The $2 million Carol J. and Barney Barnett Learning Center combines high-end technology with creative design to help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Scotty Schrier of Riverview is gaining national media attention for demanding equal access for dads to diaper-changing tables in public places. It all started with a dirty diaper in a suburban restaurant near Tampa.
Louis Vuitton will significantly increase its presence at Tampa's International Plaza this year with a major expansion and relocation. The current Louis Vuitton store at International Plaza, located on the upper level near Nieman Marcus, will remain open as construction takes place on a site that will give the store 75 percent more space. "We are thrilled to be such a successful location for Louis Vuitton, and most importantly our customers will be excited to have an even larger and more luxurious store," says International Plaza Marketing and Sponsorship Director Nina Mahoney. "We are the 'fashion center' of the Tampa Bay market, and our customers appreciate the style and quality of Louis Vuitton." The expanded Louis Vuitton store will feature a larger selection of leather goods, including men's and women's shoes and accessories. The new site also will include a Louis Vuitton "Bag Bar," which will highlight the brand's latest collections. There also will be a "Mon Monogram" station, which will allow customers to choose from among 17 colors to add stripes or monograms to their bags or other leather items. Louis Vuitton, founded in 1854, has 445 stores in 62 countries. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Nina Mahoney, International Plaza and Bay Street
Avenida Suites, a Tampa-based temporary housing firm founded in 2007, has expanded its services to Orlando. Avenida Suites offers upscale, furnished, temporary and long-term housing for business travelers, executives and members of the military. The company also can accommodate families who await construction on a new home or are between homes. President and CEO Dan Gorman, an officer in the U.S. Marine Reserves, says Avenida has access to 15,000 units in Central Florida, including about 10,000 in the Tampa Bay region and about 5,000 in the Orlando region. "As the demand for hotel alternatives increases as shown with new interest in companies such as HomeAway, we want to continue to grow and provide the same service we have been giving since our very first guest," says Gorman. "We realize that our potential client base is expanding and so are we. Growing our operation into the Orlando market is all about making Avenida Suites convenient for our guests." Gorman says his business has experienced a "50 percent increase in gross revenues" and that "profits have more than doubled over the past couple of years." He attributes that success to a high level of customer service provided by himself and his wife, Claudia, a native of Brazil. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Dan Gorman, Avenida Suites
Morton Plant North Bay Hospital in New Port Richey opened a new medical tower and new medical arts building in February, part of a $49 million expansion that continues throughout this year. "By doubling the size of our campus and adding the latest available technology and equipment, the expansion in effect creates a new hospital campus," says John Couris, CEO of Morton Plant North Bay Hospital. The three-story, 45,000-square-foot Starkey Medical Tower brings the total of patient beds at Morton Plant North Bay Hospital to 154, a 25 percent increase. Also included in the tower are a new intensive care unit, a cardiac unit, a surgical unit, new respiratory care services and a community education center. The four-story, 56,000-square-foot Medical Arts Building features the hospital's outpatient care center, a four-bed sleep disorders center and rehab facilities. Patient registration will take place at the Medical Arts Building, which is connected to the hospital by a covered walkway. Also included at the Medical Arts Center are offices for primary care physicians and specialists. Additional renovation and expansion planned for 2010 includes a fitness trail with exercise stations, improvements and additions to the emergency room, renovations to the Mitchell Rehabilitation Hospital and a physicians lounge. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Beth Hardy, BayCare Health System
Fort Myers based Home-Tech, an appliance repair and sales company, will begin construction in April on a new regional office and showroom in east Manatee County. Through small-business incentives approved by Manatee County government, Home-Tech could receive as much as $22,000 for adding 21 jobs over the next five years, and the company is eligible for $5,743 in impact fee refunds. The new office and showroom will be housed in two buildings with a total of 20,000 square feet. The showroom is scheduled to open by early 2011. Home-Tech was founded in 1981 by Steve Marino, the company's president and CEO. Its primary focus originally was home air conditioner repair, and Marino was the only employee. Additional services, such as air conditioner installation, appliance repair and sales, were added over the years as the company expanded its territory across Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties. Marino transitioned the company into an employee-held entity in 1996. Home-Tech now employs more than 115 people and has a fleet of more than 80 vehicles. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Eric Basinger, Manatee Economic Development Council
