Entrepreneurship

Tampa Downtown Partnership Focuses On Opportunities For Growth

Tampa Marketing Firm Adds Writing, Sales and Web Jobs

Socius Marketing, a company that provides organic search engine optimization and search-friendly web design and development, is seeking staff writers, outside sales associates, web maintenance professionals and web designers/developers.Launched in 2006 and headquartered in Tampa, the firm was started by Bob Ford, chief operating officer, and Chris Behan, president, while working out of their dining rooms. It has since grown to 20 full-time employees housed in a building on Rocky Point Drive.Socius is the Latin word for "partner" and Socius has served as a sales partner to their clientele. Through SEO, Socius Marketing assists clients with marketing their products and services through the client's company-owned website. Ford says they enable their clients to change their philosophy on how they view their website. Clients are encouraged to treat their website like their sales department, and hold it to quotas and expectations, the same way a sales person has quotas and expectations. Through targeted focus and research of the market, Socius determines what consumers are looking for on the Internet, how they're looking for the product or service and assists their client in converting the traffic into sales leads.In this challenging economy, Socius has thrived and Ford says, "I think what has really helped us here versus a lot of other businesses in this economy, is that we can bring some degree of hope to a business. We can help them capture a consumer segment that in the past they may have not focused on." In addition to Tampa, Socius has a sales force in Atlanta, however, as an SEO firm, much of their business is done virtually and they support customers across the country."A lot of our customers have gone from being local to national to almost international now," says Ford. Socius has been adding new clients monthly, and with that comes growth of their own in-house talent and the currently open positions, Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Bob Ford, Socius Marketing

Wikipedia Creator Talks About Wisdom Of Failure At Tampa TED Talks

UT Florida Entrepreneur Center Chair Receives National Honor

Tampa’s Downtown Forum To Focus On Transportation

A discussion of transportation development will highlight Tampa's 14th annual Downtown Development Forum, which will be held Friday, March 19, at Tampa Preparatory School's campus located at 727 W Cass St. Topics covered during past Downtown Forums included a discussion of the potential benefits of extending the Channelside streetcar system into downtown Tampa and other ideas that could spur downtown growth. The annual event focuses on the exploration of innovative ideas for urban development. Past keynote speakers have included former Pittsburgh Major Thomas J. Murphy and Brookings Institution visiting fellow Christopher Leinberger. This year's event is titled, "The New World of Downtown Tampa – 2010," and is scheduled to run 7:30 a.m.-noon. The keynote speaker is University of South Florida history professor and author Gary Mormino, co-chair of the Florida Studies program at USF-St. Petersburg. A continental breakfast, a networking session and registration will be followed by a panel discussion of transportation issues as they pertain to downtown Tampa and the Tampa Bay region. A one-cent sales tax increase for the purposes of financing transportation projects could be voted upon by Hillsborough County voters in November. Following the transportation panel will be a discussion of growth management election issues, including Amendment 4, a land-use initiative that proposes to require voter approval of all changes to local comprehensive land-use plans. In addition, updates will be given on the various downtown business sectors. Sponsorships at several levels remain available for the event, which annually draws hundreds of business people, property owners and real estate professionals. For information, call 813-221-3686. Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: Kimberly Finn, Tampa Downtown Partnership

Young Inventors Compete In USF Young Innovators Contest At MOSI

Blondie’s Cookies Expands To Tampa Bay Region From Indiana, Adds Jobs

Blondie's Cookies, which started in 1985 with a single store in Kokomo, Ind., and grew to 10 stores in malls throughout the Hoosier State, launched its first out-of-state expansion with the opening February 1 of the first of four planned stores in the Tampa Bay region at the Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. Blondie's Florida Regional Manager Rosa Jackson says new stores also are planned for three Westfield malls in the region: Brandon (opening in May), Citrus Park (July) and Sarasota Square (October). The stores will bring 45-50 new jobs to the Tampa Bay region. Jackson said the Wiregrass store, which doubles as a regional warehouse, will have about 15 employees when fully staffed, and the other three stores will employ eight-10, including managers and assistant managers. Further expansion in Florida is possible, Jackson says, but not until she and CEO Brenda Coffman get the four planned stores up and running. Jackson, a Dade City native, has moved home from Indiana to oversee operations in Florida. It was a trip home to visit family this past April, along with Coffman's spring trip to her condominium in Sarasota, that spurred the company's leap into the Tampa Bay region. "It's something that we've always wanted to do," Jackson says. "We've talked about it for years, but the timing was never really there. We had no intention of doing it this year, but my boss and I came down on spring break and I said, 'I found a mall.' She said, 'I found a mall, too.' So she said, 'I'm ready.'" Jackson says the turnaround from concept in April to reality in February has been a whirlwind. The company received its building permit at Wiregrass on January 15, Jackson says, and construction that usually takes 60-90 days was completed in about three weeks. Expansion into Florida during a recession might seem counter-intuitive, but Jackson says Blondie's Cookies was never daunted. "The reason for that is, we believe in the product that we sell," Jackson says. "If we can do well in Indiana, in the Midwest, where your general purchaser is very conservative, then we definitely can do very well in Florida, where there's a little bit more discretionary income." Writer: Carter Gaddis Source: Rosa Jackson, Blondie's Cookies

Spotlight Shines On Clearwater Man’s Concern For Small Businesses

Sunday Market Brings Fresh, Healthy Choices To Seminole Heights

The well-received Tampa Downtown Market that takes place on Fridays will have a sister event starting Sunday, February 14, at Hillsborough High with the first of four planned Seminole Heights Sunday Morning Markets. The new event was organized by Seminole Heights resident Greg Barnhill and is being run by Tiffany Ferrecchia, a former Orlando resident who operates the Tampa Downtown Market with the support of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. The Sunday market will run 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and will feature live music as well as fresh produce and healthy food. It's presented by the Business Guild of Seminole Heights. "Everything is a mixture of local, homemade or sustainable products," says Ferrecchia. "All of the food, we try to get without any artificial preservatives, and I want to make it as ethnic as possible. We want a large variety." Ferrecchia says the market will have room for as many as 100 vendors. Future market days are scheduled for March 14, April 11 and May 9. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded to Hillsborough High students, using part of the money from vendor fees, Ferrecchia says. Among the 50 or so local vendors already committed to participating are VSpicery, Lutz Nuts, Urban Oasis Hydroponic Farm, Auburndale Fruit, Joe's Oat Patties, Viitals Lifestyle Cafe, and Organic Juice Lounge and Co-op.The Friday Tampa Downtown Market is scheduled to run through May 14. Ferrecchia says a Sunday market for downtown Tampa is in the planning stages and could begin being held in the fall.Writer: Carter GaddisSource: Tiffany Ferrecchia, Tampa Downtown Market