►Halfacre Construction Co., a Lakewood Ranch-based commercial construction company, was awarded the contract to construct a new 11,000-square-foot building for Harvest House, one of the few nonprofit organizations in Sarasota to work toward the development, preservation and management of affordable, service-enriched housing.
►Architecture and design firm Clifford M. Scholz Architects, Scholz, Oswald & Shaffer broke ground on a new 5,000-square-foot office building at 2724 Fruitville Road in Sarasota.
►Bruce Napier joined consulting and engineering firm Atwell as director of operations of oil and gas in the Sarasota office.
►GulfStar Homes, a home builder in North Port, celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters at 2584 Commerce Parkway.
►The International Trade Hub at Port Manatee has opened an office in Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile.
►Whiskey Joe’s Bar & Grill has opened its location on the Manatee River in Ellenton.
►Fergeson Skipper, in Sarasota, named Michelle Hermey president of the law firm.
►Sigma Alpha Lambda announced Taylor Joseph Zabell, of Bradenton, has recently been selected to serve as the vice president of membership of the University of South Florida Chapter.
►Heather McLain joined AtLarge, a marketing agency in Sarasota, as director of communications.
►Feldman Equities and its joint venture partners, Tower Realty Partners and Equity Street, announced the acquisition of Sarasota City Center, two Class-A office buildings located at 1819 Main St. in downtown Sarasota.
►The Kress Building, at 1440 Main St., Sarasota, has been sold for $5.8 million to real estate investor and entrepreneur Eric Baird.
►Barbara Harvey received the 25th Kent C. Schulz Distinguished Leadership Award from the Leadership Manatee Alumni Association.
►Sarasota Green Group has named Scott Allshouse as the company’s first CEO.
►Doctor’s Choice Home Care in Sarasota acquired Timeless Home Care Inc. in Broward County.
►Ocean Properties Hotels & Resorts bought out its financial partner, Los Angeles-based Rockwood Capital, in the Zota Beach Resort, at 4711 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key.
►Children First volunteer Tom Cook was presented with the Be More Involved Mason Dixon Award for Volunteerism at the 15th annual WEDU Public Media Be More Awards.
►The Kolter Group is planning a new condominium tower called Bayso Sarasota, which will rise 18 stories on the waterfront Sarasota Quay property and be adjacent to another Kolter Urban project, the 73-unit Ritz-Carlton Residences now under construction.
►Aviva: a Campus for Senior Life, a not-for-profit senior living community in Sarasota, recently added Ann Logan to its team as its chief development officer.
► George Brusco, a former leasing executive with retail development specialist Casto Southeast Realty Services, joined Sarasota commercial real estate brokerage firm Ian Black Real Estate.