The Florida Business Continuity Center (FBCC), a 14,000-square-foot facility designed to help businesses and government entities maintain operations through a time of transition or crisis, opened in Winter Haven in February. The FBCC, with 250 workstations, is located at the Inland Fiber & Data Technology Park. The central location is situated in an area of minimal flood hazard (Flood X zone), which helps shield the site from the major damage inflicted on Florida's East and West coasts in the event of a hurricane. Businesses and government entities can lease space at the center, which can become a temporary headquarters in the case of natural or man-made disasters. It also can serve as a temporary facility during large renovations or repairs. "Organizations are wise to prepare early for potential downtime of their primary offices, to insure continuity of daily functions and provide convenient, close-proximity, easy-access, temporary workspace for their staff," says FBCC President Carl J. Strang III, who also owns the Polk County based commercial property developer, 6/10 Corporation. FBCC features plug-and-play disaster and workspace recovery services. The center's amenities include advanced call capabilities, onsite technical support, private offices, conference rooms, break room, kitchen and equipment and storage space. There also are full bathroom and shower facilities. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Tim Nissen, Florida Business Continuity Center
A public meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a 9,000-to-10,000-square-foot gymnasium for the Westchase Recreation Center will take place Tuesday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Westchase Elementary School.John Brill of Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation says the location for the proposed multiple-use gym is based on the neighborhood's population and growing need. Brill says the current facility has waiting lists for leagues, and the new gym would help alleviate that."Their rec center itself could use expanding," Brill says. "You could do a number of different types of expansion, but the gym seemed to be the way to go to provide both the space and the usage."The $1.3 million project will be paid for by Community Investment Tax funds. Plans include the gym, a weight room, restrooms, storage areas, a mechanical room and an electrical room. The existing facility also would be renovated.Westchase Elementary is located at 9517 W. Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa. For information, call the Hillsborough County Public Works Department at 813-272-5275.Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: John Brill, Hillsborough County
Terry Hunt of TL Hunt Inc. wanted to sell office space to the former football-playing Gramatica brothers, who now own and operate a construction-based business in Tampa called Gramatica SIPS International. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers place kicker Martin Gramatica and his brothers, former University of South Florida place kickers Bill and Santiago Gramatica, had another idea during a meeting at Hunt's office. "We were trying to sell him our product," says Bill, who also kicked in the National Football League. "He was trying to sell us an office." The Gramatica brothers convinced Hunt to use their product, structural insulated panels, in the ongoing construction of TL Hunt Inc.'s United Business Park, located on Hillsborough Avenue about a mile west of the Veterans Expressway. The structural insulated panels have "tremendous energy efficiency and strength," says Bill Gramatica. "It has a stacking strength five times stronger than concrete blocks." The panels consist of rigid foam plastic insulation sandwiched between engineered wood facings. They were invented more than 60 years ago and have gained wide-spread use by energy-conscious buildersUnited Business Park already is fronted by a NAPA auto parts store and George's Wholesale Tire. Plans call for 10 additional 10,000-square-foot office/warehouse buildings, to be partitioned into four units of 2,500 square feet, as well as a new corporate headquarters for TL Hunt Inc. and an additional 3,500-square-foot building toward the front of the 23-acre property. The business park also will include a dock for fishing, riding trails and a picnic area, says Sheryl Marks of TL Hunt Inc.Bill Gramatica says Gramatica SIPS International also has begun to explore avenues to build their prefabricated structures in Haiti. Martin Gramatica, who also kicked for the New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2008, has explored ways to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina by building strong, relatively inexpensive housing in stricken areas. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Bill Gramatica, Gramatica SIPS International
Indiana-based Sun Development and Management Corp.'s newest hotel, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, opened Monday, March 8, at the Tampa Palms Professional Center. The 127-suite hotel is located at 5396 Primrose Cir. and is scheduled to hold a grand opening event in April, says sales director Cindy Robinson. The hotel plans to market itself to extended-stay business travelers, as well as tourists visiting area attractions like Busch Gardens Tampa and visitors to the University of South Florida. There is 1,035 square feet of meeting space and room to accommodate meetings and functions for as many as 50 people. Sun Development and Management owns and operates 26 hotels nationwide and has eight others in development. This is Sun's fourth Florida property, with a fifth, a Holiday Inn in Titusville, scheduled to open in April. SpringHill Suites, which was begun by Marriott in 1998, underwent a recent redesign and has more than 250 sites nationwide. With more than 140 more in development, SpringHill Suites is among the fastest-growing brands in the Marriott chain. Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Cindy Robinson, SpringHill Suites
Our Partners
Solutions journalism takes time, trust, and your support.
