Innovation News

Ballywho: Internet Marketer Hires, Grows In Pasco

Ballywho Interactive, an internet marketing company in Wesley Chapel, offers business solutions for social media management, web content and other needs. The company is currently hiring writers, a community manager, a designer and a web developer. "Right now the company has eight full-time employees," says Kristin Masters, Ballywho's social media strategist and content manager. "We're looking to double that in the next six months." Elissa Nauful Plumley, the company's founder/CEO, wants employees to be happy. "We offer flexible work schedules, which employees really like," she says. In addition to flexible work schedules, Ballywho wants employees to feel challenged and satisfied at work. While hard work is valued at this company, it's not all work and no play. Masters shares that the company tries to keep work fun by planning events such as Wii bowling tournaments at the office and impromptu outings. What does Ballywho look for in a job candidate? "First and foremost, we're looking for people who are a good "fit' for the company," says Masters. "We have a really unique culture: quirky, tight knit and dynamic. It's important that employees be able to embrace—and effect—change as the company grows. Our team is also really focused on delivering exceptional customer service, so ideal candidates are enthusiastic about that and look for ways to constantly improve what we do and how we do it." The company just celebrated its one-year anniversary in June 2010. Writer: Kimberly Patterson Sources: Elissa Nauful Plumley and Kristin Masters, Ballywho Interactive

TweetUp As Poynter Institute Celebrates 35 Years

Tampa Bay Campuses Offer Bike Programs

Tampa students, faculty and staff don't have to fight traffic or prowl lots for that ever-evasive parking spot. They can get a bicycle. For free.The University of Tampa (UT) joins the University of South Florida (USF) in offering free bike rentals to those living, attending classes or working on campus. According to UT's Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Katie White, the Tampa campuses are merely following what other campuses across the country are doing."It's definitely a trend," says White. "More and more universities are going this way as they're trying to minimize auto traffic and encourage sustainable transportation."According to White, students, faculty and staff can rent a bike for free on a daily basis by signing one out in morning and afternoon time slots. Bikes must be returned by dark to avoid a late fee. White says that although students didn't ask for the service, it's caught on nevertheless."This is a pilot program," explains White. "So far, the response we've gotten has been great. I'd like to expand the types of bikes we offer. Right now they're all mountain bikes. But I would like to add cruisers and road bikes. I'd also like to add a maintenance program for those who own their own bikes, as well as a safety program."The University of South Florida's Borrow Our Bikes (BOB) program has a similar operational structure. "Our program started in August 2010," says Chris Marks, USF's associate director of Campus Recreation. "We have 30 bikes, locks, helmets and lights—and it's enjoyed a positive response. We're getting close to 1,000 total check outs so far."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Katie White, The University of Tampa; Chris Marks, University of South Florida

Conelly Cocktails: New Brand Pairs Juice, Liquor In Unique Package, Tampa

Pour, pour, shake, shake, shake and you'll have an instant adult beverage that can compete with a drink from your favorite bartender.Hendrik Bisanz and Bridget Bohannon are the founders of BHB Import LLC, a wine and spirits company. Established in 2008, BHB Import has spent the past two years solidifying approvals and is now the exclusive importer of Conelly Cocktails. Conelly Cocktails was founded in Austria and thanks to BHB Import, its U.S. headquarters will be in Tampa.Conelly Cocktails entered the market officially in October 2010. "The product, which is patent pending in the U.S. is the first of its kind to co-package spirits and natural juices," says Bisanz.Why a patent? The two components of the product, liquor and natural juices, have never been packaged together as one single item. When liquor is mixed with natural juices, it is usually consumed shortly afterward. Bisanz explains that the spirits attack the pectin structure of juices, so the two couldn't be packaged into one single container. So your favorite mixed beverage, perhaps a Cosmopolitan or another popular martini, could never be picked up from the liquor store as one item. Until now.Conelly Cocktails offers mixed drinks, such as Sex on the Beach, Mai Tais and Ladykillers, in one packaged product. Depending on how you want to put your cans (the spirit or the juice) together, you will have the spirit on top and the juice on the bottom, held together by a ring that doubles as a can opener. The entire packing is completely recyclable as well."It's a new category. People always ask us who our competitors are, but it's hard to make our competitors out because the category that we've defined ourselves, is 'ready to shake.' There is nothing like that," says Bisanz.Conelly Cocktails is available only in select markets, which includes Tampa Bay, and was recently approved for sale at Total Wine and More. Next steps will be to secure authorized vendor suppliers and hire key market managers across the country.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Hendrik Bisanz, BHB Import LLC

G.WIZ! Fab Lab Gives Sarasota Innovators A New Playground

Imagine a fully-equipped lab in which to map out your great idea. A computer on which to write it out, a CAD machine on which to design it, a lathe on which to craft a model. It's possible, and it's coming to Tampa Bay.Sarasota's G.WIZ The Science Museum recently announced plans to dedicate a portion of its building space to house a "fab lab," thanks to a $400,000 grant from the Faulhaber Family Foundation. The Faulhaber Fab Lab will promote science literacy and cross-discipline collaboration and innovation, giving community members access to high-tech tools with which to bring their ideas to life. Groundbreaking is planned for mid-November, 2010, with an expected grand opening in Spring 2011."It's a complete prototyping lab," says Molly Morgan, the museum's director. "So you can come in with an idea scribbled on a napkin from the night before and you can leave with something tangible. We will have CAD equipment, a mill and lathe, a 3-D printer—you name it; we'll have it."Morgan says the lab will house a classroom for equipment, safety and design training, and the lab will be open in the evenings to provide easy access for working residents and students. While residents will have to pay a membership fee, students will have access to the lab for free.According to Morgan, labs like this one are a relatively new trend. The first lab of this kind opened a few years ago at MIT and there are only 45 such labs in the world, 16 of which are housed in the U.S. The Faulhaber Fab Lab at G.WIZ will be the only one in the Southeast. Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Molly Morgan, G.WIZ The Science Museum

Dead Season: Spooky Indie Film Debuts In Ybor City In Time For Halloween

Spooky, gory and gross are in season during October and Tampa will get in on the fun with an indie, zombie film called Dead Season. An exclusive pre-release screening of the film will be held at the Muvico Centro Ybor on Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Some Floridians played key roles in the horror film which is one of the reasons that Tampa Bay will get a sneak peek. Cinematographer Jeff Peters attended Full Sail University in Orlando; Corsica Wilson, an actress who plays the character Rachel, attended Florida State University; and John Jassy, the film's executive producer, lives in Tampa. "We chose Tampa as the location for several reasons," says Loren Semmens, producer and writer for Dead Season. "Tampa has one of the country's largest zombie-genre communities, it is a great test market due to its diverse demographics and lastly because many of the key filmmakers of Dead Season have connections to the area." The film follows two post-zombie outbreak survivors, Elvis and Tweeter, who escape to a tropical island only to find that they will have to deal with treacherous, post-zombie escape situations. The film is said to deal with "what if" situations and how it relates to survival. The film's crew has already gained some acclaim because they are the first to shoot the entire feature film with a Canon 7D camera. Dead Season is also the first feature film to shoot on location at Vieques, Puerto Rico, since the original Lord of the Flies movie shot at the previous site, which was home to naval test bombings. After the screening, the filmmakers, including Director Adam Deyoe and Semmons, will be in town for a Q&A session. To get spooked, view the trailer here, follow them on Facebook or @deadseasonmovie on Twitter, or register here to attend the pre-screening release. Seats are limited. Writer: Nancy Vaughn Source: Loren Semmons, Dead Season 

GOP Convention To Offer Innovations, Diversity For Tampa Bay Businesses

When the Grand Old Party comes to Tampa's St. Petersburg Times Forum for the Republican National Convention in August 2012, it will bring with it innovations and diverse opportunities never seen before at a political convention of its size."It will essentially serve as our own stimulus program," says Bob Grammig, partner at Holland & Knight, the legal firm chosen by the Tampa Host Committee to provide legal counsel for issues relating to the upcoming convention. "There will be a lot of jobs -- in the hospitality sector as well as build-outs and hook ups for media at the Forum. On the face of it, they may not seem big, but they're pretty important jobs."Grammig says that the convention will offer innovative, state-of-the-art security that will offer long-term benefits to the city of Tampa for many years to come."There will be a significant grant of more than $50 million for security, and much of that will rebound to the city of Tampa," says Grammig. "In cities like Minneapolis (where they have had similar conventions), they ended up upgrading whole security systems. There will be a big security sector around the Forum to make it less vulnerable to terrorist attack. Some of it will be usable for years and years."In addition, Grammig says there are plans for a convention village in which corporations and small businesses throughout the Tampa Bay region can showcase their goods and services before visiting delegates.There will be a lot of opportunities for minority businesses to participate," says Grammig. "This is a unique concept that hasn't been done at any convention to my knowledge before."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Bob Grammig, Holland & Knight

