1347 Property Insurance Holdings Inc. has relocated its corporate headquarters and principal executive offices from Tampa to St. Petersburg. The company is now based at 970 Lake Carillon Drive, according to a Dec. 6 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The move came a few days after 1347 PIH (Nasdaq: PIH) sold its homeowners’ insurance operations to FedNat Holding Co. (Nasdaq: FNHC) for $51 million in cash and stock. 1347 PIH said in a news release that it is now a diversified holding company with reinsurance and investment management businesses. It is considering changing its name and naming a new executive officer.
BB&T Corp. and SunTrust Banks Inc. are now a single company. The two banks completed a merger of equals over the weekend, creating Truist, the sixth largest U.S. commercial bank and the second largest retail bank in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area. Systems will be integrated over the next two years, the banks said in a news release. For now, customers can use their respective BB&T or SunTrust branches, websites, mobile apps, financial advisors and relationship managers. Customers can use either BB&T and SunTrust ATMs to make withdrawals without incurring out-of-network fees, the release said. Truist will trade under the ticker symbol TFC beginning today.
Steven Currall, president of University of South Florida, will be a keynote speaker at Synapse Summit 2020. Currall is the third, and final, keynote to be announced. Synapse earlier said Spanx CEO Sara Blakely and entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman would give keynote addresses at the summit, Feb. 11-Feb. 12 at Amalie Arena. The summit highlights innovation and celebrates entrepeneurship in Florida. Currall, who has been USF president since July 1, has said he’s confident that USF can become to the Tampa Bay region what Stanford has been to Silicon Valley.
WeWork Place is going to let you try it before you buy it. The co-working space at 501 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa will be hosting a welcome week Monday, Dec. 16 through Friday, Dec. 20 where guests are invited to work out of the space free of charge. Individuals must reserve a spot ahead of time here. On Wednesday, Dec. 18, there will be an official ribbon-cutting celebration led by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. Registration for that event is here. WeWork occupies three floors across 60,000 square feet in the building, with floors 14 and 15 now open, and floor 16 set to open during the second phase this summer. WeWork has obtained naming rights for the entire office building, which has been renamed WeWork Place.
Jamie Harden, president and CEO of Creative Sign Designs, passed the gavel as chair of the Tampa Bay Chamber to MaryAnn Ferenc, CEO of Mise En Place. The leadership transition took place at the organization’s annual meeting Thursday. Over the last year, Harden worked with Chamber leaders to initiate a workforce housing caucus, a news release said. There also were significant expansions of the Minority Business Accelerator, as well as Military, Emerging Leaders and Workforce Development programs, while advocacy and public policy efforts were implemented at the federal, state and local levels.
Tech Data Corp. paid $205 million in cash to buy DLT Solutions, a software and cloud solutions company focused on the U.S. public sector. Tech Data (Nasdaq: TECD), a Clearwater-based IT distributor, did not initially disclose the purchase price when the deal closed earlier this week but it was included in a quarterly report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday. The DLT acquisition enables Tech Data to proactively develop opportunities, accelerate growth and simplify complexity for its channel partners that are serving the U.S. public sector space, the filing said.
Immertec, a Tampa startup whose software platform allows surgeons to train in real-time through virtual reality, has a new brand identity, redesigned logo and website. The rebrand and new website reflect the next stage of growth and embody the company’s professional, innovative and playful spirit, a news release said. The redesigned website features 3D animations, easy-to-navigate pages and simplified messaging. It walks visitors through how Immertec’s proprietary technology works. The website is here.
The Cross-Bay Ferry between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa gained 25 percent in ridership numbers in November, carrying 11,622 passengers compared to 9,268 in November 2018. About six in ten ferry passengers said they only made the trip because the ferry was available, a news release said, and nearly eight in ten, or 78 percent, said they dined out after reaching their destination. Nearly a third visited museums or went to events and about 20 percent shopped. More than 60 percent of ferry passengers said they spent more than $40 person and another 20 percent spent between $15 and $40 a person. More than 90 percent of passengers said they strongly supported a plan to create year-round ferry service.
Concentrix CVG Corp., a a technology-enabled global business services company, said it is permanently closing one of its client programs located at its Tampa contact center at 6302 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The closure, planned for Jan. 17, could impact up to 245 workers, the company said in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification sent to Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity. Although the program is closing, Concentrix said it would maintain a presence in the area with a significant number of positions on another program. The company also said it was working aggressively to attract other client programs for the Tampa location.
Lantower Largo HWY 19 Tampa LP, a company associated with a Dallas-based multi-family developer, has bought a vacant eight-acre parcel in Largo for $6 million. The property, on U.S. Highway 19 just south of Whitney Road, sold for $800,000 over the asking price after the city of Largo proposed an increase in density for the area, according to a news release from Colliers International. The Gerlach Team, which includes John Gerlach, Mackenzie Gerlach, Jake Gerlach and Cyndi Cushman, represented the seller, Wilder, LLC. Bill Eshenbaugh of Eshenbaugh Land Company represented the buyer. The property is zoned for general commercial use, and the buyer hasn't disclosed plans for the property. However, the buyer shares a corporate address with Lantower Luxury Living, the property management division of Lantower Residential and with a portfolio of more than 7,500 apartments located in eight cities across Texas, Florida and North Carolina.
Jeffrey Jew, an alumnus of Bravo's "Top Chef," has unveiled plans for his first solo project. Named Lingr, the restaurant will be an upscale-casual eatery and bar at 400 6th St. S. in St. Petersburg. It's expected to open in the spring of 2020. The 150-seat restaurant and outdoor garden area will feature Nordic and Asian-inspired cuisine, representing Jew's love of the local area, his heritage and years of culinary experience, according to the website. Jew most recently was executive chef at 2B Hospitality, which operates Bella Brava and Stillwaters Tavern in St. Petersburg.
Seventeen local small businesses will have a spot at the Pier Marketplace on the new St. Pete Pier. The vendors will occupy 10 market-style tents and seven stalls in a solar panel covered promenade near the Pier's entrance just off Bayshore Drive. The businesses will have short-term leases and may rotate during the course of a year. The Marketplace initially will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. with extended hours of operation possible for special events. See a list of the vendors here.
