Florida Trend articles from April 2005

Florida Trend archives from April 2005

Daytona international speedway sets a new pace.(corner office)(International Speedway Corp.)
April 1, 2005... Even if you're not a fan of racing, the transformation of Daytona International Speedway over the past 50 years is a fascinating story that shows how a company that invented a sport can reinvent itself for the future. From early 1949 until...

Business's voice.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) has been recognized as the premier "voice of Florida business" since its inception in 1920 and is certainly not on its last leg ["Business's Moment," January, FloridaTrend.com]. I find interesting...

North Port.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... Your editorial brands North Port the new poster child for poor planning and conspicuous consumption of Florida's precious water resource ["Stirrings on the Water Front," February, FloridaTrend.com]. At the outset, I question any journalist...

Nanotechnology.(readers)(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2005... A reader of Barbara Miracle's article on nanotechnology research in Florida ["It's a Small World," February, FloridaTrend.com] could reasonably assume that the bulk of this work is concentrated at the University of Florida, with the remainder...

Correction.(readers)(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2005... A group of investors is applying for a federal charter for Callen National Bank of Florida, with a Winter Park opening planned for September.

Need for speed.(Wheels)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Jeff Keiner likes fast cars--preferably Porsches, but not the souped-up new models. Just the classics. He's owned about 30 over the past few decades and has been racing vintage Porsches since 1979. Raised in Indianapolis, the head of the...

The aviator's wheels.(Wheels)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The last car Howard Hughes drove before going into seclusion will be on the auction block this month at the 2005 Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Collector Car Auction. The motion picture mogul's 1953 Buick Roadmaster is both eccentric and a bit...

Dream machines.(executive lifestyles)
April 1, 2005... The Driver Robert Adamson CEO Medical Staffing Network Boca Raton Adamson came to Florida in 1986 with a British computer company. After the high-tech bust, he started Medical Staffing Network. His passions are art and cars. "I guess a...

One-stop shop: an institute in Miami offers a destination for various cosmetic surgeries.(Cosmetic Surgery)(Miami Institute for Age Management and Intervention)
April 1, 2005... In the era of multitasking, execs can now book a vacation that includes cosmetic dental surgery, a brow lift, a tummy tuck and laser hair removal all at one location--and then check into any number of nearby hotels, including the adjacent Four...

Molding workers.(Precise Technology)(Biography)
April 1, 2005... In 1975, laid-off apprentice architect David Outlaw joined a St. Petersburg plastics company--he had worked in plastics to help pay for college--launching a 30-year education he's wont to share. Outlaw, 52, is director of technical training...

Training and service.(Habilitation Center)(Biography)
April 1, 2005... Linda Cooke began her unusual career as a Nova Southeastern University business major. She joined high-tech manufacturer Gould Computer in Plantation. She continued after graduation in 1989, went on to another high-tech manufacturer and then,...

Before Scripps' move into Florida was announced, Debora Kerr, director of resource development, Workforce Alliance, West Palm Beach.(People Power)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Before Scripps' move into Florida was announced, Debora Kerr, director of resource development, Workforce Alliance, West Palm Beach, got the idea of retraining holders of bachelor's degrees in math and science fields that were facing declines....

Jacksonville native Thomas F. "Rusty" Skinner, 57, executive vice president of the Citrus Levy Marion Regional Workforce Development Board.(People Power)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Jacksonville native Thomas F. "Rusty" Skinner, 57, executive vice president of the Citrus Levy Marion Regional Workforce Development Board, has helped the organization to top-level honors from the National Association of Workforce Boards, the...

Timothy Sirdevan, 37, University of Florida grad and human resources manager at Home Depot in Tallahassee.(People Power)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Timothy Sirdevan, 37, University of Florida grad and human resources manager at Home Depot in Tallahassee, played a key role in a "Hire a Vet" job fair in October and worked with non-profit KABOOM in organizing 200 store employees to build a...

Rob Cowan, 50, human resources manager in Tallahassee for General Dynamics Land Systems, pushed for a plant schedule change to four nine-hour days, a fifth eight-hour day and then a four-day week of nine hour days.(People Power)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Rob Cowan, 50, human resources manager in Tallahassee for General Dynamics Land Systems, pushed for a plant schedule change to four nine-hour days, a fifth eight-hour day and then a four-day week of nine hour days. Called 9/80, it means every...

Saying goodbye.(Selling A Business)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Just as running a successful business takes a well thought out plan, so does shutting down a business. "You don't just put a sign out in front of the business saying, 'For Sale,'" says Steve Komondorea, chairman of the Florida Business Brokers...

