Corporate Report

Corporate Report

by Sean Roth | Real Estate Editor

Greystone partners with 3M Health Care for U.K.

Greystone Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Fort Myers has signed an agreement with 3M Health Care Ltd. of Loughborough, England to distribute Greystone's advanced wound dressing, DerMax, in the United Kingdom. Greystone's European wound-care products subsidiary, Dermagenics Europe, BV, will manufacture the product for 3M.

Dermagenics Europe currently markets the product throughout the European Union under the trade name DerMax. 3M will market the product under a different brand name that has not yet been announced.

DerMax is a wound dressing to manage pressure, stasis and diabetic skin ulcers, skin irritations, cuts and abrasions. The dressing is one of the first care products to promote its ability to reduce the production of the protein enzymes Matrix Metallo-Proteinases. Reducing the production of those elevated MMPs is believed to be important to the healing of many chronic and acute wounds.

Greystone Pharmaceuticals is a medical products research and development company that develops chronic wound-care technology for the treatment of non-responsive wounds, particularly in diabetic patients.

Ringling drops 'School' in favor of 'College'

The Ringling School of Art and Design is morphing from a school to a college. The college, which is turning 75 this year, officially changed its name to the Ringling College of Art and Design last week. In addition to the new name, the college is in the process of updating its brand identity, which it says changes along with its various art and design classes. The Sarasota-based college has one of the most recognized arts and design programs in the country, offering a bachelors of fine arts in eight disciplines.

General Dynamics awarded $22 million in contracts

St. Petersburg's General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has received multiple contract option awards totaling $22 million for 20mm ammunition from the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. Under these awards, General Dynamics will deliver a mixture of specialized, training, tracer, armor piercing and incendiary ammunition.

One contract calls for PGU 27 A/B Training Practice ammo, which the U.S. Air Force and Navy use to train with the F-15, F-16 and F-18 fighter aircraft. Another ammunition type included in the deal was the traced PGU 30 A/B, linked with the PGU 27 A/B, which provides an illuminated signature that allows a gunner to visually track the round to the target.

General Dynamics will also be filling orders for PGU 28 A/B Semi-Armor Piercing High Explosive Incendiary (SAPHEI) combat cartridge has a pyrotechnically initiated fuze and the M940 Multi-Purpose Traced Self-Destruct (MPT-SD) combat round, qualified on the Phalanx MK 15 Block 1B and Vulcan gun systems.

The load, assembly and pack operations for the different orders will be filled at General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems' Marion, Ill., facility with some component manufacturing at the company's Red Lion, Penn., and St. Marks powder facilities.

Sirion Therapeutics' awarded orphan drug status

Tampa-based Sirion Therapeutics Inc., an ophthalmic-focused biopharmaceutical company, has received orphan drug designation from the Food and Drug Administration for its anti-viral therapy, ganciclovir, for the treatment of acute herpetic keratitis. Laboratoires Thea in Europe currently markets the product under the brand name of Virgan. Sirion licensed the rights to Virgan for the United States from Laboratoires Thea in January.

Orphan drug designation is a special status for diseases or conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 patients in the United States, granted by FDA upon request by a sponsor. Drugs that receive orphan drug designation obtain seven years of exclusivity from the date of drug approval as well as tax credits for clinical trial costs, marketing application filing fee waivers and assistance from the FDA in the drug development process.

Ganciclovir has the potential, according to Sirion officials, to improve the treatment of Herpes simplex keratitis, which is the leading cause of corneal blindness in the United States.

Sarasota web firm GravityFree

buys Barron Productions

Sarasota-based Web development company GravityFree has acquired Barron Productions, a Sarasota Internet marketing firm. As part of the acquisition, GravityFree, who already offered search engine marketing and optimization services, is starting an Internet marketing division, headed by John Barron, president of Barron Productions.

"Now, with GravityFree, I can focus solely on marketing websites and companies online at a time when competition online is growing fiercer and online marketing methods are becoming more abundant and diverse," Barron said in a press release. "Having the support of GravityFree's development team, I can keep up with and leverage the best tactics and tools out there."

GravityFree officials explained the decision as a way to offer its clients an online marketing strategy, managed services and ongoing support for their online presence.

Etc...

Tampa companies win Small Business Awards

Two Tampa area companies won awards in the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2007 Small Business Week Awards Program. Christopher S. Leto, president and CEO of Tampa Brass & Aluminum Corp. won the Jeffrey H. Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year, and Tammy Gail, president and chief marketing officer of Floridata Market Research in Riverview, was recognized as the Women in Business Champion of the Year. The winners will receive their awards from SBA's South Florida District Director Francisco "Pancho" A. Marrero at a ceremony on May 2, 2007 during the 21st Annual Government Small Business Conference at the University of South Florida.

Kirk-Pinkerton moves

to Plaza at Five Points

The Sarasota law firm of Kirk-Pinkerton PA has relocated its offices to suite 700 in the Plaza at Five Points. Although, Plaza at Five Points is a brand new building, the firm got its start in much the same location in the former Palmer Bank Building.

ClinicalVillage.com beta site unveiled

Tampa-based medical education firm R&R Healthcare Communications Inc. has launched ClinicalVillage.com, the first professional networking website specifically designed for physicians and other healthcare providers.

Now in beta testing, ClinicalVillage.com provides a site on the Internet where medical professionals can connect and share experiences with their peers.

"ClinicalVillage.com represents a major innovation in how healthcare professionals can communicate to improve their practice of medicine," Harold A. Kessler, M.D., editor-in-chief of ClinicalVillage.com and a professor of Medicine an Immunology/Microbiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a press release.

The site offers daily blogs, clinician built content , personal pages and group pages for networking, free classified advertising and forums.

