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+ Businesses step up in mutiny on the beach The pirates won’t be denied because, well, there’s too much booty at stake. Swords have been clashing on Fort Myers Beach, where organizers of the annual Pirate Fest were ordered to walk the plank after they announced they’d canceled the fall event. Businesses have relied on the October festival that draws some 12,000 Jose Gaspar aficionados to the shores of this beachside town during the slowest part of the year for tourism. The original organizers of the event called off the faux-pirate fest a few days ago because they said local businesses weren’t underwriting the event. Aarghh, responded business lubbers. Together with the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, businesses banded to attract the pirates and their wenches back under a new organizer. Now that’s the way to put down a mutiny, mateys!
+ Sunshine State courts wilt under pressure
The Weekly Newspaper for Gulf Coast Business Leaders
Bring It Former USF basketball star Brian Lamb translates success on the court to success at Fifth Third Bank. Page 7
Florida’s legal climate, and its reputation for an anti-business court system, continues to rank among the 10 worst in the country, a new Institute for Legal Reform report shows. The state ranked 41st — the fourth consecutive time its legal environment failed to crack the top 40 in the institute’s annual list. The main issues, according to Institute for Legal Reform Senior Vice President Kevin Watson, are junk science, bad faith and legislating from the bench. The Institute for Legal Reform is an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Florida, unfortunately, has this reputation in part based on the laws on the books and to some degree the action of the courts,” Watson says on a recent edition of “The Bottom
See COFFEE TALK page 3
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www.review.net The Gulf Coast Business Review is Southwest Florida’s newspaper for business leaders. With offices in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Lee and Collier counties, the Review is the only weekly business newspaper that provides business leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs and investors with a regional perspective. The Review’s mission is to deliver relevant news and information on Southwest Florida’s leading and growing companies, up-and-coming entrepreneurs and the important economic, industry and government trends affecting business. The Business Review is also the leading publisher of public notices on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
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“The road is cleared,” said Galt. “We are going back to the world.” He raised his hand and over the desolate earth he traced in space the sign of the dollar. Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
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Lee County has been one of Florida’s foreclosure hot spots, but the number of foreclosures has fallen substantially so far this year. Now, says market watcher Jeff Tumbarello with the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investment Association, the foreclosures are mostly higher-end homes and commercial properties. “There is a second bump,” Tumbarello says recently. “There’s been some large-principal balance foreclosures, both residential and commercial,” Line,” a video produced by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. “There’s certainly a lot of room for Florida to improve and to create a more competitive business climate.” The Florida Legislature, lobbied hard by pro-business groups, has tried to improve the climate. But the trial lawyer lobby has successfully countered those efforts. For example, a reform bill for “bad-faith” lawsuits, where a jury can award hundreds of times more than an insurance policy covers, was narrowly defeated in a committee vote. (See Business Review, Feb. 16.)
+ Presidential impact on small businesses up for debate Despite the tsunami of heat President Barack Obama took for his “You didn’t build that” comment, the business community, at least in one new survey, stands behind him. Indeed, 39% of small business owners say President Obama is “the most supportive candidate of small businesses,” according to the survey, from The George Washington University and Thumbtack.com. Less than one-third, 31%, say Republican candidate Mitt Romney is the most supportive, while 28%, the survey says, are not sure. The survey respondents, says Thumbtack.com, a local professional services
he says. Still, Tumbarello says he doesn’t expect another flood of foreclosures. “We’re processing more than we’re taking in,” he says. “There is some more to come, but you have to really put it into perspective that you’re staring at the tail end of the monster and not the front shoulders.” Tumbarello is watching a few signs closely that will reveal the state of the foreclosure market. One indicator will be any slowdown by foreclosure leader Bank of America. website, are a mix of more than 6,000 “real small business owners, like wedding photographers, auto mechanics and yoga instructors.” Of course, that survey isn’t the final word on which presidential candidate is the small business champion. For example, in SurePayroll’s September Scorecard, 66% found Romney is better for small businesses, against 34% for Obama. That survey further found 67% of the respondents say Romney better represents their views on economic and fiscal policy, while 65% say Romney will drive more jobs. SurePayroll Scorecard respondents, moreover, plan to vote for Romney by nearly a 2-to1 count, 61% to 33%. While the presidential/small business champion gap is large, the surveys are closer on at least one major issue that impacts businesses: lack of optimism. For instance, the SurePayroll survey says overall optimism among small business owners is 45% — down from 60% in August. And more than three-fourths, 77%, say the election has impacted their optimism. “It’s deeply concerning that optimism plunged 15 points at a time when we’re struggling to maintain the recovery,” SurePayroll CEO and President Michael Alter says in a release. The George Washington-Thumbtack. com survey, meanwhile, found anecdot-
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What the data show: The index of retail activity is july retail index designed to measure personal consumption, and it combines Retail Annual Area Index Change the taxable-sales categories Tampa-St. Petersburg 117.1 5.2% of autos, consumer durables Sarasota-Bradenton 124.5 5% (such as appliances), tourism and consumer non-durables Cape Coral-Fort Myers 148 4.3% (such as food and clothing). Naples 130.9 4% The index’s base equaled 100 Punta Gorda 124.3 4% in 1988. For example, an Source: Florida Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research index of 150 today would have taxable sales equal to 1.5 times the base period in 1988, Business Research. Employment gains or a 50% increase. The latest data is for coupled with a recovery in tourism and July. real estate suggests the retail index will continue to post year-over-year gains. What it means: While the index of retail Stocks have gained also, making people activity rose in every area of the Gulf feel better about Coast in July on an annual percentagetheir personal change basis, they all lagged the statefinances. wide increase of 6.4%. Within the Gulf However, Coast, the Tampa Bay area posted the uncertainties best results in the index. Areas of the remain with the state that posted top annual percentnational election age gains in July included Lakeland (up in November 8.9%) and Miami (up 7.9%). and the country’s fiscal Forecast: Consumer confidence has policy, keeping edged up, according to a September the retail index survey of Floridians by the University increases of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and modest.
GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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Stilwell plans new eatery
REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS AT A GLANCE
TAMPA BAY Pa. tech firm plans 100 hires A suburban Philadelphia IT services firm plans to hire up to 100 people over the next year for a new office it recently opened in Tampa. The company, HighPoint Solutions, focuses on IT work for clients in the life sciences and health care industries. The new office, in the firm’s managed services division, opened in an office building in Tampa’s Westshore area. HighPoint executives say they will seek employees from the tech industry and local colleges, in addition to career fairs. The managed services
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division includes consulting, application support, mobile development and IT services. HighPoint was founded in 2000. In addition to Tampa and its East Norriton headquarters, the firm has offices in Boston, Bridgewater, N.J., Chicago, Irvine, Calif., and New York City.
built in three phases and should be completed by 2013. Achieva sold its previous corporate headquarters, on Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater, earlier this year. Clearwater based-iDatix Corp. paid $2.8 million for the 26,450-squarefoot building.
Tampa firm gets policies
Company moves HQ
Homeowners Choice Inc. will assume 71,000 policies from state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. in November, which could allow it to create as many as 40 new jobs, the company says. Through wholly owned subsidiary Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Co., the firm will take over the policies under Citizens’ NonBonus Take-out Program. The program aims to move policies from Citizens to private companies to reduce Citizens’ risk exposure. Policyholders have up to 30 days to opt out and stay with Citizens. Homeowners estimates between 55,000 to 65,000 of the policies will leave Citizens, the release says.
Achieva plans construction
Achieva Credit Union, a $997 million institution, announced it will break ground on a new corporate headquarters at 1659 Virginia St. in Dunedin. The corporate office will be
SARASOTA-MANATEE First Watch, the fast-growing breakfast-brunch-lunch chain, plans to move to a new and bigger corporate headquarters. The company will stay in the east Manatee County area. It will move about a mile away, to a Benderson Development corporate office park just west of the University Parkway exit of Interstate 75. First Watch, which operates about 100 restaurants in 13 states, currently leases a 7,500-squarefoot headquarters in Lakewood Ranch, east of I-75. The new 10,000-sqaure-foot headquarters will likely be ready by November.
County decreases fees
Manatee County permit fees dropped 6% as of Oct. 1, county officials recently announced. Manatee County commissioners unanimously approved the decrease, which County Administrator Ed Hunzeker included in the proposed budget in May. The fees cover
APARTMENTS
Stilwell Enterprises and Restaurant Group plans to build a 5,000-square-foot restaurant in Fort Myers overlooking Sanibel Island, according to Sheeley Architects, the architecture firm contracted to design it. The restaurant, to be called SS Hookers, will be an elevated Key West-style building on Suma wide range of services from the Building and Development Services Department, which Hunzeker says has become more efficient in the past few years.
Hotel project advances
The Sarasota City Commission approved the sale of a downtown lot that could become the first new construction hotel built in the area since the early 2000s. The firm behind the project, Floridays Development Co., must begin construction within 16 months, according to the preliminary sale agreement. The property is on Palm Avenue, near several art galleries and the recently built city-owned parking garage. Initial plans call for up to 200 guest rooms and more than 10,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space.
CHARLOTTE-LEE-COLLIER Hotel revenues rise
Hotels in Collier County reported revenues per available room rose nearly 11% to $56.60 in August compared with
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the same month one year ago. Revenue per available room is a function of average daily room rate and occupancy. In August, the average daily rate rose 8.1% to $110.70 and the average occupancy rose 2.2% to 51.1% compared with August 2011, according to a Research Data Services of Tampa analysis for the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Slight passenger gain
Passenger traffic at Southwest Florida International Airport posted a small gain in August, but it remains down 4.9% for the year to date. In August, 421,211 passengers passed through the Fort Myers airport, a 0.3% increase compared with August 2011. This is the second month in a row of year-over-year growth after 13 straight months of declines. In August, the number of takeoffs and landings at Southwest Florida International Airport rose 0.4%, suggesting much of the decline in air service over the past year has ended.
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al evidence of gloom in Florida. That’s where a Winter Park entrepreneur says true small businesses “are overstressed, overtaxed, overlooked and overshadowed by large corporations.” Adds the entrepreneur: “The SBA is one of the most cumbersome and nonhelpful organizations I have ever attempted to utilize. Many of their programs are unobtainable for a truly small business.”
+ Builders continue to worry about labor If the housing industry continues on the current recovery track, it might become more difficult to find labor, and that could drive up costs. Builders speaking on a panel of the Lee Building Industry Association in Fort Myers recently voiced concerns about the fact that many skilled tradesmen left Southwest Florida during the real estate bust. Gary Aubuchon, president of Aubuchon Homes in Cape Coral, illustrated the point by asking how many subcontractors were present at the meeting. Out of a crowd of about 130 people, only one half dozen subs raised their hands. While it’s not a problem yet, builders are worried that they won’t be able to raise prices on new homes enough to compensate for increased labor costs.
