Florida Trend articles from August 2008

Florida Trend archives from August 2008

Finding the gold in green.(Corner Office)
August 1, 2008... "Greening" the business community and stimulating economic development in clean technologies was the focus of the "Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change" in June. The two-day summit brought together more than 700...

Water from air.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... I read "Humidity's Silver Lining" [July, FloridaTrend.com] regarding getting potable water out of the air with the AquaVentus. It is a great idea, for the correct situation, but there is a cost for the equipment and a cost for the electricity...

Marion Hammer.(Readers)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2008... Thank you for your foresight, insight and wisdom in recognizing Marion P. Hammer ["Icon," July, FloridaTrend.com] for the treasure and icon she is to our state and to our country. When I first began working as a lawyer and a lobbyist in...

Bargain treasures.(Executive Lifestyles: CEOs at Home/Collectibles)(AMC Liquidators)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Michael Grimme knows how to find a good deal. His 11,000-sq.-ft. home is filled with many of the pieces his liquidation company has acquired. In fact, Grimme says, he and his wife, Pamela, are frequently switching...

Campaign buttons.(Executive Lifestyles: CEOs at Home/Collectibles)(Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Jamie Cole says his favorite campaign button is one given to him when he was 11 years old working on his first political campaign in 1974. His dentist was running for Congress. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] "His campaign manager was this old...

Farm living.(Executive Lifestyles: CEOs at Home/Collectibles)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] His friends call it South Fork. The architect's plans call it River Road. But to Glenn Winograd, it's a dream-come-true home. Winograd grew up in Brooklyn, where apartment living didn't allow him to indulge in his...

Guitars.(Executive Lifestyles: CEOs at Home/Collectibles)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Scott Rothstein started collecting guitars 20 years ago. He now has 58, electric and acoustic. They're not just for show either. He plays all the time, but he keeps some in a secure, temperature-regulated warehouse. "When I'm interested in...

Reconstructive advances: new procedures are making surgery less intrusive.(Executive Lifestyles: Health: Breast Cancer)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An ultrasound showed a mass in Deb Haggerty's left breast in December 1999. A biopsy the following month confirmed her fear. The tumor was too large to cut out in a lumpectomy, so doctors recommended she have the...

Fantasy Islands: far-away lands just a short hop across the Caribbean.(Executive Lifestyles: Getaways: Island-Hoping)
August 1, 2008... A short flight from Miami can take you virtually across the Atlantic: Sit in the gallery above a heated but civil debate in Parliament, nibble fresh baguettes and espresso in a French care or retreat inside a 350-year-old Spanish convent. ...

The new college try.(Executive Lifestyles: Dining and Spirits)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Watermelon is the best reason for summer. And a salad of cold watermelon with feta cheese refreshes best of all. Melon and cheese is an old Greek favorite, but the bright chunks of yellow watermelon in the $13 salad...

Earthquake Petite Sirah.(Wine & Spirits)
August 1, 2008... RED Earthquake Petite Sirah Lodi, Calif. $30 This blustery red will rock you, teach you that petite ain't puny and make you respect Lodi, too. PS is a small grape with a powerful punch in many zins and stands strong on its...

Rombauer Chardonnay Carneros.(Wine & Spirits)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... WHITE Rombauer Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley $35 Life is too short to drink cheap chardonnay; hand-crafted Rombauer is anything but. The 2006 is liquid wow with a round honeyed mouth feel, big nose and a bushel of peaches...

Keel & Curley Florida Frost White.(Wine & Spirits)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... DESSERT Keel & Curley Florida Frost White Plant City $25 (325 ml) After its success with blueberries, the Plant City gang tries ice wine, buying frozen Vidal grapes with sleek success. Deep gold color, with a noseful of pears...

Icon.(Interview)
August 1, 2008... Bill Haast Snake expert, venom researcher, 97 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Four years ago, I got bit by a Malaysian pit viper, and that was the end of my right index finger. The bone just dissolved. Most of my fingers were pretty bad...

