Corporate Report

Riverchase Dermatology buys West Coast Dermatology
Naples-based Riverchase Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery acquired the seven-office West Coast Dermatology. Riverchase Dermatology says the addition of the offices, which stretch from Sarasota to Lehigh, extends Riverchase Dermatology's reach.

The combined company has 32 providers and 16 locations from Sarasota to Marco Island. Riverchase Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery was founded by Andrew Jaffe in 2000.

Women's Tennis Association debuts new marketing approach
The Women's Tennis Association, based in St. Petersburg, has announced a new three-year plan for 2014-2016, designed to turn the organization from providing basic marketing into offering digital and mobile-focused editorial and publishing.

The association plans to create an integrated marketing team, which will establish an internal content news calendar and associated (shoulder) programming across all WTA owned and controlled media. It says its website, mobile and social media content will shift from a marketing channel to a publishing channel with the goal of having the association drive content across all of its media platforms.

“As we begin our fifth decade, this new marketing strategy will provide fans with exclusive behind-the-scenes access that will allow them to get closer to their favorite players and tournaments,” WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster says in a press release.

To handle the marketing changes Emily Wright has been promoted from within the WTA to vice president of marketing solutions, and two new content marketing and global communications experts have been added. Wright will oversee all of the WTA's sponsor partner programs and will be responsible for generating ideas and programs with WTA's partners.

Hertz Equipment Rental opens Cheyenne, Wyo. oil-focused facility
Hertz Equipment Rental Corp., a subsidiary of Naples-based The Hertz Corp, has expanded its Denver operations with the launch of a new satellite facility in Cheyenne, Wyo. The Cheyenne location will serve southern Wyoming and northern Colorado oil customers and also operate onsite for key services partners.

“We are continuing to make strategic investments in the oil and gas exploration and production sector, one of our strongest industrial business segments,” Lois Boyd, president of Hertz Equipment Rental, says in a press release.

Metro Development Group, Bright House building gigabit communities
Tampa-based Metro Development Group and Bright House Networks announced plans to build Florida's first all fiber Gigabit Internet communities. As designed they will feature the fastest broadband networks ever offered within any residential Florida community. Model homes, with built-in fiber connections, are set to open in the spring.

“Bright House Networks has designed a fiber-to-the-home network solution for [Metro Development Group] because of the very specific applications the developer has planned for its communities,” Nomi Bergman, president of Bright House Networks, says in a press release.

Metro Development Group is branding its new exclusive offering as ULTRAFi. With ULTRAFi, every new home in a MDG community will be pre-wired and will include security services. The communities will also feature Gigabit Wi-Fi services in areas such as nature trails, clubhouses and playgrounds.

Florida Career College campus relocates to Tampa
Florida Career College has relocated the former Brandon campus to Tampa. Located at 9950 Princess Palm Ave. Tampa, FCC-Tampa offers health care, information technology and technical trade training and degree programs.

Biltres Staffing owner sentenced for invoice fraud, identity theft
U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Otto Biltres, owner of Biltres Staffing of Tampa Bay LLC, to 10 years and one month in federal prison for wire fraud and identity theft. As part of the sentence, the court also entered a $2.7 million judgment against Biltres to recover the proceeds from the crimes.

According to court documents, during a three-year period, Biltres and his temporary employees staffing company sold false and fraudulent invoices to TempPay Inc., an Ohio factoring company. Factoring is a financial transaction in which a business sells its accounts receivables to a third party at a discount. Biltres' company had no business relationship with the four companies listed in the invoices.

To create the illusion that the bogus invoices were genuine, Biltres allegedly opened post office boxes, bank accounts, email accounts and websites in the names of the purported client companies. He increased the amounts of the fraudulent invoices over time, and used proceeds obtained through later fraudulent invoices to repay earlier fraudulent invoices.

The scheme ultimately cost TempPay more than $2.7 million.

Biltres pleaded guilty in November.

Lee health system foundation hires Noise to promote hospital
Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, the official fundraising arm of Lee Memorial Health System, has retained Noise Inc. for a five-county multimedia advertising campaign to build Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. The Sanibel-based branding, marketing and advertising firm is charged with driving interest and donations to build the first hospital facility in the Southwest Florida region focused on young people from infants through teens.