The St. Pete Greenhouse has launched St. Petersburg's first small business map in an effort to help residents shop local. The interactive map can be used from any device to find local businesses including restaurants and retailers, and results can be filtered by business type and owner demographics. Business owners can add themselves by clicking here.
Tabish Siddiquie has been named general manager of The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. Siddiquie will be responsible for all aspects of daily operations. Siddiquie previously served as the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Denver, which attained its highest ever revenue and profit under Siddiquie’s leadership, a news release said. Prior to that, he served at Ritz-Carlton hotels in Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Grand Cayman and San Francisco. He oversaw food and beverage at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota, including the hotel’s members club and golf course, from 2008 to 2011. The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort and Golf Club is a 361-room hotel with a private 72-slip marina, 18-hole golf course, 12-court tennis complex and 5,000-square-foot fitness center
Citing a continued need to add technology talent in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, Tampa Bay Tech and its Software CEO Council will hold a virtual Career Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Job candidates will be able to visit virtual employer booths to research companies, apply for positions, network and live chat with recruiters, as well as explore webinars and educational and training resources. The event is free for job seekers and Tampa Bay Tech member employers. Non-member companies may participate for a registration fee. Jobseekers can register here. Employers must contact team@tampabay.tech for a registration link and details.
Spectrum Reach is conducting a nationwide campaign to encourage consumers to support local businesses this holiday season with a virtual mosaic that visually unites the local businesses and serves as an interactive directory that consumers can explore. Simply upload a business image or logo here and share a few business details. Once the virtual mosaic is complete in early December, Spectrum Reach will email a mosaic video for businesses to share through their marketing and social channels.
211 Tampa Bay Cares will host a virtual town hall discussion on Oct. 30, 2020 from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. about the size, scope and impact of evictions in Pinellas County, which is expected to be significant as the Covid-19 eviction moratorium expires. Panelists include Tampa Bay Cares CEO Micki Thompson, Duggan Cooley, CEO at the Pinellas Community Foundation, Tiffany Coleman, staff attorney at Bay Area Legal Services and Eric Garduno, government affairs director at Bay Area Apartment Association. During the discussion, panelists will also outline the supply and gaps in resources available to help tenants, landlords, area businesses and nonprofits as they navigate this challenge. To register, click here.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact-Record of Decision for the South-Central Florida Metroplex. That's the FAA's plan to modernize air traffic procedures for 21 airports in the southern half of the state, including at Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. The decision lets the FAA move forward with new satellite-based procedures. The procedures create more direct routes, decrease congestion at airports and in the air, improve air traffic flows enhancing safety and efficiency, and make the system safer by reducing the complexity in communications between air traffic controllers and pilots, Michael O’Harra, regional administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration’s Southern Region, said previously. The changes only impact planes when they are flying at 10,000 feet or higher. The FAA plans to implement the new procedures in mid-2021. The FAA has posted the document and the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Florida Metroplex Environmental website.
Healthy St. Pete has launched a Healthier Together certification program to promote wellness, encourage the adoption of healthy behaviors and establish supportive communities. This certification process recognizes St. Petersburg workplaces and neighborhoods for their outstanding efforts in contributing to making St. Petersburg a healthy place to live, shop, eat and play. The Healthier Together Workplace Certification is appropriate for workplaces of all sizes from locally owned startups to international companies with locations in St. Petersburg. Nonprofits and workplaces are welcome to apply by clicking here.
KnowBe4, a Clearwater-based cybersecurity training company, has opened a new office in Dubai. Cybersecurity attacks and breaches are increasing across the Middle East and the new office will better equip cybersecurity professionals across the Middle East with international, diverse security awareness training and simulated phishing to help protect their organizations, Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of KnowBe4, said in a news release. KnowBe4 now has offices in 10 different countries around the world
Voting is now open for the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce's 8th annual Good 'Burger Awards. The awards were established to honor local businesses and individuals that contribute positively to the community. Categories include arts and culture, eats and treats, community conscious (grassroots and large), makers and creators, cool companies (small and large), trailblazers and change agents, MVB - Most Valuable 'Burger and Essential 'Burger. Votes will be accepted until Nov. 13 and the awards will be announced at a virtual ceremony Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. To cast your vote, click here.
Bloomin' Brands, a Tampa-based restaurant company, reported a net loss of $17.6 million, or 20 cents a share, for the 13 weeks ended Sept. 27, compared to net income of $9.2 million, or 11 cents a share, in the same period a year ago. Third quarter revenue was $766.5 million, down 20 percent from a year earlier. Bloomin', the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse, has faced challenges during the pandemic, but is becoming better, stronger and operations-focused, Dave Deno, CEO, said in a news release. During a conference call with analysts, Deno singled out two growth channels for Bloomin'— a fast-casual brand called Aussie Grill that opened its first free-standing location in May in Tampa, and a virtual brand called Tender Shack that launched last month in the Tampa Bay area.
About 85 percent of small business in Florida have lost revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a a new survey. Most of those businesses have taken advantage of relief programs and received Paycheck Protection Program loans, but the businesses say additional support is still needed in order to remain operating, the survey found. The Florida Chamber Foundation, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network, and the University of West Florida Haas Center partnered to conduct the survey, which was completed by 4,800 individuals covering 95 percent of Florida's counties and representing all industry sectors. Six out of every 10 respondents said they are extremely concerned about the economy and 45.4 percent were concerned about their ability to operate in the future. More than half of businesses either voluntarily closed or were forced to close their doors, with more than 30 percent revealing their operations were still suspended during the time of the survey, which was conducted during the summer.
Paresh Patel, chairman and CEO of HCI Group Inc., will talk about how to build a powerful technology team in Tampa Bay when he headlines the next "Diary of an Entrepreneur" event. HCI Group (NYSE: HCI), a Tampa company with operations in insurance, software development and real estate, launched TypTap, its insurtech subsidiary, in 2016, and has grown the operation to more than 100 technology experts. TypTap Insurance is preparing for a national expansion in January 2021. The webinar, presented by the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, will be 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. There is no fee to attend, but space is limited. Click here to register.
