Corporate Report

Corporate Report

Hiring in Sarasota area remains steady

Sarasota area employers expect to hire staff at a steady clip during the second quarter of 2006, but not at a pace as quick as the first quarter, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. From April to June, 27% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while 13% expect to reduce their payrolls, the survey released March 14 showed. Another 50% expect to maintain their current staff levels and 10% are not certain of their hiring plans.

For the coming quarter, job prospects appear best in durable and non-durable manufacturing. Employers in construction, transportation/public utilities, wholesale/retail trade and services voice mixed hiring intentions. Hiring in finance/insurance/real estate, education and public administration is expected to remain unchanged.

Bancshares of Florida

merging with Bristol Bank

Naples-based Bancshares of Florida Inc. bought Coral Gables-based Bristol Bank. Christopher Roden, who currently serves as Chairman and CEO for Bristol Bank, will join the Bank of Florida senior management team with the merger.

Under the agreement, Bristol's shareholders will receive $20.9 million, 70% of which will be paid in Bancshares common stock and 30% in cash. The transaction is expected to close early in the third quarter. After the deal, Bancshares of Florida Inc. will exceed $663 million in assets with branches throughout Florida, including ones in Collier and Hillsborough counties.

Creative Contracts pick up two school district contracts

Clearwater-based Creative Contractors Inc. signed a $14 million contract with the Pasco County School Board to build Trinity Oaks Elementary School. The 90,000 square foot school is located at the corner of Mitchell and Trinity Oaks Boulevards in New Port Richey. The school is made up of four buildings that house a large multipurpose/dining room, classrooms, offices, art and music labs, a kitchen and a library.

Creative Contractors has also been selected by the district to perform various renovations and expansions of schools in the south-central area of the county. The contract is worth $21 million over three years.

Greystone opening

headquarters in Lee County

Memphis, Tenn.-based Greystone Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotech development company, will open a corporate headquarters for their holding company in Lee County. The company plans to create 15 jobs and will occupy 3,500 to 5,000 square feet of office space. The facility is currently under design and construction. Opening is scheduled for May 2006.

Dynamic Leisure buys

two resort and tour firms

Tampa-based Dynamic Leisure Corp. completed the purchase of Island Resort Tours Inc., a tour operator, and International Travel & Resorts Inc., a resort firm. Both New York City-based agencies focus on the Caribbean and Mexico markets; in 2005, the firms had combined revenues of about $15 million.

Stephen A. Hicks, president of IRT and ITR, was appointed as president of Dynamic Leisure Group North America Inc.

Sarasota County Community Foundation receives $25,000

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County received a $25,000 donation from Ruden McClosky, a law firm with offices statewide, including ones in Naples, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

The donation is to be used to establish the Ruden McClosky Diversity Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship program is to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to attend law school.

The program provides funds to second and third-year law students in increments of $2,500. The initial scholarship will be awarded this fall.

NEW HIRES

Builders Exchange Elects

Officers and Board Members

The Gulf Coast Builders Exchange announced its officers and board for 2006. Chairman: Alan Zirkelbach, president of Zirkelbach Construction Inc.; Chairman-Elect: Mark Anderson; Vice Chairman: Douglas Sutter, vice president of Sutter Roofing Co. of Florida; Treasurer: Joseph Welch, CPA, Partner with Purvis Gray & Co.; and Secretary: David Hicks, president of Aladdin-Ward Electric & Air Inc.

Re-elected Board members include Gregory Burkhart, president of Key Glass and Window Inc.; Jason Swift of Jon F. Swift Inc. and Mark Anderson, president of Cortez Hearing & Air Conditioning. Newly elected to the 17-member Board of Directors for three-year terms were Bob Rizi, manager of Bob Rizi Plumbing, and John Jackson, president of Earthworks Land Development.

Sweetbay/Kash n' Karry

promotes COO to CEO

Tampa-based Sweetbay Supermarket and Kash n' Karry promoted Shelley G. Broader to chief executive officer.

Broader, formerly president and chief operating officer at the supermarket chains, has led transformation from Kash n' Karry to Sweetbay. Prior to becoming President and Chief Operating Officer at Sweetbay/Kash n' Karry, Broader served as senior vice president of business strategy, marketing, and communication for Hannaford in New England.

Hydra-Sports hires new

vice president of Engineering

Sarasota-based Hydra-Sports appointed Charles "Chip" Gerlach to vice president of Engineering. Gerlach recently served as general manager of Marine Concepts in Cape Coral, Fla.

Orion hires new

vice president and CFO

Carla H. Pollard joined Orion Bank as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Pollard will be responsible for planning and management of the bank's accounting and finance, information technology, deposit operations and compliance functions. Prior to joining Orion, Pollard was senior vice president and Southeast Regional chief financial officer for U.S. Trust Co. in Palm Beach.

Lee Wetherington hires

vice president of construction

Michael Rego joined Lee Wetherington Companies as executive vice president of Construction. Rego will be responsible for supervising the purchasing, estimating, CADD, preproduction and construction departments.

OFFICE OPENINGS

• Wild Oats Markets Inc. will open its first Tampa store April 5 at 1548 N. Dale Mabry Highway. The 37,000 square foot store will feature natural and organic foods, dietary supplements, a full-service meat and seafood counter and bakery and deli departments.

• John W. West III, formerly with Kirk Pinkerton, opened his own law firm at One Sarasota Tower in downtown Sarasota.

• Southern Strategy Group, one of the South's largest lobbying firms, opened a new Tampa office. The office will be SSG's third office in Florida and 11th office overall.

• Andrick & Associates Inc. will be moving to 4400 Independence Court in Sarasota.

ETC...

• Sarasota-based air conditioning, plumbing and appliance company Unique Air changed ownership March 1. The company's four new owners are: Ken Jackson, Robert Holsbeke, Mike Montgomery and Cleve Hogarth.

• Baskerville/Swirles/Ward Advertising and Marketing Inc. was named agency of record for Investment Financial Services Inc. of Sarasota.

• Tampa-based OTT-LITE Technology, manufacturers of natural lighting equipment, expanded its retail presence to over 12,000 stores nationwide.

• Sarasota-based Ultrafast Systems LLC, which designs and manufactures laser spectrometers, signed a contract with Newport Corp. for exclusive global marketing and distribution of Ultrafast's products