Local Buzz

BDG Architects and Parker Walter Group are merging firms that will expand their multi-family team and capabilities in other industries including hospitality and the retail marketplace. PWG, and its Sarasota team, will join BDG Architects which has six offices throughout the Southeast and is headquartered in Tampa. “This partnership will benefit our clients and our

FlyUSA and Paradise Ventures has received the approval from Clearwater City Council to build a fixed-based operator management and real estate development project for Clearwater Airpark. The proposal includes plans to build a new, state-of-the-art FBO and terminal facility and new hangars to attract higher value tenants. In addition, the concept includes plans to relocate

The first movie created about the founding days of Amazon is set to air on January 24 and Nick Friedman, a Tampa resident, and co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, is back in front of the camera. Spanglish Media recently produced the upcoming movie “Bezos,” a biopic following Jeff Bezos’s founding days of

The inauguration of Rhea Law, as the University of South Florida’s eighth president, will take place on Thursday, January 19. USF students, faculty, staff, alumni and residents in the Tampa Bay community are invited to participate in the day’s activities. The highlight of the inauguration is an investiture ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. in the

Jonathan D. Fleece has been named President and chief executive officer of Empath Health and its affiliate programs, effective January 12, 2023. Fleece was most recently Empath Health president, as well as president and CEO of Tidewell Hospice, a member of Empath Health. This transition follows the retirement of previous CEO Rafael J. Sciullo. Fleece

Tampa Bay Wave, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Latin Chamber of Commerce, has announced $500,000 in new federal funding to launch the LatinTech Accelerator, a new business accelerator for founders of Latin heritage to build high-growth tech startups. Wave’s new LatinTech Accelerator was one of 15 community projects submitted by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor,

Live Tampa Bay’s Law Enforcement and First Responders Committee will host a one-day training and community luncheon on January 10 at T-Pepin Hospitality Centre, in Tampa. “The Annual Law Enforcement and First Responders Summit —Fentanyl: A National Crisis, Where We Are Today” will highlight the work of emergency response providers in the region and share

The South Tampa Chamber named Connie Gage as 2023 Citizen of the Year. Gage is a real estate specialist with Smith & Associates Real Estate. She was the 2019-2020 Chair of the Board for the South Tampa Chamber and has previously been recognized by the Chamber as a Community Champion and as the Member of

Amy Martinez-Monfort is looking to make 2023 an “unforgettable” year for members of the CEO Council of Tampa Bay. As the newest chair for the CEO-centric membership organization, she says with the board she has, she’s confident the year will produce valuable resources and events that members will find tremendous value in. She also credits

MarineMax (NYSE: HZO), a recreational boat and yacht retailer based in Clearwater, has completed the acquisition of Boatzon, an online boat and marine digital retail platform, through its recently formed technology entity, New Wave Innovations. The Boatzon platform allows users to browse for financing, purchase and insure a boat, entirely online, according to a statement.

Rita Lowman, former president of Pilot Bank, now LMCU, has been appointed to the board of directors for Encore Bank. Lowman is a 45-year banking veteran with career highlights including managing 23 acquisitions, including the NationsBank-Barnett merger, in 1997. “Encore Bank is delighted to welcome Rita to its board of directors,” said Chris Roberts, Encore’s

PBX-Change, a Tampa-based telecommunications company, has rebranded and changed its name to KUDUCOM. Ryan Yaldor, the chief technology officer of KUDUCOM (formerly PBX-Change) says the new name, brand, vision and mission launched on January 3, 2023. “Our company has been providing businesses with voice, Internet and Cloud-based communication services for over two decades, and now