+ Florida rakes in funds at blistering rate The federal government showered the Sunshine State with lots of love in 2011 — specifically in money. In fact, a CNBC.com report shows Florida led the country in federal spending per capita in the last fiscal year with $30,318, off a total purse of $577.80 billion. Federal spending per capita was
Mike Bonk and Maria Marin-Bonk dled workers’ compensation program was especially painful: Bonk says his costs and insurance premiums grew 314% over three years, from $70,000 to $290,000. Says Bonk: “The system was getting out of control.” Bonk shut down his last store in California in May. He and his wife, Maria Marin-Bonk, bought a home on Siesta Key a few years ago. The move mirrors Marin-Bonk’s brother, Ed Marin, who moved his art and commercial wall décor business, Soicher Marin, from Los Angeles to Sarasota in 2009. Bonk’s new store, on Tamiami Trail, just north of the Ringling Museum, is called Plants & Treasures. It’s a 6,000-square-foot store with an attached outdoor pottery yard. Bonk hopes the business will find an untapped niche against the Home Depots and Lowe’s of the world. “I am a little bit older and want an easier life,” says Bonk. “But I still want to be challenged and build something.” $30,115 in Louisiana, the report states, but after that no other state surpassed $16,500. Florida also scored highest in the country in total federal cut. That $577.80 billion figure was ahead of more populous Texas and California, which both spent less than $300 billion. The report is based on data from USASpending.gov, a website affiliated with the Office of Management and Budget. It looked at $3.6 trillion in spending in fiscal 2011. That covers the gamut of the federal government spigot, from payments to contractors to entitlement programs. In Florida, according to the CNBC report, nine out of the 10 largest federal payments were for Homeland Security programs, which includes FEMA. The lone non-Homeland Security payment in the top 10 was from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicare. Companies that received government funds for work include communications firm Harris Corp. and defense contractors Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. Here’s a glance at the top 10 states for federal government spending in 2011:
Government spending Federal spending State per capita Population Florida $30,318 19.1 million Louisiana $30,115 4.6 million South Carolina $16,467 4.7 million Hawaii $15,628 1.4 million Virginia $14,463 8.1 million Mississippi $13,141 3 million North Dakota $12,704 683,932 Delaware $12,384 907,135 Texas $11,452 25.7 million Maryland $11,280 5.8 million Source: CNBC, USASpending.gov.
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The exodus of California businesses continues to make news, and this time the latest successful entrepreneur to hit the exits could be a win for the Gulf Coast. Mike Bonk, who built a successful chain of houseplant and pottery stores in Orange County, Calif., over 30 years, is the Golden State refugee. Bonk’s company, Mainly Seconds — Pottery Plants & Things, had $12 million in annual sales, seven stores and 200 employees at its peak a few years ago. Bonk hopes to re-create the success with a new plant-themed business in Sarasota. “I started with $15,000 and a dream,” Bonk tells Coffee Talk. “But the business climate wasn’t good in California. We were anxious to leave.” That feeling has spread quickly in California. High taxes, loads of regulations and what Bonk calls a state of entitlement among employees are common key culprits. To wit: Spectrum Locations Consultants, a research firm, recently reported that 254 California companies fled the state in 2011, taking some or all of the employees. That was up 26% from 2010. Many of the companies that bolted were small businesses, but at least one, Apple, has a global brand. Apple, in exchange for nearly $6 million in tax rebates, plans to build a large facility in Austin, Texas, which will eventually have 3,600 employees. The company will maintain a large presence in Cupertino, its longtime headquarters. Bonk’s government-induced frustration, meanwhile, began to grow over the last five years. California’s mud-
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FORTY UNDER 40 GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW | 2012 Nearly all business publications do annual 40 Under 40 issues, and the idea behind them is nearly identical: Find the next young up-and-comers who will rock the business world. In the Business Review’s coverage area from Tampa to Naples, there’s no shortage of men and women who meet that description. And there’s no doubt these individuals will add to the richness and success of businesses throughout the Gulf Coast. But the Business Review is not just about business — it’s also about leaders. So, staying true to that mission, we looked beyond familiar faces to find individuals who are focused on building a business. We found plenty of them as well. Take the Seidensticker brothers, Joe and Patrick, who run Libby’s Cafe + Bar with their family. Rather than rest on the success of that well-known Sarasota restaurant, they are working on a new downtown eatery with the long view of expanding the concept geographically. Or consider Rich Heruska, who had the first business he built, real estatebased Home Discovery, swallowed by the recession. That setback merely propelled Heruska and a partner to create AirHeads Trampoline Arena, a new family entertainment business they think will prove more resilient to economic swings. And then there’s Stephanie Caldwell, a civil engineer laid off when the housing bubble burst. She started her own engineering firm the next day and now enjoys working on her own terms. These winners had the ambition and courage to create something with their businesses, to take risks that are essential for entrepreneurs. Although choosing 40 is always a tough task, our editorial team searched for individuals who embody this entrepreneurial drive to help narrow the list. So congratulations to all our 40 Under 40 winners. We’ll all be watching to see what you’ll build next. — Kat Hughes
Jody Haneke | Tampa | 29 page 16
Bridget McGrath | Sarasota | 30 page 21
Mercedes Price Harry | Cape Coral | 36 page 16
Ken Beauvais | Lehigh Acres | 25 page 8
FORTY
UNDER 40 DID YOU KNOW?
Average Age:
33.5
Number of people who have a Twitter handle:
16
Favorite techno gadget: Gadget we’d never heard of Skype Other smart phone
iPhone iPad
Other tablet or computer
Number born in Florida:
8
Average years on the Gulf Coast:
14.9
32%
said they learned the most about business from
32%
said they learned the most about business from
DOING IT THEMSELVES
THEIR PARENTS
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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FORTY UNDER 40
Bank Shot Brian Lamb / 36 / Tampa Brian Lamb successfully brought team sports lessons to the boardroom. He aims for a lot more success. ough Economic Development Corp. Lamb also mentors young executives. “It was never that I wanted to be in banking. It was never that I wanted to be in accounting,” says Lamb. “I just wanted to be someone who could positively influence lives.” Lamb’s first job after college was with TECO Energy, where he worked in finance and accounting. He had several leadership roles there, and worked directly with TECO President and CEO John Ramil, one of the few people Lamb calls a mentor. Ramil, says Lamb, sets an example of how to achieve work-life balance. Lamb speaks glowingly of his days at TECO, and likely wouldn’t have left the company if Home Discovery executives didn’t recruit him. The Tampa-based firm, which tried to shake up the residential real estate market with lower commissions, named Lamb CFO in 2004. Says Lamb: “The entrepreneurial itch got the best of me.” (Home Discovery co-founder Richard Heruska is also a 40-under-40 winner. See page 16.) Fifth Third named Lamb CFO in 2006. He later ran commercial lending, then private banking. Working in several areas of the bank, says Lamb, helped him learn about both Fifth Third and its customers. Preparation from other mentors, in addition to Ramil, came from Lamb’s father, Eugene Lamb Jr., and Tampa-area business and sports icon Lee Roy Selmon. Lamb’s father is currently a county commissioner in Gadsden County, just west of Tallahassee. Lamb says his father was, and is, a constant presence in his life, and has taught him how to lead by example. Selmon, meanwhile, was the USF athletic director when Lamb played there. Selmon, who died in 2011, was also on the Fifth Third board of directors when the bank hired Lamb. “He set a great
Mark Wemple
Brian Lamb runs the Tampa Bay region of Fifth Third Bank. The division, which covers Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties, has more than $2.1 billion in deposits.
example for all the athletes,” Lamb says, specifically citing Selmon’s humility, honesty and integrity. “We didn’t have a lot of mentors like him.” Finally, it was another mentor, Tampaarea auto entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Morsani, who recently told Lamb something that resonated deeply. Morsani told Lamb you spend the first
30 years of your life learning, your next 30 years earning, and your last 30 years giving. “That left an imprint on me,” Lamb says. “My vision is to leave a legacy of philanthropy, mutually beneficial relationships and professional success.” — Mark Gordon
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rian Lamb’s ability to excel at both math and basketball coming out of high school in Tallahassee in 1994 provided him some extraordinary choices. Colleges that offered scholarships included Stanford, Cornell and Fordham in New York City. The University of Tennessee and the University of South Florida called, too. Lamb chose the University of South Florida — a pick he’s never regretted. “I make hundreds of decisions in my business life,” says Lamb, now president of the Tampa Bay region of Fifth Third Bank. “Going to USF is the best decision I ever made, short of marrying my wife.” Lamb played point guard for the USF basketball team from 1994 to 1998. He was the team captain for the last three of those seasons, before he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. His playing career also provided him his first major bout with adversity: At the end of the 1996-1997 season, when he was a junior, he tore his rotator cuff. He rehabbed and fought his way back to play his senior season, a recovery he says was an integral life event. Now 36, Lamb reaches into his USF experiences and life lessons daily, if not several times a day, with Cincinnati-based Fifth Third. Lamb’s Fifth Third division covers all the bank’s operations, from retail to commercial to private banking, in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. With more than $2.1 billion in deposits, the unit is spread over 47 offices with 350 employees. While Lamb brings his athletic competitive nature to banking, and he has ambitious growth plans, he sees his post in broader terms. Indeed, he spends a good amount of his non-bank time with community, economic and arts organizations. The long list includes the USF Board of Trustees; the Straz Center for the Performing Arts; and the Hillsbor-
GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
www.review.net
TRICIA BOLDS
Matthew Anderson
SARASOTA | 36
SARASOTA | 39
Name: Tricia Bolds Age: 36 Twitter handle: @gulfcoastpets City of residence: Sarasota Employer: Gulf Coast Pet Supplies (GCPet.com) Title: CEO Birthplace: New York Years on the Gulf Coast: 30 Marital status/children: Married, with a beautiful 6-year-old son. Alma mater: Riverview High School and SCF College Best place to network: I do a lot of flying, so I would have to say airplanes and SkyClub. Second to that would be school events, and my son’s after-school activities. Business person you admire most: My parents One website that makes your job easier: Google One community group you’re most involved with: Animal rescues — non-profit rescue shelters (Satchel’s Last Resort) Favorite off-hours activity: I spend most off hours taking my son to extracurricular activities such as baseball, taekwondo or other school events. Most-trusted news source: My husband, followed by Herald-Tribune I learned the most about business from: Not to sound cliché, but definitely my parents. I watched them build a very successful business for 25 years, which was very popular in the area. Unfortunately, it was sold to the wrong person in 2006 who drowned the business by 2010 and owed my parents a lot of money. Hard lesson learned for everyone, but definitely another lesson learned. Book you’re reading now: Fifty Shades of Grey Favorite techno gadget: Roku Which social-media network do you use for business: Facebook If I had a magic wand I’d: Exclude the use of the word “no” from my household’s vocabulary.
Twitter handle: @MilestoneSRQ Employer: Milestone Marketing Associates Inc. Title: President Birthplace: Louisville, Ky. Years on the Gulf Coast: 26 Marital status/children: Wife, Dana, and our two girls, Catherine and Mia. Alma mater: University of Florida. Go Gators! Best place to network: The Polo Grill and Fete Ballroom. I'm a big fan of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, which holds regular events there. The Polo Grill is conveniently located off of University Parkway in Sarasota, the space is flexible for a wide range of business meetings, the food is fantastic and the staff is outstanding. Business person you admire most: My father, Mark Anderson, who owns Cortez Heating and Air Conditioning. I'm glad I don't work for the family business, but I'm happy to have Cortez as a client! One website that makes your job easier: Google. And not just for search. Google Apps for Business helps us run our virtual company. One community group you’re most involved with: The Mighty Siesta Key Kiwanis Club. Favorite off-hours activity: Attending live music shows like the Sarasota Blues Festival. Most-trusted news source: The Gulf Coast Business Review, of course! But I do listen to NPR on 88.5 FM for the alternative view. Plus they play great music. I learned the most about business from: Richard Langedyk founded the software company where I worked for 12 years. I became a partner after six years, and we sold the business in 2007. When I was still a marketing manager in training he impressed upon me the importance of treating the company's money like it was my own. Book you’re reading now: “The Marketing Agency Blueprint,” by Paul Roetzer. It's a “howto” business book tailor-made for companies like ours. I bought copies for the whole team. Favorite techno gadget: My iPad Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Move the complainers who go to bed at 8 p.m. away from places like Siesta Key Village and downtown Sarasota so those of us who like to listen to live music could enjoy the nightlife.
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JONATHAN BLACK
CAPE CORAL | 37 Twitter handle: None Employer: Sunstream Hotels & Resorts / Crazy Lure Bait & Tackle Title: Special Events Coordinator/ Owner Operator Birthplace: Douglasville, Ga. Years on the Gulf Coast: 3 ½ years Marital status/children: Married/ no kids/ dogs Alma mater: Treat others as you want to be treated Best place to network: While fishing and at fishing tournaments Business person you admire most: Kevin Van Dam One website that makes your job easier: Google search engine One community group you’re most involved with: Veterans Foundation Favorite off-hours activity: Fishing, of course! Most-trusted news source: Wall Street Journal I learned the most about business from: Keith Murphy and Ron Bailey Book you’re reading now: “Fishing on the Edge,” by Mike Iconnelli Favorite techno gadget: Bluetooth Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook If I had a magic wand I’d: Make sure that people were treated with respect!
