Despite budget cuts, SHINE thrives – and excels

Despite an attempt by the Florida legislature to take the wind out of its sails, the SHINE Mural Festival enjoyed perhaps its best cruise yet in 2018. The public art event, which wound down Sunday, was nearly capsized when the State cut its arts appropriation funding to zero dollars.

Salt Palm Development became the Arts Alliance of St. Petersburg’s first-ever SHINE title sponsor by kicking in $25,000 – more than covering the absentee state money – and with the $25,000 contributed by the City of St. Petersburg and other sponsors, SHINE was able to paint the city with even more vibrant colors, and striking images, than in any of its three previous editions.

With 40 artists requiring lodging, meals, supplies and sundries, the 18 new walls given the SHINE makeover didn’t come cheap.

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Tampa meeting lays groundwork for potential changes at McDonald’s franchise operations

More than 400 McDonald’s franchisees nationwide said they wanted to create an independent operators association, during a meeting in Tampa co-hosted by Blake Casper, CEO and chairman of Caspers Company.

The franchisees want to improve profit and cash flow at their restaurants, according to the Wall Street Journal, one of several publications to report on the Oct. 10 meeting.

The group, dubbed the National Owners Association, wants “to work with McDonald’s to positively impact the System for the benefit of the Franchise Owners, our employees, customers, the Company and ultimately the shareholders,” a letter posted on its website said.

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Tampa Bay tech sector hits a tipping point

Seven companies with a combined $10.5 million in revenue over the past 12 months will make up the first Post-Accelerator cohort at Tampa Bay Wave.

The new program is for later-stage technology companies that have shown they can perform in the marketplace.

These more mature companies, founded an average of 3.5 years ago and with a collective 96 employees, are a sign that the Tampa Bay tech ecosystem is at a tipping point, said Rich Heruska, interim accelerator director at Tampa Bay Wave.

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