Made in Tampa: Tour Wrist iPhone App

Ever wish you could experience a place before actually going there? Like maybe checking out a restaurant or bar in town? Maybe seeing a city's downtown neighborhoods before stepping foot downtown?Check out the Tour Wrist, a new iPhone app developed by Tampa's own SPARK LABS, an affiliate of branding agency, SPARK. The Tour Wrist app will allow users to tour places across the globe from their iPhone or iPad. Not just tour the place, but look at the area from side to side, top to bottom, up and down. You can see everything from pavement to street lights.Tour Wrist has been in development for about two years and version 2.0 officially launched September 1. Charles Armstrong, founder and chief executive officer at SPARK LABS, is the brains behind the Tour Wrist app who helped to bring the augmented reality concept into reality.The iPhone app itself says "Teleportation is here." While you aren't physically teleported, it almost seems as if you are because you can move through rooms in a fashion that is different than a simple virtual tour. Peek around corners and see what's there or look down a mountain. The app was designed to highlight everything from scenic locations to retail shops. Using real-time accelerometer and magnetometer data, Tour Wrist's 3D technology can track a person's movement of his or her mobile device and display the imagery in a location based upon that movement. The application pushes the technical functions of iPhone and iPad to their limits, allowing a real-life experience for its users. Armstrong says he and his team are continuously pursuing additional  technology advancements, which includes allowing users to generate their own content.Within the next two months, Tour Wrist Capture will be launched, which Armstrong describes as a "very simple, easy-to-use application that allows you to waive your devices around to capture your surroundings and post them just as easily as you would post a tweet." Only instead of sharing 140 characters, you share a 360-degree view of your surroundings with anyone who wants to view the area.Anyone with an iPhone or iPad can check out the Bavarian Alps or travel through Singapore's business district. Searches are available by geography, keyword or popularity of an area.An added perk to exploring the world via your phone or pad: the Tour Wrist app is free.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Charles Armstrong, SPARK LABS

FRESH: Ringling College Hosts Sustainability Celebration Of New Indie Film

Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota will be hosting a "Green & Gold" reception on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 5:30 pm to highlight a film screening and celebrate an achievement.Sponsored by Whole Foods, Ringling's Digital Filmmaking Studio Lab will screen 'FRESH' a documentary that celebrates those who create a new green model for agriculture and environmental issues. "The FRESH documentary film deals with agriculture and new ways to preserve our environment and produce healthy, local food supplies," says Richard Schineller, communications director for Ringling College. Steve Michelson, executive producer of the film, will be in attendance and participating in a Q&A session following the film. The "gold" part of the evening, will be the LEED Gold certification presentation ceremony for Ringling College's Academic Center and North Residence Hall. These are Ringling's first LEED Gold certified buildings.The Academic Center, a 82,000-square-feet, five-story building, and the North Residence Hall, a 75,000-square-feet, five-story building, have received the certification due to attainment of high sustainability metrics. This includes water efficiency, optimized energy performance, CO2 emissions reduction, and more. "We find that it's important for students to be educated on all aspects of efficient, environmentally sound design and we feel that these two buildings are very, good examples of excellence in design and excellence in environmental stewardship," says Schineller. Assessments are in process to get other Ringling buildings up to certification standards as well.Architect Donald Lawson of The Lawson Group and Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. respectively, designed and built both buildings. Lawson will present the certification during the "Green & Gold" reception."Both parts of the event speak to environmental stewardship," says Schineller. "The timing was such that it seemed to work well together and it's also of subjects of interest to both constituents." To RSVP to the event, click here.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Richard Schineller, Ringling College of Art & Design