Two Gulf Coast firms ready to grow

Business expansion on the Gulf Coast mostly died along with the burst of the boom in 2007.

But two fearless entrepreneurs have defied the trend.

One contrarian is Theo Etzel, CEO of Conditioned Air Corp. of Naples. Etzel's firm has worked in Charlotte and Sarasota counties for a few years. On June 1 the firm will officially open an office to find business in the area. It's an expansion Etzel has considered for many years, but he didn't want make a kneejerk decision in the recession.

“The time is right,” says Etzel, whose firm grew revenues 34.6% last year, from $18.2 million to $24.5 million. “It's a logical move for us based on the demand in the marketplace.”

One entrepreneur's logic will meet another entrepreneur's hyper-competitive market in Sarasota, a point Etzel readily admits. Etzel is nonetheless confident Conditioned Air's high customer service standards will translate into market share in the region.

Rajh Cromie, who runs Snelling Staffing Services in Sarasota, plans to join Etzel in expansion. Cromie has run the Sarasota office of Snelling, a nationwide employment placement franchise chain, since 1997. Cromie concedes business has been rough the last three years, adding, “I think we still have a long way to go.”

Still, Cromie recently opened a Snelling office in Tampa. In Sarasota, Cromie focuses on finding employees for hospitality, accounting and IT firms. Her clients are mostly mid-size and small businesses.

But Cromie seeks some larger corporate clients in Tampa, and she's looking for two sales reps for that area. Cromie says she's somewhat scared of the expansion risk, given the weak job market and the economy. But she's also determined.

“That can't stop me from trying to move forward,” Cromie tells Coffee Talk. “In any business, you have to have that fear that allows you to make decisions.”