St. Petersburg College unveils plans for Innovation Hub

St. Petersburg College has shared plans for the Chris Sprowls Workforce Innovation Hub. Located at the Tarpon Springs Campus, the Innovation Hub will be unveiled as a central location for manufacturing, creativity and collaboration at a kickoff celebration on February 20. This 10,000-square-foot space is named after Chris Sprowls, the former Florida House of Representatives … Read more

The Jafri Journal forms partnership with Contractors, Closers & Connections

Close-up of two business professionals in suits shaking hands during a meeting.

The Jafri Journal and Contractors, Closers & Connections have agreed to a strategic partnership, to expand market reach through events. Jafri Journal and CCC plans to facilitate events in 15 markets, in the United States, in cities like Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, Miami, Greenville, Dallas and more. The partnership will also help Jafri Journal take … Read more

The most-hated growth hack that you should (but probably won’t) implement in 2024

Let’s be honest, most marketing advice is bland. “Post twice a day” or “optimize your website for Google search” — these generic mantras do little to ignite the growth flame within us. What if I told you there’s a hidden growth hack, the most hated one among my 100,000+ small and medium-sized business clients, that … Read more

One Liners Pasco: HCA Florida, Kiwanis Club and more

► The Kiwanis Club of Dade City is celebrating its centennial anniversary as a service organization dedicated to helping children in need in the community.  ► Amy Drury was honored as the Pasco County Literacy Teacher of the Year, for the 2023-2024 academic year, by the Pasco County School Board.  ► Sharon Streater and Carlton … Read more

One Liners Sarasota and Manatee: New College of Florida, Ritz-Carlton and more

► A group of Sarasota businesswomen, including three members of Ian Black Real Estate and representatives from Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, Gulfside Bank, and others, filed to establish a Sarasota-Manatee chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Women Network.  ► Tidewell Hospice, a member of Empath Health, in Sarasota, appointed Gary Butler, executive director of the … Read more

One Liners Hillsborough: Bloomin’ Brands, Lazydays and more

► BevelUp, a medspa, and Clayton Gray Home, a home furnishings and lifestyle retail shop, opened at Water Street Tampa. (Pictured above) ► ServisFirst Bank, a subsidiary of ServisFirst Bancshares (NYSE:SFBS), has named Kaela Lerner as senior vice president, treasury management sales and Tiffany Rodriguez as vice president, commercial banking officer.  ► Kevin Jenkins joined Strategos … Read more

What are your sales forecasts this year?

Jim Marshall

By now, you should have already completed your sales forecasting for 2024 and be well on your way to laying the groundwork for a wildly successful year. Sometimes I find, however, that many companies still struggle with gathering the pertinent information they need to accurately gauge the effectiveness of their selling and business development efforts. … Read more

CEO Connect: Lessons from Elaine Myrback

Elaine Myrback is chief executive officer of EMS Consulting, in Tampa — a business she’s grown to hit more than $20 million in annual revenue and has her sights set on expanding to new lines of business.  Bridgette Bello, CEO and publisher of Tampa Bay Business and Wealth, interviewed Myrback in front of a sold-out, … Read more

Great Places and Spaces: The Nolen tops out in downtown St. Pete (RENDERINGS)

Construction on The Nolen, one of downtown St. Petersburg’s newest condominium towers, reached a milestone with Ellison Construction announcing that the project has topped out. The construction team celebrated the milestone with a ceremonial tree raising, an ancient construction tradition. The 23-story condominium tower, which is under construction, at 126 4th Avenue Northeast, is being … Read more