Professor Rebecca White is the first to fill the Distinguished Walter Chair in Entrepreneurship at the John A. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa. She talks with 83 Degrees about her role as an academic and today's students.
Ultramatics, a company that provides innovative and strategic methods to enable organizations to deliver effective solutions faster, has several high-tech vacancies at its company headquarters in Oldsmar. Ultramatics is seeking "top quality experienced professionals who are highly motivated," according to its website. Current vacancies include sales executive, senior architect, senior business analyst, application support engineer, senior WebSphere commerce ceveloper, and WebSphere portal developer. Ultramatics now employs 40 and company leaders are optimistic about growing that number to 100 by the end of 2010. Future jobs are expected to be filled by highly technical workers including architects and developers in the WebSphere space. Lisa Martinez, director of human capital, says the company is among "the most successful, results-oriented providers'' of service-oriented architecture solutions and related services. "We are known for technological innovation based on proven SOA principles that help customers achieve ambitious business goals while preserving important infrastructure investments,'' says Martinez. "It's why IBM awarded its prestigious Beacon Award for SOA Innovation to Ultramatics in 2007, and it's why many leading companies in healthcare, finance, transportation and telecommunications continually turn to Ultramatics." "Our ability to seamlessly integrate Web 2.0, Enterprise Search and Security advances further differentiates Ultramatics,'' she adds. "We apply a flexible delivery model that gives our customers the option of relying on their in-house IT development resources and our training and consulting services – or to leverage our own high-quality, industry-certified development teams." Founded in 2001, Ultramatics is privately held and has offices in India. Clients include IBM, AT&T, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Bell South Corporation, CSX, Perot Systems, United Healthcare, Panasonic and others. Writer: Lisa Clementi Source: Lisa Martinez, Ultramatics
Koala Tee, an apparel manufacturer specializing in embroidered items, promotional products and company gift items has added new Account Manager Rob Harman, for the Florida Suncoast region. Harmon brings 17 years of experience in the imprinted sportswear industry and is a 30-year resident of Sarasota. Harman will be responsible for new business development for Koala Tee's products in a territory that ranges from Tampa to Fort Myers. "We have a great base of long-time customers; however, we know our core concentration should be bringing small businesses who need help increasing their marketing/branding efforts," says Carmen Manley, VP of business development. Adding an additional experienced account manager will help this business focus, and, if increased outside sales efforts prove successful, Koala Tee plans to expand more outside sales force to further penetrate existing territory, she says. Koala Tee, Inc, was started in 1983 in Sarasota as a trophy shop doing mainly team uniforms. The organization has since expanded and now occupies a nearly 11,000-square-foot facility in downtown Sarasota where a team of embroiderers does all made-to-order work in-house. Manley says quality control is one advantage of doing much of their production work in-house. Koala Tee also owns and operates Life Safety International, a company that sells men's clothing to retail stores on military bases throughout the world. Koala creates catalogs that include military fashion designs that mirror current fashions. The company also started selling the Red Shirt Fridays " I support our troops" line of apparel and products. Writer: Lisa Clementi Source: Carmen Manley, Koala Tee
Sarasota raged with Google fever in March for a chance to win Google Fiber. People were encouraged to vote for their favorite cities and respond to Google's RFIs (request for information) in an effort to be selected to receive Google's ultra-high speed broadband network. Google says its Google Fiber network will provide over 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-home connections for between 50,000 and 500,000 users. Thanks to Sarasotans Matt Orr and Rich Swier, the I Want Google Fiber in Sarasota Facebook fan page was launched on Feb. 25, 2010. What began with only a couple hundred fans quickly grew (in high-speed fashion) to more 7,000 by the deadline week of March 22nd. "We devoted a lot of time to make this initiative work and it was worth it," says Orr, co-founder of The Hub and co-owner of Local Social. Orr says the community's excitement at the prospect of Google Fiber coming to Sarasota is exactly what made their campaign such a success. From writing a letter to Sergey Brin and Larry Page, co-founders of Google, to Mayor Richard Clapp swimming in a tank filled with bonnethead sharks, Sarasota was serious about getting on Google's short list. Sarasota even renamed popular City Island Google Island. Business leaders and companies in Sarasota including Mote Marine, The Hub, Ringling College of Art and Design, Local Social, and Boar's Head are showing support, along with community leaders.Orr says their initiative was a two-fold challenge. The first was getting Sarasota on Google's radar, and the second was educating the community on the benefits of Google Fiber in Sarasota."Having Google Fiber in Sarasota would probably be one of the most tremendous economic impacts we've seen," says Orr. "Just look at the jobs that it would create if Google possibly had a satellite office here in Sarasota, what that would communicate to the rest of the world. That Sarasota is a creative community and a player in the digital field. We have all the make-up here in Sarasota to make our creative class grow."The deadline to submit RFIs was Friday, March 26, and on Thursday, March 25, a free concert was held on Google Island with rising star, Lindsey Ray. Ray even made a special Google Fiber jingle.What happens next? We wait. It is expected that Google will select the winning city by the end of the year.For continued updates, check out the passionate Facebook fan page or click here and keep yourself posted!Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Matt Orr, The Hub