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If I had a magic wand I’d: “Move the complainers who go to bed at 8 p.m. away from places like Siesta Key Village and downtown Sarasota so those of us who like to listen to live music could enjoy the nightlife.”
–Matthew Anderson, Milestone Marketing Associates Inc.
Ken Beauvais
LEHIGH ACRES | 25
Twitter handle: @KenMrCEO Employer: ArCEOns Title: Founder Birthplace: Boston Years on the Gulf Coast: Seven Marital status/children: Married/ no children Alma mater: Florida Gulf Coast University (BS in computer information system, business management and marketing.) Best place to network: Local business and entrepreneur events Business person you admire most: Bill Gates One website that makes your job easier: Google One community group you’re most involved with: First Apostolic Church of Cape Coral Favorite off-hours activity: Dancing, talking and spending time with family Most-trusted news source: CEO.com I learned the most about business from: Making mistakes Book you’re reading now: “The Back of the Napkin,” by Dan Roam Favorite techno gadget: Sphero Which social-media networks do you use for business? None, for the most part. We are currently in stealth mode and it is too early to start proactively advertising to the masses. When the time is right we will focus our efforts on Twitter. If I had a magic wand I’d: I would grant everybody on earth a wish for something positive. And I would wish for my grandmother to have a full recovery from her strokes.
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
www.review.net
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Political Partners / / /
32 38
SarasotaBradenton
A pair of motivated entrepreneurs hopes to turn a passion for politics into a thriving business.They’re getting the buzz part down. revenue streams: One would be from selling ads on www.politicallypersonal. com, which they hope to do by increasing traffic and readership on the site. A second way would be to sell videos to political candidates for campaign promotional pieces. Says McElyea: “We want to humanize politicians through video.” Politically Personal has so far focused mostly on local politicians and issues. Stories include a video interview of Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, who recently won re-election, and an article about a strong-elected mayor proposal voted down by Sarasota City commissioners. McElyea and Dudley also scored a big “get” for Politically Personal in late August, when they were one of four local media outlets that interviewed Donald Trump. The real estate mogul was in Sarasota the night before the Republican National Convention to accept a Statesman of the Year award from the Sarasota Republican Party. The Trump interview,
4 minutes, 25 seconds, was posted online Aug. 26 and had 10,152 views through Sept. 28. A St. Petersburg native, Dudley got into politics mostly by accident. She studied journalism at the University of South Florida. But soon after she graduated, Dudley, at 24, became an entrepreneur when she ran a paint-your-own-pottery studio near the Hyde Park neighborhood in Tampa. The experience led Dudley to engage in local politics, such as when she and some fellow storeowners fought a traffic-light proposal they believed would negatively impact the neighborhood. “That’s how I got into politics,” Dudley says. “I realized at 24 I could make a change.” Dudley grew into her passion quickly. She volunteered for Tampa-area Republican events, and met U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, at a parade in Bradenton. She later moved to Manatee County and founded OnMessage Strategic Communications, a political consult-
Featured ProPerties
ing firm with a focus on fundraising for state and local candidates. McElyea, meanwhile, entered politics through the candidate side: She ran in a Democratic primary for U.S. Congress in Sarasota when she was 24 years old. She raised $40,000, but lost the race. The rest of McElyea’s career has been in journalism or public relations. A University of Florida graduate, McElyea was an on-air TV reporter in Sarasota and Salisbury, Md. She now runs her own public relations firm, 360 Degrees. McElyea and Dudley both have two young children, and they share a jovial friendship and business partnership, where they occasionally finish each other’s sentences. They also both thrive off a daily routine that’s one part planned, many parts harried. Yet even though they chat together like lifelong friends, they met less than two years ago. “Our backgrounds were very similar,” says McElyea. “We just really hit it off.” — Mark Gordon
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andice McElyea and Rochelle Dudley entered politics in different ways, but the duo, unbeknownst to each other, shared an idea: To tell politicians’ personal stories in ways that go past mere policies and ideology. That idea is now Politically Personal, a Manatee County-based startup video and story blog that has generated a good deal of buzz in the busy political season. McElyea and Dudley, in conjunction with the Hub, a Sarasota-based business incubator, launched Politically Personal in June. The Hub handles equipment, editing and Web design, while McElyea, 38, and Dudley, 32, are the faces, interviewers and blog writers — and occasional videographers, courtesy of their iPhones. “We are trying to reach a different demographic,” says Dudley. “We are trying to make politics a little sexier to people who normally wouldn’t focus on politics.” A side venture for both founders, Politically Personal has yet to turn a profit. But the founders eventually envision two
Mark Wemple
Candice McElyea and Rochelle Dudley co-founded Politically Personal earlier this year.
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86780
Rochelle Dudley Candice McElyea
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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RYAN DORRELL LUTZ | 38
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Twitter handle: @ryan_dorrell Employer: AgileThought Inc. Title: Chief Technology Officer Birthplace: Fort Myers Years on the Gulf Coast: 15 Marital status/children: Married to Elizabeth (15 years). Three sons: Seth, 11; Aidan, 8; Henry, 5
Alma mater: Florida State University, 1995, College of Business, management information systems Best place to network: The best place depends on the goal of networking. I frequent local code camps and user groups for meeting new technical talent to bring into AgileThought. Tampa Bay Bar Camp is exceptional for meeting entrepreneurs and others with innovative ideas. Tampa Bay Technology Forum events are the best place to network with local corporate technology industry leaders. Business person you admire most: I admire Bill Gates, not only for what he was able to smartly build from nothing, but also for what he has done with his philanthropic contributions to global society after his business career. One website that makes your job easier: I tap into LinkedIn. The site gives me relevant news feeds, allows me to participate in great online discussions, and helps me to stay current with who is where and who knows who in the wellconnected Tampa Bay technology community. One community group you’re most involved with: I’m involved with a wide variety of charitable organizations, such as Make-a-Wish, through sponsorships. The bulk of my support time is spent working with other local technology community leaders to ensure that the Tampa Bay area has a rich ecosystem of technology-focused events across a variety of topics. These events help attract, retain, and train the best technical talent in the Tampa Bay area, while providing a direct economic impact to the region. Favorite off-hours activity: Running. I’ve been training hard for the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 7, where I hope to run under 3 ½ hours. I even take my oldest son, who rides
If I had a magic wand I’d: “Erase the U.S. deficit and balance the budget.”
–Stephen Carvelli, Chico’s FAS
Stephen carvelli
MARCIO deoliveria
Twitter handle: @StephenCarvelli Employer: Chico’s FAS Title: Vice President of eCommerce Technology Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Penn. Years on the Gulf Coast: Six Marital status/children: Married to Kristin with two daughters: Ava, 5, and Alexandra, 3. Alma mater: John Carroll University Best place to network: The golf course. Business person you admire most: Jack Welch One website that makes your job easier: InternetRetailer.com One community group you’re most involved with: Make-a-Wish Foundation Favorite off-hours activity: Playing with my girls, golf and high-performance driving events. Most-trusted news source: WSJ Online I learned the most about business from: My dad, A.J. Carvelli, a former GM executive. Book you’re reading now: “Built to Last,” by Jim Collins Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Erase the U.S. deficit and balance the budget.
Twitter handle: None Employer: C1 Bank Title: Chief Information Officer, EVP Birthplace: Brazil Years on the Gulf Coast: 14 Marital status/children: Married with no children Alma mater: Webster University School of Business & Technology Best place to network: Tampa Bay Technology Forum events Business person you admire most: Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com One website that makes your job easier: Quora.com One community group you’re most involved with: Forty Carrots Family Center’s parenting program. Forty Carrots On Wheels Program travels into the community to reach families facing specific challenges that compound the already complex job of raising children.These challenges include parental drug and alcohol addiction, teen parenthood, parental history of sexual, emotional or physical abuse, parental incarceration, homelessness, poverty, or limited education. Favorite off-hours activity: Writing code for Web applications Most-trusted news source: Wall Street Journal I learned the most about business from: My own mistakes Book you’re reading now: The Laws of Simplicity, by John Maeda Favorite techno gadget: iPad Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Provide access to high-quality education to all, preparing the new work force for a technology and innovation-driven economy.
FORT MYERS | 39
SARASOTA | 33
alongside me on his bicycle on long runs of 15 to 20 miles. Most-trusted news source: I rely on CNN for national news and CNET for the latest technical news. I learned the most about business from: My dad taught me the most important fundamentals of business. While growing up, I watched him build a business from the ground up and sell it. He taught me about how to treat people with integrity and honesty. Book you’re reading now: In my job, I need to stay current with technical trends, and I am currently reading a technical book now called “NoSQL Distilled,” by Pramod Sadalage and Martin Fowler. It’s a primer on emerging database technologies for Internet-scale data storage and analysis. The last business book I read was “Delivering Happiness,” by Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos). Favorite techno gadget: My Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS running watch. I love the fact that I can get real-time stats about how I’m performing. I blogged about it here: http://ryandorrell.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/my-favoritegadget/ Which social-media networks do you use for business: I use LinkedIn primarily for business, but I frequently communicate with customers and employees through Facebook and Twitter. If I had a magic wand I’d: Eliminate the global problem of accessibility to clean, fresh water. I have been following the technology trends in this area for some time, and while amazing advancements have been made, there is still much more to do. We need a solution that is inexpensive, efficient and easy-to-deploy in rural areas.
BRAD BRYAN
SARASOTA | 35 Twitter handle: @bradder22 Employer: BRAD!BRYAN Multimedia Inc. Title: President Birthplace: Indiana Years on the Gulf Coast: 16 Marital status/ children: Single, no children Alma mater: New College of Florida Best place to network: Sarasota Film Festival and Sarasota Film and Entertainment Office events Business person you admire most: I admire Wes Anderson’s ability to make quirky, personal films with small budgets that still have a mainstream impact. I am inspired by Richard Florida’s thoughts on the Creative Class as a driver of 21st century business and innovation. One website that makes your job easier: Vimeo and YouTube make the task of storing and distributing my short films and commercial videos immensely easier and more effective. One community group you’re most involved with: I have volunteered most extensively with The SOURCE Theatre (sponsored by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida), usually by collaborating and working on film and stage productions. The SOURCE is a theatre group exploring important issues in young people’s lives (sex, drugs, relationships, etc.) through talented and committed young actors putting on plays and creating video productions in the community. Favorite off-hours activity: Yoga and watching movies Most-trusted news source: NPR I learned the most about business from: I am a creative professional first and foremost, and I learned the most about business from running my own. Book you’re reading now: “Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned,” by Wells Tower Favorite techno gadget: My video camera — it’s the conduit to my creative world. Which social-media networks do you use for business: LinkedIn for networking, Facebook for portfolio/ promotion If I had a magic wand I’d: Keep all my equipment magically updated every time the next big camera/ lighting/computer/editing software came out!
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
www.review.net
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Scarry Numbers Duncan Scarry / 37 / Fort Myers Duncan Scarry’s advertising agencies target auto dealers, and growth has been torrid.