A longing to educate.(Trendsetters: Education)
August 1, 2008... Andrea Kilpatrick certainly has the stellar academic and career resume--Princeton, Harvard law and Oxford and McKinsey & Co. consulting. And, if you know how to read it, she says, it pointed all along to where she is now, president of a...

Moving from a live training company to one with online offerings is a logical leap that's proved successful for the three founders of SIM.(Teaching Standouts)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... * Moving from a live training company to one with online offerings is a logical leap that's proved successful for the three founders of SIM. The Tampa company gets 40% of its revenue now from The Sub-Hub (thesub-hub.com), its exclusively...

Science teacher David Makepeace's marine science program at Coral Shores High School in Tavernier in the Keys has drawn national attention for its students' work on restoring coral reefs, but students also have worked on seagrass restoration, water quality testing, fish counts and other environmentally beneficial work with community partners.(Teaching Standouts)
August 1, 2008... * Science teacher David Makepeace's marine science program at Coral Shores High School in Tavernier in the Keys has drawn national attention for its students' work on restoring coral reefs, but students also have worked on seagrass restoration,...

Susan Leeds, who teaches gifted and honors science at Howard Middle School in Orlando, and Martha Adams, who teaches anatomy and environmental ethics and heads the science department at St. Brendan High School in Miami.(Teaching Standouts)
August 1, 2008... * Susan Leeds, who teaches gifted and honors science at Howard Middle School in Orlando, and Martha Adams, who teaches anatomy and environmental ethics and heads the science department at St. Brendan High School in Miami, were both honored last...

What really motivated U.S. sugar?(EVERGLADES)
August 1, 2008... To hear U.S. Sugar President Bob Buker tell it, it's a great time to be in the sugar business in Florida. Sugar prices are at historic highs. His company has the largest, most modern, most automated mill in the industry. The latest federal farm...

International Council of Shopping Centers.(Players)
August 1, 2008... The board of the International Council of Shopping Centers elected Mary Lou Fiala, Regency Centers president and COO, its chairwoman.

Eric Draper.(Players)
August 1, 2008... The National Audubon Society presented its 2008 Callison Award to Eric Draper, deputy director of policy for Audubon of Florida. You can reach Mike Vogel at mvogel@floridatrend.com

"Most wanted" website.(STATEWIDE)
August 1, 2008... Attorney General Bill McCollum has launched a "most wanted" website (myfloridalegal.com/ mostwanted) featuring suspects and convicted criminals wanted on serious charges, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, organized criminal activity,...

Howard M. "Budd" Post.(STATEWIDE)
August 1, 2008... Howard M. "Budd" Post, one of the founders of the Tampa-based engineering, science and architecture consulting company Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan (PBS&J) died June 10 at age 83. Started in 1960, PBS&J is now the 29th-largest engineering...

Off track.(PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ridership on Tri-Rail hit new highs from April through June. But increased commuter and employer support of public transportation comes just as routes and funding for area buses and trains face cutbacks. Local...

Washington Economics Group.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Tony Villamil, an economist and CEO of Washington Economics Group, has been named business school clean at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at rosenbergtrend@yahoo.com

SunTrust Banks.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Alex Herrera, formerly executive vice president and director of international wealth management at SunTrust Banks, has been named president of Provenance Wealth Advisors, a Miami-based investment adviser and an affiliate of Berkowitz Dick...

Rock 'n' Roll.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The exhibit "Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock & Roll Since 1967" is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art through Sept. 7. The exhibit features more than 100 pieces of art, including album covers, videos and other items that have...

Plaza San Remo.(CORAL GABLES)
August 1, 2008... LIC Coral Gables Retail, an investment group from Germany, has purchased the retail portion of Plaza San Remo at 6705 Red Road for $31.1 million from Venera Holdings. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at rosenbergtrend@yahoo.com

American Airlines.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... American Airlines, the largest carrier operating from Miami International Airport, plans to cut 900 flight attendants. The company also plans a major reduction in management and back-office positions by September. From Miami, American Airlines...

Camillus House.(MIAMI)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Camillus House--a homeless shelter north of downtown Miami--has completed a land-swap deal that will enable the organization to break ground on a $60-million shelter for the homeless on a 3.1-acre site northwest of the downtown business...

