Monica Eaton-Cardone waged a war on chargebacks, and won

Monica Eaton-Cardone is many things — a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, a philanthropist – but one thing she is certainly most not, is easily intimidated. With a career spanning multiple industries and many companies, most of her own making, she most recently made a name for herself in Agile technologies, with a dispute mitigation … Read more

Stahl & Associates has acquired an Orlando insurance agency

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

Stahl & Associates Insurance has reached an agreement to acquire Orlando-based Morse Insurance Agency. The addition of Morse Insurance Agency will expand Stahl & Associates’ footprint in Florida, a statement said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition closed on December 1. “The insurance industry is changing and consolidating at a rapid pace. … Read more

CenterState Bank to acquire Birmingham company

CenterState Bank is acquiring National Commerce Corp.(Nasdaq: NCOM), a Birmingham, Alabama-based bank holding company. Under terms of the deal, CenterState Bank will exchange 1.65 of its shares for each National Commerce share outstanding. CenterState (Nasdaq: CSFL) is based in Davenport, Florida. The deal is valued at $850 million, according to MarketWatch.  

ONE LINERS Polk

► Joe McLeod, (left) Florida Public Relations Association Dick Pope/Polk County Chapter President-elect, received the Joe Curley Rising Leader Award at the annual FPRA Conference.

►Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Charities announced it will donate $5 million to more than 240 nonprofit organizations, including Feeding America member food banks, which focuses on alleviating hunger across Publix’s operating area. ►GTE Financial opened a Community Financial Center located at 5320 U.S. Highway 98 North, Lakeland. ►After a national search, Florida Orthopaedic Institute hired … Read more

Five ways to protect yourself when using cryptocurrency

Adam Brouillet

In recent years, cryptocurrencies have gained traction worldwide as an increasingly common form of investment or electronic payment.  Because cryptocurrency operates in the cyber world, many of the best practices for protecting other online information also apply to cryptocurrency. You should not click on links you don’t recognize, be cognizant of any phishing schemes and … Read more