served more than

in jobs.

veterans as they

pounds from

impact of $81.3

reintegrated back

landfills.

million.

16,000 people.

into the civilian workforce.

CORPORATE CAMPUS 2705 51st Ave. E. Bradenton, FL 34203 (941) 355-2721 experiencegoodwill.org

WANT TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Visit experiencegoodwill.org 58 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTAMANATEE

Changing lives.

THE MISSION OF The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is to save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life.

It fulfills that mission by supporting programs that assist people in need in Sarasota-Manatee, in Israel and around the world. Programs include providing food for the hungry, rescue and relief efforts for isolated Jews in distressed regions, and supporting innovative educational outreach initiatives.

The Federation creates a sense of community for thousands of area residents through programs aimed at strengthening the relationship between the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community and the broader society of which it is a part. Through its partners, including Asolo Repertory Theatre, Mote Marine and Sarasota Film Festival, the Federation provides a wide range of cultural and educational opportunities.

Most importantly, the Federation changes lives. It distributes grants for children to attend summer camp, disburses thousands of dollars in college scholarships and provides lifesustaining food for homebound seniors in the former Soviet Union.

Your support makes these, and so many other life-changing programs, possible.

Learn more at thejewishfederation.org.

MISSION

Meeting the human needs of the local Jewish community and of fellow Jews worldwide.

To save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life in Sarasota-Manatee, in Israel and around the world.

Promoting a positive Jewish identity.

Supporting and advocating on behalf of Israel.

Involving and building community throughout SarasotaManatee.

Strengthening ties between the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community and the broader society in which it exists.

KLINGENSTEIN JEWISH CENTER 580 McIntosh Road Sarasota, FL 34232 (941) 371-4546 thejewishfederation.org

WANT TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Visit thejewishfederation.org SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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NEW COLLEGE OF FLORIDA

Students who change lives.

NEW COLLEGE’S ABIGAIL OAKES combines her demanding academic program with tireless community service. As a first-year student, while taking calculus and biology, Oakes started a New College chapter of Circle K International. She recruited 30 students, who volunteered with Miracle League Baseball, Brush Up Sarasota and Senior Friendship Center, and tutored at Robert L. Taylor Community Center.

In her second year, while studying organic chemistry, she volunteered with Sarasota’s G.WIZ science museum. That summer, she worked for the National Ecological Observatory Network. Last year, she cofounded SailFuture, a nonprofit run by New College students that mentors at-risk youth through sailing.

This summer Oakes helped run New College’s PUSH/SUCCESS program, which teaches science and leadership skills to underprivileged middle- and high-school students, and doing research for her senior thesis on science education.

People are taking note. In 2014, Oakes was named a national Newman Civic Fellow for her community service, and was one of 50 students nationwide to win a Udall Scholarship for her commitment to the environment.

Brilliant students who make a difference: This is New College of Florida.

MISSION

New College offers a distinctive academic program which develops the student’s intellectual and personal potential and fosters the individual’s effective relationship with society.

A top-notch

A real college

An affordable

All-star students:

High-achieving

education at an

education: a 10:1

college education:

The Class of

alumni: New

affordable price:

student faculty

In-state tuition is

2014 had one

College graduates

The Princeton

ratio, with all

less than $6,900

Truman Scholar,

include scientists,

Review ranks New

classes taught

a year, 90 percent

two Goldwater

scholars, attorneys,

College as the

by professors,

of students get

Scholars, and

physicians,

No. 2 “Best Value

not graduate

financial aid,

five Fulbright

diplomats, CEOs,

Public College in

assistants.

and 61 percent

Scholarship

and the presidents

graduate with no

winners. That’s

of Chatham

debt.

60 Fulbrights in

University and the

the last decade.

New York Federal

America.”

NEW COLLEGE FOUNDATION 5800 Bay Shore Road Sarasota, FL 34243 (941) 487-4800 ncf.edu

Reserve.

WANT TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Visit ncf.edu 60 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Strength in faith, excellence in knowledge, character in service.

ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL is a Catholic Christian community that strives to integrate, in the lives of its students, the message of Jesus.

St. Martha’s philosophy is based on the belief that home and school are partners responsible for creating an environment for the child that nurtures his/her spiritual, physical, psychological, social and intellectual growth to his/her fullest potential. St. Martha Catholic School strives to provide a curriculum that gives opportunity for growth in the student’s relationship with Jesus, while building confidence in academic disciplines, basic skills, aesthetic appreciation and physical development. The school seeks to enable the children to construct a realistic framework for living; accept their limitations; develop their capabilities; develop a just and loving moral code; and develop a mind that inquires and seeks truth and knowledge. The faculty recognizes that Catholic faith is not merely taught from books, but is more realistically inspired by the teachers who strive to provide a model for Catholic living.

It is through the generous support of so many volunteers and donors that St. Martha is able to provide the highest-quality Catholic education, where students develop their strength in faith, excellence in knowledge, and character in service.

MISSION

Accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference and the National Council for Private School Accreditation; designated Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

To provide each student with diverse opportunities that develop strength in faith, and excellence in knowledge and learning.

Grades 2 through 8 take the nationally standardized Iowa Test of Basic Skills, regularly scoring above national averages.

Member of the Florida Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and competitive sports teams for those in 6 through 8 grades.

Resource/ intervention program, licensed RN, chaplain, Association of Student Leaders, Christian Service Program, National Junior Honor Society, KNN News Production and more.

Fund-raising activities include Escape To The Caribbean Interactive Dinner (Oct. 4, 2014), Annual Crawfish Festival (March 28, 2015), and the Annual Fund (Advent and Lenten seasons).

CAMPUS 4380 Fruitville Road Sarasota, FL 34232 (941) 953-4181 stmarthaschool.net

WANT TO HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Visit stmarthaschool.net SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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ALL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION All we do. All for kids.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES from the Sarasota area—and from across the state of Florida—count on All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg for expert pediatric care. As a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, a leader in health care, All Children’s offers care closer to home. Everything at its new state-of-the-art hospital and 10 Outpatient Care Centers located throughout Florida’s west coast—including Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch—is focused on kids. Every doctor, nurse, and every minute of every day.

To volunteer locally, join the All Children’s Hospital Guild, Sarasota-Manatee Branch. Learn more at allkids.org/guild.

MISSION To support the mission and vision of All Children’s Hospital by channeling compassion into philanthropic action on behalf of all children and their families.

ALL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION P.O. Box 3142, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 (727) 767-4199 | givetoallkids.org

ALL FAITHS FOOD BANK Help fight hunger here at home.

AS THE HUB OF HUNGER RELIEF and the only food bank in Sarasota County, All Faiths Food Bank relies on your support to provide far-reaching, much needed hope and food for local families. The organization’s fleet of trucks transports food daily to a network of 195 partners including pantries, soup kitchens, churches, community centers, schools and agencies. Please help fight hunger right here at home.

Almost half of the people who count on All Faiths for food are children; the majority of the adults served are employed but can’t make ends meet; food helps students concentrate on classes, instead of hunger; providing food helps families in crisis stay in their homes.

Contact All Faiths to make a donation, host a food and fund drive, or to volunteer: (941) 379-6333 or allfaithsfoodbank.org.

MISSION To feed those in need and educate the community about hunger and nutrition.

8171 Blaikie Court, Sarasota FL 34240 (941) 379-6333 | allfaithsfoodbank.org

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THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY Performance, training, outreach, legacy.

THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY, home to world-class performances, utilizes the circus arts to improve lives through its three accomplished community outreach programs.

At 65 years old, Sailor Circus Academy is America’s longest-running youth training program. The unique curriculum melds athletics with circus arts, and molds spirited youngsters into disciplined and skilled young adults through after-school and year-round circus programming.

The Humor Therapy Program brings joy, stimulation and entertainment into hospitals, nursing homes and care facilities to impact those in need. The CAC has collaborated with more than 65 area agencies bringing human service interaction to thousands in health care facilities.

The Education Program is a one-of-a-kind STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) program that improves retention rates and test outcomes for area students using unique circus curriculum in key academic subjects such as science and language arts.

MISSION To preserve and expand at an international level, the extraordinary culture and tradition of the circus arts.

2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, FL 34239 (941) 355-9335 | circusarts.org

DESIGNING WOMEN BOUTIQUE Celebrating 10 years of giving back to Sarasota.

DESIGNING WOMEN has given grants and gifts of merchandise to more than 72 worthy local causes totaling $1.75 million over the past 12 years. It has a stellar reputation for high-end fashion and interior design items. International brands such as Prada, Chanel and St. John are all to be found at well below regular prices.

An eclectic collection of eveningwear is always available, ready for the busy Sarasota winter social events. And the beautiful art and home accessory gallery above the main store even serves high tea on Tuesdays during season. The charity produces a full program of fund-raising social events and offers a prestigious concierge estate liquidation service. Designing Women is where fashion meets philanthropy.

Visit designingwomenboutique.org and on Facebook for event tickets and more information.

MISSION To grow funding for Sarasota’s arts and human services organizations.

1226 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 366-5293 | designingwomenboutique.com

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THE FRIENDSHIP CENTERS You’ve got a friend on the journey of aging.

THIS TRUSTED AND RESPECTED NONPROFIT has provided innovative programs, quality services and caring support to Southwest Florida’s seniors for more than 41 years. Internationally recognized and award-winning, the Friendship Centers has a reputation as a leader in the aging arena.

Nationally accredited senior centers bustle with socialization, lifelong learning and exercise offerings. Impressive clinics are staffed by retired volunteer physicians, dentists and nurses. Licensed adult day services provide caring respite for families facing the frailties of aging. Senior hunger is quelled with nutritious meals. Intervention for economic insecurity comes at life’s scariest times.

Woven through all of this is the power and compassion of more than 1,100 volunteers who care enough to give their time and financial resources to make sure this nonprofit is around for another four decades.

MISSION To promote health, dignity and quality of life throughout the journey of aging.

1888 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota, FL 34236 2350 Scenic Drive, Venice, FL 34293 (941) 955-2122 friendshipcenters.org

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SARASOTA Building better lives.

NOW CELEBRATING ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY in Sarasota, Habitat for Humanity Sarasota is proud to have built more than 200 homes for deserving families. In addition to building homes, Habitat also offers homeowner education classes and affordable rental housing.

Habitat Sarasota operates two ReStores, located at 2095 17th Street and 4408 Bee Ridge Road, that sell donated clothing, furniture and home goods. Proceeds from the ReStores ensure that each charitable dollar received is spent on home building. Please donate or shop today.

Habitat Sarasota is successful due to a large volunteer force that helps build homes. More than 1,000 individuals donate their time annually to make the homebuilding happen.

During the last three decades, hundreds of partner families are now enjoying the stability and joy of homeownership. Thanks, Sarasota, for helping Habitat serve the community by providing a hand up, not a hand out.

MISSION To partner with God and the community to provide decent affordable housing for people in need so that they may build better lives for their families.

1757 N. East Ave., Sarasota, FL 34234 (941) 365-0700 | habitatsrq.org

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IMHRO-ONE MIND INSTITUTE/ SUNSHINE FROM DARKNESS Raising awareness and funding research to find preventions and cures for mental illness.

IMHRO IS AS COMMITTED AS EVER to continuing Bob and Lee Peterson’s mission of one day achieving sunshine from darkness.

IMHRO, a beneficiary of Sunshine from Darkness since 2008, is a national nonprofit that has raised more than $175 million to alleviate human suffering from mental illness by funding scientific research into causes, prevention and new treatments for psychiatric disorders. Shari and Garen Staglin, co-founders of IMHRO, remain focused on the mission of funding cutting-edge research for the top three major mental illnesses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and depression, and the need for funding brain research.

