The Catalyst team minted a thank you for current and previous investors in the form of a limited edition series of 'Early Supporter' NFTs. The format was chosen as a nod to future where Catalyst will evolve into a blockchain infused metacity platform that provides tools and incentives for all St Pete citizens to engage civically.
New Port Richey-based Welbilt (NYSE:WBT) is accepting an acquisition offer from Italian foodservice equipment manufacturer Ali Group, according to Welbilt's announcement last week. Under the terms of the revised unsolicited proposal, the Ali Group would acquire all of the outstanding shares of Welbilt common stock for $24 per share in cash, an increase from the previously disclosed $23 per share cash proposal made by Ali Group in May, which implies an enterprise value of approximately $4.8 billion. The closing of the transaction would be subject to approval by the stockholders of Welbilt. The news follows Welbilt previously annoucing it was to be acquired by the Middleby Corporation. Welbilt has notified Middleby that it intends to terminate Middleby’s merger agreement and enter into a definitive merger agreement with Ali Group.
The City of St. Petersburg has collected more than 110 tons of dead fish from Tampa Bay, according to a tweet posted by Mayor Rick Kriseman late Monday, as an outbreak of red tide continues to menace the waters of both the bay and Gulf of Mexico. “It’s hard, heartbreaking work,” Kriseman wrote on Twitter. “We are thankful for our county partners, and to each of you for your engagement and patience.” Red tide is caused by blooms of the algae known as Karenia brevis that are exacerbated by pollution.
California-based tech firm Red 6, which develops simulated combat pilot training, has announced the opening of two new offices in Florida. The firm will open its corporate headquarters in downtown Miami and a technology hub in Orlando. The company selected Miami due to its diverse culture and economic vibrancy and selected Orlando due to its internationally renowned simulation and training industry. A representative with the company said the group was also attracted to Orlando and Miami because of the proximity to Tampa. The high volume of Tampa's military and defense presence was a draw to them and was a key point in moving to Florida. The news follows Red 6 recently completing a $30 million Series A funding round.
Local brokerage Downtown Expert Realty joined the St. Pete community last year, and the team has been hard at work helping their neighbors find dream homes throughout the city. But Downtown Expert wants to go above and beyond for the St. Pete community, by investing in the next generation of real estate professionals and creating more entrepreneurial opportunities across the city. Last month, they launched the Downtown Expert School of Real Estate, which provides comprehensive real estate training, licensing, and continuing education opportunities for real estate professionals of any experience level. Downtown Expert’s School of Real Estate offers expert training and licensing for affordable rates. Plus, readers of St. Pete Catalyst get 15% off when they sign up! Just use the code STPETE15.
Venuetize, a Tampa-based company that provides a seamless mobile experience for fans at sporting events, concerts, resorts, casinos and entertainment districs, has hired Lindsay St. Lawrence as chief product officer, a newly created role. Prior to joining Venuetize, St. Lawrence spent 14 years in roles that stretch across payments, data, analytics and strategy at leading companies such as Mastercard, Nielsen and IRI. The Venuetize platform helps people with everything from finding and paying for parking, tickets, food and beverages to navigating stadiums and signing up for loyalty programs. CEO Jon Romm, in a news release, said St. Lawrence’s experience will be vital to Venuetize’s efforts to add more advanced payment solutions and evolve its mobile solutions.
Regina Marrow has joined Tampa-based tech firm ConnectWise as chief information officer. She previously worked for Ernst & Young and Gerdau. At ConnectWise, one of Tampa Bay’s largest and most successful IT firms, Marrow will oversee the company’s global business and financial systems teams and initiatives, with the goal of delivering modern platforms to support and enable company growth and to improve the partner experience. “Regina’s vast experience in various challenging IT transformation roles has already led to valuable contributions to the company and to our executive leadership team,” ConnectWise CEO Jason Magee said in a prepared statement. “She is very accomplished in bolstering companies upward to the next level of success, and we look forward to the positive impact she’ll have on our colleagues and our partners in her role.”
Tampa-based Alzamend Neuro Inc. (NASDAQ: ALZN), a pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing products for neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders, celebrated its recent IPO and milestone. Company execs and others rang the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange on Monday in Times Square to celebrate the recent listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company has raised roughly $14.4 million in gross proceeds that will fund its next stage of developing products for the treatment and cures for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Both operations and human clinical trials for the products are anticipated to occur later in 2021 and beyond, according to a news release.
Kroger Co., one of the biggest grocery store chains in the U.S., has started delivering groceries in St. Pete. Kroger recently announced the opening of a 375,000-square-foot automated customer fulfillment center in Central Florida. The company uses more than 1,000 robots to start and complete a customer's order, according to a Kroger news release. The Cincinnati-based grocery chain started delivering groceries to St. Pete area shoppers in June by using its temperature-controlled Kroger delivery vans.
Event organizers are giving away free tickets for the 2021 Unlock Your Future Conference in Tampa. The conference is an inspirational and informational three-day event tailored for aspiring and current entrepreneurs. The event will run from Aug. 27 - Aug. 29 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay and will have 10 speakers. The organization plans to send at least 100 early-stage and aspiring entrepreneurs to the conference for free. To apply for a free ticket, interested parties should fill out this short form.
The Department of Public Works informed the St. Pete City Council Thursday that three departments have been working tirelessly to clean up dead fish along the bay side of the city. Resulting from a toxic Red Tide algae bloom, Parks and Recreation and the Sanitation department has joined Public Works in collecting around 6,500 dead fish – or four tons – as of Thursday. City workers retrieved the dead fish through the 4th of July holiday, and it is expected that more will wash ashore following the effects of Tropical Storm Elsa.
On Thursday, the Public Works Department updated the St. Pete City Council on supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic. Council was informed that an emergency procurement purchase was necessary for sodium hypochlorite, or bleach, as a backup disinfectant for the Odessa water treatment facility. While the city normally keeps a 14-day supply of chlorine gas, that dropped to only three days before residents would not have access to potable water. The chlorine gas supply is back to normal levels, and the city now has a backup system with bleach if the problem should arise again.
