Business briefs: Nielsen’s new CEO, Treasure Island property on the market and more

Nielsen Holdings has named David Kenny as its new CEO, effective Dec. 3.

By Guerin Blask/IBM España

Kenny will succeed Mitch Barnes, who is stepping down as CEO at Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN), a market research and data analytics firm with a major office in Oldsmar.

Kenny most recently was senior vice president of cognitive solutions at IBM, leading that company’s artificial intelligence platform and portfolio. Before that he was chairman and CEO of The Weather Company.

“Nielsen is uniquely placed at the intersection of marketing data and technology. In today’s era of fast moving, ever changing consumers and markets, it is this combination that drives businesses forward,” Kenny said in a prepared statement.

His appointment comes as the Nielsen board reviews strategic alternatives, including a sale of all or part of the company, a press release said.

At Nielsen, Kenny will get a base salary of $1.3 million, an annual bonus of up to $1.9 million if he meets performance targets and thousands of shares of restricted stock, a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said. He’s also in line for a $2.5 million cash-retention award and a $1.5 million incentive payment to compensate him for the loss of equivalent payouts from IBM, the filing said.

Insurer lists Treasure Island property

Greenleaf Capital, a subsidiary of HCI Group Inc., has put its property on John’s Pass on the market.

The asking price for the 10-acre waterfront property is $40 million, HCI (NYSE: HCI), a Tampa-based property and casualty insurance company, said in a filing with the SEC.

The property encompasses the northern end of Treasure Island and is home to John’s Pass Marina and Gator’s Café and Saloon, according to Greenleaf Capital’s website.

At Sept. 30, the property had a carrying value of about $9.7 million, HCI’s filing said.

Jobs

Nearly 100 jobs could be coming to Pinellas County in two corporate expansions.

The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners approved applications for tax incentives for the two unidentified firms at its meeting Tuesday.

One of the companies, a business services firm, is considering expanding its existing national headquarters in Pinellas Park, adding 60 employees with salaries at 115 percent of the average annual wage in the state. The company could get up to $180,000 from the Qualified Target Industry tax refund program, if it meets promised goals. It also is considering sites in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, county officials said.

The other company is a logistics and distribution solutions provider that wants to expand its existing operations in unincorporated Pinellas County. About 33 employees would be hired with annual pay scales of at least 115 percent of Florida’s average annual wage, and it could get a QTI of up to $165,000. This company also is looking at sites in Georgia and Texas.

Bond issue

Pinellas County commissioners separately approved a $100 million bond issue to fund Nova Southeastern University’s medical complex in Clearwater.

A rendering of the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine on the Nova Southeastern University campus in Clearwater

As the St. Pete Catalyst reported Monday, The Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel 2017 Foundation for Global Understanding asked the Pinellas County Industrial Development Authority to issue the bonds. Kiran Patel, a Tampa healthcare entrepreneur and philanthropist, gave $50 million to NSU last year, and pledged to spend $150 million to redevelop the property, which he acquired in 2016.