Closing the deal.(Selling A Business)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Once you have found a buyer, there are a series of steps typically involved in making the sale. Here are the details from CCH Tax and Accounting, a publisher of business, legal and tax information and software: * The letter of intent. The...

No money, no mission: TEC helps Hope Hospice thrive in ever-changing healthcare industry.(Sponsored Advertising Report)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2005... For thousands of Southwest Florida residents, Hope Hospice is a mission of mercy. For Samira Beckwith, president and CEO of Hope Hospice, it is also a mission that must run with the efficiency and effectiveness of a successful business. ...

Home smart home.(Gator Tech Smart House)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... What would it be like to live in a house with a shower smart enough to regulate the water temperature? How about having a mailbox that senses when mail arrives? Those are just a few of the conveniences available in the University of Florida...

SchenkelShultz Architecture.(Tech Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... SchenkelShultz Architecture is working with Panasonic Corp., Ed Design Group and the School Board of St. Lucie County on the design of the new St. Lucie County High School. The facility, which the architecture firm calls a "high performance...

The Related Group of Florida.(intuitive resident information system)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Related Group of Florida will incorporate a "smart building" information system, developed with Sony, in each unit of its 43-story 500 Brickell condominium, designed by Arquitectonica. The system, called IRIS (intuitive resident information...

The Gartner Group.(Tech Briefs)
April 1, 2005... The Gartner Group will host Small Business Vision, a series of one-day programs designed to build partnerships between information technology vendors and regional resellers who focus on small businesses, consumers and digital home markets. The...

ITFlorida.(Tech Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... ITFlorida, the statewide not-for-profit advocacy group that represents technology companies, has named its 2005 board of directors. Rick Kearney, CEO of Tallahassee-based Mainline Information Systems, will serve as chairman. Other members of...

Nanotechnology research.(Tech Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A recent study on state spending for nanotechnology research ranked Florida 35th in the U.S. New York-based Lux Research assessed state nanotech spending, the status of a state nanotech initiative, companies active in nanotechnology and...

Tallahassee Community College.(Tech Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Tallahassee Community College is the only Florida school selected to participate in a nationwide initiative designed to help low-income students attain high-tech degrees. The program, launched by Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement...

Nextel Communications has partnered with the American Red Cross on a fund-raising effort that revolves around a "Donate a Phone" program designed to help members of the U.S. military.(Tech Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Nextel Communications has partnered with the American Red Cross on a fund-raising effort that revolves around a "Donate a Phone" program designed to help members of the U.S. military. Anyone with a wireless phone (from any company, not just...

Where the jobs are: this year's Economic Yearbook issue focuses on the kinds of jobs each region is generating--both from existing businesses as well as new.(Economic YearBook 2005)
April 1, 2005... Statewide, employers created 172,300 jobs last year, making Florida the fastest-growing job market in the country--again. But exactly what did those 172,000-plus jobs look like? Central Florida shows signs of developing a critical mass of...

Vital statistics.(Florida Trend Economic Yearbook 2005)(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... Vital Statistics POPULATION TOP 5 COUNTIES MIAMI-DADE 2,414,070 BROWARD 1,801,969 PALM BEACH 1,283,853 HILLSBOROUGH 1,114,778 ORANGE 1,015,493 BOTTOM 5 LIBERTY 7,072...

Building blocks.(South East)
April 1, 2005... Southeast Florida's building boom continues to fuel the region's economy. In Miami-Dade, where unemployment has dropped to its lowest level since the dot-corn craze of the late '90s, job growth in the construction sector grew 4.3% last year,...

Logistics base.(Treasure Coast)
April 1, 2005... The Treasure Coast wants to be known as the Research Coast, but for now warehouse and distribution operations are doing the heavy lifting in job creation. In late 2004, Wal-Mart hired 920 of a projected 1,200 for its huge distribution center in...

A housing surge.(Southwest)
April 1, 2005... Two kinds of workers are particularly in demand in Southwest Florida: Service sector employees and construction workers needed to meet the demand created by a housing boom. Lee County alone has seen a 148% jump over the last year in...

No shortage of jobs.(Tampa Bay)
April 1, 2005... Several high-profile job losses grabbed headlines last year in Tampa Bay, but business leaders say the region continues to generate jobs at a heady clip. Even as JPMorgan Chase announced it was closing its Tampa credit card division, laying off...

Digital upgrade.(Central)
April 1, 2005... Although Orlando lost a big-money bid last year for the California-based Scripps Research Institute, which is developing a satellite facility in West Palm Beach instead, Central Florida is succeeding at luring other high-wage employers--so much...

