The Miami Herald Business Chat Column.(Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News)

May 25--CONSULTING FIRM TO HOST `EGOV.' BUSH AT OPENING: What do you get when you cross a Seminole and a Gator?

College football fans may shudder to think. But in the IT world, the answer is Semtor, a Weston Internet consulting firm and incubator that will play host to "eGov." Jeb Bush at its grand opening Friday.

Chief Executive Howard Gubnitsky, a Florida State University grad, and President Todd Jones, a University of Florida alum, launched the company in January to provide e-commerce consulting. They chose the name Semtor in deference to their college roots.

In less than a year, Semtor has hired 70 employees and raised almost $10 million in venture capital.

Semtor moved a couple of weeks ago into a 14,000-square-foot office space that doubles as an incubator for fledgling dot-coms. The company also has been active in Bush's technology task force, itflorida.com, which explains the governor's cameo at Friday's invitation-only event.

Gubnitsky said the company is only a few months away from profitability, plans to more than double its staff by year's end and is positioning itself to go public.

Semtor hopes to outmaneuver more established …