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.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park and the Tampa Police Department are advising the public to beware of an on-line, Facebook scam that encourages people to buy tickets to a “hot air balloon festival” this weekend. The event and its promotion are fake, and are believed to deceive victims into purchasing tickets to the nonevent, ZooTampa said in a news release. ZooTampa is working with police and the event has been reported to Facebook. Zoos in other states also have been victimized by a similar Facebook scam promoting non-existing hot air balloon festivals, ZooTampa said. Anyone who purchased tickets through the fake Facebook page should consider contacting their credit card company to report the fraud and filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org/scamtracker.
There were 228 new cases of Covid-19 reported in Pinellas County overnight and seven additional deaths. It's the second time this week there have been more than 200 new cases reported in a single day. The positivity rate, or percent of people who take a Covid test and test positive, also has been trending up. It stood at 5.27 percent for Pinellas County on Wednesday, and the rolling two-week average is 4.87, just under the 5 percent rate that some public health officials say should be a threshold for potential restrictions. Since the start of the pandemic, Pinellas County has reported a total of 24,650 Covid-19 cases and 812 deaths. The state of Florida reported its highest single day Covid-19 case spike since the beginning of September. There were an additional 5,557 cases as of Thursday morning, bringing the statewide total to 768,091 cases. There have been 16,267 deaths in Florida attributed to Covid-19 since the pandemic began.
St. Petersburg Kennel Club, which does business as Derby Lane, will lay off 65 employees, beginning in December and continuing through April. Derby Lane, which says it is the oldest continuously operating greyhound track in the world, will discontinue greyhound racing after Dec. 31, due to the 2018 passage of a Florida constitutional amendment that banned wagering on dog races. In an Oct. 19 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, Richard Winning, chairman and president of the St. Petersburg Kennel Club, said 54 workers would lose their jobs on or after Dec. 27, and 11 others would be laid off between Jan. 1 and April 30. Derby Lane plans to continue offering simulcast wagering and poker, a notice on its website said.
The Suncoast Developers Guild, a hub for tech education and community engagement, has created a Night Shift program, a flexible part-time evening course that trains students in programming and web development. In response to increased interest, the new classes will allow SDG to offer an alternative schedule with increased accessibility for students who cannot commit 12 weeks to the full-time Immersive program. By extending the program with part-time, after-hours classes, students can begin to learn coding without having to leave their current job first. The program will begin Dec. 8 and will last for 36 weeks. Classes will be held two nights per week and delivered exclusively online. The next 12-week full-time Immersive course begins on January 4, 2021. SDG offers alternative financing options, as well as scholarships. For more information about courses and registration, visit https://suncoast.io.
Radian Capital, a New York City-based growth equity fund, has joined the board of directors of Florida Venture Forum. Dave Sack, principal with Radian Capital, will serve as board representative and Dana Sadovnic will serve as board alternate, a news release said. Radian Capital invests primarily in B2B software and technology-enabled services business and backs growth-stage businesses with a combination of capital and its operating team. It is geography agnostic in its approach. The Florida Venture Forum, headquartered in Tampa, is a statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs.
Trash Butler, a Tampa company that provides trash and recycling services for multifamily apartment buildings, has acquired WellKept, a service provider for multifamily communities. The purchase price was not disclosed, but a news release announcing the deal said the prior ownership of WellKept now has a material ownership interest in Trash Butler. As a result of the deal, Trash Butler has nearly doubled in size, the news release said. Trash Butler separately partnered with a large Fortune 500 company, the news release said. The Fortune 500 company was not identified, but Trash Butler said the partnership gives it access to more than 1,000 salespeople nationwide to help scale its growth and relationships in the multi-family housing industry. Trash Butler also secured exclusive national agreements with some of the largest multi-family management companies and its clients, accounting for more than 700,000 apartment units. Trash Butler, which has financial backing from Florida Funders, was founded by the same entrepreneurs who founded College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving.
