Tampa Bay Business Women Awards 2023: Micha Seal

Watermelon Swim’s mission is to grow a community full of safer swimmers and reduce the risks while increasing confidence in, and around, water. It was awarded the Tampa Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award, in 2018, for the 51-250 employee category. Seal got her start in the aquatics industry, in 1979, when

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Tampa Bay Business Women Awards 2023: Rhea Law

Rhea Law became the University of South Florida’s eighth president in March 2022. Over the course of her 35-year-plus career, she has held top leadership positions with many Florida-based organizations. Previously, Law served as chief executive officer and Chair of the Board of Fowler White Boggs, a Florida law firm. Currently, Law serves on the

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Tampa Bay Business Women Awards 2023: Avril Walker Stinson

Avril Walker Stinson is senior director of the Minority Business Accelerator and economic inclusion at the Tampa Bay Chamber.  She is currently a member of Leadership Tampa, class of 2023, and serves, and has served on, numerous local boards and community organizations’ task forces and special committees including The Florida Business Development Corporation, The Junior

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Tampa Bay Business Women Awards 2023: Dr. Kanika Tomalin

Dr. Kanika Tomalin oversees the college’s operations, planning and emergency management; strategic planning; institutional effectiveness; external affairs; technology services; sustainability and resilience and the St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact. Prior to joining Eckerd College, she served as the deputy mayor and city administrator of the City of St. Petersburg. In these

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Tampa Bay Business Women Awards 2023: Linda Olson

Linda Olson is the chief executive officer and founder of the Tampa Bay Wave. Today, the Wave has a national, and international, reputation and recruits technology companies from across the United States and beyond, several of whom have relocated to the region. Since its launch, in 2013, the Wave has supported 450 startups and, collectively,

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How Bart Knellinger is reshaping the dental industry on his way to $70 million

Progressive Dental Marketing is working to revolutionize the dental marketing industry. Founded by entrepreneur Bart Knellinger, and established in 2009, the company has set a new standard in dental marketing by helping dental practitioners increase case acceptance rates for complex procedures, through customized campaigns. Progressive Dental’s approach to dental marketing focuses on targeting patients who

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Things to do: Academy Prep Center of Tampa’s An Evening of Champions

On Thursday, March 2, Academy Prep Center of Tampa will hold its annual signature fundraising event, An Evening of Champions, to benefit the school’s student scholarship fund. The event will be held at the Academy Prep Center of Tampa campus, at 1407 E. Columbus Drive, in Ybor, at 6:00 p.m. It will honor Susie Kuhn

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Scenes from CEO Connect with Rick Brandt (PHOTOS)

Tampa Bay Business and Wealth held its February CEO Connect with Rick Brandt, chief executive officer of Brandt, in Tampa. Presenting sponsors included INB, Forvis and Kuducom. Bridgette Bello, CEO and publisher of TBBW, interviewed Brandt in front of a sold-out live audience at Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park. You can read Brandt’s cover story

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One Liners Polk: Lakeland Regional Health, Watson Clinic and more

► Lakeland Regional Health plans to build a new, free-standing emergency department at 6150 S. Florida Ave. (Pictured above) ► The Polk County Board of County Commissioners approved a $2.3 million grant that will be used to develop affordable housing at Grove Manor Apartments, in Winter Haven.  ► The Lakeland City Commission voted 6-1 on

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Economic Development 2023: The business of tourism

In 2022, Hillsborough County tourist development tax numbers (also known as the “bed tax,” which is a fee collected by the county for each night someone rents a hotel room) broke records as November totaled $5.76 million, a 46.2% increase over the previous November. This was the best in the county’s history, according to the

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One Liners Sarasota and Manatee: Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, Whitacker Lofts and more

► Whitaker Lofts, at 1400 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, a commercial property that will house a complex of high-end apartments and retail space, has sold for $1.7 million. (Pictured above) ► Mike Migone, senior investment adviser for SVN Commercial Advisory Group, managed the sale of a property for Whitaker Lofts, at 1400 N. Tamiami Trail,

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Economic Development 2023: The business of money

Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reached out to two banking executives and a wealth management firm and asked, “What should our readers know about the financial services industry in 2023?” These are their answers in their own words. 

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