Great Eastern Bank.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... Federal and state bank regulators have ended cease-and-desist orders against Miami-based Great Eastern Bank. Previously, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation filed orders stating that Great Eastern...

The Hacket Group.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... The Hacket Group (Nasdaq-HCKT), a Miami-based technology consulting firm, has been added to the Russell 3000 index, which represents the largest 3,000 publicly traded companies in the U.S. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at...

Miami Center.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... New York-based Sumito Corp. of America has agreed to buy the Miami Center, a 782,210-sq.-ft. property in downtown Miami, for $265 million, according to the South Florida Business Journal. The transaction would be Sumito's first purchase in...

Continucare Corp.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... Continucare Corp. (AMEX-CNU), a physician services firm based in Miami, has expanded its stock buyback program to 10 million shares, an increase of 3.5 million shares. Since 2005, the company has repurchased 6.5 million shares for $14.4...

Greenberg Traurig.(MIAMI)
August 1, 2008... Greenberg Traurig is moving its headquarters to downtown Miami from Brickell Avenue. The law firm signed a 15-year lease for 150,000 square feet at Metropolitan Miami's Met 2. You can reach Sharon Harvey Rosenberg at...

Ahead of schedule.(TORREY PINES)(appointment of Michael E. Augustine at Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Michael E. Augustine is the new vice president and CFO at Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies' second location, now under construction in Port St. Lucie. He returns to Florida Augustine with 21 years of...

NovaVision.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Rudy Mazzocchi was named CEO of Boca Raton-based NovaVision. He was previously managing director of Accuitive Medical Ventures in Atlanta. NovaVision's former CEO and founder, Navroze Mehta, will become vice chairman. You can reach Ellen...

Ediet.com.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Laura Klein is the new chief information officer at Ediets.com. She was previously CIO and vice president of information technology at Sheridan Healthcare. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Equitrac Corp.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Noel O'Dwyer was named vice president of marketing and strategic alliances for Plantation-based Equitrac Corp. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Cairns Blaner Group.(Players)
August 1, 2008... President Bush has named Thomas Cairns, principal at HR consulting firm Cairns Blaner Group, chief human capital officer at the Department of Homeland Security. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Economos Properties.(BOCA RATON)
August 1, 2008... Economos Properties closed on a $46.5-million construction loan for a Fort Lauderdale development featuring two hotels, office space and ground-floor retail. The total cost is estimated at $65.5 million. You can reach Ellen Forman at...

Washington Mutual.(BOCA RATON)
August 1, 2008... Washington Mutual will close its operations service center by the end of the year, laying off 175, as part of cutting 1,200 jobs nationally. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

DayJet.(BOCA RATON)
August 1, 2008... DayJet has reached an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration to share information on its new operations technologies, including efficient flight patterns and reduced carbon emission. You can reach Ellen Forman at...

Del Mar Village.(BOCA RATON)
August 1, 2008... Woodbright Development sold Del Mar Village to Federal Realty Investment Trust of Rockville, Md., for $41.7 million. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Office Depot.(DELRAY BEACH)
August 1, 2008... DELRAY BEACH--Office Depot (NYSE-ODP) is attempting to reduce its 2,000-employee Delray headquarters staff through voluntary buyouts. The company says it has not targeted a specific number of job cuts. You can reach Ellen Forman at...

Republic Services.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
August 1, 2008... Republic Services, the nation's second-largest trash hauler, will acquire Allied Waste Industries of Arizona, the third-largest, in a $6.1-billion merger. The combined headquarters will be in Arizona, resulting in a layoff of about 100 of...

BankAtlantic.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
August 1, 2008... BankAtlantic has completed the sale of its five Orlando branches to Mercantile Bank for an undisclosed sum in an effort to reduce expenses. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Research in Motion.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
August 1, 2008... Research in Motion, manufacturer of the BlackBerry, expects to hire up to 500 locally for its south Florida research and development center. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Parlux Perfumes' earnings.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
August 1, 2008... Parlux Perfumes' earnings were $5 million for the year ended March 31, compared with a loss of $27.9 million a year earlier. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Pediatrix Medical Group.(FORT LAUDERDALE)
August 1, 2008... Pediatrix Medical Group (NYSE-PDX) has acquired Pediatric Cardiology Associates, with principal offices in Tampa and St. Petersburg, 11 pediatric cardiologists and more than 70 support staffers. You can reach Ellen Forman at...