“My schizophrenia once made me feel like my life had no hope,” says Brandon Staglin. “With thanks to a pioneering research program funded by donors like you, I’ve been able to get well and find a life full of meaning.”

MISSION To educate the community with its Journey to Wellness Symposium; to alleviate human suffering by funding scientific research into the causes, prevention and new treatments of mental disorders.

(941) 504-6717 imhro.org

IN THE PINK A nonprofit boutique for coping with cancer.

IN THE PINK is dedicated to helping women cope with all types of cancer, physically and emotionally. The boutique’s caring atmosphere provides everything a cancer patient may need, including wigs, hats, scarves, radiation skincare, mastectomy fittings, postsurgical garments, lymphedema garments, free yoga and emotional support, plus after-hours events like “Survivor Showers” and “Wig Parties.”

Founded in 2009 by two-time cancer survivor Jeri Millard, In the Pink offers two locations in Jacksonville and now Sarasota. As a nonprofit, each In the Pink location relies on donations. Most major insurances are accepted. For those who are uninsured, have a Medicaid card, or meet the HHS Guidelines for poverty, items of necessity are free.

For the staff at In the Pink, clients become family, and their work is not a job but a ministry.

MISSION Dedicated to helping women heal, cope and survive the effects of cancer, physically and emotionally.

1727 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 953-PINK | sarasotainthepink.com

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JFCS OF THE SUNCOAST, INC. Changing lives for the betterment of the community.

JFCS IS THE PREMIER SOCIAL SERVICE and counseling organization that offers safety-net services to the entire community on a nondenominational basis. With more than 26 programs offered at 17 locations throughout Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, JFCS helps children, families, seniors and veterans overcome life’s challenges.

JFCS offers counseling services to children, adults, families and seniors; caregiver support groups for individuals caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s; supportive services to seniors living at home; school-based intervention and supportive services for at-risk youth; housing assistance and case management to homeless veterans and their families; emergency financial assistance to families at risk of becoming homeless; bereavement support services to those dealing with the loss of a loved one; and case management, communication, money management and parenting workshops to fathers and parents to help them strengthen their families.

MISSION Guided by the Jewish tradition of helping all people, JFCS empowers individuals and families towards self-sufficiency.

MAIN CAMPUS 2688 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, FL 34237 (941) 366-2224 | jfcs-cares.org

LIGHTHOUSE OF MANASOTA Shining new light on living with vision loss.

THE LIGHTHOUSE OF MANASOTA provides training in skills that promote self-sufficiency and independence in children and adults with vision loss. It’s easy to feel helpless and dependent on others when you have limited vision. Even simple tasks can seem overwhelming. Through specialized training and education, individuals with vision loss learn to use tools, techniques and low vision aids to regain their independence and confidence in their own abilities.

“With education, you can lead the same sort of life you always have.

That’s what the Lighthouse offers, and that’s why it’s so important,” said Terri Blessing, Lighthouse cofounder.

MISSION The Lighthouse of Manasota exists to advance the individual growth and independence of adults and children with vision loss.

7318 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243 (941) 359-1404 | lighthouseofmanasota.org

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LUTHERAN SERVICES Aid for the disenfranchised.

LSF IS A STATEWIDE, nonprofit, human services agency dedicated to helping all people in need regardless of religion, age or nationality. Focus areas include children and families, elderly and disabled, marginalized and disenfranchised, and disaster response.

LSF provides guardianship services, upon appointment by the courts, to act on behalf of those unable to manage their own affairs because of physical injuries, mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer’s or other dementias. Nearly 70 percent of the clients are indigent.

As guardian, LSF works with community agencies to monitor clients’ wellbeing, managing both personal and financial affairs. LSF ensures that appropriate medical, rehabilitative and psychiatric care is received, income is received, assets managed, bills paid, appropriate care is in place and that hospital discharges are prompt. LSF works alongside law enforcement and the criminal justice system investigating cases of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

MISSION To bring God’s healing, hope and help to people in need.

P.O. Box 848, Sarasota, FL 34230 (941) 358-6330 | lsfnet.org

MAKE-A-WISH The gift of a wish.

HOW CAN A WISH HELP A CHILD? A wish can give a child insight to new beginnings. It can give a child hope to look beyond the hospital or treatment room. It can give the strength to move forward on that magical wish day, and it can bring joy that can uplift the spirit, to know that wishes do come true. All you need is to believe in the power of a wish.

Every 38 minutes, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. Make-AWish of Central and Northern Florida serves 54 counties. It serves a unique and vital role in helping to empower these children and change lives for the better.

Pictured is Noella, who is 3 years old with acute myeloid leukemia.

“My wish is to have a labradoodle puppy.”

MISSION To grant the wishes of children with lifethreatening medical conditions and enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

1223 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34239 (941) 952-9474 | cnfl.wish.org

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MEALS ON WHEELS PLUS OF MANATEE Changing lives, one meal at a time.

SINCE 1972, Meals on Wheels PLUS has been providing independence and nutrition to vulnerable citizens throughout Manatee County. The organization now serves more than 200,000 healthy meals each year. Its outreach to elderly and disabled people in Manatee County prevents hunger, reduces isolation, and helps them stay in their own homes. Now, Meals on Wheels PLUS has expanded its services to include the Food Bank of Manatee, nourishing not only seniors, but also children and families in need.

The Food Bank of Manatee is the largest hunger-relief program in Manatee County. In 2013, more than 4 million pounds of food were distributed to approximately 100 partner agencies feeding the hungry. The Food Bank also provides emergency family and baby baskets for families in crisis.

Approximately 50,000 of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet. They rely on Meals on Wheels PLUS services, made possible by caring people like you.

MISSION To assist individuals to live independently by providing nutrition and caring supportive services.

811 23rd Ave. E., Bradenton, FL 34208 (941) 747-4655 | mealsonwheelsplus.org

THE SARASOTA FAMILY YMCA Changing lives.

MEET CAROL: “Last year I received a scholarship for a Y membership, available to those with limited income,” she says. “I joined Marilee’s exercise group at the Berlin Branch YMCA, and I’m now in her advanced class and enjoying good health in my 70s.

“One day Marilee asked for volunteers to help mentor students at Alta Vista Elementary through the Y Mentors program. My ears perked up. I was given an opportunity by the Y, and I felt I needed to give back. I now tutor four wonderful first and second graders. They love to have a person who works with them one-on-one, every week.

“My heart is full with encouragement and gratification because I have helped children read, write, spell and smile.”

The YMCA thanks Carol for volunteering, and invites you to join them as they change more lives.

MISSION To build strong kids, strong families, strong communities.

(941) 951-1336 thesarasotay.org

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SUNCOAST BLOOD BANK

PHOTO CREDIT: BARBARA BANKS

Saving lives throughout the community.

“BLOOD DONORS SAVED MY LIFE when I was 5. I woke up one morning with blood on my face, bruising and purple and red spots all over my body. We headed straight to the emergency room.

“Tests showed my platelet count was dangerously low. My liver was shutting down, my spleen was enlarged and I had to receive blood and platelet transfusions. I was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) a rare disorder that causes cells to malfunction and destroy the body’s own red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

“Before I had my bone marrow transplant, I relied on blood and platelets to keep me alive. I was transfusion-dependent for four months, receiving blood products every couple of days.

“My name is Hannah Marsh. Thanks to countless blood and platelet donors, today, I am a healthy 11-year-old girl.”

MISSION Suncoast Blood Bank provides a reliable supply of quality blood products and services to hospitals and health centers in need.

1760 Mound St., Sarasota, FL 34236 1-866-97-BLOOD | scbb.org

UNITED WAY SUNCOAST Because everyone deserves the opportunity to have a better life.

ACHIEVING ONE’S FULL POTENTIAL is a challenge that starts early on for many in DeSoto and Sarasota counties. Under-educated, impoverished children are nearly three times more likely to drop out of school, struggle financially and repeat the cycle of poverty. And working families face challenges as well: 30 percent struggle every day with financial and employability issues.

Through your support, and by working together with community leaders and partner agencies, United Way Suncoast is leading collective impact programs that help change the story for individuals and families today, and build a solid foundation for their future success by mobilizing the caring people in the Sarasota area to give, advocate and volunteer. Together we can break the generational poverty cycle, creating opportunities for a better life for all and bringing lasting community change to the Suncoast.

MISSION United Way Suncoast works to break the cycle of generational poverty through educational programs that give children the skills to succeed and help adults achieve financial stability to support themselves and their families.

1800 Second St., Suite 102, Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 366-2686 | unitedwaysuncoast.org

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One88's open concept living.

Boom Redux Developers are going vertical once again in downtown Sarasota.

By David Ball

Sarasota downtown developers are back, and they’re poised to repeat—and possibly outpace—the boom of the mid-2000s. Thirteen downtown projects are either under way or in some form of planning. They include the typical high-end condominiums but also mixed-use projects, affordably priced rental properties and five new hotels.

A few developers are new to Sarasota and one, Canadian John Vandyk, is planning his first U.S. project with a condo complex on Golden Gate Point.

Most, though, are familiar names, people who have held onto properties through the downturn and who are ready to build now that the economy has rebounded and demand is back.

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Every development needs solid financing, strong sales and a stable market before breaking ground, so our list is subject to change, but we’ve tracked down the developers and created a list of all the approved commercial residential projects and a list of those that are proposed but were still waiting for approval from the city of Sarasota at press time.

5 One88

John Vandyk, VANDYK Group Canadian John Vandyk arrived in Sarasota like many Northern transplants: on vacation with a wife who convinced her husband to buy a home on Sarasota Bay. Vandyk, who for 30 years has developed custom homes, condos and industrial sites in southern Ontario, immediately saw the opportunity here. “Walking distance to downtown, incredible views both sunset and sunrise,” he says. “We wanted to grow our organization outside the U.S. and we found the right spot.”

4 One Palm

John Meshad, Gavin Meshad, Dennis McGillicuddy, Kent Levenson and Shane Eagan Already rising is One Palm, a two-tower hotelapartment project developed by some familiar names in the region: attorney and developer John Meshad of JWM Management Inc. and his son, Gavin; investor Dennis McGillicuddy; resort consultant Shane Eagan (who many will remember from his ownership/management of the Longboat Key Club and Resort and other Longboat hotels); and Kent Levenson, an Atlanta-based longtime partner of John Meshad’s.

Also involved is iStar Financial, a publicly traded REIT, which owns the property at 240 S. Pineapple. The 139-room hotel will be Starwood Hotels’ modernistic Aloft brand. For now, the partners are building out the residential tower as 141

Company: VANDYK Group Headquarters: Ontario, Canada Project: One88—a five-story, eight-unit condo on Golden Gate Point Cost: $17 million Unit prices: $2.6-$3.9 million Timeline: Summer 2014-June 2015 Other notable projects: First U.S. project, although Vandyk has purchased land on Orange Avenue in Burns Square for future residential development

apartments, but if market conditions show that condominium units are a better investment, Levenson says each apartment has been built with high-end amenities for easy conversion.

Company: JWM Management Inc. Headquarters : Sarasota Project: One Palm—a 10-story, 141-apartment building and 139-room Aloft Hotel at Palm Avenue and Ringling Boulevard Cost: $54 million Apartment rents : $1,500-$4,500 Timeline : Now—October 2015 Other notable projects : The St. Regis Atlanta hotel SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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8 Vanguard Lofts

Kevin Bryon, Tetra Terra Development After years of flipping houses in San Francisco, Kevin Bryon was eager to break into the development business in his childhood home of Sarasota. He says he found the perfect opportunity with a boutique project in the Rosemary District, an area that he says mimics the urban feel of his California projects. “The walkability is there. The scale is there,” he says. “There’s a lot of open land to initiate some new urbanism philosophy, and I think the market is perfect right now.”

