Tampa Bay Business News and Top Stories

Michael Saunders & Company agent Barbara Sassen May has listed an 11,275-square-foot, 8-bedroom, 12-bathroom bayfront estate, in Sarasota’s Harbor Acres, for $33,825,000. The custom-built home was completed in 2022, with a modern, British West Indies-style designed by Naples-based Stofft Cooney Architects, built by Perrone Construction of Sarasota and landscaped by Stephen Hazeltine of Venice. The

It started in 1926, when John “Jack” McKibbon Sr. and his brother, Marvin McKibbon, had the idea to open a grocery store in Gainesville, Georgia, and opened a Piggly Wiggly franchise.  That entrepreneurial mindset led to other businesses under the McKibbon name, eventually evolving into a hospitality company with Holiday Inn franchises, in Georgia.  McKibbon

Up, a rooftop lounge with dining and entertainment located at Union New American, a Next Level Brands concept, is scheduled to open today. Starting at $200 per person, guests purchase custom packages, with bottle service, curated to offer an “immersive dining experience” with live music and dancing. Lauren “Lolo” Mayhew, a Tampa-based singer, disc jockey

The Pinellas County Urban League’s board of directors has named Nikki Gaskin-Capehart as its new president and chief executive officer. Gaskin-Capehart will be the first woman to lead the 46-year-old entity, succeeding the late Reverend Watson L. Haynes, II, who served for 10 years in the role. Previously Gaskin-Capehart has been outreach director for U.S.

Bern’s Steak House has announced the launch of Legacy 9, the latest barrel-aged beer offering, as part of the restaurant brand’s annual Legacy Series in collaboration with breweries. This year, Bern’s partnered with St. Petersburg-based Mastry’s Brewing, for the second time, on a saison-style “biere de garde” ale (characterized by a toasted malt aroma and

Four judges from the Tampa Bay area have selected the finalists for Tampa Bay Business and Wealth’s Philanthropists of the Year Awards 2023. The Philanthropists of the Year Awards honors those individuals who lead the way, in Tampa Bay, through philanthropic devotion. These leaders continually set the bar for excellence in community leadership and represent

Lynx Automation, a property automation company, plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Rancho Cordova, California to the Tampa Bay area. The company currently has 50 employees and plans to add 50 employees in roles such as account management, customer support, sales and software engineering in the next year, according to a statement. The company

He’s known as the “first” in a lot of publications and while he feels pride to hold such a label, he doesn’t let it define him or his business achievements – but that’s where the real story is. His determination, his intelligence and his exceptional ability to see a better way to do things is

The business of moving people and goods is a major economic driver in the Tampa Bay region.  Because of the favorable central location of the airports and ports in the area, there is a lot of potential, and attractiveness, to flying in via Tampa International Airport, or expanding your shipping business to Port Tampa Bay. 

St. Croix Capital Companies, an Austin-headquartered commercial real estate firm and its Tampa-based affiliate, Cowboys and Pirates, has acquired real estate, in Ybor City. Located at 1517 E. 5th Avenue, two blocks from Centro Ybor, across from the Centro Ybor Garage, the property will be the new home of Celebrity Cigars and Cigar TV. Owned

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a technology incubator, accelerator and coworking office, in St. Petersburg, has named the startups for its artificial intelligence accelerator. This cohort will focus specifically on teams developing innovation that embraces the emerging capabilities of AI and machine learning. Over the course of the program, founders of these companies will receive

Tampa Bay Business and Wealth held a Tech Connect: Navigating the Hybrid Workforce, presented by PSCU, KUDUCOM, Source 1 Solutions and The Karla Dorsey Team at Compass. The event was held at the Tampa Bay Wave, in Tampa. The panel discussion was moderated by Robert Hessel, chief executive officer of Source 1 Solutions. The panel