Corporate Report: June 14

Saint Leo University M.B.A. near top in sports business ranking
Saint Leo University's Master of Business Administration degree specializing in sport business has been ranked as one of the best programs worldwide, according to the London-based publication Sport Business International.

For the trade publication's ranking, universities were evaluated on program characteristics and surveys of alumni, which asked about satisfaction with course teaching, levels of support, internship requirements and average salary level three years after graduation.

The trade publication chose this year to segregate online programs in its rankings, rather than combine rankings of online and traditional classroom programs. However, if Saint Leo's overall student score had been applied to the global ranking, the school's program would have been ranked 16th worldwide.

Valet Waste adds services to multifamily communities
Tampa-based doorstep trash and recycling collection company Valet Waste has expanded its business into traditional multifamily communities.

The new suite of services called Maintenance Plus covers 14 services, including tasks like pool resets, light audits and common-area trash collection.

“Maintenance Plus allows your current maintenance staff to focus on the jobs that they were trained and hired to do,” Campbell Kerr, vice president of business development, says in a press release.

ExecuCar brings zTrip transportation service to Tampa Bay
ExecuCar has expanded its transportation business to Tampa Bay. Described as an alternative to a taxicab or limo service, users can request town-car transportation via a mobile app for iOS or Android.

The “Pick me up now” charge starts with a minimum fare of $25 including the first five miles and $3 a mile thereafter.

ExecuCar, operated by SuperShuttle International, operates some 350 sedans in 14 metropolitan areas across the United States.

Northern Trust promotes manager to head west Florida region
Stephanie Goforth has been appointed head of Northern Trust's West Region of Florida, which covers its offices from Naples to Tampa Bay. Goforth is responsible for handling the firm's banking, fiduciary, and investment management services, as well as the company's new business and growth throughout the market.

Goforth previously served as the bank's regional sales manager for the West Coast of Florida and Atlanta regions. She was based out of St. Petersburg, where she was responsible for managing all aspects of the region's trust and investment sales activities.

She joined Northern Trust in 2005 after previously serving as a senior vice president, private client adviser and city executive for Bank of America.

Goforth is located in the Naples office.

TransDigm Group subsidiary buys 89% of Aerosonic shares
Clearwater-based TransDigm Group Inc. says a subsidiary, Buccaneer Acquisition Sub Inc., has completed the purchase of most of the outstanding shares of Clearwater-based Aerosonic Corp. The offer of $7.75 per share in cash resulted in the sale of 3.55 million shares or 88.4% of the company's outstanding shares.

Buccaneer Acquisition Sub also plans to acquire additional shares directly from Aerosonic, which should result it in owning at least 90% of the stock. As a result, the TransDigm subsidiary will merge with Aerosonic without the need for a stockholder vote, and Aerosonic will become a wholly owned subsidiary of TransDigm.

Green Innovations subsidiary inks medical-grade licensing deal
Cape Coral-based Green Hygienics Inc., a subsidiary of Green Innovations Ltd., signed an exclusive North American licensing agreement with Tauriga Sciences Inc. for the commercial launch of hospital-grade green products, including tree-free bamboo-based biodegradable disinfectant wipes.

Philip Rundle, CEO of Green Innovations, says that Tauriga Sciences has an established sales network to hospitals, nursing homes, schools and other potential commercial/institutional buyers.

Tauriga paid Green Hygienics $65,000 for the agreement. The deal also calls for both companies to share equally in the profits.

The first hospital-grade products are scheduled to be available for sale to wholesalers, retailers and for direct purchase this fall.