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Company: Tetra Terra Development Headquarters: San Francisco Project: Vanguard Lofts—six one-story and townhome-style condo units at 1343 4th St. near Central Avenue Cost: $2.8 million Unit prices: $530,000-$745,000 Timeline: September 2014-June 2015 Other notable projects: None locally

6 VUE

David Arent, The Kolter Group David Arent has developed commercial and condo projects in Jacksonville and Naples for 15 years, though VUE is his first project for West Palm Beach-based The Kolter Group and the company’s first project in Sarasota.

Kolter made headlines when it bought the property for a record-breaking $40 million in 2005. The site was previously slated for a Mediterranean-style condo project in the mid-2000s boom, but it was resurrected—with a hotel addition (the area’s first Westin)—and redesigned into a modern showpiece. “You are seeing more modern projects now, and it’s not necessarily something you are seeing across the country. It’s really what people expect in Sarasota,” he says.

Company: The Kolter Group Headquarters: West Palm Beach Project: VUE Sarasota Bay— twin 18-story towers with 141 luxury condos and a 255-room Westin hotel on Gulfstream Avenue and North Tamiami Trail, near The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota

Cost: $120.5 million Unit Prices: $800,000$3.4 million Timeline: Summer 2014-Winter 2016 Other notable projects: Water Club Snell Isle condos in Tampa

5 The Jewel

Tom Mannausa, Main Street J Development Co. A prolific Florida developer, Tom Mannausa began his career when he purchased a rental home in college. By graduation, he had five rental properties and two already paid off. He has since developed 51 residential and commercial projects (mostly rental apartments in Florida and Michigan), and he calls the high-end Jewel tower the feather in his cap. “It looks like all of our units have been purchased with cash,” he says. “These are purchasers who intend to design and create a beautiful home. They are not investors.” Construction began this summer.

Company: Main Street J Development Co. Headquarters: Bradenton Project: The Jewel—19 residential and six commercial condos at the corner of Main Street and Gulfstream Avenue Cost: $23.5 million Unit prices: $1.4-$3 million-plus Timeline: Now-August 2015 Other notable projects: Center Court apartments in Bradenton, Victoria Pointe apartments in North Port SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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4 Q Sarasota

Jim Bridges, Jebco Ventures Jim Bridges started in Atlanta in 1975 with shopping center developments and moved from retail to commercial to residential as the market changed. Now, he says the market is calling for infill projects in urban centers like downtown Sarasota, where limited townhomes are creating high demand. “Townhomes offer not only the same benefits as single-familyhome ownership, but the homeowners and association fees are much less than at a condominium,” he says.

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Company: Jebco Ventures Headquarters: Sarasota Project: Q—40 two- and three-story townhomes at 1750 Ringling Blvd.

Cost: $7.2 million Unit prices: $470,000-$696,000 Timeline: Now-March 2015 Other notable projects: Vista Bay Point and Phoenix condos on Golden Gate Point, Goodwill Manasota retail store and job center on North Tamiami Trail

proposed projects The Biter Building Developer: Jesse Biter Company: Biter Enterprises Headquarters : Sarasota Project: 168 apartments at 1445 Second St. (At press time, Biter announced his project is up in the air because of financing.)

Cost: $40 million-plus Unit prices : Rents from $1,000$2,000 Timeline : End of 2014-TBD Other notable projects : The HuB

Embassy Suites Developer : Jim Bridges Company: Jebco Ventures Headquarters : Sarasota Project: An 18-story, 180-room

hotel with restaurant and bar, meeting rooms and 200-space parking garage at 202 N. Tamiami Trail Cost: Less than $40 million Room rates : $176-$185 Timeline : Fall 2014-Winter 2015 Other notable projects : Phoenix condos on Golden Gate Point

Kimpton Hotel Developer: Rod Connelly Company: Civix LLC Headquarters : Sarasota Project: 150 rooms with restaurant, meeting spaces, and retail at Main Street and Washington Street Cost: $45 million.

Room rates : Around $200 Timeline : January 2015-October 2016

Other notable projects :

Center Pointe office building on Main Street, Casarina condos on Siesta Key.

Sansara Developer : Matt Kihnke Company: MK Equity and CMK Companies Headquarters : Chicago Project: A 10-story, 17-unit condo with commercial space at the Pineapple Avenue roundabout near Burns Court Cost: $30 million Unit prices : $1-$3.7 million Timeline : Fall 2014-Fall 2015 Other notable projects : Contemporaine condos in Chicago, Sailrock residential community in Turks and Caicos

Cityside Developer: Bruce Weiner Company: Rosalyne Holdings Headquarters: Pittsburgh Project: Up to 450 apartments on 6.5 acres on Cocoanut Avenue north of Boulevard of the Arts Cost: $45 million Unit prices: Monthly rents from $900-$1,600 Timeline: Early 2015-summer 2016 Other notable projects:

Florida Classic Car Storage at Central Avenue and 12th Street

Hotel Sarasota Developer: Angus Rogers Company: Floridays

Project: An eight-story, 186-room hotel on North Palm Avenue adjacent to city parking garage Cost: $40 million-plus Daily room rates: $200 Timeline: Late 2014-Winter 2015 Other notable projects:

Grande Riviera condos on Golden Gate Point, Floridays Resort in Orlando

Rosemary Square Developer: Mark Kauffman Company: Rosemary Square

LLC Headquarters : Sarasota Project: Mixed-use project with 40 apartments, 34,000 square feet of commercial space, performing arts theater and town square on Central Avenue, Fifth Street and Boulevard of the Arts Cost: $20 million Unit prices : TBD Timeline : Early 2016-TBD Other notable projects : Hollywood 20 theater, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and, coming soon, Payne Park Plaza, an 8,295-square-foot office building on Washington Blvd.

IF EVERYTHING IS BUILT Number of condos: 231 Number of apartments: 799 Number of hotel rooms: 910 Cost of all downtown projects: $485 million

Headquarters : Sarasota SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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Service Rules

What supermarket giant Publix can teach the little guys.

By Rich Rescigno What’s the biggest difference between Sarasota and New York? That question has been posed to me several times since I moved here two years ago. My answer: the supermarkets.

In the New York area, be it the Bronx or New Jersey, where I was reared, Long Island where I lived, or Manhattan, where I worked, the typical supermarket is a squalid little Guantanamo, a bit grimy, cluttered, and seething with individuals resentful at being paid less than, say, the CEO of Apple or Ford.

When it comes to supermarkets, I speak from deep experience, and not only as a consumer. While in college, I worked as a cashier and then a stock clerk for several years at a chain called Food Fair.

Some of my coworkers were paragons of diligence and courtesy, but, overall, service, with or without a smile, was not our strong suit. One day, a deli clerk, 76 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

responding to a woman’s repeated requests that he cut her bologna paper-thin, logically inquired: “Do you plan to eat this, or read the newspaper through it?” She stomped away, unamused. Food Fair is now many decades defunct.

In contrast, the typical supermarket in Sarasota is a palace of delight and politeness, clean, wellstocked, and staffed by people who seem to like, rather than tolerate, their customers. When an employee acts unpleasantly, it’s shocking, like finding a piranha in your goldfish bowl.

My local market happens to be a Publix, a chain whose customer service has won many accolades from trade groups and publications, including Consumer Reports.

Going there can teach basic lessons that apply to all businesses.

Details Matter: Like its rivals, Publix has a quick-checkout lane. But its sign states that it’s reserved for shoppers with “10 items or fewer.” Unremarkable, except that just about every other market uses the ungrammatical “10 items or less”—a gaffe that would have earned its author a stinging rap on the knuckles in the seventh-grade English class taught by my nemesis, Sister Emily, back in the dim days when such punishment was applauded.

This is a small point, but it speaks to a larger reality: If you don’t get the small stuff right, you might not get the big stuff right, either.

If management is concerned about communicating correctly, it’s probably also vigilant about such things as ensuring that the strawberries are fresh and the milk doesn’t contain melamine.

It pays to be generous. Order cold cuts at a Publix and, usually, you will be offered a sample by the person behind the counter. Some people ask for so many samples that it’s obvious they’re seeking a free lunch or dinner. Does Publix care? Of course not. In addition to warming consumers’ tummies and hearts, perceived freebies boost customer loyalty. And, anyway, the cost of this generosity is built into the price of the roast beef, Swiss cheese or salami. In the end, the customer is satisfied, and so are the accountants. Who said you can’t have it both ways?

Teach your workers well.

Brian West, a Publix spokesman, says that, in selecting employees, the chain puts a premium on “great people skills. These soft skills are typically inherent in people; you either have them or you don't.” Roughly, this

"Get the small stuff right." translates into likeability. But likeability goes only so far. So, “Our retail associates go through a very formalized orientation before they truly begin to interact with our customers,” he observes.

“They learn about the history of the company, about our founder, George Jenkins, who believed that, to be successful, we needed to treat our customers like kings and queens.” At Food Fair, cashiers got 10 minutes of training, all on how to operate the cash register.

Come up with a way to reward good performance.

The supermarket business has pitiful profit margins—1 percent on some items. Thus, most of its people are meagerly paid. But Publix rewards good performance with small periodic raises and generally promotes from within.

And it offers an unusual carrot: a non-publicly traded stock available to active employees.

Most recently priced at $32.50 a share, it pays an annual dividend exceeding 2 percent, and it’s kept up with the outside stock market, which means it’s more than doubled since the dark financialcrisis days of March 2009. The shares are owned directly by 103,000 of Publix’s 167,000 workers, as well as indirectly by the 119,000 members of its employee stock ownership plan.

(There’s a lot of overlap.) Wall Street incessantly contends that having an ownership stake, even a minuscule one, aligns the interests of workers, managers, and shareholders.

But that idea seems to work a lot better at the Florida supermarket chain than it does at many big publicly traded companies.

Don’t be afraid to steal good ideas. Publix didn’t invent the “BOGO”—the buy one, get one free promotion. And it wasn’t the first retailer to have clerks help shoppers unload their grocery carts at their cars. Or offer digital discount coupons. Or online ordering. But if something works, why not use it? In the end, being the first doesn’t matter; being the best does. ■ Sarasota-based business journalist Rich Rescigno is a former managing editor of Barron’s.

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Measure Your Value Nonprofit expert Steve Rothschild brings a business approach to doing good.

Interview by Hannah Wallace

Part-time Sarasota resident Steve Rothschild spent an impressive career in the for-profit world, serving as executive vice president of General Mills and launching the Yoplait brand. Then he turned his business savvy toward nonprofit organizations, launching two Minnesota-based human services organizations: Twin Cities RISE and Invest in Outcomes.

Rothschild’s book, The Non Nonprofit: For-Profit Thinking for Nonprofit Success, details seven principles for charities to become both effective and durable.

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What inspired you to write the book?

"I spent half of my professional career in the business world, and I wound up starting a couple nonprofits, and I’ve been on a couple boards. There is a lot in common among all organizations, particularly organizations that succeed, whether they are nonprofits or forprofits. Some nonprofits do an extremely good job. But many tend to be small, relatively unsophisticated. They were started by someone who had a strong passion for a social issue, but hasn’t had the business experience."

What’s the difference between “purpose” and “mission”?

"In my case, purpose is basically, 'Why are we here?' Mission is, 'What are we gonna do to get there?' But the words aren’t critical. The critical thing is whether an organization can answer those two questions."

What do you mean by being accountable to your purpose?

"Many organizations get pulled off track.

An organization starts for one purpose, and then there’s money available from the government or elsewhere that’s for a slightly different purpose. If they do that too often, they can lose sight of their real goals.

"Let’s say that we’re to provide job training, and yet those folks [being trained] need housing, too. Do we start getting into that world? Does that water down our services? Is it synergistic or does it undermine what we’re trying to do? Many organizations chase the money, and then they’re doing a lot of things, but not doing anything particularly well."

