Corporate Report

Corporate Report

Tampa Bay aims to host Republican convention

Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau officials on May 22 hand delivered the area's bid to host the 2008 Republican National Convention. The convention, scheduled for Sept. 1-4, would bring in about $150 million in direct spending for the Bay area and have an overall economic impact of as much as $400 million, according to bureau officials.

Tampa officials say the city's convention center and the St. Pete Times Forum, formerly known as the Ice Palace, would provide room for a media center and arena, respectively. They also touted about 20,000 first-rate hotel rooms in the area. Tampa was a finalist for the 2004 convention, but lost out to New York City.

Other cities submitted bids to host the next Republican convention, including Cleveland, Minneapolis and New York. The RNC is expected to pare down the list by July 1 and a final decision is expected by early 2007.

Morgan Beaumont

CFO resigns

Theodore Misiewicz, the chief financial officer and a board member of Bradenton-based prepaid phone card company Morgan Beaumont Inc., resigned from the firm, according to a quarterly earnings statement released May 22.

The company said Misiewicz left for personal reasons. No replacement has been named for either the CFO or board position; Allen Eckerle, vice president of finance, will be the interim CFO.

The company reported net revenue in the second quarter of fiscal 2006 of $1.9 million, compared to $150,000 in the same period last year. The increase was attributed to sales and new contracts with several prepaid phone card and telecommunications companies. Despite the revenue increase, the business reported a net loss for the quarter of $3.1 million, or $0.04 cents a share, compared to a net loss of $1.2 million, or $0.03 cents a share in the second quarter last year.

Tampa's University Mall

in line to be sold

Glimcher Realty Trust, the Columbus, Ohio-based owner of Tampa's University Mall is seeking to sell that property and four other malls nationwide in a strategy to unload non-core assets.

Glimcher executives say they hope to have a net gain of $10 million to $30 million after the sale of the five malls. University Mall, which is near the University of South Florida, has been operating for about 30 years. It has struggled in recent years. Anchor stores include Macy's, Dillard's and Sears.

USF Sarasota-Manatee

head announces retirement

Laurey Stryker, chief executive officer of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee for six years, will retire in early 2007.

Stryker, who has also served as the head of the Sarasota Economic Development Council, was praised by both school and community officials for her role in leading the satellite campus' growth spurt: When Stryker was hired in October 2000, the school had 19 programs and 2,000 students. Now it has 39 programs and 3,500 students. It's also moving into a new building later this year.

Restaurants announced for

Fort Myers shopping plaza

Six established restaurants have signed agreements to open at the Gulf Coast Town Center, a retail project being built between Naples and Fort Myers in Lee County.

Restaurants coming to the center are P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Bar Louie, Miller's Ale House, Calistoga Cafe, R.J. Gators and Blu Sushi, according to the center's developers, Cleveland-based Richard E. Jacobs Group and Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CBL & Associates Properties. Construction on the restaurants is expected to begin this summer.

Carbiz sells off tax

preparation unit

Carbiz Inc., a Sarasota-based firm that provides software, consulting and training to auto dealerships, sold its TaxMax unit for $442,000 to Tampa-based Tax Refund Services Inc., which specializes in tax preparation for car dealers.

TaxMax, a seasonal business, provides tax return services for Carbiz' clients. Carbiz said the sale would allow its management to focus on growing the Carbiz Auto Credit business.

Medical management

firm buys Tampa company

Tampa-based medical software and consulting firm Iliant has been bought by Med3000, a Pittsburgh-based healthcare management company, for an undisclosed price.

Iliant has grown significantly over the last few years, mostly through acquisitions. It now has about 400 employees in five offices, including its Tampa headquarters and an office in Oldsmar. Med3000 has also been going through a growth spurt. The combined company will have more than $75 million in revenue and about 850 employees.

OFFICE OPENINGS:

*Freedom Bank will open a branch later this year at San Marco Plaza, the newest development in Lakewood Ranch.

*SMITH, a local marketing firm with an office in North Carolina, has moved its Sarasota office to 2033 Wood St., Suite 210.

*Homebuilder de Morgan Communities has moved its corporate office from Palmetto to Ellenton. The new address is 700 8th Ave. W., Unit A.