Rollins Fine Art launches in St. Petersburg to provide fine art consultation and representation for artists nationwide. Led by father and son team, Ken and Noah A. Rollins, the firm represents over 150 artists working in various media and styles.Ken has served for 30 years as an art museum director for four museums in the Tampa Bay region including: The Deland Museum of Art, Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, and finally at the Tampa Museum of Art. Noah is a Harvard-trained architect based in Tampa and is a LEED accredited professional with the U.S. Green Building Council."This is the first time we've had an opportunity to collaborate in a professional capacity," says Noah. "My 'day job' is as a designer in an international architecture firm, but it is entirely divorced from the work I do with my dad on Rollins Fine Art, so working with him provides me another creative outlet under a different structure." Noah says both his parents are visual artists. "My father worked in ceramics and my mother in fibers and metals jewelry, and I grew up around the visual and performing arts. My dad is extremely versed and experienced, so I constantly learn more from him." Rollins Fine Art will provide fine art placement support to architects, developers, interior designers, corporations and private art collectors. The duo represents painters, sculptors, digital artists, printmakers, photographers, and fine craft artists specializing in glass, wood, fiber and metal."We are unique in our ability to understand and solve architectural and design issues, integrating fine art and crafts or developing projects, beginning with schematic design through construction," says Ken.Rollins Fine Art is able to handle large-scale installations or collections going into incomplete projects.The most recent project for Rollins Fine Art's is the public art piece displayed at the Element condo tower in downtown Tampa. Collaborating with sculptor, Eric Higgs, the 60-foot-tall sculpture "Conversations" is installed at 12 different places on the Element's exterior. In the evening, 288 LED bulb lights illuminate the artwork, which is meant to serve as a "conversation" piece representing communication between individuals and nations. Ken advises that it also sets a precedence for sustainable lighting in public art.Writer: Nancy VaughnSource: Ken and Noah Rollins, Rollins Fine Art
AAA Auto Club South, headquartered in Tampa with nearly 3,000 employees companywide, has a wide variety of professional level vacancies in the Tampa Bay region. Openings being filled in Tampa include positions in management, sales, marketing and publication production. "AAA Auto Club South weathered the recession well and continues to grow,'' says Nanci Odom, human resources VP."We have many exciting career opportunities available at www.AAA.com that cover a wide range of fields, from travel & insurance agents, call takers and service technicians to IT, accounting and marketing professionals to just name a few,'' Odom says. "AAA has been around for over 100 years and we'll be here for another 100 and more. AAA is relentless in our commitment to provide the highest level of service to our members and the best work environment for our employees." Founded in 1902 as the American Automobile Association, this association of independent clubs is a not-for-profit, fully tax-paying organization with more than 50 million members. Known originally for providing emergency road service, maps and travel publications, AAA has a wide range of travel services and member-benefit programs. Writer: Lisa Clementi Source: Nancy Odom, AAA Auto Club South
Architect Christopher Kelley is one of nine recipients of The American Institute of Architects Young Architects Award for 2010. Kelley earned his Master in Architecture at the University of Florida and began working for Ruyle, Masters, Hayes + Jennewein Architects of Tampa in 1997. Kelley now works as an assistant studio director for Gensler in Washington, D.C.Read the complete story.
Terence Ramotar, vice president of Transcare Ambulance Services in Tampa, is one of 10 national recipients of the Journal of Emergency Medical Services' Innovators in EMS 2009 Awards. Ramotar spearheaded a green initiative to reduce the electrical load of ambulances and keep equipment batteries charged. Ramotar is also the director of support services for Sunstar EMS in Pinellas County.Read the full announcement.
The Museums Special Section of The New York Times recently featured a piece on the John and Mable Ringling Museum in Sarasota.The article chronicles the museum's early days as a place for John Ringling of Ringling Brothers Circus and his wife, Mable, to display their prized art objects to its current position as one of the most significant museums in America, according to George Wachter, co-chairman of Sotheby's Old Master Paintings Worldwide.Read the complete story.
Dr. Aryn Bush of Lakeland has been elected to the board of directors of the Alzheimer's Association Florida Gulf Coast Chapter.Bush is an undergraduate instructor of psychology and gerontology at the University of South Florida Polytechnic. She is also the cognitive aging psychologist at the USF Polytech Rath Senior ConNECTions and Education Center.Read the complete release.
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