Tousa Inc.(HOLLYWOOD)
August 1, 2008... Tousa Inc. won court permission to access more than $300 million to continue operations while it reorganizes under Chapter 11. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Spirit Airlines.(MIRAMAR)
August 1, 2008... Spirit Airlines will start charging passengers for seat selection and increase its fee for bags over 50 pounds. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

DHL Express USA.(PLANTATION)
August 1, 2008... DHL Express USA will cut 175 jobs from its 1,000-employee Plantation headquarters. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

East Coast Plastics.(PORT ST. LUCIE)
August 1, 2008... East Coast Plastics, a Fort Lauderdale manufacturer, will move 80 jobs to a new location at Parkway Warehouse Associates. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

BE Aerospace.(WELLINGTON)
August 1, 2008... BE Aerospace (Nasdaq-BEAV) will acquire Honeywell Consumables Solutions of Tempe, Ariz., for $1.05 billion in cash and stock, doubling its revenue in aircraft parts distribution. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Flagler System, owner of the Breakers Palm Beach resort.(WEST PALM BEACH)
August 1, 2008... Flagler System, owner of the Breakers Palm Beach resort, is taking over the former Governors Club in the Phillips Point building, signing a long-term lease with the building's owners, Colonnade Properties. You can reach Ellen Forman at...

Flagler Title Co.(WEST PALM BEACH)
August 1, 2008... Flagler Title Co. has been placed under the control of an outside lawyer, following the disappearance of founder Roger Gamblin and at least $2.5 million. You can reach Ellen Forman at formanfltrend@gmail.com

Shred of dignity.(JOB TRAINING)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two gears ago, the Louise Graham Regeneration Center, which employs developmentally disabled adults at its St. Petersburg paper recycling plant, nearly shut down. Prices for its recycled products were falling, and it...

Sweetbay Supermarket.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Mike Vail, a Sweetbay Supermarket senior vice president, has been promoted to president and COO. Vail, 45, has worked for Hannaford Bros., Sweetbay's parent company, for 20 years. He replaces Shelley Broader, who was named COO of Michaels craft...

Bonita Bay Group.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Gary R. Dumas has been promoted to vice president of Bonita Bay Group. He had been a regional general manager.

Greater Richmond (Va.) Chamber of Commerce.(Players)
August 1, 2008... Kim Scheeler, president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce for the past seven years, will take over the Greater Richmond (Va.) Chamber of Commerce.

Destination Tampa.(TOURISM)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... 53.7% percentage of visitors to Tampa last year from elsewhere in the U.S., led by residents from New York, Chicago and Boston 35.6% percentage of visitors from in-state, led by residents from St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Orlando 10.7%...

Photojournalism exhibit.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An exhibition featuring 40 years of Mel Finkelstein's photos is set for Aug. 17-Oct. 19 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs. Finkelstein, who died in 1992, spent more than 20 years at the New York...

Ave Maria University.(AVE MARIA)
August 1, 2008... Ave Maria University has received accreditation from the American Academy for Liberal Education. The eastern Collier County school has 600 students.

Composite Motors' 50,000-sq.-ft. complex.(BROOKSVILLE)
August 1, 2008... Construction is under way on a 11,250-sq.-ft. addition to Composite Motors' 50,000-sq.-ft. complex at the Hernando County Airport Industrial Park.

Applied Cooling Technology.(CAPE CORAL)
August 1, 2008... Applied Cooling Technology, a British marine manufacturing company, has opened its first U.S. facility. The company plans to employ 60.

Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast.(CAPE CORAL)
August 1, 2008... Cape Coral-based Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast is laying off 45 and will close offices in eastern Collier County, Venice, Sarasota and Bradenton.