W
hen he was 26, Duncan Scarry quit his job as a graphic designer at a large advertising firm and wrote a business plan for an advertising company that would target auto dealers. He had two customers and a premise: “Car dealers always make money.” “We took it to Wachovia Bank,” Scarry recalls. The bankers politely turned away the recently unemployed but ambitious young man who came to them for an unsecured $50,000 loan. A week later, coincidentally, Wachovia sent Scarry credit cards on which he could borrow as much as $15,000. He dug into savings, too. “I took a bunch of money earmarked for my wife’s wedding ring,” he smiles. “We didn’t make a lot of money in the beginning.” Now 11 years later, the two Fort Myersbased agencies Scarry owns — Moore & Scarry Advertising and Haystak Digital Marketing — will post $95 million in billings, a 90% increase from the prior year. The combined firms have 125 em-
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ployees. “We’ve had no problem making money in this space,” says Scarry, now 37. Part of the reason for the phenomenal growth has been the early adoption of Internet advertising, which rival firms were slow to adopt. “Seventeen percent of our sales are mobile right now,” Scarry says. The growth has been so rapid that it seemed overwhelming because the staff couldn’t handle all the work they were winning at first, upsetting customers who had to wait. “We almost went out of business by being successful,” Scarry says. But Scarry plowed ahead and let his firm grow as quickly as it could. “You don’t always get the opportunity to grow,” he says. “There’s an element of winning that takes precedence over money.” Scarry, who bought out his partner Darren Moore in 2006, says the combined companies now have more than 1,000 customers around the country. “A lot of what we do is inventory-based Internet marketing,” Scarry says. “What dealers market online is critical.”
Vanessa Rogers
Duncan Scarry promotes a playful, creative atmosphere at his advertising companies’ downtown Fort Myers offices. In addition, auto dealer advertising doesn’t vary greatly from one market to another, so Scarry’s staff doesn’t have to reinvent a new campaign for every customer. “It’s all replicable,” he says. The companies are based in Fort Myers, but about 25 employees are in Denver and Chicago to be closer to customers in the West and Midwest. “It makes good sense to have people in different regions,” Scarry says. Technology is the key to productivity. “We spend more money on software than we do people,” Scarry says. The advertising firms’ downtown Fort Myers offices look more like a California tech firm than a traditional advertising agency. There’s a ping-pong table in the break room, a video-game room and
spontaneous Nerf-gun wars can erupt at any time. Scarry says he isn’t sure where he got his entrepreneurial drive because he says he grew up the son of a hippy college professor. “I really don’t like losing,” he says. And, he adds, “I was always the troublemaker.” While Scarry focuses now exclusively on auto dealers, he says there may be opportunities to provide the same services in other industries. Law is one of those potential fields, and prospective clients could be law firms that specialize in divorce, personal injury and DUI defense. Medical could also be lucrative, he says. Sounds like trouble for the competition. —Jean Gruss
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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TONY DUDA
NATHANIEL FISCHER TAMPA | 27
ST. PETERSBURG | 35
Age: 27 Twitter handle: None City of residence: Tampa Employer: Avesta Title: Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer Birthplace: Ithaca, N.Y. Years on the Gulf Coast: Two Marital status/children: Engaged (to be married Oct. 13) Alma mater: Calvin College; Harvard
Law School Best place to network: Ultimate Tennis league Business person you admire most: Sam Walton One website that makes your job easier: Gmail, not just for email, but as a great archive of documents and conversations. One community group you’re most involved with: Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church Favorite off-hours activity: Tennis Most-trusted news source: Wall Street Journal I learned the most about business from: Starting Avesta Book you’re reading now: “Trammell Crow, Master Builder: The Story of America’s Largest Real Estate Empire,” by Robert Sobel Favorite techno gadget: Kindle Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn (occasionally) If I had a magic wand I’d: Request wisdom
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Twitter handle: @talentsprocket Employer: Talent Sprocket Title: CEO Birthplace: Jackson County, N.C. Years on the Gulf Coast: Six and a half Marital status/children: Married, no children Alma mater: University of North Carolina, Charlotte Best place to network: Any place where networking is not the purpose of being there. My best leads and connections have come from my clients and friends. Business person you admire most: My first boss Michael Meyer for his honor and integrity in a business that frequently rewards the exact opposite. One website that makes your job easier: Hope this is not a cliché but I have to give it to LinkedIn. For the time being they seem to have the magic sauce for making the profiles of previously inaccessible business professionals publicly available. One community group you’re most involved with: I co-founded a group called the St. Petersburg Technology Leadership group. We try to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and decision makers at large companies. Favorite off-hours activity: Going for a run with my wife. She is faster than me but sometimes lets me win to boost my confidence. Most-trusted news source: The Onion or John Stewart. I don’t want my news to be trustworthy, just entertaining. I learned the most about business from: The conversations I have with other entrepreneurs, people who have built a successful business from the ground up have had to encounter just about every possible scenario. I have tried very hard to absorb as much information as possible from the “been there done that” group. Book you’re reading now: “A Walk in the Woods,” by Bill Bryson. Favorite techno gadget: Smart phone. I appreciate the simplicity of a single device that consolidates the features of all the other devices I used to have to carry. Which social-media networks do you use for business: Probably LinkedIn, followed by Twitter. Social media is still a pretty new concept in the business world. Only the big players have been able to consolidate the business professionals in big enough numbers to be useful. I am excited for the next evolution in social media. If I had a magic wand I’d: Probably be selfish and use it to launch my business into a worldwide phenomenon. If the wand had additional magic leftover I would definitely continue to wave it fuEXTRA: See riously in the name of world peace, a cure for cancer, Tony Duda‘s video the end of poverty and a clean environment. Additional magic would be saved for future selfishness if allowed. at review.net.
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“Social media is still a pretty new concept in the business world. Only the big players have been able to consolidate the business professionals in big enough numbers to be useful. I am excited for the next evolution in social media. ”
–Tony Duda, Talent Sprocket
Leading the Way
in Lee County.
Pete D’Alessandro Vice President and Branch Manager, Downtown Fort Myers IBERIABANK
Trevor Elmquist, DO Founding Partner Elmquist Eye Group
Valerie Petracco Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager, Daniels Falls - IBERIABANK
www.iberiabank.com |
Debra Newell Vice President and Branch Manager, Colonial Crossings IBERIABANK
Wen J. Wu President House of Wu
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
www.review.net
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Big Appetite Patrick Seidensticker Joe Seidensticker
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26 29
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Sarasota
The Seidensticker brothers have nearly made it five years in an industry — restaurants — with a high failure rate.They are hungry for more.
T
he entrepreneurial tussle, when executives struggle with delegation, has the Seidensticker brothers in a death-lock grip. The brothers, Joe and Patrick, are coowners and managers of Libby’s Café + Bar, a popular restaurant in the Hillview neighborhood of Sarasota. They run the restaurant in conjunction with their father, longtime restaurateur Steve Seidensticker; their sister, Lisa Seidensticker; and business partner Jeff Greco. Joe Seidensticker, 29, and Patrick Seidensticker, 26, are the faces, and daily decision makers of the operation. Those are roles they have grown into since 2008, when the Seidenstickers bought and renovated the former Fred’s Restaurant. Now, after four years of growth in sales and local prominence, the brothers are ready to open another restaurant. This one will be in downtown Sarasota, on Palm Avenue. Running one busy place while planning for another has tested the Se-
idenstickers’ ability to entrust others, even highly respected employees — a common struggle for young entrepreneurs. “It’s hard to let the reigns go,” says Joe Seidensticker. “It’s the first thing we think about in the morning, the last thing we think about at night before we go to bed and what we think about in between.” The challenge, furthermore, is only about to get deeper because the brothers have lead roles in the yet unnamed Palm Avenue restaurant, on the first floor of a city-owned parking garage. That project takes up a large portion of their time. The Seidenstickers, in conjunction with Sarasota entrepreneur Jesse Biter, intend to turn the space into a restaurant and special event venue with a different look and feel than Libby’s. The restaurant is expected to open early next year. Says Pat Seidensticker: “It’s going to far exceed anything people will expect from us.” One part of the strategy is to create a
Lori Sax
Pat and Joe Seidensticker co-own and manage Libby’s, a popular restaurant in the Hillview neighborhood of Sarasota. concept that can be duplicated easily, to foster growth. While the downtown location is convenient to Libby’s, only a few miles away, the brothers looked into several other areas. The list includes University Parkway in east Manatee County, Tampa and Winter Park. “This is our coming out party on the local restaurant scene,” Joe Seidensticker says. “This concept (will be) built as a concept for expansion.” Finding time to work on both restaurants leaves little leftover for leisure. The brothers enjoy going to the beach, fishing and playing basketball, but they don’t get to do it much. Joe Seidensticker even says one non-work pastime, checking out new local restaurants, has morphed into work, somewhat, because he finds himself taking notes for ideas and concepts. Both Seidensticker brothers entered the hospitality business when they were teenagers. They worked a host of jobs at Gasparilla Inn, a collection of restaurants,
hotels, a spa and marina in Boca Grande, where Steve Seidensticker was a manager. Pat Seidensticker recalls his first job was a busboy, and he and his siblings always liked being around the action of a busy resort. Pat Seidensticker went on to graduate from Tulane University, with a degree in finance and philosophy. His role at Libby’s now focuses on budget and human resources, while Joe Seidensticker handles more of the menu and cooking presentation side. Joe Seidensticker has a degree in environmental science from Rollins College in Orlando, though he considered attending the Culinary Institute of America. Just like when they were younger, the brothers’ passion still comes from the noday-is-the same ethos of the restaurant industry. “It’s never easy,” Pat Seidensticker says. “It’s a constant challenge, but it’s constantly rewarding.” — Mark Gordon
Cynthia L. Deragon, DMD Bill Valenti Sharon McAllister Executive Director, ArtFest Fort Myers
Tara Molloy
Doug Thrasher
Broker/Owner Riverside Realty Group
Senior Vice President, Private Banker IBERIABANK
Mark Wiles President Wayne Wiles Floor Coverings, Inc.
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Practice Limited to Periodontics 2012 President-Elect of the Lee County Dental Society
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
www.review.net
THOMAS FROST SARASOTA | 34
Twitter handle: None Employer: Datum Corp. Title: CEO Birthplace: Bethpage, N.Y. Years on the Gulf Coast: Six Marital status/children: Married to Georgina Frost Alma mater: University Of Hawaii Best place to network: First Watch Lakewood Ranch Business person you admire most: Anyone who bootstrapped a successful and sustainable business. One website that makes your job easier: Google One community group you’re most involved with: Sarasota Manatee Originals American Diabetes Association Favorite off-hours activity: Racing bi-
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–Thomas Frost, Datum Corp.
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“ “ If I had a magic wand I’d: “Give the Gulf Coast surf.”
Book you’re reading now: “I’m a working mother, what’s a book?”
–Katie Kirschner Haas, Boston Red Sox
LELAND GARVIN
FORT MYERS | 31 Twitter handle: LEGarvin Employer: Garvin Law Firm Title: Owner / Partner Birthplace: Fort Myers Years on the Gulf Coast: My whole life, but I lived for a short time in Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale. Marital status/children: Not married and I do not have children that I am aware of. Alma mater: Cypress Lake High School, Florida State undergraduate, and Nova Law School Best place to network: The courthouse Business person you admire most: Jimmy Buffett. That guy’s got it all figured out down to his exact profit from every shirt and Landshark beer sold at his concerts. He continues to work when he could have easily retired many years ago, and based upon his lyrics he’s been having a great time the whole way. One website that makes your job easier: Dropbox One community group you’re most involved with: Florida Justice Association Favorite off-hours activity: Fishing, snow skiing, working around the house and on old cars and boats. I’m also pretty good at drinking beer. Most-trusted news source: I use an RSS reader on my iPhone and read news from around the state. Maybe it’s the lawyer in me that wants to see various news outlets’ take on the same issue, aside from the Gulf Coast Business Review, of course. I learned the most about business from: My father, Jeff Garvin, and by asking questions. Book you’re reading now: “Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the spectacular rise and fall of the railroad that crossed an ocean,” by Les Standiford Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone, with my phone alone I can basically run my entire office from the first client meeting up to a trial. Which social-media networks do you use for business: I’m on all of them but Facebook is the clear leader. If I had a magic wand I’d: Use it daily
cycles and surfing Most-trusted news source: The Internet; isn’t everything on the Internet true? I learned the most about business from: Hard to say, I grew up in business with so many great mentors. Roy Yamaguchi always taught humility, and I am still working on that one. Rainer Kumbroch, the president of Roy’s, is one of the best negotiators I have ever met. Ken Pendery, CEO at First Watch, is a great leader and I am able to spend quite a bit of time with him. Still learning every day. Book you’re reading now: “Setting the Table,” by Danny Meyer Favorite techno gadget: My Samsung Ultra Book; the iPad doesn’t really work well for work. Which social-media network do you use for business: None. Old-fashioned email seems to do the trick for us. If I had a magic wand I’d: Give the Gulf Coast surf.
