Career Fair In St. Petersburg Dedicated to Veterans

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Innovation News
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December 7, 2010

WorkNet Pinellas will host a career fair for veterans on December 8 in St. Petersburg. The event will be from noon to 4 p.m. with the first hour dedicated to veterans only. The fair opens to the general public at 1 p.m. Haley Loeun, lead business services recruiter for WorkNet Pinellas, says the largely state-funded organization wants to help jobless veterans find work. "WorkNet has always had a deep commitment to our veterans and has veteran employment representatives on staff that work exclusively with the members of the armed forces," Loeun says. "Many employers are looking specifically for candidates who have served during the war, as these candidates often possess the highly desired security clearances, and have the skills and personal qualities that are in demand in the current market." Loeun gives the following advice to job seekers who plan on attending: "Use your time at the event to network and meet with representatives of the various companies. This is a great opportunity to learn more about their open positions and application processes as well as gain valuable insight into the culture of the company." She also advises attendees to wear professional dress, communicate effectively and make eye contact. "Ask for the recruiter's business card and discuss how and when you should follow up with the employer," Loeun says. Participating employers at the job fair include Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, Eckerd Youth Alternatives, the St. Petersburg Police Department, pTEC and Tech Data. The job fair will be held at the Pinellas Technical Education Center located at 901 34th St. S. in St. Petersburg. Worknet Pinellas is part of Workforce Florida. Writer: Kimberly Patterson Source: Haley Loeun, WorkNet Pinellas

UT Junior Entrepreneur Charms National Contest
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Buzz
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December 7, 2010

University of Tampa Junior Nick Chmura recently competed in the Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization (CEO) Conference held in Chicago.Chmura placed 8th for his 90-second sales pitch of Betterboo.com, a website that utilizes social media profiles to pinpoint the ideal gift for your significant other.The CEO Conference is the largest collegiate entrepreneur conference in the U.S, according to the University of Tampa.Read the complete story.

Florida’s First All-Electric Car Dealer Picks St. Pete
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Buzz
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December 7, 2010

Suncoast Electric Vehicles is preparing to open Florida's first electric-only car dealership.Among the electric vehicles is the Wheego Whip LiFe, which is highway certified and reaches a 100-mile range per charge.Automakers Think and Coda may possibly be sold at the dealership, according to a recent article in USA Today.Read the complete story.

DRAFT Taps Cigar City Brewing’s Guava Grove Beer
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Arts
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December 7, 2010

Cigar City Brewing recently received national recognition for a beverage that "raises the bar for fruit beers."DRAFT Magazine reserved a spot on its Top 25 Beers of the Year for Cigar City's Guava Grove Ale.The list includes experimental beers and old standbys that range from Key Lime Pie to Kiwanda Cream Ale.Read the complete list.

Sports Fans Flock To Bradenton For Global Tourneys
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Buzz
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December 7, 2010

A series of athletic events welcomed an influx of tourism to Manatee County businesses.Most recently, the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships brought 2,200 athletes, coaches, families and friends from 97 countries to Bradenton for the 10-day event.Manatee County tourism brought in $12.2 million in 2009-10, according to The Bradenton Herald.Read the complete story.

Clear Speeds Into Tampa Bay With WiMax
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Buzz
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December 7, 2010

A new Internet provider is bringing competition to other 4G services in the Tampa Bay region.Clear offers 4G coverage through the use of a portable device the size of a small book, according to the St. Petersburg Times.Clear's network covers the majority of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties along with New Port Richey.Read the complete story.

Study: Tampa Leads Florida’s Economic Recovery
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Buzz
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December 7, 2010

A recent study, the Global Metro Monitor, revealed Tampa's economic performance is leading Florida toward economic recovery.The study, by the Brookings Institution and the London School of Economics, ranked 150 global metropolitan areas and placed Tampa at #74, ahead of Miami at #78 and Orlando at #85.View the study's findings here.Read the complete story.