How should a nonprofit gauge its economic impact? "[People in nonprofits] tend to think [their purpose] is a moral imperative, and yet every time you create social value, you’re also creating economic value. Job training takes somebody from low income to a higher level; the government gets more tax, less use of low-income health care, childcare, housing and the like, and people are less likely to go to prison.

"But you’ve got to measure what counts, and what counts is an outcome.

You’ll read, 'We served 1,000 people this year,' 'We placed 200 people in jobs,' and I look at that and say, 'Who cares? If they don’t stay in the job, what difference does it make?' The outcome is job retention, or in the case of a school, how many kids you have in classes two years later. What counts is long-term outcomes. They’re more expensive and more difficult to achieve and to track, and often the funders [of the nonprofit] only ask for outputs. But there’s very little economic value if the outputs don’t lead to meaningful outcomes."

Why is it important to demonstrate economic impact?

"Governments have less discretionary money to spend on social interventions.

Nonprofits are getting less support.

Philanthropy can’t make up the difference. Nonprofits have to begin to go to government and demonstrate not only the social good but the economic value they create, and then develop agreements."

What kind of agreements?

"In 1997 I went to the state of Minnesota and said, 'Every time we take someone from a low level of income, we’re creating economic value for you. You should be able to share that incremental benefit [with us.]' There are now a fair number of experiments in pay-for-success models.

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"One model takes government money, and the other one is where private investors put up the money, and then they’re paid back based on the economic value that the social intervention has created. If [former] prisoners don’t recidivise as much, that’s an enormous cost savings. Economists can determine what that value is for each prisoner. So if an organization can demonstrate that it’s preventing that recidivism, that value can be shared with the organization or with the investors [as a return on their investment.]"

emotionally. Your belief system hasn’t changed. That’s why many programs haven’t led to good outcomes."

How do you develop accountability in your clients?

"In the book there’s a whole chapter on personal empowerment, a combination of cognitively structured emotional competency training. There are building blocks. First we’re helping people become self-aware so we can avoid angry impulses. Self-esteem is next. We teach that you have a birthright to be lovable and valuable as a human being. Empathy follows. If you can believe in your own self-worth, you can certainly believe in someone else’s worth.

"That’s how we get outcomes. We learned the hard way; I didn’t know any of this stuff when we got started. Remedial education and technical skills training are important, but they’re not sufficient.

Give the clients a sense of being valuable, lovable and important, change their belief system and get them to be accountable—it leads to long-term outcomes." ■

What counts is long-term outcomes.

Why is client accountability important?

"Beliefs lead to thoughts, thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to behavior.

If you don’t help someone change their belief system, they don’t change their behavior. A lot of organizations try to change behavior without changing the beliefs: They tell clients, 'Get to work on time, dress for success, etc.' And then something happens to a client—someone looks at you funny, and you lash out

Rothschilds’s Seven For-Profit Principles 1. Have a Clear and Appropriate Purpose Purpose establishes an organization’s rationale for existence, and once that purpose is established, it doesn’t waver.

2. Measure What Counts In a world of limited resources, organizations get what they measure.

3. Be Market Driven There are many elements of

marketing—advertising, brand management, and public relations—but the most important is serving your customers.

4. Create Mutual Accountability Practice mutual accountability with every stakeholder.

5. Support Personal Empowerment An empowered individual can manage his or her emotions,

80 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

thinking and behavior to achieve positive, long-term life goals.

6. Create Economic Value from Social Benefit Every improvement in social good has monetary value.

7. Be Learning Driven Great organizations aren’t distinguished by getting it right the first time. They develop a learning-driven approach.

SOURCE: steverothschild.org

OUTSTANDING FAMILY BUSINESSES 2014 The rewards are many–to these business owners, and to their customers as well. The stability, innovation, care for employees and civic involvement of these familyowned businesses make them standouts in our community.

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Headquartered in Florida with satellite offices through the country, 1st Choice Industries is a premier provider of construction, facilities management and professional business solutions. For commercial remodeling or residential designs, 1st Choice Industries incorporates a variety of wood, glass, metal and stone to create a look that expresses each client’s style while delivering the functionality they require. From retail spaces to bank lobbies to luxury homes, exemplary service is paired with a keen attention to detail.

1st Choice Industries has recently opened a new division to better serve our customers: Owners Resource Group, LLC. This division focuses on providing owner representation and construction consulting services. It is led by Chief Operating Officer and Partner, Bill Jarvis.

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COOL TODAY COMMERCIAL CONSULTANT COLIN DEMERS KEEPS YOUR BUSINESS COOL AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT.

COOL TODAY COOL TODAY has been committed to helping customers “get the best from today” for more than 50 years.

This year Cool Today is focused on providing expert advice through its #TodayTip campaign across all social channels for both residential and commercial clients.

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KYLE VARONA, GM, HILARY VARONA, MARKETING SPECIALIST/OFFICE SUPERVISOR, TERRY POMFRET, VP/CFO AND DAVID POMFRET, PRESIDENT/CEO.

FAHEY PEST MANAGEMENT AS ONE OF SARASOTA'S OLDEST BUSINESSES, Fahey Pest Management has been delivering exceptional pestmanagement services since 1943. This locally owned family business is now in its 71st year and in its third generation of family ownership. Originally founded by Thomas A. Fahey in 1943, the company was purchased by David M. Pomfret III upon Tom's retirement in the mid-1960s. Then his son, David M. Pomfret IV, purchased the company in 1993.

Today, David's son Kyle is the current operations manager after earning a Master's in Business degree and obtaining managerial work experience with a national company.

Fahey is committed to providing all of its clients trust, integrity and peace of mind while keeping their homes and businesses free of pests. The company’s growth over the

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years has been largely because of referrals from clients and competitors alike. Multiple Angie’s List Super Service Awards, and recognition by AskTheSeal and Home Services Review for superior customer satisfaction ratings.

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DR. BO MARTINSEN, MAY-ELISE MARTINSEN, DR. ANNE-MARIE CHALMERS AND JOHANNES MARTINSEN PRODUCE INNOVATIVE FISH-OIL PRODUCTS.

 OMEGA3 INNOVATIONS DRS. BO MARTINSEN AND ANNE-MARIE CHALMERS turned their expertise in family medicine into a family business.

Originally from Norway, the husband-and-wife team founded Omega3 Innovations in 2006 and has since dedicated themselves to making Sarasota the fresh fish-oil capital of the world with a series of innovative omega-3 products.

The doctors say they owe part of their product inspiration to their two children, who also work in the family business.

"Growing up, Johannes and May-Elise didn’t like taking fish oil, so we had to be creative," says Dr. Chalmers.

Today, Omega3 Innovations produces Omega Cookie, Omega Passion chocolates, and Omega Cure. “Using ultrafresh fish oil and a patented process that allows us to bake

clinical doses of omega-3 into cookies and chocolates, we have created a unique line that appeals to picky eaters— and benefits young and old alike,” says Dr. Martinsen.

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"RUNNING A FAMILY-OWNED TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS BUSINESS HAS BEEN REWARDING THESE 21 YEARS. WE HAVE WATCHED FIRSTHAND AS OUR SERVICES HAVE HELPED OUR CUSTOMERS GROW THEIR BUSINESSES.” -TIM GAROFALO

VOICETECH WHEN SARA GAROFALO and I started voiceTech in November 1993, we didn’t set our focus only on the pharmacy industry – this niche market just happened for us. Today voiceTech is the industry leader, supplying pharmacy growth solutions in telephone, web and mobile services.

Our technology interfaces with pharmacy software systems to help patients order prescription refills, check on order statuses, and connect to information about their medications. Over 50 companies develop these software systems, and voiceTech has a relationship with just about all of them.

Our business model focuses on both retail and public health systems throughout the U.S. and Canada. Locally, we serve independent pharmacies in Sarasota County as well as Manatee public health services, with potential contracts for thousands more.

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After 18 ½ years in Venice, we relocated the company to Sarasota, just off Fruitville Road. This move, along with the support of our bank and local organizations, has assisted in our expansion to 36 employees and contractors. As we mark our 21st year in business, we look forward to continuing to create new technologies and develop partnerships that bring effective growth solutions for pharmacies.

551 N. CATTLEMEN RD. SUITE 300 SARASOTA, FL 34232 (941) 556-0150 VOICETECHINC.COM

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 BERT RODGERS SCHOOLS OF REAL ESTATE, INC. FOUNDED IN 1958, Bert Rodgers Schools is a family-owned and nationally recognized education company. Their exclusive course content, authored by industry experts, prepares license candidates for successful careers and keeps licensed practitioners up-to-date. Online courses offer the most solid foundation for learning, as proven by state pass rates, which are substantially higher for online over classroom. Students learn at the pace that meets their lifestyle, with one-on-one support.

Bert Rodgers Schools’ curriculum includes real estate, appraisal, community association management and mortgage lending.

More than 2 million Florida professionals have chosen Bert Rodgers as their source for real estate education.

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LORI J. RODGERS, PRESIDENT OF BERT RODGERS SCHOOLS.

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COASTAL PRINTING FOUNDED IN 1971 by the Guttridge family, Coastal Printing is the Suncoast’s reliable printing source, offering conventional and digital printing of items such as brochures, pocket folders, flyers, sell sheets, letterheads and business cards.

Coastal Printing also offers print-management solutions to lower your cost, along with fulfillment, direct-mail, inhouse die cutting, foil stamping, embossing, UV coating, film laminating and much more.

“In this world where we all seem to have too much to do,” says owner Alan Guttridge, “we focus on providing you, our customers, with print perfection, value and excellent customer service 24/7/365.”

ALAN GUTTRIDGE AND HIS SON RYAN MAINTAIN EXCELLENCE BY INVESTING IN THE LATEST PRINTING TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT.

1730 INDEPENDENCE BLVD. SARASOTA, FL 34234 (941) 351-1515 COASTALPRINT.COM SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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 DIETER’S SOD AND LANDSCAPING THIS YEAR, DIETER’S SOD AND LANDSCAPING is celebrating 20 years as a leading South Florida sub-contractor in commercial and residential sod installation and landscaping. Dieter’s Sod began operations in 1994 when Dieter Zoellner, the company’s founder and president, saw the need for a more professional and quality-driven sod installation and delivery service. Zoellner, with his wife, Carole, continues to focus on these founding principles reflecting the company’s commitment to delivering a quality product with great service.

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 KEY AGENCY, INC. KEY AGENCY IS A FOUR-GENERATION insurance agency founded in 1952 by George Dignam. Joined by his son, Tom, in 1962, they built their first office on Manasota Key. After 10 great years on the beach, they built their current office on McCall Road (S.R. 776). Today’s president, David Dignam, represents the third generation, and his son Brandon is the newest agent. With offices in Englewood, North Port and Boca Grande and more than 40 staff, Key Agency is committed to protect what is valuable to you and your family.

KEY AGENCY PRESIDENT DAVID DIGNAM, RIGHT, WITH HIS SON, BRANDON, AND FATHER, TOM, REPRESENT THREE OF THE FOUR GENERATIONS IN THIS FAMILY-RUN BUSINESS.

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 LUDWIG-WALPOLE INSURANCE AGENCY FOUNDED IN 1933, Ludwig-Walpole has established a trusted name in the Sarasota community for more than 80 years. The agency’s strong, reliable insurance solutions protect its clients, their families and their future through commercial and personal coverage that withstands the toughest circumstances. At Ludwig-Walpole, the goal is to inform and educate clients by offering protection and coverage without sacrificing affordability or value. LudwigWalpole offers customized personal and commercial insurance products based on your unique needs and situation: solutions, discounts and protection without sacrificing what's important to you.

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Who will make the list of 2014 Five Star Wealth Managers?