MATTHEW FREY
ST. PETERSBURG | 28 Twitter handle: None Employer: Frey & Associates Investment Advisors LLC Title: Owner/Partner Birthplace: Elizabethtown, Penn. Years on the Gulf Coast: One Marital status/children: Married with a daughter and another child on the way Alma mater: University of Notre Dame Best place to network: St. Pete Chamber Young Professionals events Business person you admire most: My mother-in-law, Mary Anne Reilly One website that makes your job easier: cnbc.com One community group you’re most involved with: The Boat Club Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my family Most-trusted news source: Wall Street Journal I learned the most about business from: My uncle, Bob Dolan Book you’re reading now: “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman Favorite techno gadget: iPad Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Feed the world’s hungry.
KATIE KIRSCHNER HAAS FORT MYERS | 31
Twitter handle: None Employer: Boston Red Sox Title: Director of Florida Business Operations Birthplace: Sarasota Years on the Gulf Coast: 21 Marital status/children: Married to Danny, daughter Georgie, age 3 Alma mater: Northeastern University,
Boston Best place to network: Downtown Fort Myers Rotary Club Business person you admire most: Bill Gates One website that makes your job easier: redsox.com One community group you’re most involved with: CCMI (Every Day café and marketplace, Meals on Wheels, Montessori preschool, all programs for Lee County’s most poor and in need) Favorite off-hours activity: Playing with my daughter and her new puppy Most-trusted news source: NPR I learned the most about business from: My parents Book you’re reading now: I’m a working mother, what’s a book? Favorite techno gadget: iPad or as we call it “the babysitter.” It’s the only thing that occupies my daughter’s attention to allow us a full meal at a restaurant. Which social-media network do you use for business: Facebook If I had a magic wand I’d: Make another magic wand
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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FORTY UNDER 40
Engineering Her Business Stephanie Caldwell / 39 / Fort Myers Stephanie Caldwell launched her engineering firm, Greensite Engineering, after she was laid off in 2009.
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omebuilders weren’t the only ones hurt when the real estate collapse in Florida halted new development. The civil engineers who helped developers map out new projects had to shrink too, and Stephanie Caldwell was one of those employees caught in the downturn. Caldwell, 39, was an engineer with Kimley-Horn, a large firm that had been retained by retail giants such as Target to help build new stores in booming areas. She was based in Fort Myers. But when the downturn hit, Caldwell was laid off in 2009 and she and her husband couldn’t move. “We couldn’t sell our house,” she says. So Caldwell started her own engineering company, Greensite Engineering. “It just seemed like the best opportunity,” she
says. “I’ve met a lot of people who are doing the same thing.” Caldwell was prepared because she knew the real estate market had come to a halt. “I filed the [incorporation] documents the day after I was laid off,” she says. Caldwell says she decided to focus on projects that are environmentally sensitive, including recently a stormwater plan for the Wild Turkey Strand Preserve in Lee County. While corporate work disappeared, municipal governments continued to spend through the downturn, and they sought out women-owned firms to comply with diversity requirements. “I did get on the vendors’ list and it’s starting to pay off,” Caldwell says, citing some recent discussions with the airport as an example. “2012 has really been a turning point for
Vanessa Rogers
Stephanie Caldwell recently worked on stormwater plans for the Wild Turkey Strand Preserve in Lee County. me.” Now that the economy is starting to recover, Caldwell says she’s seen a noticeable increase in requests from developers in residential and commercial real estate. “I have been doing a lot of due diligence on existing buildings that will get torn down,” she says. “I feel like it’s going to pick up, but it’s not going to be like 2004 and 2005.” Caldwell never thought she’d work for herself but has found it gratifying to be an entrepreneur. “It doesn’t feel like you’re doing work,” she says. “It’s nice to have the flexibility to work on your own terms. I don’t know if I could back to 8-to-5.” Caldwell says she’s reluctant to hire employees if work picks up meaningfully, in part because of her own experience. “I’d hate to lay people off,” she says. Her finan-
cial goal is simply to do better this year than the previous year. The biggest challenge, Caldwell says, is cold calling for business. “The hardest thing for me is the schmoozing and the networking,” she says. “The marketing part of it is a little out of my comfort zone.” One way Caldwell says she’s landed work is through other civil engineering firms. She was surprised to learn that the industry is collegial and firms frequently refer work to one another. That’s especially the case now, when smaller firms don’t have a full range of specialties and call on individual experts such as Caldwell to handle certain parts of larger projects. “It’s opened doors to do unique projects,” she says. —Jean Gruss
October 26, 2012 Special Issue:
CommErCIal rEal EStatE Space reservation deadline: October 19, 2012 Capitalize on The Review’s unparalleled coverage of the Gulf Coast commercial real estate market and reach the decisionmakers who rely on it. With special issue coverage each month in 2012, The Review reports the latest developments, news and trends along with timely market-wide analysis, making it the right environment to put your advertising message to work.
Our lineup of 2012 special issues offers an entire year of opportunities to advertise and reach Florida’s Gulf Coast business leaders. To receive more information or our 2012 Editorial Calendar, call Diane Schaefer at (941) 362-4848.
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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Jump Bump Rich Heruska / 35 / Tampa Rich Heruska has already built and run a fast-growth business. Now he aims for fast — and sustainable — growth.
R
ich Heruska, humble son of a postal worker and a custodian, the first in his family to go to college, isn’t normally an I-told-you-so kind of guy. But he has plenty of ammunition if he wanted to brag. For one, the venture he and a business partner founded in 2010, AirHeads Trampoline Arena, an entertainment center and party place for kids, has exceeded all expectations. The first one opened in the Carrollwood area of Tampa in August 2010. Two more, one in Largo and one in Orlando, opened in 2011. Sales at all locations doubled last year, though Heruska declines to release specific revenues. Back in 2010, however, when Heruska was fresh off a real estate business crushed by the recession, few saw wisdom in entering an unproven kids-themed business. Many people in Heruska’s life, including business mentors, friends and his wife, all voiced doubts.
They are doubters no more. “One of the most rewarding things in the beginning,” says Heruska, “was having the initial naysayers in on a Saturday and see 20 birthday parties and 1,000 people in here.” AirHeads, Heruska points out, is more than a kids entertainment zone. Adults can sign up for jump sessions, and a growing side of the business is corporate clients who seek business team-building sessions. There’s also a café with Wi-Fi, and a game room. The three AirHeads locations have more than 100 employees, who all go by flight-centric names, like “attendants.” The business model is to have managers run the individual locations while Heruska and his longtime business partner, Steve Johnston, handle large-scale growth. A future move to franchising is a possibility, says Heruska. Heruska and Johnston launched AirHeads mostly out of necessity. Their previous business, Tampa-based Home Dis-
Mark Wemple
Rich Heruska co-founded AirHeads Trampoline Arena, a family entertainment center, in 2010. There are now three locations, two on the Gulf Coast and one in Orlando. covery, grew quickly in the early 2000s when it brought a 2% real estate commission model to the then-booming housing market. Revenues doubled every year from 2001 to 2005, and the company grew from three to 300 employees. But Home Discovery essentially collapsed in the downturn. That’s why Heruska and Johnston sought a business opportunity a little more recession-resistant. Plus, Heruska and Johnston had young kids. That meant they were well hooked into the children’s birthday party circuit, which, they discovered, is mostly a mishmash of choices. Few birthday party facilities, if any, says Heruska, offered the Disney-style top-notch trio of excellent service, products and cleanliness. “It’s a competitive business,” says Heruska. “So to us it’s more than entertaining kids. The parents have to be satisfied, too.” Heruska grew up in Brick, N.J, a Jersey shore town about halfway between New
JODY HANEKE
MERCEDES PRICE HARRY
TAMPA | 39
Twitter handle: @hanekedesign Employer: Haneke Design Title: President Birthplace: Pompton Plains, N.J. Years on the Gulf Coast: 21 Marital status/children: Married, three children Alma mater: Ringling College of Art and Design Best place to network: Fritz Eichelberger’s “Pure and Shameless” Networking Socials Business person you admire most: Steve Jobs One website that makes your job easier: Basecamp One community group you’re most involved with: Tampa Bay Technology Forum Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my family Most-trusted news source: Various people I follow on Twitter I learned the most about business from: People I respect who have a history of both successes and failures in business. I try to keep an open mind, learn from their experiences, and apply what I learn to my own decision making process. Book you’re reading now: “The Four Hour Body,” by Tim Ferriss Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone — it’s an extension of my body. Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Double my (mobile application) development staff.
York City and Atlantic City. His dad, the postal worker, sometimes held two jobs. Heruska loved sports growing up, and for a time his life’s ambition was to be the next Chris Berman, the ESPN sportscaster. But going to college, at the University of South Florida in Tampa, was a transformational experience in Heruska’s life. He met Johnston at USF, and the duo launched a student meal plan debit card business together. Heruska also met his wife, a fellow USF grad, at an alumni event. Heruska’s free time revolves around his wife and two young sons, and the occasional trip to Key West or overnight to Orlando. Most of his other time is spent on AirHeads. “I never want to lose touch of what the customer wants,” says Heruska. “I don’t want to get caught up in the growth of the business and lose track of what made it successful in the first place.” — Mark Gordon
CAPE CORAL | 36
Twitter handle: None Employer: Self!!! Vino’s Picasso, B.Y.O.B. paint studio, art gallery and wine bar Title: Owner (woot woot!) Birthplace: Bristol Township, Penn., but I didn’t live there long and moved often since I was a military brat (MARINES RULE!!!). Years on the Gulf Coast: Nine and lovin’ it! Marital status/children: Married nine years (together for 16) to Brian Harry with one deliciously handsome 2-year-old named Adler Gadsden. Can’t leave out my gorgeous German shepherd, Juno Fritz! Alma mater: Georgia Southern University (GO EAGLES!!!) Best place to network: Young professionals and various chamber events Business person you admire most: Peter Thiele. He’s a risk taker and he understands consumers, economics, business trends and most importantly, personal liberty. One website that makes your job easier: Facebook makes connecting with my clients easy and fun. It’s a great way to interact and learn more about them and their needs, wants, likes and dislikes. It’s also an awesome tool to generate traffic to my website and pique the interest of people who would otherwise not know about my business or give painting a try. One community group you’re most involved with: I’m involved in several but “most involved with” Southwest Florida Young Republicans. Freeeeeddddooommmmmmm!!!!! haha Favorite off-hours activity: Laughing with my little man, Adler G. His giggles are infectious! Most-trusted news source: The Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk) and Money Magazine. I learned the most about business from: Making mistakes and going with my gut instinct. Book you’re reading now: Oh, how I would love the time to read a book!! Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone. Which social-media network do you use for business: Facebook EXTRA: See MerIf I had a magic wand I’d: Make Economics 101 cedes Price Harry‘s courses mandatory for every voting American, every election year!
video at review.net.
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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TERRY HEDDEN
ST. PETERSBURG | 37 Twitter handle: @THedden03 Employer: Infinity Technology Solutions Title: CEO Birthplace: Dunedin Years on the Gulf Coast: 30 Marital status/children: Single with two boys, ages 3 and 6 Alma mater: Undergraduate and an M.B.A. from THE University of Florida Best place to network: Greater Tampa Chamber Events Business person you admire most: Dave Dunkel, CEO of Kforce
One community group you’re most involved with: Junior Achievement. I am on the board and a very active volunteer! Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my sons, without question! Boating, fishing, really anything that they enjoy. Most-trusted news source: Fox News and the Gulf Coast Business Review. I learned the most about business from: My father. He found a way to balance a very successful business and his responsibilities as a husband and father….not an easy task! My goal is to be as good of a father to my children as he was to me. Book you’re reading now: “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” for the bazillionth time. I learn more every time I read it.
