Embarc Collective’s next moves

Next week will be a big one for Embarc Collective, the Jeff Vinik-backed initiative to elevate the startup community in the Tampa area.

The nonprofit organization will begin taking applications for memberships. It also will unveil renderings that provide a first look at the design of Embarc’s 32,000-square-foot facility.

Embarc aims to bring together entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other funders, and academic resources in one space.

“It is a little bit of an experiment to see if a physical space, a physical central landing zone, will create the kind of community we want.”

Read more

Making waves: Legendary yacht designer Ron Holland to speak in St. Pete

His career didn’t exactly start here, but the Tampa Bay area was a key marker on lauded yacht designer Ron Holland’s long, successful journey. A visionary, an adventurer, a tireless innovator and the creator of a new generation of 100-foot-plus super yachts, Holland worked for a time at Pinellas-based Morgan Yachts, and it was in the Morgan shipyard that he built his first really, really famous sailing vessel. Like Holland himself, it’s the stuff of legend.

Holland will talk about those early days Friday night at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, and again Saturday afternoon at Haslam’s Books, where he’ll sign his just-published autobiography, All the Oceans: Designing by the Seat of My Pants.

Read more

Business briefs: Election impact on local stocks, hospital scorecard and more

- One of the big winners after Tuesday’s election was WellCare Health Plans Inc. The stock price of the Tampa-based managed healthcare company jumped 5.7 percent Wednesday to $275.21 a share, although the price fell back a bit in early trading Thursday.

- Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, the largest hospital in St. Pete, got a D on a newly released grade card from The Leapfrog Group.

- Plaza Construction has been selected as the builder for 357 on 5th, a luxury condominium tower under development in downtown St. Petersburg.

Read more