Pasco County is ranked among the top 40 growing counties in the nation, and the primary spur of that growth is Wesley Chapel. Two three planned shopping developments launched in 2009: The Shops at Wiregrass and The Grove. As several expansive, luxury communities complete their development, among them Seven Oaks and Meadow Pointe, large blocks of new corporate parks are emerging along the area’s major east-west roads, leading businesses and medical professionals to relocate their offices and in many cases, their families, to this thriving Tampa suburb.
From successful college scholar and athlete to dedicated NFL pro, coach and motivational speaker, Tim Watson of Wesley Chapel in Pasco County now shares his strategies for success and excellence off the field, helping others realize their dreams.
With autumn upon us, farmers markets across the Tampa Bay region are readying to share the harvest. It seems nearly every municipality has at least one. A few are new, and a few have made some changes. Here's a thumbnail sketch:Realize Bradenton hosts a farmers market downtown on Old Main Street between Manatee Avenue and 4th Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday from October to May."We have built a community of vendors, residents, businesses, and most importantly, a community of dogs," says Johnette Isham, Realize Bradenton's executive director. "We have live music every Saturday. The first Saturday features a chef demo, the second raffles and prizes, on the third Saturday we join with Mainly Arts, showcasing artists and craftspeople and featuring art from a Manatee County elementary school. On the last Saturday of the month we do kids' activities."Isham says the market has generated foot traffic and revenue for Bradenton businesses since it opened a little over a year ago. "Ninety thousand people came downtown last year," she says. half of them for the farmers market. Next year 135,000 are predicted, due to more events we've planned. That equals projected consumer spending of $3.1 million for 2010-11."Wesley Chapel is opening a new market at the The Shops at Wiregrass at the intersection of Bruce B. Downs and State Road 56 the first Saturday of every month starting in November. According to Tiffany Ferrecchia of Tampa Downtown Market, the Winegrass market will feature produce, plants and eco-friendly arts and crafts as well as products featured at existing Wiregrass stores and restaurants.Lizzy Lenk is a vendor who sells her Bag It Conscience products at several Tampa Bay markets. "I like going to the markets because it gives me an opportunity to talk to people and encourage them to do simple changes that can go a long way toward improving and changing the environment for the better," she says. "I find it a wonderful, creative, meaningful and fun way to earn my living. People absolutely love coming out. It gives them an opportunity to meet with friends and be outdoors. They can buy handmade, home-cooked or locally grown products. Many love not buying from the big corporations but supporting local crafters. We are fortunate that we have lots of these kinds of markets happening almost every day of the week. It brings life to the streets."Other area markets include St. Petersburg's mammoth Saturday Morning Market; Gulfport's Tuesday Morning Market; Clearwater's Open Air market, Dunedin's farmers market; Largo's Heritage Village and downtown markets, Tampa's downtown market, Ybor Market and Seminole Heights market; Parksdale Farm Market in Plant City; Brooksville's downtown market, Hernando Beach's Open Market; and Lakeland's Farmer's Curb Market and Farmer's and Flea Market.Writer: Missy KavanaughSources: Johnette Isham, Realize Bradenton; Lizzy Lenk, Bag It; Tiffany A. Ferrecchia, Tampa Downtown Market
Builder Magazine's annual list of the top 100 U.S. builders ranks Highland Homes of Lakeland at #73. The position is an 11-place jump from 2008. To view the complete list, head to the magazine's website. Click here to read the complete story.
Ballywho Interactive, a social media marketing company, has moved from 5334 Primrose Lake Circle in Tampa to 2654 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 101 in Wesley Chapel. "Our firm is growing in both staff and clients and we need more space to accommodate that growth," says Jen Straw, Ballywho's community manager. "We plan to add five to seven employees by the end of this year.Ballywho specializes in social media writing, creating web content as well as managing online campaigns. The company launched in June, 2009. Straw credits the company's steady growth to its founders' expertise "They have found a way to combine marketing expertise with IT. These two vital areas ensure that a brand's virtual presence and web presence are in parity."Founder and CEO Elissa Nauful Plumley credits her staff and clients with the success they've enjoyed this past year. "We have a great staff focused on making the customer experience the most innovative and cutting edge. And our clientele are all unique and support our growth."The new space is a little over 2,900 square feet with an open floor plan that includes a Wii room and employee lounge. The company intends to live green in its new digs. "We are making our office a green office, buying local products when possible and working with local vendors," says Plumley. "We'll be working with vendors that use green practices, limiting the paper products and glassware we use as well as limiting bottled water and recycling everything that can be recycled. We'll also be implementing systems to make our office as paperless as possible and ensure new products are eco-certified."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: Jen Straw, Ballywho Interactive
If recent statistics are correct, Pasco County is becoming a haven for the entrepreneurial spirit. According to data released by YourEconomy.org, businesses employing fewer than 100 employees increased nearly 36 percent throughout Pasco County, and contributed to a 31 percent increase in employment between 2005 and 2007. Given that a recent report by the Small Business Administration indicates that small businesses and entrepreneurs will play important roles in the nation's economic recovery, this may be good news for the expanding communities of Pasco County. Pasco's leading employers are in the retail and health industries. As in communities throughout the U.S., too many people living in Pasco found themselves out of work as the economy began to slide downward. John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, attributes the spark in small business to displaced workers starting businesses to replace previous employment as hourly workers for bigger companies. "We have a strong network of hospitals and other health care providers," says Hagen. "But we have an interesting niche in environmental firms that has spun out of the construction business. We think we could play a key role in clean water, environmental remediation and clean energy." While it's impossible to predict what will transpire in the next five years, Hagen says he feels optimistic. "We feel a strong upward momentum developing. The public and private sectors are really joining together in an unprecedented way here in Pasco. It is a very positive economic environment at the moment, despite the negative national and international business environment."Writer: Missy KavanaughSource: John Hagen, Pasco Economic Development Council
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
The newly formed Frantzen Tampa Bay Property Fund aims to buy, rent and sell distressed residential property in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties in Florida. The limited partnership was created by Frantzen Capital Management and Lifsey Real Estate & Holdings to take advantage of the subprime mortgage crisis and tight credit markets to put foreclosed homes back in circulation as rentals while returning a profit for investors.
An innovative Wesley Chapel entrepreneur is connecting investors with information, other traders and organizations they can collectively support – and he's doing it all online.
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