Florida Power & Light.(DE SOTO COUNTY)
August 1, 2008... Florida Power & Light is seeking permission to build a 25-megawatt solar power plant north of Arcadia. If the Florida Public Service Commission approves, the plant could open next year.

Zep Construction.(ELLENTON)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Working under a six-week deadline, Zep Construction of Fort Myers rebuilt three lanes of Interstate 75 in three weeks, earning the contractor a $300,000 early-completion bonus. The original contract was for $1.7 million. The work followed a...

Housing Authority of Fort Myers.(FORT MYERS)
August 1, 2008... The Housing Authority of Fort Myers has broken ground on an $80-million, 120-unit affordable housing community for seniors.

Publix Super Markets.(LAKELAND)
August 1, 2008... Publix Super Markets ranked last among 20 major U.S. supermarket chains in a Greenpeace report on sustainable seafood practices. The report cites Publix for selling 21 species of fish on Greenpeace's "red list," including grouper, swordfish and...

Baxter Healthcare.(LARGO)
August 1, 2008... Baxter Healthcare will lay off 95 workers at its Largo factory by the end of the year. The company is shifting manufacturing of its kidney dialysis machines to Singapore.

Voted to oppose efforts to lease Alligator Alley's toll facility.(NAPLES)
August 1, 2008... The City Council, joining the Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization, voted to oppose efforts to lease Alligator Alley's toll facility to a private concessionaire.

Riverwalk at New Port Richey.(NEW PORT RICHEY)
August 1, 2008... Plans for Riverwalk at New Port Richey, a retail, office and residential complex along the Pithlachascotee River downtown, have been put on hold.

Transitions Optical will take over as title sponsor of the PGA Tour's spring stop at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.(PALM HARBOR)
August 1, 2008... Transitions Optical will take over as title sponsor of the PGA Tour's spring stop at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. The March tournament, previously sponsored by PODS, will be called the Transitions Championship.

Harbor Inn Resort & Yacht Club.(PUNTA GORDA)
August 1, 2008... Construction has started on the Harbor Inn Resort & Yacht Club, a five-story, 106-room hotel along the Peace River downtown.

Members of City Alliance, a group of downtown merchants and property owners, have suggested the city build a spring training baseball stadium on 42 acres of city-owned waterfront land previously targeted for a cultural arts district.(SARASOTA)
August 1, 2008... Members of City Alliance, a group of downtown merchants and property owners, have suggested the city build a spring training baseball stadium on 42 acres of city-owned waterfront land previously targeted for a cultural arts district. Sarasota,...

University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus.(ST. PETERSBURG)
August 1, 2008... The University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus has broken ground on a $12-million, 35,000-sq.-ft. science and technology center, with completion scheduled for fall 2009.

Tampa Bay Rays.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
August 1, 2008... The Tampa Bay Rays have decided not to continue pushing for a city vote in November on a new waterfront stadium downtown.

WellCare Health Plans.(TAMPA)
August 1, 2008... WellCare Health Plans, its Tampa headquarters raided by the FBI earlier this year, eliminated 208 jobs, including 78 in Florida. Meanwhile, Standard & Poor's has lowered WellCare's credit rating from B+ to B.

SimDag-Robel.(TAMPA)
August 1, 2008... SimDag-Robel, the developer of the proposed 52-story Trump Tower Tampa, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Sagicor Life Insurance Co.(TAMPA)
August 1, 2008... Barbados-based Sagicor Life Insurance Co. has established a U.S. headquarters in Tampa.

Refill?(RETAIL)
August 1, 2008... Once upon a time, Bernie's Coffee & Tee was Starbucks before there was Starbucks. Phil Jones, a college chaplain who developed a taste for Peruvian coffee in grad school, returned to his hometown of Orlando and started the company in 1980--two...

Lake Nona Property Holdings.(Players)(appointment of Thaddeus "Thad" Seymour Jr.)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Lake Nona Property Holdings has named Thaddeus "Thad" Seymour Jr. vice president and general manager of health and life science investments. He will oversee the science and technology park, which will include the Burnham Institute for Medical...