The Business Observer is the weekly newspaper for business leaders on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Started in 1997 as the Gulf Coast Business Review, the Business Observer is the leading provider and most authoritative source of business and economic information affecting the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to Naples. It specializes in reporting on the region’s industry and economic trends; emerging companies; corporate strategies; identifying and profiling the region’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs and top business leaders; and keeping its readers abreast of state, regional and local government actions affecting business and the economy.

When it started, the Gulf Coast Business Review focused solely on Sarasota and Manatee counties. In October 2001, the Review acquired the 51-year-old Tampa Bay Review and became a regional weekly covering the business scene from Tampa-St. Petersburg to Sarasota. In 2005, the Review expanded again, opening an office in Fort Myers to cover the fast-growing business communities in Lee and Collier counties. In 2013, with a coverage area from Polk to Collier counties, the Review relaunched with a new look and a new name, the Business Observer. The new name brings the paper under the branding of its parent, The Observer Media Group. In addition to the Business Observer, the Observer Media Group publishes 10 community and business newspapers in communities stretching from the Gulf Coast to Orlando to Palm Coast to Jacksonville.

The Business Observer covers an area that encompasses more than 90,000 businesses. The Business Observer is committed to providing business owners, senior executives, entrepreneurs, investors and public policy makers with the Gulf Coast’s most authoritative and relevant business information through its weekly print content and daily through its website and daily e-newsletter.

The Business Observer’s perspective is unique among Florida media. In its editorial opinions, the Business Observer strongly supports and promotes laissez-faire capitalism and private property rights. In its news content, the Business Observer is written expressly for business owners and managers by a team of experienced journalists.


Editorial Focus

The Business Observer is unlike any other business information medium in Florida.

Its content is geared specifically for Southwest Florida’s business leaders. With comprehensive, authoritative coverage of Polk, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, the Business Observer is the only weekly business newspaper that provides business leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs and investors with a regional perspective. The Business Observer is also the leading publisher of public notices on the Gulf Coast of Florida.


Editorial Features

Coffee Talk

The latest news about people, companies and issues.

In Focus

Short reports and features highlighting companies and businesses doing the unusual.

Economy

Regular reports and analysis of the Gulf Coast economy, local economic snapshots, demographics and trends.

Strategies

In-depth reporting that explores the strategies — and the lessons to be learned — of the region’s emerging and leading companies.

CEO Insight

Q&As to learn what’s important and what’s on the minds of Gulf Coast business leaders.

Out of the Office

An occasional series that reveals how executives find balance in their time away from work.

Commercial Real Estate

News about the biggest deals and the people involved. Plus, industry trends and data on the top transactions in the area.

Review & Comment

Founding Editor and CEO Matt Walsh’s popular free-market commentaries on business and public policy decisions affecting the marketplace.


Business Observer Staff

(Business Observer; BusinessObserverFL.com)
Founding Editor / CEO - Matt Walsh
President / Publisher - Emily Walsh
Executive Editor / COO - Kat Wingert
Managing Editor - Mark Gordon
Director of Advertising - Jill Raleigh
Director of Legal Advertising - Kristen Boothroyd


Observer Media Group

Reaching 441,830 readers each week across Florida

Websites

YourObserver.com
OrangeObserver.com
BusinessObserverFL.com
JaxDailyRecord.com