REALM Helps Tampa’s Riverwalk Come Alive
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Arts
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December 7, 2010

In case you haven't noticed, more people are walking around in downtown Tampa. Some are even playing.People are actually gathering in Curtis Hixon Park on the Hillsborough River on any given day to attend an organized event, or to just, well, hang. And much of it may be due to a woman who yearned for more urban energy, saw a space and the opportunity it held, and pursued an unconventional idea.Nancy Kipnis is the founder of REALM, a grass-roots group / initiative / idea, depending on how you look at it, who moved to downtown Tampa from New York to start her PR firm. She says she loved her new town, except that no one was walking downtown. There was no urban feel or presence."I moved here from New York seven years ago and was pretty starved for a city," she says. "I do marketing and PR, and started paying a lot of attention to things that were going on downtown. I wanted to devote my business to making Tampa more of an urban center."Kipnis recognized that Tampa knew how to organize and promote the big annual events, but that it was lacking day-to-day activity  downtown. So Kipnis decided to do something about it. She started sharing her concerns with her growing contacts list throughout downtown Tampa. And then Curtis Hixon Park became the focal point of the emerging Riverwalk arts scene. So Kipnis and her group of like-minded citizens began organizing events that made use of the green open space along Ashley Street between The Tampa Museum of Art and the Glazer Children's Museum on the Riverwalk. "Our core group are all doers and we decided we're going to spearhead what we're interested in," says Kipner. "Local architect Keith Bremminger, a member of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, loves dogs and spearheads Yappy Hour. Hunter Jones has a great music connection and spearheads Rock the Park." REALM also provides a fun cart that provides frisbees and footballs to park-goers in search of something to do.REALM, which stands for "The Public Realm," is gaining strength through organization. It is currently seeking funding through Pepsi Co.'s Refresh Project, which is awarding funding to people, businesses and nonprofits with grand ideas for changing their communities. And REALM is one of them.Kipnis hopes that her bid for $5,000 will get enough votes to give REALM the funds needed to organize and grow the organization to allow it to continue to evolve and bring more innovative events to the space at Curtis Hixon Park. And get people walking. And playing.Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Nancy Kipnis, REALM

Clearwater Mental Health Center Gets Fix-Up
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Architecture
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December 7, 2010

A stalwart member of the Clearwater/Largo community has undergone a major transformation in recent months.Directions for Mental Health moved its first-floor children's services to its new satellite location in Largo, which allowed the Clearwater headquarters to build a formal lobby and extend its patient care space. The lobby renovations include a semi-circular reception desk, tile flooring, and a planned fountain dedicated to promises it has committed to fulfilling its consumer base."When I got here about two years ago, I thought the building was old and out-dated, and it didn't feel warm and welcoming," says David Lomaka, president & CEO of Directions. "It didn't feel like a place I would want to go to if I was a consumer. And so my preference was to make it a place I would want to go to. I always say, when I send somebody here, I want them to feel good about getting help."Since 1982, Directions at 1437 Belcher Road in Clearwater has provided Pinellas County residents with affordable, accessible care for those at risk or facing mental health challenges. However, demand for services over the past 25 years left little room for a proper lobby and little time for spatial planning. "We have seen a sharp increase in both children and adults seeking mental healthcare over the past few years, so the additional space comes as a welcome relief for our staff and clients," says Lomaka. In August 2010, Directions opened a satellite office at 8823 115th Ave. N. in Largo to house services for children under age 18 and their families, as well as adults seeking counseling, psychiatry and case management services. In addition to client care, the 11,000-square-feet children's office will also host early childhood parenting classes, consumer advisory meetings and educational seminars."We have been very pleased with the feedback from our clients at our Largo office," says Lomaka. "Some clients have gone so far as to send us a 'thank you' for creating a warm atmosphere for them or for their children." Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: David Lomaka, Directions for Mental Health

Beach Trolley Connects St. Pete To Tarpon Springs
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Development News
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December 7, 2010

For years, tourists and residents have enjoyed riding the Jolley Trolley from the beaches of Pass-A-Grille in St. Petersburg to the northern tip of Clearwater Beach and points in between. They can now extend that ride even farther north to the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs.The new route, which extends Jolley Trolley public transit service from Clearwater Beach through the downtown neighborhoods of Clearwater, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and the docks at Tarpon Springs, began on Nov. 17 and will run every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight and until 10 p.m. on Sundays."We have all these communities along the Alternate 19 corridor with these great downtown areas like Dunedin and Palm Harbor on up to Tarpon Springs," says R.B. Johnson, chairman of Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority's board of directors. "The idea was to link these areas together to make it easier for tourists and residents to go to these areas of concentration without worrying about getting in and out of their cars."The route extension is financed through contributions made by the Clearwater Downtown Development Board, the municipalities of Tarpon Springs and Dunedin, Pinellas County and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. Jolley Trolley fare is $2 one way."It's helping promote these areas," says Johnson. "It works off of itself and builds up community. It fills that transit gap on weekends, going to restaurants and bar hopping from point A to point B, and points in between. We feel like we need to have better transit in north county. This is one small step toward that end."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: R.B. Johnson, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

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