Corporate Report: Jan. 31

Former Insignia marketing director buys Naples marketing firm
Alyssa Emma, the marketing director of Insignia Real Estate Cos., has acquired the Naples marketing and advertising firm The Marketing Team LLC. Emma previously coordinated the business development and marketing strategy of several New England businesses, including Lulu's Sweet Shoppe. She also developed and managed the rebranding of a luxury Rhode Island jewelry company.

RND Automation & Engineering expanding, relocating to Manatee County
Robotics equipment manufacturer RND Automation & Engineering will double its real estate footprint with a planned relocation from a Sarasota business park to south Manatee County.

RND began in a facility in south Manatee County, then moved to a larger building in Sarasota County in 2010, and has since outgrown that space. The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. (EDC) helped RND find the 12,000-square-foot building at 7910 25th Court E., Sarasota in the SRQ Tech Park. The facility will allow the firm to install additional equipment it says is necessary to grow.

“The EDCs in the two counties worked with the company to help RND find a larger home in our region to retain the technical expertise that local manufacturers need, as well as the quality jobs RND provides,” Sharon Hillstrom, president and CEO of the Bradenton Area EDC, says in a press release.

The EDC also helped the company apply for performance-based economic development incentives through Manatee County. The Manatee Board of County Commissioners qualified the company to receive up to $8,000 in performance-based incentives as RND adds eight jobs over the next five years.

The company currently employs 12.

RND designs and builds equipment used in manufacturing.

Veritas Employer Services becomes AccessPoint's Florida Division
Bonita Springs-based human resources company Veritas Employer Services has became the new Florida division of AccessPoint, a national human resources management company based in Novi, Mich.

Charles Ingram, founder and CEO of Veritas Employer Services, will be AccessPoint's executive vice president overseeing the Florida division.

Veritas announced a strategic partnership with AccessPoint on Feb. 1, 2013, during which Veritas changed its name to APVeritas.

“In partnership with AccessPoint, we have been able to offer clients new services including staffing, recruiting and executive search capabilities, which greatly enhanced our existing professional employer services,” Ingram says in a press release. “In the last year, we've finished merging our systems, and we are excited to now offer even more value and service to our clients, while growing AccessPoint's presence in the Southeast.”

AccessPoint also has offices in Novi, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, Mich., as well as Alexandria, Va. AccessPoint has clients in more than 27 states nationwide.

ChurchPlaza first church seating company to comply with health standards
ChurchPlaza, a 28-year-old Sarasota-based provider of church chairs, church seating and other church products, says it is the first church and sanctuary chair provider in the world to be in full compliance with all existing and pending United States, international and industry association standards regarding raw materials and components.

In addition, all foam used in ChurchPlaza Chairs is certified to have non-detectable emission levels of Chlorinated Tris, a carcinogen present in many commercial flame-retardants.

“The Internet and economic stresses have fueled the emergence of some church chair providers focused on building and selling the cheapest chairs possible and many use components dangerous to church users,” Nitza Dowdy, ChurchPlaza's general manager, says in a press release.

Hockman Insurance Agency sold to Virginia's The Hilb Group
Richmond, Va.-based The Hilb Group LLC has purchased Tampa's Hockman Insurance Agency Inc. The Hilb Group (THG) will continue to operate the former Hockman Insurance Agency office under the leadership of Ron Hockman.

Founded in 2009, The Hilb Group is looking to grow through the targeted acquisition of middle-market insurance brokerages. It has offices in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and New York.

Rice's Appliance & TV launches new division
Bradenton Rice's Appliance & TV has recently launched a commercial services division dedicated to area contractors and property management companies.

“By serving as a single point of contact and providing personalized job site and office visits, we will build a very strong partnership with our construction and property management customers,” John Rice Jr. says in a press release.

Rice Jr. will lead this new branch of the business.

Rice's Appliance & TV commercial services division will serve Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties, as well as portions of northern Charlotte County and southern Pinellas County.

WRScompass expands Texas presence, opens new Houston office
Tampa-based environmental remediation, civil construction and technical service company WRScompass has opened a new regional office in Houston to meet increasing demand from the oil and gas, petrochemical and energy industries as well as federal and state Agencies. The new office comes five years after the company opened its Austin, Texas, office and marks the continued growth of the WRScompass in the region.

Jeff Blanken will head the Houston office.