See the special section in the November issue

2014

Share your opinion – go to fivestarprofessional.com/wmconsumerfeedback

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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By Kim Hackett

What I’ve Learned

Walter Aspatore Walter “Bud” Aspatore spent a lifetime making deals and turning around failing companies, first in the executive suites of Warner and Swasey Co., TRW and Bendix, then in his own firm, Amherst Partners, one of the Midwest’s largest investment banking and turnaround firms. Now semi-retired in Lakewood Ranch, Aspatore, 71, consults and serves on numerous corporate boards, including Methode Electronics, Silbond and Mackinac Financial Corp. Locally, he is a mentor for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s new BIG [Bright Ideas on the Gulf Coast] initiative for budding entrepreneurs.

“I have more experience with failure than most people.

There are very few mistakes I haven’t made, thankfully nothing catastrophic. When I first took over Cross and Trecker Corp. [a Michigan machine-tool manufacturer] in the early ’80s, we were struggling with heavy debt. We had this division that used grinding machines to smooth metal, lenses and glass to a fine finish. I assumed the prior losses in the division indicated a business that couldn’t be saved. I pronounced myself an expert and said, ‘This business is a turkey,’ so we sold it. I later figured out that under our ownership, the leadership was not progressive. However, people who knew the grinding machine business knew there was something there. As CEO, you’re usually not as smart as you think you are. I learned not to jump so quickly.”

“I go to a company’s bulletin board and can tell pretty quickly if I’m in a well-oiled organization. Is there a bowling league? Do they have a company picnic? That tells you a lot about the culture and if people take pride in where they work. Nobody wants to go to their office or plant and say, ‘I want to screw up today.’ People want to succeed. You have to figure out how to mobilize the troops. It’s about getting resources to people and letting them do their thing and getting the hell out of the way.”

You can’t have executives who sit in the corner office and issue decrees. You need leaders who roll up their sleeves and walk the plant, who talk to everyone.”

alex stafford

“The tone at the top sets the mood for everything else.

“If you want to know what’s wrong with an organization, go to the bottom rungs. People who sweep the floors will have a reasonable pulse.”

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What I’ve Learned “The hardest part of a turnaround is the human element.

“Most entrepreneurs know where they want to go; they

Nobody wants to get rid of employees, especially those who have been there a long time, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet.”

don’t necessarily know the sequence. When I’m mentoring, I tell them to know your subject matter, do your research in the marketplace and assemble the best team. Don’t expect anybody to hand you something.”

“When you are looking for solutions to a problem, people are going to embrace it more readily if it’s their own idea. That management style takes a bit more time than an autocratic style but it works. When you are in a turnaround situation, you have your own agenda and want to get on with it, but that’s not effective.

Organizations are dependent on people and a well-motivated workforce is one of the best weapons you have.”

“My wife and I like the Sarasota-Bradenton area because of the arts and the beaches. It’s small yet cosmopolitan. We were looking for a place nine years ago and toured Florida.

There’s good value here compared to Naples and other places.”

“Even though there are a lot of wealthy retired people

here, there aren’t a lot of sophisticated sources of money for entrepreneurs. We have banks on top of the food chain and venture capital, but there is not a source of money where I could send entrepreneurs to get early startup or seed money.”

“The local economy is dominated by health care, tourism and a lot of what goes on at Mote and Ringling. I grew up in a manufacturing economy and this is a different economy than what I’m used to. The question is how do you take those strengths and amplify them?”

“The most important grade I received in school is ‘works and plays well with others.’” ■

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COMPANIES WHO CARE

CAPSTAN FINANCIAL CONSULTING GROUP A COMMITMENT TO LOYALTY.

AT CAPSTAN, “SERVICE” HAS A DEEPER MEANING that encompasses not just each and every client relationship, but also the surrounding community where they all proudly live and work. Though uncommon elsewhere, volunteerism, charitable contributions and spirited community involvement are part of the Capstan commitment, and a big part of what makes service a cornerstone of the company’s overall mission. The Capstan team has a level of loyalty they believe is rarely found in the ever-changing financial services industry, and they bring this long-term commitment and dedication to every client relationship.

92 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

500 S. Washington Blvd., Suite 100 Sarasota, FL 34236 (941) 256-9300 capstanfinancial.com

Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (“WFAFN”), member SIPC. Capstan Financial Consulting Group is a separate entity from WFAFN.

RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN 14TH ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2014

Includes 18 holes of golf, contests, prize eligibility, golf shirt, luncheon, awards banquet, and a whole lot more!

To sponsor or play in this fun–filled day, go to: www.ringling.edu/golftournament For more information, please contact Stacy Quaid at squaid@ringling.edu or 941.309.4728.

TOURNAMENT RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN

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Numerous global and national companies, including LexisNexis, Nuance Communications and Elsevier, have come to Next-Mark to build their marketing programs and transform their brands. We also work with growing local enterprises, such as Westfield Malls, The Rivolta Group, Yarnall Moving Solutions, and The Sarasota Film Festival.

Full-Service and Seasoned Located in downtown Sarasota, the award-winning Next-Mark is a truly full-service agency providing marketing strategy, communications, public relations, social media management, video production, website creation, marketing research and more.

We welcome that powerful conversation that will lead to a new level of success for your business. Call us today for a free consultation. www.Next-Mark.com 941.893.3140 marketing

business strategy

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

communications

BIZ(941) 93

Education Report

By Molly McCartney

Senior Ed Rocks Student enrollment and economic impact expand at the Lifelong Learning Academy.

Retired real estate broker Larry Davidson and his wife, Ellie, a former college professor, can’t get enough of the courses available at the Lifelong Learning Academy (LLA) at USF Sarasota-Manatee. This summer they took a course on Mondays called “Little Green Men: What Will We Find in Space?” On Tuesday mornings they attended a travel adventure class with photos and a lively description of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temples and Vietnam’s architecture. After a quick break in the USFSM cafeteria, they spent the afternoon listening to a lecture on Alfred Hitchcock movies and viewing scenes from some of his films.

“We feel the courses expand our knowledge,” says Davidson, who says he is 82 but feels more like 49. He describes the faculty as “fantastic.” What’s more, he says, “there’s no homework.”

Breaking Records The Davidsons are among the 2,317 students who have helped transform the academy into the third-largest post-secondary educational institution in Sarasota-Manatee. The biggest is State College of Florida, ManateeSarasota, with 27,000 students.

Next is USFSM with 2,368 students, just a handful more than

at LLA. “We keep breaking records,” says LLA executive director Janna Overstreet.

The academy’s success is reflected in its annual budget, which has soared from $222,000 in FY 2012 to $360,000 in 2014; summer registration is up 25 percent over last year.

“New retirees are not going to be satisfied to lie on the beach and read books for 30 years.”

What It Costs Overstreet says the budget consists of contributions from 282 donors and registration fees.

Students pay $75 for each course.

An annual membership is $65 and entitles the student to a 10 percent tuition discount after registering for the first course. The courses are open to anyone, regardless of age, but nearly all of the participants are seniors. Since many students take more than one course, LLA had about 5,400 registrations as of mid-2014.

94 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Looking for a Home Most of the academy’s 274 courses are presented in classrooms at the USFSM campus, but some are taught at SCF, Westminster Towers & Shores in Bradenton, and Kobernick-Anchin-Benderson community in Sarasota. The two Anna Maria Island locations are the community center and The Studio at Gulf and Pine.

“We would like a permanent home on the USFSM campus,” Overstreet says.

“Right now we rent space from them, but because we have grown and they have grown, we have a real crunch for space. We need to build ourselves a big building.”

Economic Impact Overstreet also says the academy has become an economic plus for the region’s economy.

“We are an attraction, just like the arts and the culture and the beaches. Some of our students actually plan their time here based on our course schedules,” she says. “Go to YouTube, type Lifelong Learning Sarasota, and you will see about 30 people talking about their experience.”

In addition to spending time in LLA classes, students spend money. “They are eating at restaurants near the campus and at the university restaurant,”

had 54 people enrolled for a summer course on the Dead Sea Scrolls and a waiting list of others who wanted in; we have never before had a summer course with a waiting list,” Overstreet says.

The popularity of lifelong learning is sure to grow with the aging of the population, she says.

“The new retirees are in their 60s and 70s so they have 20 to 30 years of retirement ahead of them. They are not going to be satisfied to lie on the beach and read books for 30 years. They have been active professionals and active in their community, and they want to stretch their minds and meet new people in their retirement years.”

The ideal vehicle for this is

Overstreet says. “We have a movie class packed with 20 to 30 students and they are going to the movies every week. To park on the USFSM campus they have to buy a $19 parking sticker each semester and that has helped to practically pave the parking lot.

There are many ways in which this spending has tumbled into the community and become an economic driver.”

Retiree Market LLA has 224 instructors who teach a wide variety of courses.

Among the most popular are the “gadget classes,” where students learn how to use and get the most from their iPads and iPhones.

History is another favorite. “We

LLA, she says. People sign up for courses and begin socializing with classmates. “They form groups on their own—history groups, philosophy groups. They go to dinner together. They make plans to take trips together. It is really an integral part of their lives.”

Al Goldis, who worked 40 years in major league baseball for five different clubs, teaches a popular course on the business of baseball. He has been impressed by the relationships that develop in the classroom among people from all walks of life, all different religions and backgrounds, but with one commonality. “They all want to learn and they learn from each other,” he says. “It is a hell of a place.” ■

Announcing

The Founders Society

Inspiration Where

Takes Center Stage

™

A program for those who dare to dream about making a difference.

Our new Founders Society offers you giving opportunities that will bring hundreds of school children through our doors to be inspired by live performances and will support needed improvements in the Performing Arts Hall.

Plenty of inspiring perks for you too!

Join the Founders Society today.

For information about the terrific benefits of Founders Society membership, call Michele Strauss or Elsie Merrill at (941) 366-5578.

WWW.VWFOUNDATION.ORG

Van Wezel Foundation Inc. meets all the requirements specified by the Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act. A copy of the official registration #CH3676 and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling 1-800-435-7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 95

ONE PLACE. EIGHTEEN AGENCIES.

ONE PURPOSE. For more than 24 years, the Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center has been a place for low-income and at-risk individuals, families and children to find help when they need it most. Each dollar received serves a wide array of human service agencies who in turn help improve the lives of nearly 10,000 underserved community members per month.

OUR MISSION:

TO ENHANCE THE SOCIAL SERVICES DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR UNDERSERVED INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES SO THAT THEY MAY ACCESS THE SERVICES THEY NEED TO BECOME PARTICIPATING MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY. Please call or visit our website to learn more about how you can help make a difference.

1 75 0 17TH ST., BUI LD IN G J -1 SARASOTA, F L 34234 9 4 1 . 3 6 5 . 4 5 4 5 W W W. G S - H U MA N S E R V I CE S . O R G

By Lori Johnston

Financial Intelligence

Short on Cash

If you’re making a profit but running out of money, here’s how to fix it.

Sales are up and customers can’t seem to get enough of your product. But when you review your balance sheet, the cash seems to have disappeared.

Businesses must have cash to survive (hence the “cash is king” idiom). If owners don’t understand how bringing business in the door translates to cash flow, they can get into trouble. Sometimes owners are focused on making the next sale versus looking at the big financial picture, says Bethany Carr, a CPA with Cavanaugh & Co. in Sarasota.

Here are seven ways to keep more cash on hand as your business grows.

Create a cash flow forecast. To determine how much cash will be moving in and out of your business, consider projected revenue and expenses over the next year or two. Looking

into the future can help you prepare for major purchases, such as upgrading equipment, and help you get through an off-season slowdown. Cash flow depends on your balance of cash minus what you are paying out over a period of time. Carr’s advice: Instead of making spontaneous spending decisions on a day-to-day basis, budget for the year and follow the budget.