Countdown mode.(Space Coast)
April 1, 2005... When the space shuttle Columbia exploded during reentry in early 2003, controllers noted on live television that the telemetry had gone into "coast"--and that's just what space program employment has done in the two years the shuttle fleet has...

Economic diversity.(North Central)
April 1, 2005... Construction jobs reign in North Central, with big developers such as The Villages and relative newcomers like Pulte Homes spearheading a building boom. "We're anticipating 325 new houses and 200 new jobs in 2005 for Circle Square Ranch, the...

Road to growth.(Big Bend)
April 1, 2005... Big Bend's location at a regional crossroads may have helped the area realize its sizable employment gains last year--3.6% overall, matching the state's overall employment growth rate of 3.5 %. Several manufacturing and distribution businesses...

Dreams vs. reality.(North East)
April 1, 2005... When northeast Florida executives paint their dreams for the local economy, the portrait is filled with computer chip makers, biomedical research centers and other high-tech, high-wage employers. A snapshot of the economy circa 2005, however,...

Hammers and Nails.(Northwest)
April 1, 2005... Waterfront development, increasing population growth and the Hurricane Ivan recovery are pushing a construction boom across the region. Contractors are clamoring for construction workers, building industries are expanding and materials...

Signs of spring: industry experts are predicting this year to be one of the best ever for tourism.(Forecasts)
April 1, 2005... Maybe it's the warm weather, or maybe it's a combination of positive signs from 2004's last quarter and this year's first, but Florida tourism industry leaders are feeling optimistic about the rest of 2005. While the Panhandle, Daytona area and...

Park favorites.(travel & tourism)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Dry Tortugas National Park, a group of seven islands off the coast of Key West, has been named one of the top 10 favorite sites of retired national park rangers because of its pristine underwater vistas along the coral reefs. The Coalition of...

Recovery bound.(travel & tourism)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Leisure travel has been rebounding steadily since Sept. 11, 2001, and now business and convention travel are finally starting to recover as well, according to a report from the Travel Industry Association of America, the National Business...

On the move.(travel & tourism)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A new business in the 1.1-million-sq.-ft. Orange County Convention Center rents Segway vehicles to help security personnel, event managers, setup workers and others get around. Owner Tally Helman is the son of Alan Helman, a prominent architect...

Gift of a cruise.(travel & tourism)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Fort Lauderdale-based Cruises Inc. now offers a wedding registry service for its honeymoon cruises. Instead of giving a toaster or a blender, friends and family can log onto the company's website and donate money toward a post-nuptial holiday.

Fatalistic attraction: Florida leaders are bad at managing growth but sure are good at counting and building.(Growth Management)
April 1, 2005... Growth management in Florida is a mess. You can't tell it from the legislative process, though. The governor and the legislative leaders are holding meetings and musing aloud about "financing" growth, but proposals mostly would just tinker...

A unified voice.(Sponsored Report)
April 1, 2005... With the 2005 Legislative Session well underway, the Florida Chamber of Commerce has been actively fighting for issues that are critical to employers and employees across the state. Our team of more than 25 lobbyist's is working daily to make...

Turning point: will Henry Latimer's death be another setback to integrating the Bar's leadership ranks--or will it spur African-American attorneys to step into the void he leaves?(Florida Bar)(Biography)
April 1, 2005... When Fort Lauderdale lawyer Henry Latimer died after a car crash Jan. 24, an opportunity that black lawyers throughout the state had awaited for decades died with him. Latimer, a widely respected former circuit court judge who joined the...

Taste of Tuscany: Winter Park's offerings have diners singing a happy tune.(dining with tolf)
April 1, 2005... The Mellow Mushroom pizzeria discussed in a previous column ["Shroom for Growth," January, FloridaTrend.com] is not the only Winter Park chain restaurant making every effort to avoid creating the image of just another corporate cookie-cutter....

Wine rack.(dining with tolf)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... One of the ever-expanding operations of the Outback conglomerate, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar boasts not only an upper upscale great leap forward from the anchor Outback operations in its setting but also in the attention paid to the...

Bank holding companies: by total Florida deposits.(top rank Florida[TM])(Illustration)
April 1, 2005... Bank Holding Companies BY TOTAL FLORIDA DEPOSITS 2005 Last Florida/Regional Rank Year Name Headquarters 1 1 Bank of America Jacksonville 2...

Degrees of frustration.(editor's page)
April 1, 2005... No one's happy in higher education these days. In the short term, the disquiet has to do with how power is distributed among the Legislature, governor, educational bureaucracy and administrators of the state's colleges and universities. In...