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Favorite techno gadget: MacBook Air, iPhone, iPad, AppleTV.Thanks to the cloud, they are all so intertwined that they are almost one. Which social-media networks do you use for business: LinkedIn and Facebook. My professional life and personal life are intertwined so much that I don’t differentiate the two. If I had a magic wand I’d: I would stop the partisan bickering in Washington so that both parties stop bringing the country down to further their interests. If we found ways to stop fighting and start reaching consensus based only on facts, we may be able to get our economy back on track and stop the degradation of EXTRA: See our country’s morTerry Hedden‘s al fabric. video at review.net.
Marie carson hebbler
Twitter handle: @MarieHebbler Title/Employer: Chief Risk Officer, HomeBanc; Owner, Risk Matrix Solutions LLC Birthplace: Dothan, Ala. Years on the Gulf Coast: 17 years Marital status/children: I am married to David Hebbler. Alma mater: The University of Alabama and The University of Florida Best place to network: Everywhere, whether it is a business event or a charity benefit, it is important to meet new people. Wherever I go, I try to make a new connection or bring people together. Business person you admire most: I admire Walt Disney because of his ethical leadership style and for the economic development opportunities he brought to the state of Florida. One website that makes your job easier: The American Bankers Association One community group you’re most involved with: I am very involved with three nonprofits that are close to my heart for different reasons. I serve on the steering committee of the United Way SunCoast Women’s Leadership group. I am also involved with the Junior League of Tampa. I enjoy this organization because we are a group of women committed to promoting volunteerism and developing the potential of women. The other nonprofit I am a member of is Metropolitan Ministries’ Young Professionals Group which supports the homeless. I am one of the founders of this group and serve on its steering committee. Favorite off-hours activity: I enjoy attending Broadway musicals at the Straz Performing Arts Center. I also enjoy watching SEC football, especially University of Alabama games. Most-trusted news source: AP News I learned the most about business from: My father. He was a successful banker while also being very involved in the community. Book you’re reading now: “Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters,” by Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger Favorite techno gadget: iPad Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: I would protect all people promoting democracy and freedom across the globe from harm.
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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katie kirby TAMPA | 28
Twitter handle: @Katie_Kirby Employer: KDS Interiors Inc. Title: President Birthplace: Tampa Years on the Gulf Coast: 28 Marital status/children: Married, two children: Wyatt, 2, and Colt, 1 Alma mater: University of Tampa Best place to network: Friends! Business person you admire most: Michelle Jennings Wiebe One website that makes your job easier: houzz.com One community group you’re most involved with: Foster Care/4 Kids of Tampa Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my boys Most-trusted news source: Tbo.com I learned the most about business from: My husband, Jed Book you’re reading now: “Wisdom for Mothers” Favorite techno gadget: iPhone Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: multiply the hours in a day!
FORTY
UNDER 40
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If I had a magic wand I’d: “Multiply the hours in a day!”
–Katie Kirby, KDS Interiors Inc.
CARMEN MANLEY SARASOTA | 36
Name: Carmen Manley Age: 36 Twitter handle: Koala Tee, Inc. City of residence: Sarasota Employer: Koala Tee Inc. Title: Partner Birthplace: Gulfport, Miss. Years on the Gulf Coast: 18 years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, 12 years in Sarasota Marital status/children: Married to Jeff; Children: stepson (Zack), Shih Tzu puppy (Seamus), and 22 Koala Tee employees. Alma mater: Louisiana State University… GEAUX TIGERS!!! Best place to network: Actions speak louder than words. We take great care of the people we’re already doing business with, and they are happy to spread the word for us. Business person you admire most: Jeff Manley. He’s hardworking, patient, kind, and dedicated. One website that makes your job easier: KoalaTee.com. Many clients are too busy to shop or meet during the weekdays, and they can see product recommendations and our bestsellers on our website, anytime, from anywhere. One community group you’re most involved with: The Sarasota Y-Mentor Program. There are hundreds of young kids in Sarasota who desperately need someone to just listen and care. We meet once a week at the school for an hour, talk about whatever problems or fears are on her mind, and set positive goals together. It’s extremely rewarding, and I love knowing I can make a difference. Favorite off-hours activity: Traveling and spending time with my favorite friends and family. Most-trusted news source: My cousin Terry. He’s a news junkie, smart, clear-headed, and objective. On my own, I like Fox & Friends, Inc. Magazine, and the Gulf Coast Business Review. I learned the most about business from: Doing the work. Running a small business, wearing so many hats, that’s why I’m good at my job. I eat, sleep, and breathe Koala Tee, but I love it. Book you’re reading now: “The Thank You Economy,” by Gary Vaynerchuk, a fun-loving, successful, and brilliant entrepreneur. Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone. Which social-media networks do you use for business: LinkedIn for introducing myself, our Facebook page to post pics of our work, and Twitter for contests, coupons, and giving props. EXTRA: See If I had a magic wand I’d: Provide every man and womCarmen Manley‘s an with a job that matches their capabilities and personalvideo at review.net. ity, ample vacation time, and a sweet retirement package.
DAVE KENNON SARASOTA | 35
Twitter handle: None Employer: Gulf Coast Insurance Advisors Title: President Birthplace: Pittsburgh Years on the Gulf Coast: Three Marital status/children: Married, four children Alma mater: Penn State Best place to network: Annual meetings of the Million Dollar Round Table, Premier Association of Financial Professionals, an international, independent association of nearly 36,000 of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 430 companies in 78 countries. Business person you admire most: Jim Bendel, director of fundraising, Community Foundation of Westmoreland County (Penn.). He is humble and unassuming, but wields great influence that allows him to do great things for the community. One website that makes your job easier: Either Google or YouTube for research One community group you’re most involved with: My church, Harvest United Methodist Church in Lakewood Ranch. Favorite off-hours activity: Gardening and barbecuing — anything to do with my family. Most-trusted news source: I like to stay current by talking to people on the front lines in their profession or industry, including attorneys, broker dealers, wholesalers and other professionals. I learned the most about business from: My father. He and my grandfather were both award-winning insurance professionals, and I went into the “family business,” although I started my own agency. Book you’re reading now: “Searching for God Knows What,” by Donald Miller (A guide explaining how no matter how successful you are in business or your personal life, there will always be a haunting, empty place in your heart without a relationship with your creator.) Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone—I’m addicted. Which social-media network do you use for business: Facebook If I had a magic wand I’d: Create a thriving business that would: 1. “Get the word out” to seniors that many of them own life insurance and long-term care contracts that are not functioning as originally illustrated. 2. Bring together a group of employees to create a harmonious and positive work environment that would enrich the lives of both the employees and the clients. 3. Use the profits from the business to create a charitable foundation that would allow me to: a. Bring help to those most desperately in need. b. Encourage other successful business owners to use their talents to help those around them. c. To create a positive model for other businesses to follow. EXTRA: See Hopefully I won’t need a magic wand to do accomDave Kennon‘s plish this! It will take time, but my business is already video at review.net. well on its way.
DIANA KELLY
SARASOTA | 26 Twitter handle: @dianaekelly Employer: Diana E Kelly Inc. Title: President/Designer Birthplace: Sarasota Years on the Gulf Coast: 26 (I went to college at the University of Florida and came home semi-frequently) Marital status/children: Not married, no children Alma mater: University of Florida Best place to network: University of Florida entrepreneurship summit Business person you admire most: Bill and Melinda Gates, specifically for their philanthropic pursuits. One website that makes your job easier: Skype. Just this morning I skyped with my agent in Turkey and saw our fall production. One community group you’re most involved with: Sarasota Youth Orchestra via fundraising efforts of the Sarasota/Manatee County Debutante Program. Favorite off-hours activity: Boating Most-trusted news source: AP Wire I learned the most about business from: My father Book you’re reading now: “How to Manage People” Favorite techno gadget: MacBook Pro. I couldn’t live without it. Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr... EXTRA: See phew! Diana Kelly‘s video If I had a magic wand I’d: Be in our factory and at at review.net. the office at the same time.
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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FORTY UNDER 40
Bright Future Siobhan Harley / 25 / Tampa Siobhan Harley was a key behind-the-scenes figure in the race for Tampa mayor last year. Now she aims to leverage her influence.
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ne of the brightest young stars in Tampa politics was playing piano and guitar in a punk rock band in California less than a decade ago. Back then, in 2005, Siobhan Harley was 17. Her band, the Milkman’s Kids, played in parts of the Warped Tour, a popular alternative music festival. Says Harley: “It was an interesting journey.” That journey took an abrupt shift in 2007. That’s when Harley, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, decided to return home, to Tampa, where she spent most of her childhood. She enrolled at the University of Tampa and a short time later someone gave her a copy of The Economist magazine. She liked learning about big-picture, meaty issues. Harley, who studied communications at UT and later graduated from Eckerd College with a degree in American Studies, quickly went from The Economist to a volunteer for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. One event in early 2008 soon grew exponentially. One of Harley’s
main tasks was to alert students to the fact that their vote was especially crucial, because possibly unlike their home state, voter turnout in Florida could decide an election. The experience hooked Harley on politics. “I was obsessed,” says Harley. “I thought from this moment forward I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.” Now 25, Harley worked, mostly unpaid, on some other political campaigns after the 2008 election. She met former Tampa city councilman Bob Buckhorn in early 2010, and she clicked with the onetime mayoral candidate. Buckhorn, at a lunch meeting, told Harley he planned another run at the mayor’s office. Buckhorn made Harley his first campaign hire, and a year later, in March 2011, he won the election. Local political followers say Harley’s organizational savvy was a key factor in Buckhorn’s successful campaign. Moreover, the victory was one of two
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Mark Wemple
Siobhan Harley helped run the successful mayoral campaign for Bob Buckhorn in Tampa last year. Harley now works for the mayor’s office. milestones Harley celebrated that week: One day after the election Harley officially became a U.S. citizen at a naturalization ceremony in Tampa. Buckhorn stopped by the ceremony, where he dropped off some flowers for Harley. The next day, says Harley, Buckhorn asked her to join the mayor’s office, and go from campaign coordinator to special assistant to the mayor. In that position Harley is responsible for a bevy of tasks that promote Buckhorn’s policies and ideals. One recent event Harley organized was the Mayor’s Hack-a-Thon, a 48-hour contest for software coders and developers to create Internet-based applications for the city of Tampa. Coordinating campaigns remains Harley’s passion. But she says the opportunity to “help shape the direction of Tampa” with Buckhorn, someone she believes in, was too good to pass up. Another opportunity too good to pass up: Harley was recently elected to an atlarge delegate seat for the Florida Dem-
ocratic Party. She attended the Democratic National Convention last month in Charlotte. Harley’s social life mostly intersects with work, down to her reading selections. Books on Harley’s nightstand include “Buck Up, Suck Up…and Come Back When You Foul Up,” by James Carville and Paul Begala, and “The Seamless City: A Conservative Mayor’s Approach to Urban Revitalization that Can Work Anywhere,” by former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker. Harley still plays music, too, though not in a band, and not often for others. She recently picked up the ukulele and is learning how to play it. The 24/7 nature of politics means Harley’s work life will likely blend with the rest of her life for the foreseeable future. Not that she’s complaining. “I feel really lucky,” says Harley. “I get to see a lot of things I would never get to see and meet a lot of people I would never get to meet.” — Mark Gordon
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GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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FORTY UNDER 40
Electric Boost Dan Snyder / 35 / Sarasota The batteries business has been a boon for Dan Snyder. He hopes the good times keep charging. Brandon and another location in south Tampa. The other five are in central-north Florida; the most recent one opened earlier this year near the high-end Mall at Millenia in Orlando. Snyder’s stores, moreover, have grown quickly. Sales at all seven are up 8.8% in 2012 over last year, says Snyder, and one store is up 26%. Snyder was also named a top performer for growth in the entire chain at a recent national conference. Like some other Batteries Plus franchisees, Snyder says the recession has been somewhat of a sales boost because people hang on to electronics longer. That makes a battery store more relevant. Hartland, Wis.-based Batteries Plus has 520 locations nationwide, through 46 states and Puerto Rico. The company, founded in 1988 in Green Bay, offers thousands of varieties of batteries, and it recently added hundreds of light bulbs to its inventory. Snyder, whose cousin, Joe Kasper, has a minority stake in the business, has one more major accomplishment: Early this year he repaid the loan his parents, Cliff
and Marylin Snyder, provided. He still has a line of credit, though now it’s with St. Petersburg-based C1 Bank. It’s also a long way from one store in Brandon, growth that has even surprised Snyder. “I didn’t have any intention of expanding beyond one or two stores,” says Snyder. “We were just trying to grow the business and keep our costs down.” Not only has Snyder grown his Batteries Plus holdings from one to seven, he now has ambitious plans to accelerate the growth. His goal: To have 20 stores by the time he turns 40, in January 2017. That would be 13 more stores in less than five years. Snyder spends the bulk of his time working toward the goal. That means meeting with commercial real estate brokers and scouting for space in his territory, which goes from south Tampa north to Gainesville and the east Orlando area. Snyder travels to stores sometimes, where managers run daily operations. But he lives and works in Sarasota. His fiancé, Courtney Wise, a Business Review 40-un-
der-40 winner in 2010, lives in Sarasota, too. Wise is executive director of Take Care Advisor, a Sarasota-based health care management firm with a focus on elderly clients. Most of Snyder’s non-work time is spent helping Wise plan their wedding, set for early next year. But his real non-work hobby is fishing. He goes out in Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and will fish for marlin and swordfish, among others. Snyder has been to Costa Rica for fishing trips, and once caught a 450-pound blue marlin. Snyder enjoys the chase for the fish, much like his pursuit of more Batteries Plus stores. Yet his college degree is in aerospace and engineering — mostly because his mom told him business degrees are “a dime a dozen.” But Snyder couldn’t find work in engineering after he graduated from the University of Minnesota. “My heart wasn’t in that, and there wasn’t much around for jobs,” Snyder says. “I’m a business person by heart.” — Mark Gordon
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hen Dan Snyder turned 26 years old he faced a stark choice that confronts many business owners’ children. Snyder had worked at his parent’s chain of Batteries Plus stores in and around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area since high school. He ran a few stores in summer while in college, and later became president of the five-store franchise cluster. Snyder liked the business, and he liked being in business. But he sought more autonomy. “I wanted to get away from the family umbrella,” Snyder says. “It was always your dad this or your dad that.” There was a little bit of “dad this” in 2003, when Snyder’s parents, along with Colonial Bank, loaned Snyder more than $100,000 to open a Batteries Plus store in Brandon. It costs, on average, about $200,000-$250,000 to open a Batteries Plus store. But Snyder, 35, has since made his own mark: He now owns seven Batteries Plus stores in Florida, including the one in
Mark Wemple
Dan Snyder owns seven Batteries Plus stores in Florida, including two on the Gulf Coast.