Track your cash constantly. Creating a forecast and then ignoring it can be disastrous. Sarasota CPA Kathleen Hargreaves of Kerkering, Barberio & Co. sets up her clients with a dashboard that pops up daily or weekly on their computer, cell phone or other devices with key indicators such as sales and collections. Software such as Excel and QuickBooks have dashboard functions. It’s an organized way to see cash coming into and going out

of the business, to keep an eye on the big picture and spot potential problems. You also can monitor client numbers, salaries and other costs such as marketing expenses, and compare them to past weeks or the previous year.

Close the gap. “Profitable companies look up and say, ‘I’ve got all this profit but where’s the cash?’ Try to collect your accounts receivable as fast as you can,” says Jim Parrish, a consultant with the Florida Small Business Development Center at USF. A strategy is to compress the gap between when you collect accounts receivables and when you pay your bills. For example, establish a policy to get paid sooner by customers, such as shortening the due date from 90 to 30 days. Then hold onto your cash for a bit longer; don’t rush to pay your bills the day you receive the invoice.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 97

Financial Intelligence Don’t tie up your money in massive quantities of inventory. Most business owners look at their income statement and they think they’re OK, then buy more inventory, says Jim Repp, a retired CPA and certified mentor for the Manasota chapter of SCORE. That leaves no funds to operate the business or to plan for the future.

Examine your operations.

Are you utilizing your existing technology and software, such as that new billing system, to its fullest? Doing so could help you get rid of overtime or eliminate positions, or move an employee into a different position because you can automate certain duties, Hargreaves says. Also, research

salaries and make sure they are consistent with your industry. Some companies with a cash crunch also have found a onetime fix by shifting the payroll date. A one-week lag time, for example, can generate an extra five days of cash flow.

Find more funding.

Investigate other sources of cash such as investments in company equity, long and short-term loans, and selling fixed assets.

Splurge less. Resist the urge to buy a new company car every year, or scale back on how much you spend on high-price meals and trips to court clients. ■

Cash Quiz

If you know the answers to these questions, congrats! You are managing your cash flow.

1| 2|

How much cash does my company have?

3|

Where does my company get cash and where is it spent?

4|

How do income and expenses affect cash?

How much cash does my company need to operate and when is it needed?

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Key Chorale’s 30th Anniversary Season

Key Chorale’s 30th Anniversary Season KeyChorale’s Chorale’s 30th 30th Anniversary Anniversary Season Key Season Celebrating the Past - Endowing the Future Celebratingthe the Past Past -- Endowing Endowing the Celebrating theFuture Future

CELEBRATING THE PAST ENDOWING THE FUTURE

Key Chorale’s 30th Anniversary Season Adult Choral Festival Concert & Documentary “The Courts of Heaven and Earth”- Key Chorale, Festival Concert & Documentary Screening “ShiningAdult Night:Choral A Portrait of Composer “The Courts ofsoprano, Heaven andFuture Earth”- Key Chorale, Chamber orchestra and Celebrating theChorus, Past“The - Endowing the Adult Choral Festival Concert & Documentary Courts of Heaven and Earth”- Key Chorale, Screening “Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Mary Morten Lauridsen” Chamber Wilson Chorus, orchestra and soprano, Screening “Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer

Morten Saturday, October 18, 2014,Lauridsen” 7:00 p.m.

Chamber Chorus, orchestra and soprano,

Mary Wilson Saturday, January 24, 2015, 2:30 p.m.

Morten Lauridsen” Mary Courts Wilson of Heaven and Earth” - Key ChoSarasota ChoralChurch Festival & Documentary Screening “The Saturday, October 18, 2014, 7:00 p.m.at First Church, Sarasota of theConcert Palms, Sarasota Saturday, January 24, 2015, 2:30 p.m.

Adult ChoralatFestival Concert & Documentary “The Courts of Heaven and Earth”Key Chorale, Saturday, October 2014, 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, January 24, 2015, 2:30 p.m. at Church of the 18, Palms, Sarasota at First Church, Sarasota rale, Chamber Chorus, orchestra and soprano, “Shining Night: Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen” ThisANew Adult Choral Festival is open Screening “Shining Night: AatPortrait of Composer Chamber Chorus, orchestra and Music will be performed from thesoprano, times Church of the Palms, Sarasota at First Church, Sarasota Newand Adult Choral Festival is open of Courts and Kings including to all singersLauridsen” without This audition Morten Music will be performed from the times two Mary Wilson Mary Wilson Saturday, October 18, 2014, 7:00 pm at Church of This New Adult Choral Festival is open to all singers without audition and is part of Key Chorale’s educational

Music willand be fromtwo the times of Courts Kings including Coronation anthemsSaturday, composed by performed Saturday, October 18,of2014, 7:00audition p.m.

January Saturday, January 24, 2015, 24, 2:302015, p.m. 2:30 pm at First to“Tomorrow’s all singers without and is part Key Chorale’s educational outreach program, Voices the Palms, Sarasota of will Courts and including two Coronation anthems by George Frederick The concert include aKingscomposed at Church Palms, Sarasota isthe part of Key Chorale’s educational outreach program, Voices Handel.at Today.” The weeklong Festival,of October 14-18, will give “Tomorrow’s First Church, Sarasota Church, Sarasota anthems This New Adult Festival isMorten openOctober to all rarely singers without au- by George Handel.

The will includeby a heard Handel,Frederick LaudateCoronation Pueri that willconcertcomposed Today.”

The Choral weeklong Festival, 14-18, will work give participants the unique opportunity to rehearse outreach program, “Tomorrow’s Voices This New Adult Festival is open Music will be will performed from the times Courts and Frederick Handel.

The concert will include rarely heard workbe by Handel, Laudate Pueri thatKings will aincluding two CoroMusic performed fromof the times dition and parttheofChoral Key Festival, Chorale’s educational outreachwill program, feature Mary Wilson,George the full Chorale and orchestra plus participants unique opportunity to rehearse Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna in a isfestival choir setting under Today.”

The weeklong October 14-18, give to all singers without audition and feature Wilson, the full Chorale and orchestra plus work byKings Handel, Laudate Pueri that Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna in aweeklong festival choir setting under the direction of Maestro Joseph Caulkins.

Rehearsals lesser-known choral works ofMary Mozart and his nationofheard anthems composed bypopular George Frederick Handel.

Thewill concert will include a Courts and including two participants the unique opportunity to rehearse Morten “Tomorrow’s Voices Today”.

The Festival, October 14- rarely isSaturday part of Key Chorale’s educational the direction of Maestro Joseph Caulkins.

Rehearsals lesser-known choral works ofcomposed Mozart his popular will culminate in the concert performance and Mary Wilson, the full Chorale and orchestra plusWilson, the full Jubilate forfeature solo Lauridsen’s Aeterna inunique a festival choirExultate under Coronation by rarelysoprano. heard work byanthems Handel, Laudate Pueriand that will feature Mary 18, will giveaLux participants the opportunity tosetting rehearse Morten outreach program, “Tomorrow’s Voices will culminate in the Saturday concert performance and documentary screening with cameo appearance by ExultateHandel.

Jubilate for solo soprano. the direction of Maestro Joseph Caulkins. Rehearsals lesser-known choral works of will Mozart andworks his George Frederick The concert include a popular Chorale and orchestra plus lesser-known choral of Mozart and his popular Lauridsen’s Lux Aetema in a festival choir setting under the direction of Maestro Joseph Today.”

The weeklong Festival, October 14-18, will give documentary screening with a cameo appearance by Key Chorale members. will culminate in the Saturday concert performance and Exultate Jubilate solo soprano. rarely heard work by Handel, Laudate Exultate Jubilate forfor solo soprano.Pueri that will participants the unique opportunity towith rehearse Morten Key Chorale Caulkins.

Rehearsals will culminate inscreening themembers.

Saturday concert performance and documentary documentary a cameo appearance by

Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna festival choir setting Key Chorale “Tomorrow’s Today”inmembers.

–a Port, Pine View under screening with a Voices cameo appearance byNorth Key Chorale members.

feature Mary Wilson, the full Chorale and orchestra plus

“Mozart: 1791” - The final works of Mozart with guest

the Venice direction of Maestro Joseph Caulkins. lesser-known works of Mozart and his popular “Tomorrow’s Voices Today” – North Port, ViewBharatchoral and high school choirs perform withRehearsals guestPine soloist, Chandra will culminate in the concert performance and with Jubilate for solo soprano. andSaturday Venice high school choirs Key Chorale guest soloist, Bharat Chandra soloist, Bharat Chandra “Tomorrow’s Voices Today” - North Port, Pineperform View andExultate Venice April 18, 2015, 2:30 p.m.

“Tomorrow’s Today” – North Port, Pine View Saturday, documentary screening withVoices a cameo appearance by Chorale Saturday, Marchschool 21, Key 2015, 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 18, 18, 2015, p.m. at First Church, Sarasota and Venice high choirs perform with guest soloist, Bharat Chandra Saturday, April 2015,2:30 2:30 pm at First Church, High School Choirs perform with Key Chorale Key Chorale members.

Saturday, March 21, 2015, 2:30 p.m. at North Port Performing Arts at First Church, Sarasota Date and time subject to change.

Key Chorale Sarasota. (date and time subject to change) Saturday, April 18, 2015, 2:30 p.m. at 2015, North Port Arts Center March 21, Saturday, 2:30Performing pm at North PortKey Chorale welcomes Date andsoloist, time subject to change. guest Saturday, March 21, 2015, 2:30 p.m. at First Church, Sarasota Center Key welcomes guestguest soloist,soloist, Bharat Chandra, to perform “Tomorrow’s Voices Today” – North Port, Pine View Performing Arts Center KeyChorale Chorale welcomes Bharat Chandra, to perform Mozart’s at North Port Performing Arts Following last year’s success, each Date featuring and timeclarinet subject to Mozart’s change.

Mozart’s beloved concerto, featuring the men of the ChoBharat Chandra, to perform beloved clarinet concerto, and Venice high school choirs perform with guest soloist, Bharat Chandra Following last year’s success, each Center school independently join Key Followingwilllastperform year’s success, each schooland willwill perform independently and will join Key Key welcomes guest rale in Chorale Mozart’s final composition, Thesoloist, Little Masonic Cantata and beloved clarinet concerto, featuring Key will school and will joinshowcases Key Chorale festival chorus thatperform be led

by Joseph April 18, 2:30 Chorale inina afestival chorus that Chorale will bewill ledFollowing byindependently Joseph Caulkins.

ThisThe concert Bharat Chandra, perform Mozart’s Little Masonic Cantata and theinfull Chorale in2015, his to the fullSaturday, Chorale his unfinished Requiem.

Keyp.m.

Chorale alumni will join the Chorale last success, each Chorale in a festival thatyear’s will be led by Joseph Caulkins. This concert showcases threechorus exceptional Saturday, March 21, 2015, 2:30 p.m. at First Church, Masonic Cantata and full Chorale in his beloved clarinet concerto, featuring Requiem. The KeyLittle Chorale alumni will Sarasota join the the three exceptional South County highThis school choirsshowcases and the concert include school perform independently willwilljoin Key music in singing the miniature masterpiece Ave Verum Corpus to celebrate 30 years of Caulkins. concert three exceptional south county high school choirs and the concert will and atwill North Port Performing Arts Requiem.

Key Chorale alumni will join the Chorale in singing the miniature masterpiece Ave Dategreat andchoral timemusic subject change. performing inVerum ourto community. ranging from the ranging chorale masterworks tohigh contemporary choral music.

