Newsmakers (Sara/Mana edition)

By Business Observer Staff
| 6:00 p.m. January 30, 2004
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

Strategies

Accounting

× Tommye Barie, an officer and incoming president of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accounts, joined CPA Associates as an audit partner.

Boards

× The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce has a new board of directors. Elected as chairman is Sandy Tull, Coast Bank; chair-elect is Andrew Vac, ReMax Excellence; and treasurer is Marnie Matarese, The Fitness Centre at the Longboat Key Club. Also elected to a three-year term on the board of directors are Ben Cooper, Cooper & Associates; Dr. Robert Gordon, D.D.S.; Sandee Davis, Grimefighters Inc.; and George Minitti, the Radisson Lido Beach Resort.

Construction

× Damian Slaughter joined St. Petersburg-based Hennessy Construction Services as assistant project manager. Formerly with Skanska-Tampa, Damian has more than nine years of construction experience.

× David Otterness was promoted to project manager of Sarasota's Willis A. Smith Construction Inc. He served as assistant project manager for the Tibbals Learning Center on the grounds of the Ringling Museum.

× Shawn Warner was named marketing director for Sarasota's Lee Wetherington Cos. Warner joined Lee Wetherington as marketing coordinator in May 1999.

× Robert Morris III joined his father, Robert Morris Jr., at Ramar Group Cos. as executive vice president and project manager for the development company. Morris previously was office manager and systems administrator for Sen. Connie Mack and a broker/agent in commercial real estate with Michael Seery & Associates.

Financial

× Annette Canny joined Colonial Bank of Southwest Florida as its new area vice president. Canny previously worked as a vice president at Washington Mutual Bank, Huntington National Bank of Florida, Barnett Bank of Manatee and Southeast Bank NA.

× United Bank promoted John Barry to vice president. He was previously manager of the St. Petersburg Beach office.

Hospitality

× Stephen Mehas, general manager for the 294-room Hyatt Sarasota, will change places with Mohammad Gharavi, general manager of the 120-room Hyatt Key West Resort and Marina. Mehas has operated the hotel for the past five years. Gharavias was named the "General Manager of the Year in 2003" by the Keys and Key West Lodging Association.

Legal

× Thomas Shults, a shareholder with the Sarasota law firm of Kirk Pinkerton, was awarded an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell.