Corporate report

Tampa's Viralstyle.com wins contest for hour with Mark Cuban
Tampa-based product-personalization tech startup Viralstyle.com won a national contest sponsored by one of Mark Cuban's companies, HourlyNerd. As a result, Viralstyle will get an hourlong meeting with Cuban.

“Viralstyle is happy to pick the brain of a true technology icon,” Co-Founder Thomas Bell says in a press release. “What young company wouldn't value one-on-one time with Mark Cuban?”
Viralstyle.com, which opened in August, offers T-shirt and product customization.

HNTB Corp. names Tampa exec Florida district leader, senior VP
Infrastructure company HNTB Corp. has named Charlie Herndon as its Florida district leader and senior vice president. In this role, Herndon is responsible for operations and client relations for the firm's 13 offices throughout Florida. HNTB employs 380 professionals across the state.

Herndon is based in the firm's Tampa office.

“In a state where the population has recently surpassed New York, Charlie's far-reaching knowledge of infrastructure development in every corner of Florida will help HNTB's clients as they face mobility delivery challenges,” Mike Inabinet, president of HNTB's Southeast Division, says in a press release.

Herndon has been involved in hundreds of major transportation projects over the course a career that spans more than 35 years. His experience includes work on various portions of the Florida Turnpike; the Fuller Warren Bridge reconstruction in Jacksonville; Memorial Causeway Bridge construction engineering and inspection in Clearwater; the Veterans Expressway toll road extension in Tampa; and a capital improvement program and multiple projects at Orlando International Airport.

Prior to joining HNTB, Herndon served as a senior executive at Parsons Brinkerhoff, overseeing project performance for all planning and design services in a five-state Southeastern territory.

HNTB currently is working on, or has been involved with, some of Florida's most high-profile projects, including completion of the master plan at Tampa International Airport, Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway reversible express lanes in Tampa, Citrus Bowl Stadium design reconstruction in Orlando and construction services for Central Florida Commuter Rail Transit (SunRail) phases one and two.

Lakewood-Amedex files application for topical drug to treat infections
Sarasota's Lakewood-Amedex Inc. has submitted an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a Phase 1/2a study of Nu-3 as a topical antimicrobial treatment for diabetic foot infections. The Phase 1/2a is designed to test the safety and tolerability of increasing doses of Nu-3 when applied topically as well as collect data on the changes in the microbiology of the sore over the course of treatment. The study is expected to begin early in 2015.

Paul DiTullio, vice president of product development for Lakewood-Amedex, says that Nu-3 is the first in a new line of synthetic broad-spectrum antimicrobials.

HCI Group Insurance subsidiary assuming 50,000 policies from Citizens
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has approved Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Co. Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of HCI Group Inc., to assume 50,000 policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-operated insurance company. Of those policies, 27,000 are slated to be wind-only insurance.
The policies are assumable under Florida's “take-out” program, designed to reduce the state's risk exposure by encouraging private companies to assume policies from Citizens. Under the take-out rules, affected policyholders are entitled to opt-out before or within 30 days after the assumption and remain with Citizens.

Walter Investment Management subsidiary passes Mortgage Settlement Oversight test
Walter Investment Management Corp. announced its wholly owned subsidiary, Green Tree Servicing LLC, passed all of the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight tests for the period from Jan. 1 to June 30.

When Green Tree purchased the mortgage servicing rights from Residential Capital LLC in January 2013, it agreed to service the loan portfolio consistent with the more than 300 standards included in the National Mortgage Settlement. The Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight files the compliance reports with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

“We believe these positive results demonstrate Green Tree's ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of service to our consumers to ensure they have a smoother and more constructive experience with their servicer,” Mark O'Brien, chairman and CEO of Walter Investment, says in a press release.

Superior Uniform Group announces two-for-one stock split
The board of directors for Superior Uniform Group Inc. (symbol: SGC; recent price: $29.87), a Seminole-based manufacturer of uniforms, career apparel and accessories, approved a two-for-one stock split of the company's outstanding common shares.

Each shareholder of record at the close of business on Jan. 12 will receive an additional share of common stock for each share held on Feb. 4. As of Dec. 29 there were 6.8 million diluted common shares outstanding. Following the stock split, Superior Uniform Group's outstanding common shares will grow to about 13.6 million shares.

The company says the split will make its common shares more readily accessible to investors and others and improve its liquidity.