Chorale incounty athe festival chorus that will bethe ledconcert

by Joseph south school choirs and will include music from choral masterworks to Chorale inof singing the miniature masterpiece Ave Verum Corpus to celebrate 30 years performing greatand choral Center The Little Masonic Cantata the full Chorale in his Key Chorale welcomes guest soloist, Caulkins. concert threemusic exceptional include music rangingshowcases from the choral masterworks to Corpus to Requiem. celebrate 30 years of performing great in our community. contemporary choral music.This Key Chorale alumni will joinchoral the Bharat Chandra, to perform Mozart’s Following last year’s success, each south county high school choirs and the concert will music ininour community. contemporary choral music.

Chorale singing the miniature masterpiece Ave Verum beloved clarinet concerto, featuring include music rangingand fromwill choral to school will perform independently join Keymasterworks Corpus to celebrate 30 years of performing great choral Annual Fall Luncheon &the Auction – 30th Anniversary Celebration SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 BIZ(941) music inAnniversary our community. contemporary choral music.

Chorale in a festival chorus thatAnnual will be10, led byLuncheon Joseph Fall &The Auction – 30th Celebration Monday, November 2014, 11:30 a.m. atLittle Michael’s on East Masonic Cantata and the full Chorale in his November 10, 2014, performing 11:30 a.m. at Michael’s East Caulkins.

This concert showcases three exceptional Soprano Mary Wilson will return for ourMonday, Anniversary Luncheon Celebration dazzling works by on Vivaldi

99

Fast Track

Movers, Shakers & Headline Makers

David Verinder

NICHOLAS ROBERtS

POSITIONS TAKEN David Verinder, president and CEO, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.

Dr. Robert Amyot, president, CAE Healthcare.

Jeff Jackson, president and CEO, PTG Industries.

Nicholas P. Roberts, president, SunTrust Bank Sarasota County.

Angela Rose, vice president of business development and education, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

Jessica Stewart, real estate attorney, law firm of Berlin Patten, PLLC. Valerie Powell-Stafford, chief operating officer, Blake Medical Center.

Marc Hanson, chief financial officer, Caldwell Trust Company.

Cindy Unzicker, promoted to

MARY CHILTON

BEN SASSE

investor relations and development manager; and Mary Chilton, promoted to business retention and expansion manager; Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation.

Deidre (Dee) Dannmeyer, executive director, Habitat for Humanity South Sarasota County.

Ben Sasse, vice president, new business development, estimating and project management, Jon F. Swift, Inc. Hector Tejeda, executive director; and Gloria Muñoz, associate director of integration, UnidosNow. Jim Toale, real estate attorney, law firm of Tannenbaum Hanewich.

Sandy Keir, wealth adviser and certified financial planner, Suncoast Advisory Group.

Laura Breeze, gift planning

100 BIZ(941 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

SANDY KEIR

Alicia King

officer, American Red Cross.

Austin Legler, social media and public relations manager, Next-Mark.

Julie Lyman, vice president of development and donor relations, Community Foundation of Sarasota.

Rodney Barnes, human resources director, Manatee County government.

Alicia King, director of public relations, 360 Degrees PR. Cihan Cobanoglu, director; and Amela Malkic, assistant director, USF Sarasota-Manatee’s new Global Engagement Office.

Mark Rummings, head golf professional, The Ritz-Carlton Members Club, Sarasota.

Tom Hughes, director of polo operations, Sarasota Polo Club.

Joseph Hwang, assistant administrator, Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Fast Track

Steve Young, chief operating officer, Doctors Hospital.

Betsy Bender, director of marketing, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

Sam Richardson, annual fund manager, South Florida Museum.

Jason Welty and David Morrison, architects, Halflants + Pichette Studio for Modern Architecture.

Susan Kenyon, executive director, Sarasota Crew.

Donna Tallan, Fifth Avenue Club director, Saks Fifth Avenue.

ACCOLADES Manatee 2014 Small Business of the Year awards went to: Anna Maria Historic Green Village, green business; Leadership Simplified, small business under $500,000; Duncan Real Estate, small business under $1.5 million; Gator Air Conditioning, small business under $3 million; and Grapevine Communications, small business over $3 million.

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce presented the 24th annual Frank G. Berlin Sr. Small Business Awards to: CS&L CPAs, 51-100 employees; Gateway Bank of Southwest Florida, 1-50 employees; Chris Laney, young professional of the year; Goodwill Industries-Manasota, nonprofit organization of the year; Neuro Challenge Foundation, health care/wellness organization of the year; Van Wezel Foundation, cultural organization of the year; ShelterBox USA, international

organization of the year; and L. Boutique & L. Spa, retail business

Environmental Protection.

Taylor Tollerton of Professional

of the year.

The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce named Caldwell Trust Company its 2014 Business of the Year.

Knight Marketing won gold in the digital marketing program category at the 31st annual Healthcare Advertising Awards for a series of websites it produced for Miami-based VITAS, the nation’s largest hospice organization.

The Florida High Tech Corridor named Kevan L. Main, Ph.D., of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Aquaculture Research Park, as one of the 2014 “Faces of Technology.”

Becker’s Healthcare named Sarasota Memorial Health Care System one of the 150 great places to work in health care in 2014.

Cihan Cobanoglu, dean of the USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership, received the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors’ Bureau’s 2014 Tourism Catalyst Award.

Builder magazine named Neal Communities No. 50 in its top national homebuilder rankings, up from 64 in 2013.

The Resort at Longboat Key Club is ranked No. 8 in Tennis Resorts Online’s annual list of 100 Top Tennis Resorts and Camps, Worldwide. Its marina, Longboat Key Club Moorings, has been designated as a Florida Clean Marina for the 12th consecutive year by the Florida Department of

Benefits Inc. was elected president of the Florida Gulf Coast chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Victoria Jaensch Karins was re-elected chair of the Central Florida Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation board of directors elected Benjamin Hanan chair and Phil Humann vice chair.

Norm Easey, CEO of the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, was awarded the chapter’s Edward W. Bok Award for lifetime achievement.

The Education Foundation announces its 2014-2015 officers: Kimberly Page Walker, chair; Jason Swift, vice chair; Thomas Koski, secretary; and Tricia Fulton, treasurer. Louis DeCongelio, John McIntyre and Alix Morin were elected to the board.

Darrel Flanel and Jeffery Hotchkiss joined the board of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation.

C.J. Bannister has joined the board of Goodwill Manasota.

Attorney Michael Prohidney has joined the board of the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee.

Bryan Boudreaux, John Fain, Brad Laudicina, Tricia McKay Powers and Darlette Tice have joined the board of We Care Manatee.

Patricia Petruff, of the law firm of Dye, Deitrich, Petruff & St. Paul, received the 2014 William C. Grimes

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 101

Fast Track Award for Lifetime Achievement in Community Service from the Manatee County Bar Association.

Michael’s On East received Wine Spectator’s 2014 Award of Excellence for the 23rd consecutive year.

Steven J. Krause and Margie Nellum were named co-chairs of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe advisory board.

Katie Knight, United Way Suncoast’s Sarasota area president, was appointed to the funders’ board of CareerEdge Funders Collaborative.

Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities’ 2014-2015 board officers are: Ted Bogusz, chair; Michael Scicluna,

first chair; Liisa Neumann, second chair, Sharon Chiodi, secretary; and Emily Lovesky Mruczek, treasurer.

Jennifer Bencie, M.D., Timothy Knowles and Colleen Thayer have joined the board of Manatee Glens.

New College of Florida was named a “Best Buy” college, one of just 44 in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., in the 2015 Fiske Guide to Colleges.

The Oaks Club was awarded the Distinguished Gold Club of the World award by BoardRoom magazine.

Gecko’s Grill and Pub was recognized by the National Restaurant Association with a 2014 Florida Restaurant Neighbor Award.

Jan Pitchford and Brianne L. Reck have joined the board of the

Perlman Music Program Suncoast.

Michelle Accardi-Petersen, chief marketing officer of Star2Star Communications, was named to the 20145 Women of the Channel and the 2014 Channel Up-andComers list.

Sarasota psychiatrist Parlane Reid, M.D., was named a Distinguished Life Fellow at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting.

MOVING AND OPENING Gulfshore Media LLC, publisher of Sarasota Magazine, Biz(941) and other titles, acquired Venice Magazine and venicemagazineonline.com from Venetian Media Group, LLC.

Fast Track Close-Up For the ninth consecutive year, Scott Carpenter, founder of the Sarasota public relations and marketing agency, cPR, was named a national senior judge for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Anvil Awards’ biggest honor, the Silver Anvil Award. Only 20 out of PRSA’s 30,000 members are asked to serve as Silver Anvil judges. The contest honors PR professionals who “have successfully addressed a contemporary issue” and shaped public opinion. Carpenter led a team of judges who rank entries on a 0- to 10-point scale in four categories: research, planning, execution and evaluation.

The best campaigns, Carpenter says, are those that ask, “What’s the need and how do we solve it?” and “How can we effect change with this information?” “Then it’s

really about setting definable objectives and implementing creative, tactical execution,” he adds. Budget is no guarantee of how well a campaign will do. “A great campaign lays out exactly

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what it intends to achieve: increase web hits, reach a new audience,” Carpenter says. “You have to define, measure and evaluate, and change whatever is necessary to achieve your goal.”

—Chelsey Lucas

Tidewell Hospice... it’s more than you think.

When someone you love is living with advanced illness, it can be necessary to take on the role of full-time caregiver.

That’s a special gift, but you can lose a part of what makes the relationship with your loved one so meaningful.

Tidewell helps give you back quality time by providing: • Symptom management • Personal care at home • Emotional support • Pain control • 24-hour on-call • And much more

Sarasota and Manatee Counties Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. in Sarasota and Manatee counties provides the most vulnerable people in our local community with assistance to help them thrive.

Without basic necessities it is very difficult for a child to learn in school or an adult to maintain employment or a senior to remain healthy. Catholic Charities offers courageous families and individuals valuable resources to become more self-sufficient.

Please join us for our 2015 fundraising events!

Catholic Charities Ball Bethesda House Mardi Gras Madness Saturday, January 31 at the Ritz-Carlton

Fat Tuesday, February 17 at The Francis

For more information about our programs and services, call 941-355-4680 or visit www.catholiccharitiesdov.org 5055 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34234 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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Fast Track Boomerswork, an online service that matches seasoned professionals with flexible employment assignments, has launched its U.S. headquarters in Sarasota.

manufacturer Origin USA has opened its U.S. headquarters at 771 Commerce Drive, Suite 16, in Venice.

The Devyn, an event venue, has opened at 7111 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.

first Florida franchise location at 6509 49th Court E. in Ellenton.

Insignia Bank has opened a loan production office at 1301 Sixth Ave.

G. Quarterman Insurance Agency, (DBA State Farm), has

has moved to 300 S. Orange Ave. in Sarasota.

W. in downtown Bradenton.

RosemaryVet, the area’s

moved to 2970 University Parkway, Suite 200, Sarasota.

Sarasota Estate Auction has opened at 6030 N. Lockwood Ridge

only strictly after-hours general veterinary practice, has opened

Blue Sage Pilates has opened at 417 12th St. W., Suite 106, in

Road in Sarasota.

Bachelor Bill’s Good Time Grill

at 650 Central Ave. in downtown Sarasota’s Rosemary District.

downtown Bradenton’s Jennings Arcade.

has opened at 11235 U.S. 301 in Parrish.

Tervis broke ground in May on its 24,000-square-foot Innovation

Attorneys Trent and Lesa Miller have opened the Florida Mediation

Spanky’s Grill 41 has opened at 943 10th St. E. in Palmetto.

Center, adjacent to its headquarters and factory in North Venice.

and Conference Center at 887 62nd St. Circle E. in Bradenton.

Ashly Hermes has opened A. Hermes Salon at 4141 S. Tamiami

Aluminum bi-folding door

Boulder Designs has opened its

104 BIZ(941 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Yellow Strawberry Hair Salon has opened a third salon at 5410 Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

DWY Landscape Architects

Trail in Sarasota.