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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jason hamilton mikes NAPLES | 34
Twitter handle: None Employer: Hamilton Mikes, P.A. In February 2011, I founded the firm to set a new standard and model for the legal profession in Southwest Florida, a client-focused, service-oriented law firm. Title: Managing Shareholder Birthplace: Geneva, Ill. Years on the Gulf Coast: 22 Marital status/children: Married and celebrating 10 years this December with my college sweetheart, Heather. We have two amazing children, Riley, 6 and Carter 2. At the end of October, we will welcome a new baby girl into the Mikes Family. Alma mater: Florida State University for my undergraduate degree and Stetson University for my M.B.A. and law degree. Best place to network: Start from within. Deliver an innovative, timely work product and establish trust with existing clients. Word-of-mouth referrals and long-term relationships have been our most valuable networking source. Business person you admire most: The small-business owner One website that makes your job easier: VRBO.com (Vacation Rental By Owner) for a five-minute mini-vacation at my desk, so I can come back to work relaxed and refreshed. One community group you’re most involved with: Optimist Club of Naples Youth Soccer Program Favorite off-hours activity: Coming home to organized chaos with lots of excited hugs. Playing hide-and-go-seek and reading books with my kids. Spending quiet time with my wife. Watching the Bucs and Seminoles play football. Most-trusted news source: CNN.com I learned the most about business from: Rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty. There is no substitute for actual experience. Although, “Managing the Profession Service Firm,” by David H. Maister, which I read as a first-year lawyer, was a great primer. Book you’re reading now: I am re-reading “A Land Remembered,” by Patrick D. Smith. It is one of my favorite novels next to any work by John D. MacDonald and his tales of Travis McGee. Favorite techno gadget: The iPad. I use it to surf the Internet, watch movies, listen to lectures on iTunes and learn how to play the games my kids download. Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Throw it away. Everything worth having or achieving in the world requires labor, patience and sacrifice. If you did not come by it in such a manner, it will be under-appreciated, squandered and eventually lost anyway.
21
BRIDGET MCGRATH SARASOTA | 30
Twitter handle: @bbardot723 Employer: Al Purmort Insurance Title: Commercial Account Executive Birthplace: Chicago, Ill. Years on the Gulf Coast: Two Marital status/children: Single, no children Alma mater: Florida International University Best place to network: I am involved with numerous organizations, and they each offer their own benefits. I would have to say GCBX is at the top of my list, as it very well organized thus ensuring it has extraordinarily active members. The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce also offers a great opportunity to meet people and stay visible in the community. All in all, any organization is as good as you make it. The key to networking is getting involved and joining committees! Business person you admire most: My father. He has played a pivotal role in my life, both personally and professionally. He has a work ethic that is hard to come by these days, but what I admire about him is that he is a visionary. My father makes the impossible happen and has a process that is inspiring when you see him in action. I am lucky to have him as an adviser. That, and he is a pretty cool guy! One website that makes your job easier: Google, sunbiz.org, and manta.com One community group you’re most involved with: Children First. It’s such a fulfillment to spend time with these amazing children once a month. It is a fantastic organization and I recommend it to everyone to get involved! Favorite off-hours activity: Cooking! It allows me the ability to unwind and tap into my inner creativity. I also find insurmountable pleasure to cook for those I love! I’d like to open a restaurant some day. Most-trusted news source: I like to use a variety of sources, which allows me to have an objective view of current events. Most commonly used are Fox News, CNN, The Observer, Wall Street Journal, Gulf Coast Business Review and Drudge Report. I learned the most about business from: I am fortunate to be surrounded by some talented individuals. I also work with a fantastic team and am in an environment where I am constantly learning. If I had to choose someone it would be my father and my brother. Book you’re reading now: I just finished “The Help.” I honestly do not read enough... I am a movie watcher. Favorite techno gadget: The obvious and instinctive answer would be my iPhone. I cannot live without it. However, I am fully obsessed with my Jambox. Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook, LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Be able to travel at a blink of an eye (or a wave of a wand). I wish I had more time to travel, so this would definitely help. I also often find myself wishing I could wave a wand to clean my house some days.
Stephen mckenna jr. CAPE CORAL | 38
Twitter handle: None Employer: EnviroStruct, LLC / Construction Managers & General Contractors Title: Vice President and Co-Founder Birthplace: Philadelphia Years on the Gulf Coast: 10 Marital status/children: Married to my amazing wife, Lauren, who is pregnant with the newest member of the McKenna family. I have two beautiful daughters: Erin who is 18 and attending Edison State College and Madisyn who is 8 and loving the third grade. Alma mater: Upper Dublin High School and Eastern Montgomery County Tech. Best place to network: Lee Building Industry Association events and meetings as well as everywhere.The most productive type of networking is talking to people, anywhere and everywhere I go. Business person you admire most: My partner Neil Simon. I could not be happier that we took this leap together and started our business. One website that makes your job easier: The Construction Journal, www.constructionjournal.com, keeps me informed of what is going on in the area and what potential projects are coming up. It’s a powerful tool that I utilize daily. One community group you’re most involved with: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I am a local advocate for the foundation. My daughter Erin has cystic fibrosis so I am very passionate about this foundation and do everything I can to contribute and support those who also have cystic fibrosis. Our family participates in walks, and fundraisers, to show our support not only for my daughter but also for all of the people suffering from cystic fibrosis. Favorite off-hours activity: In my off hours I love to spend time with my wonderful family. I also enjoy being outdoors and boating in the beautiful Southwest Florida weather. Most-trusted news source: Fox News I learned the most about business from: My father, Steve McKenna Sr. He has amazing knowledge of the construction industry. He has taught me a lot about the industry as well as ethics, many of which are now implemented into EnviroStruct LLC’s policies and procedures on a daily basis and are undoubtedly a huge contribution to our success. Book you’re reading now: “Steve Jobs,” by Walter Isaacson Favorite techno gadget: I love techno gadgets, but my favorite one would have to be my iPad. Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn.This network is a powerful tool when utilized to its capacity. If I had a magic wand I’d: I would cure cystic fibrosis. My daughter Erin was diagnosed with it when she was 8 years old and it has been an ongoing struggle since. Curing cystic fibrosis would be the most rewarding thing for me because I would get to see my daughter’s face when I tell her that with my magic wand I cured cystic fibrosis and she nor anyone else would ever have to worry about it again!
STACY mORGAN
BRADENTON | 37 Name: Stacy Morgan Age: 37 Twitter handle: None City of residence: Bradenton Employer: Pittsburgh Pirates Title: Coordinator, Sales and Marketing Birthplace: Elizabethtown, Ky. Years on the Gulf Coast: Two and a half Marital status/children: Not Married. Son, Brett. Alma mater: University of Louisville Best place to network: Manatee County Chamber of Commerce Business person you admire most: Kim Ng One website that makes your job easier: Google One community group you’re most involved with: SOLVE Maternity Homes Favorite off-hours activity: Working Out Most-trusted news source: Sports Business Journal I learned the most about business from: I have had the good fortune to work with a lot of great people over the years as well as a few who have taught me what not to do. I think the most important thing for me has been to be able to learn from every person, whether it was someone whom I wanted to emulate or a person who taught me a different valuable lesson. The culmination of all my experiences have taught and shaped me as a business professional. Book you’re reading now: “How Successful People Think” Favorite techno gadget: Skype. It has completely redefined how dayto-day business operations can operate more efficiently and effectively when distance is an issue. Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: I would attend law school and then join a reputable athlete-representation EXTRA: See firm. I’ve been told several times Stacy Morgan‘s that I would make a good agent, so video at review.net. I would love to give it a shot!
22
GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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AMY PENTTILA
CAPE CORAL | 33
PUNTA GORDA | 31 Twitter handle: None Employer: Identity Stronghold LLC Title: Controller Birthplace: Amherst, Ohio Years on the Gulf Coast: 27 Marital status/children: Boyfriend of many years/ no children Alma mater: Lemon Bay High School, International College and soon-to-be University of Phoenix Best place to network: Social media, school, local events Businessperson you admire most: Walt Augustinowicz (founder of Identity Stronghold) and Joe Schortz (CPA) One website that makes your job easier: IRS.gov One community group you’re most involved with: Suncoast Humane Society Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with family, attending Miami Hurricanes games and playing golf Most-trusted news source: Wink News and FoxNews.com I learned the most about business from: The many professors I’ve had throughout my education and Joe Schortz, my go-to businessman. Book you’re reading now: “The Litigators” Favorite techno gadget: iPhone Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Already would have completed my master’s degree and passed the CPA exam.