Shutts & Bowen hires Lee E. Nelson

Real estate attorney Lee E. Nelson has joined Shutts & Bowen's Real Estate Group as a partner to head its Tampa Bay region office. Nelson, previously led the real estate transaction practice group as a shareholder with the Tampa law firm of Williams Schifino Mangione & Steady PA.

"A top-notch senior real estate lawyer with a substantial practice, Lee Nelson is truly one of the area's leading go-to real estate transactional attorneys,"

R. Alan Higbee, an executive partner of West Coast Operations, said in a press release announcing the appointment. "He brings to the firm more than 15 years of experience handling a wide variety of complex transactional matters for developers, lenders, landlords and investors who buy, sell, finance, develop and lease real estate."

Nelson, 44, is the twenty-first attorney to join Shutts & Bowen's Tampa office. The Tampa location opened in March 2006 with four lawyers.

HSN partners with Scoop NYC

St. Petersburg-based Electronic retailer HSN and national fashion boutique Scoop NYC have joined forces to debut "Scoop Style" on HSN starting May 17. Scoop's founder and fashion maven Stefani Greenfield is scheduled to make several appearances on the new show where she will bring the Scoop "Ultimate Closet" concept of one-stop shopping to HSN. Scoop's boutiques have grown into 15 stores in 11 cities nationwide since launching in downtown Manhattan in April of 1996.

The show will feature some exclusive-to-HSN items, including pieces by "Project Runway" finalist Uli Herzner.

"We're delighted to welcome Scoop to HSN," Mindy Grossman, CEO of IAC Retailing said in a press release. "Scoop's on-trend, versatile pieces will be fun for our customers as they build outfits that highlight their unique styles. The concept of the 'Ultimate Closet' is must-have fashion items and updated classics that blend with current pieces in the wearer's wardrobe, and Scoop Style will enable every woman to finally have her own ultimate closet."

REAL ESTATE

Michael Saunders joins Trulia board

Michael Saunders, founder and president of the Sarasota-based brokerage Michael Saunders & Co., has joined the real estate advisory board of Trulia.com to provide counsel to the national real estate search engine. Saunders, who founded her company in 1976, is in her third year as chairman of Leading Real Estate Cos. of the World.

Saunders joins fellow broker and industry leaders from across the country working with Truilia, including Anthony Azar, CEO of Realty Executives Southern Arizona; Sherry Chris, COO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp.; Howard W. "Hoby" Hanna, IV, executive vice president of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; Bill Plattos, COO and general manager for First Team Real Estate; Van Davis, consultant and former CEO of Foxtons; Michael Koval, senior vice president and CIO of Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.; Jonathan Miller, president/CEO, Miller Samuel Inc.; Robert Moles, chairman of Intero Real Estate Services; Steve Ozonian, chairman for Realty Information Systems Inc./Help-U-Sell Real Estate; Michael Pappas, president of The Keyes Co. Bob Peltier, president of Edina Realty Inc.; Ben Phillips, Vice President, New Product Development, Realogy Franchise Group Realogy Corp.; Kaira Rouda, COO of Real Living Inc.; and David Therrien, chief technology officer for Keller Williams Realty International.

HEALTH

VAXA International launches Attend

VAXA International, a Tampa-based manufacturer and supplier of homeopathic medicine, has released Attend, a product specifically designed to help support the function of the central nervous system targeted for children or adults Attention Difficulty-like symptoms.

"Sometimes drug therapy may be necessary; however, often a natural approach is all that is needed to combat the symptoms of Attention Difficulty," Dr. Stanley Headley, chief medical officer of VAXA International said in a press release. "Attend is designed to complement the body's natural calming and balancing agents with specific homeopathic ingredients. The ingredients help to target, direct and focus a person's attention by naturally supporting the activity of the brain's Reticular Activating System, which helps administer consciousness, attention and learning."

Arthur Guilford heading USF Sarasota-Manatee

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft has named Arthur Guilford vice president and chief executive officer of USF Sarasota-Manatee. He has served as interim vice president and CEO since January when Laurey Stryker retired at the end of 2006.

Guilford served as the associate dean of faculty and program development for the College of Arts and Sciences at USF Tampa since 2004 and has split his time between the two campuses for the past three months.

Guilford became a USF faculty member in 1976 after teaching at the University of Michigan, where he directed the Aphasia Program, and at California State University Los Angeles. Over his 31 years at USF, he moved from assistant, to associate, to full professor, to department chair.

Lydian Bank planning Sarasota expansion

Lydian Bank has announced plans to open a Sarasota branch later this year. As part of the sale of Lydian Wealth Management to City National Corp., funds were earmarked for the bank's expansion efforts in Florida. Rich Gerrity will serve as executive vice president and chief investment officer in the Sarasota region. Lydian is the eighth largest bank holding company headquartered in Florida. Lydian's immediate growth plans call for it to have 15 offices in the state by 2009.

Telovations lands $6.5 million in capital

Telovations Inc., a Tampa-based provider of IP communications services, has secured $6.5 million in Series-A venture capital funding led by Lovett Miller & Co.

Joining Lovett Miller in the round were existing private investors Lane Five Ventures, Dominion Financial Group Inc., Connemara Capital and other individuals. According to Telovations, the funding will be used to build out the company's Cisco Powered Network, expand its geographic coverage into other key markets in the Southeast and add new innovative applications..

Lovett Miller & Co. in Florida, provides equity capital to rapidly growing, privately-held companies. The firm manages $175 million in committed capital.

Preferred Community Bank hires new CFO

Brenda Mathews has been named chief financial officer of Fort Myers-based Preferred Community Bank. Mathews has 37 years of banking experience, most recently as executive vice president for People's Community Bank.