Partnering to Build Your Business Visit our website at SarasotaChamber.com

Exceptional musicians from around the world, performing for you in America’s only 18th Century European Opera House, and other one-of-a-kind venues.

OF SARASOTA SARASOTA

POPS

INSTRUMENTAL

PIANO

VOCAL

Unique, live musical events that entertain, engage and inspire.

2014 NINETEENTH 2015 SEASON

More than forty performances annually. For our schedule, details and tickets visit www.artistseriesconcerts.org TICKETS 941.360.7399 (Daily 10-4) GROUPS & INFORMATION 941.306.1202 (M-F, 10-4)

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 105

Fast Track

Fast Track Close-Up Lee Kotwicki is State College of Florida’s new workforce services program director, responsible for workforce training needs. “I collaborate with CareerSource Suncoast, CareerEdge, the Manatee and Sarasota chambers and EDCs to see what trainings are needed not just for today, but to stay on the cutting edge for the future,” she says.

From manufacturing certification to health care training, computer application, leadership management, customer service and training in soft skills, Kotwicki customizes trainings and assists about six businesses

a month. “We’ve done social media training; a consortium training for CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management); and training for Bridges to Careers, Suncoast Community Capital,” she says.

And the training is convenient. SCF

has four locations—Lakewood Ranch, Venice, Bradenton and a downtown Sarasota office. Businesses also can have an instructor visit. Cost varies depending on the type of training.

Contact Kotwicki at (941) 363-7218 or KotwicL@scf.edu. —Chelsey Lucas

Two lanes. One tunnel.

Two brands. One solution.

Business-class VoIP Communications SouthTech partnered with Star2Star to provide more than a new phone system. PowerView Voice combines next-generation VoIP technology with expert installation and support from the people you know and trust.

SouthTech. Your IT Navigators. www.southtech.com/voice

106 BIZ(941 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

The Seen

Photography by Lori Sax

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BIZ(941) Women Of Influence 1 Diane Lawson, Sperry Van Ness; Linda Starcher, Re/Max; Candice McElyea, 360 Degrees 2 Janet Ginn, Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Lindsey Nickel de la O and Kristine Nickel, Nickel & Nickel Communications 3 Jenny Townsend, Center For Building Hope; Mireya Eavey, CareerEdge Funders 4 Sharon Prizant, Cumberland Advisors; Susan Sigman, the John and Mable Ringling Museum 5 Elaine Cook and Jennifer Perez, Zenith Insurance Co.

➜ More Seen photos at biz(941).com.

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developmental delays sensory disorders Down Syndrome cerebral palsy spina bifida

autism

Help My Disabilities Shine 100% Local

easterseals-swfl.org 350 Braden Ave., Sarasota, FL 34243 ∙ 941-355-7637

Invest in lives well lived at Easter Seals.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 109

The Seen

Photography by Lori Sax

3

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Sarasota EDC "Meet the Leaders" 1 Steve Parkinson, Lakewood Amedex; Dr. Fiona Crawford, Roskamp Institute; Scott Sensenbrenner, Enzymedica; Nancy Bryan, BioFlorida 2 Cameron Kolesa, Nick Roberts, SunTrust Bank; Commissioner Cheryl Cook, City of North Port 3 Beverly Hindenlang, Daisy Vulovich, SCF 4 Joe C. Hembree, Hembree & Associates 5 Christine Purnell, Spence Purnell, Sarasota EDC

➜ More Seen photos at biz(941).com.

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David Kotok

Chief Investment Officer

Since 1973, Cumberland Advisors has been a trusted source for expert, personalized money management.

Cumberland, an independent, fee-for-service firm supervises more than $2 billion in discretionary managed assets for clients throughout the United States.

One Sarasota Tower 2 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite 303, Sarasota, FL 34236 614 Landis Ave., Vineland, NJ 08360

scf.edu

800-257-7013 www.cumber.com

Est. 1957, Region’s First and Largest Public College Bradenton • Lakewood Ranch • Venice • Online

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin/ethnicity, color, marital status, disability, genetic information and sexual orientation in any of its educational programs, services or activities, including admission and employment. Direct inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies to: Equity Officer, 941-752-5323, PO Box 1849, Bradenton, FL 34206.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

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The Seen

Photography by Lori Sax

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Gulf Coast Latin Chamber Power Lunch 1 Enid Rodriguez, Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce; Richard Curtis, Keller Williams Realty; Fatima Soriano, Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce 2 Janet Arena, Van Wezel; Artab Pangallo, Coldwell Banker 3 Mabel Pineiros, Regions Bank; Carlos Gonzalez, TV Net Media Group 4 Karen Conkel, Rodan+Fields; Lisa Timms, Timms Social Skills Program 5 Junior Salazar, Gulf Coast Latin Chamber; Rick Benitez, Benitez Photography

➜ More Seen photos at biz(941).com.

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David E. Gurley

J. Ben Vitale

Gurley & Associates is pleased to announce that J. Ben Vitale has become a Shareholder of the firm. Our firm will continue the practice of law under the new name of: Daniel J. Forssell, AAI

Brett M. Lacey

More Options. Better Choices.

That’s Benefit Advisors!

• Reliable employee benefits consulting • Committed to acting in YOUR best interest • Focused delivery of our proven expertise Bradenton/Sarasota

941-201-5610

Gurley Vitale offers representation in construction law, surety law and commercial litigation. Our clients span the construction and development industries and include: General contractors • National retailers Surety companies • Public and private owners Liability insurers • Design professionals We deliver the benefits of “big firm” experience with “small firm” economics and service. sarasota

941.365.4501

houston

san juan

www.GurleyVitale.com

www.benefit-advisors.com

Workplace Experts We Help You Build Business Results Through:

A Better Workforce A Better Workplace

BEGIN YOUR DAY

IN THE KNOW with Biz(941)’s daily e-newsletter.

• A network of highly experienced Human Resources professionals.

• Providing services to clients with up to 5,000 employees. ^ Human Resources ^ Leadership Development ^ Organization Transformation Sarasota/Bradenton/Tampa Ft. Myers/Cape Coral 941-727-1692 www.workplacexperts.com Pat Mathews

114 BIZ(941) SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

Sign up for FREE at Biz941.com

Photography by Lori Sax

1

The Seen

4

Suncoast Technology Forum Techbyte Luncheon

2 3

1 Ana DeShields, USF Sarasota-Manatee and Suncoast Technology Forum; Stan Shultes, Spark Growth; Kelly Tarala, Enclave Security 2 James Resler, Cisco Systems 3 Deborah Walter, TriNet; Matt Anderson, Milestone Media 4 Lance Linander, Comcast Business Solutions; Sunita Ludwig, USF Sarasota-Manatee 5 Janet Watson; Jeffrey Hart, Comcast Business Solutions

5

Volume 11/Number 5, September/October 2014, Biz(941) (ISSN 1936-7538) is published in January, February, April, June, September and November, six times a year, by Gulfshore Media, LLC, 330 S. Pineapple Ave., Suite 205, Sarasota, FL 34236.

Subscriptions are free to qualified individuals. For customer service inquiries, subscription inquiries or to change your address by providing both the old and new addresses, contact: Subscription Department, Biz(941), 330 S. Pineapple Ave., Suite 205, Sarasota, FL 34236. Phone (941) 487-1100 or (800) 881-2394, Fax (941) 365-7272.

Periodicals postage paid at Sarasota, Florida, and at additional mailing offices. Copyright 2014 by Gulfshore Media, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts without return postage will not be returned. DISCLAIMER: Advertisements in the publication do not constitute an offer for sale in states where prohibited or restricted by law.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Biz(941), 330 S. Pineapple Ave., Suite 205, Sarasota, FL 34236.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014

BIZ(941) 115

Off the Clock

By Ilene Denton

KATHRYN BRASS-PIPER

ANDREW BERS

Dog’s Best Friend Realtor Andrew Bers advocates for Southeastern Guide Dogs.

Andrew Bers, a realtor associate with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, has gone to the dogs—the Southeastern Guide Dogs, that is. He’s made it his mission to raise funds and awareness for the nonprofit organization, which matches specially bred and trained guide dogs with sightimpaired people and wounded

veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress to enable them to live independently.

Southeastern Guide Dogs, based in Palmetto with auxiliary outreach centers and dog boutiques in downtown Sarasota and St. Petersburg, currently has more than 500 guide and public service golden retrievers, labs and golda-

116 BIZ(941) september | october 2014

dors (a lab/golden retriever mix) deployed across America; another 500 puppies are being trained by a wide network of volunteers.

Premier Sotheby’s sponsored a guide dog last year. That’s when Bers learned that it costs about $60,000 for the two-year process to take a puppy from conception through training to placement; the person who eventually receives that guide dog is charged nothing.

“These dogs make a difference, and together with the volunteers and staff, they change lives,” he says. He subsequently helped sponsor the organization’s walkathon last spring at Payne Park, and afterwards took 14 friends for a tour of the stateof-the-art campus. He also sent out hundreds of Christmas cards to clients, friends and colleagues last December with a message about Southeastern Guide Dogs, donated $5 for each card to Southeastern Guide Dogs, and invited his network of colleagues and friends to help name a puppy.

(The winning names: Cadillac if it was a boy, Coquina if it was a girl.

Cadillac was born in March.) He continues to send regular e-blasts touting Southeastern Guide Dogs’ accomplishments.

Bers has always been an animal lover, but this is his first in-depth philanthropic commitment. “I just needed the right organization,” he says. “Who knew?” ■

SANSARA is a brand new luxury condominium expected to break ground early fall, with completion slated for late 2015. Located at the gateway to the historic Burns Court neighborhood, this iconic addition to the Sarasota skyline is perfectly positioned to offer residents the best of this vibrant city.

WELCOME TO A PLACE WHERE ZEN-LIKE SERENITY IS HARMONIZED WITH ICONIC URBAN LUXURY. WELCOME TO SANSARA. 17 deluxe residences starting from the low $1,000,000s. ® J JO ON N AT AT H HA AN N A AB BR RA AM MS S ,, R RE EA A LTO LTO R R® 94 4 11 .. 2 23 32 2 .. 2 28 86 68 8 9

JO ON N AT AT H HA AN NA AB BR RA AM MS S@ @M M II C CH HA AE EL LS S AU AU N ND DE ER RS S .CO .CO M M J

SA AN NS SA AR R ACO ACO N ND D O.CO O.CO M M S

5 5 11 0 00 0 O OC CE EA AN N B B LV LV D D || S SA AR RA AS S OTA OTA ,, F FL L 3 34 42 24 42 2 || 9 94 4 11 .. 3 34 49 9 .. 3 34 44 44 4 M II C CH HA AE EL LS S AU AU N ND DE ER RS S .C .C O OM M M PRICES AND FEATURES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. OFFER VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ORAL REPRESENTATION CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY FLORIDA STATUTES §718.503. TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE.

WE VALUE the power of teams.

For Richard and Jennifer Gans, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s value is in bringing like-minded donors, volunteers and causes together.

As an estate-planning attorney whose clients need ideas about how and where to give, Richard sees the Foundation as the perfect resource. It is “right at the heart” of the community, with deep insight into local issues and challenges. Jennifer values the fact that the Foundation provides information and then anyone can participate.

“It’s up to you how much you give. I like that.”

Richard and Jennifer Gans

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is here to help guide you in your philanthropic journey. With over $239 million in assets in more than 1,100 individual and nonprofit funds, the Community Foundation offers the security and peace of mind that comes from the knowledge that your philanthropic wishes will be carried out – now and in perpetuity.

To learn more, call 941.955.3000.

2635 Fruitville Road, Sarasota | www.CFSarasota.org