Twitter handle: @chiefroman Employer: EnSite Inc. Title: Chief Financial Officer, Director of Engineering Birthplace: Detroit Years on the Gulf Coast: Seven Marital status/children: Married, two sons Alma mater: Bachelor’s from Lawrence Tech (Mich.); master’s from University of Florida Best place to network: Volunteer efforts in the community Business person you admire most: My late uncle Ted Serg, who owned a small business in Texas. One website that makes your job easier: Dropbox One community group you’re most involved with: Imaginarium Science Center board of directors Favorite off-hours activity: Family time and fantasy baseball Most-trusted news source: Washington Times I learned the most about business from: Owning one, and my M.B.A. from Florida Book you’re reading now: “Mockingjay” (final Hunger Games book) Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone Which social-media networks do you use for business: Facebook and Twitter If I had a magic wand I’d: Be able to be in two places at the same time!
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GABRIELE JOHN VEST
LAKEWOOD RANCH | 27 Twitter handle: I don’t tweet, but you can find me on Facebook. Employer: Grapevine Communications Title: Account Executive Birthplace: Rockville, Md., but I grew up in Tennessee. Years on the Gulf Coast: Five and a half amazing years. Marital status/children: Not married but in a relationship. Alma mater: University of Tennessee – Go Big Orange! Best place to network: Grapevine serves a variety of industries, so we are involved with numerous regional organizations. Gulf Coast Builders Exchange and the Sarasota Area Manufacturers Association have helped me attract many new leads, clients and friends. Our involvement in the Sarasota and Manatee chambers of commerce has provided invaluable brand awareness for our company. Business person you admire most: I have two. My boss Angela and my aunt Gabriele are both amazing women who run incredibly successful companies, manage their homes and families, maintain a social life, exemplify power and beauty ... and make it all look easy. One website that makes your job easier: I Google everything as the starting point for most of my research. One community group you’re most involved with: The Sarasota Young Professionals Group. When I moved to Sarasota I didn’t know anyone except the staff at Grapevine. My boss advised me to join YPG and I am so glad I did. It was great for networking, professional development and volunteer opportunities. I also met 90% of the friends I have today through YPG. I now serve on the board of directors, I am chair of the communications committee and I attend as many of its functions as possible. Favorite off-hours activity: I love to cook and entertain. Really, I just love to feed people. I often spend hours in the kitchen on weekends preparing feasts for my friends and family. Even though I’m busy during the week, I try to make a home-cooked meal for my boyfriend every night. Most-trusted news source: Locally, I watch ABC 7 and read several newspapers, including the East County Observer and Gulf Coast Business Review. For national news, I read the news online. I learned the most about business from: Working my way up from the bottom at Grapevine. I started as an intern, and my boss insisted I learn about every job in the company and what it takes to complete every type of project. We work with so many types of businesses in different industries, so I really received a depth of knowledge about how they function, who their clients are and the people involved in making them successful. Book you’re reading now: Bill Bryson’s “Neither Here Nor There.” I started reading this book while waiting to be called for jury duty, and I was laughing so hard in the waiting room I am pretty sure they dismissed me because they thought I was crazy. Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone. I use it for everything: directions, keeping track of appointments, checking emails on the go, accessing my bank account, staying in touch, social media updates, taking photos and videos, reading the news, and so on. I don’t know what I would do without my iPhone. Which social-media network do you use for business: I always use LinkedIn to make connections and get my foot in the door. LinkedIn proves there are less than six degrees of separation between any two people. In fact, in Sarasota I think it’s more like two. If I had a magic wand I’d: Use it to have my own private island and rescue all the dogs from animal shelters around the country and give them a happy, healthy place to live. And let’s not kid ourselves here, I would also have a mansion and a room to house my shoe collection!
Gulf coast Business Review OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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23
FORTY UNDER 40
Pop-Up Retail Al Mueller / 39 / Fort Myers Al Mueller has been an entrepreneur since he was 15 years old, when he started selling Christmas trees.
A
l Mueller owns and operates more than 50 stores, but they’re not the brick-and-mortar kind. Mueller, 39, is in the seasonal retail business, selling fireworks, pumpkins and Christmas trees at various times during the year from strategic roadside locations around Florida, Michigan and Indiana. The Fort Myers entrepreneur’s operation is so significant he travels to China to contract with manufacturers to supply his own brand of fireworks. “I’ve been there four times,” he says. It’s a high-risk, high-reward business. Late-season hurricanes can ruin Halloween, customs can delay shipments of Christmas ornaments and droughts can halt the sale of fireworks. For example, Hurricane Wilma landed near Naples in 2005 and nearly swamped Mueller with 250,000 pounds of pumpkins. The brush fires that swept across Florida in 1998 nearly put him out of business. He had $320,000 invested in fireworks that summer and the state prohibited them as fires swept through more than half of the counties. “That was real scary,” Mueller recalls. Fortunately, Mueller’s fireworks suppli-
ers recognized the severity of the situation and let him pay for the inventory as he sold it through the following January for New Year’s Eve. But the experience taught Mueller a valuable lesson to maintain good relations with your suppliers. “Pay when you say you’re going to,” he says. Mueller also learned the vagaries of international shipping. For example, $280,000 worth of lighted holiday displays he ordered from China got stuck in port in 2005 because the safety stickers had expired. He successfully sued the manufacturer, but only received a favorable final judgment last year. Fortunately, he’ll likely collect because the Chinese manufacturer has U.S. operations; that’s one of the reasons he selected it. But in spite of the risks, it’s a lucrative business. Although he doesn’t share sales figures, Mueller says he bought his first house on five acres at age 24 while many of his high school friends were still toiling away in college. Mueller says having so many retail locations and lots of cash sales means he has to hire trustworthy people. “You have to learn to trust and delegate,” he says. “You have no choice.”
Brian Tietz
Al Mueller travels to China, where he contracts with manufacturers to make fireworks that he now sells in three states. But Mueller loves to get out there and sell, preferring that to sitting in his office behind a computer. “I will not ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do myself,” says Mueller, who got into the business at age 15 selling Christmas trees. By age 19, his fledgling business cleared $10,000 at Christmas. “When you’re 19, ten grand is the world,” he chuckles. At age 20, Mueller started selling fireworks. “I had no idea how to price the stuff,” he recalls. So he visited every fireworks stand in the area until he persuaded an employee at one location to give him a price list in exchange for a six-pack of beer. While Mueller’s retail operations have grown, there’s still a lot of risk. He has to pay up front for inventory, tent rentals (some of them cover 9,000 square feet), land leases and labor. He says shipping inventory to Florida is more expensive than other places because carriers leave empty since the state doesn’t export much. And the economy hasn’t helped as retail sales dropped. Ultimately, as the economy improves and his business grows, Mueller is mulling the idea of selling shares in his fireworks company. “There is not one publicly traded fireworks company,” he says. That’s despite the
JON WAX
TAMPA | 39 Twitter handle: I cannot use Twitter due to regulatory and compliance restrictions. Employer: Waller & Wax Advisors Inc. Title: Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer Birthplace: St. Petersburg Years on the Gulf Coast: My entire life. Marital status/children: Married to Brenda with two beautiful children, Audrey and Nathan Alma mater: Tulane University, New Orleans. Best place to network: The monthly networking events of the Leadership Tampa Alumni Association. I currently chair the ambassador committee and serve on the leadership cabinet. The association helps its members develop professional relationships, offers unique educational programs, and encourages the growth of business and development of the Tampa Bay community. Business person you admire most: Tom James, chairman of Raymond James Financial. In this fast-changing world where fads ebb and flow, he taught me to stay true to your principles and ideals and always put your clients and employees (team members) first. If you satisfy others without taking undue risks, you will be rewarded through loyalty, respect and appreciation. One website that makes your job easier: EverNote.com. This is one of the most effective programs for organizing notes and tasks related to all facets of life. The notes synchronize with my iPhone, iPad, laptop and desktops and can be securely accessed from anywhere on the Web, allowing me to EXTRA: See track every new idea. Jon Wax‘s video One community at review.net. group you’re most
involved with: 13 Ugly Men Foundation Inc. In the past, I served as a board member, media chair, event chair and president. This group produces five to seven large social events each year raising money for local charities. Since the 1990s, we have raised over $500,000 for our community’s needy citizens. I take great pride in seeing how the group continues to impact the community while developing new leadership in the organization to continue the cause. Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my family on the water. We are avid boaters and enjoy many destinations around the Tampa Bay area. Most-trusted news source: Bloomberg I learned the most about business from: My mother, Laura Waller. She was one of the first women certified financial planners in the nation. She built the firm in a period where women rarely held top leadership roles. She was a valuable resource during my early years, helping me navigate the complexities of managing an independent firm in the securities industry. After 33 years in the industry, she retired at the end of 2011 but continues to offer her wisdom. Book you’re reading now: “Take Your Eye Off the Ball,” by Pat Kirwan. Favorite techno gadget: My iPhone. This thing controls everything. Now I can set the temperature in my house, while changing the TV channel and monitoring the nanny cams. Just waiting for the app that makes breakfast. Which social-media networks do you use for business: While social-media has been growing in popularity, my industry has tight rules related to public communications. We have a presence on Facebook and LinkedIn whose use will evolve over time. If I had a magic wand I’d: This is where I consult my daughter Audrey for expert advice. I’d like the wand to make my daughter’s homework complete so she can spend more time with me.
fact that it’s a $20 billion business in the U.S. “I’m in this for the long haul,” he says. But with the unpredictability of seasonal retail, Mueller looks to diversify. For example, Mueller is working on a project to produce and sell high-power light-emitting diodes, semiconductor lights that burn brightly but use a fraction of the energy of conventional bulbs. He got the idea because of the diodes that light his Christmas displays. Mueller has also formed another company called TriSide Media, which has already signed contracts with trucking firms with 110,000 trailers that are willing to display advertising. Mueller says trucks are rolling billboards that capture the attention of motorists as they drive down the highways. Trucking firms would benefit because it would offset the increases in fuel prices. Advertising on a truck costs $2,500 for a 13-month contract, with discounts for more. While the outlook for the retail business is improving, Mueller is always on the lookout for new opportunities. It’s the hallmark of an entrepreneur. “I’ve got a lot of time off between seasons,” he says. —Jean Gruss
TREVOR WHITLEY FORT MYERS | 28
Twitter handle: None Employer: Marquis Wealth Management Group Title: Partner and Financial Advisor Birthplace: Fort Myers Years on the Gulf Coast: 28 Marital status/children: single, no children Alma mater: Stetson University Best place to network: Charitable community events Business person you admire most: My dad, Rusty Whitley, who taught me the value of learning who your clients are and always putting their interests first. One website that makes your job easier: Morningstaradvisor.com. It is an excellent source of information and news across the professional asset-management industry. One community group you’re most involved with: St. Hilary’s Episcopal Church, Fort Myers Favorite off-hours activity: Spending time with my family Most-trusted news source: The Wall Street Journal for business news, CNN otherwise. I learned the most about business from: Greg McCann, director of Stetson University’s Family Enterprise Center. He taught me business is more about effective communication and relationships than the technical knowledge we learn. Book you’re reading now: “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” by Daniel Kahneman Favorite techno gadget: iPhone Which social-media network do you use for business: LinkedIn If I had a magic wand I’d: Stop all the bickering and punditry, return the news organizations to unbiased reporting of the news and return policymakers to governing by seeking effective compromises rather than by scoring political points.
24
GULF COAST BUSINESS REVIEW OCTOBER 5 – OCTOBER 11, 2012
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• 40-400 Seat Restaurants • All Locations • All Sizes • All Prices • With or Without Liquor License • Some With Real Estate Included
We’re willing to do what it takes to get deals done! Contact us for information on all of our properties!
BARRY SEIDEL Broker/Realtor®
ADAM SEIDEL • MARCIA CUTTLER • BRIAN SEIDEL, CCIM
7750 S. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34231
www.AmericanPropertyGroup.com | 941.923.0535
92707
4,752 SF
Turn Key Restaurant/Ballroom For Sale - Great Location
$1,295,000