A Tervis Tumbler sat on a table at the White House on Monday alongside American-made products from 49 other states of the union. As President Donald Trump issued a proclamation for the first “Made In America Day,” the Venice-made product stood in for the interests of Florida.

Rogan Donnelly, Tervis president, joined other manufacturers at a special ceremony in Washington, DC. “It's an honor to represent the 700 employees who design, decorate and build Tervis drinkware with American hands and values,” says Donnelly. While Tervis officials made clear on social media that participation in the event should not be seen as a political message, they also touted the invitation to represent the Sunshine State at an event designed “to highlight American-Made products that stimulate the economy and create jobs for American workers.”

President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both took the opportunity to boast about a record number of actions aimed at loosening regulations on American manufacturers. Trump repeated a major pledge of his campaign, to renegotiate trade agreements with nations overseas to better serve US companies. Specifically, he said he would demand reciprocity in tariffs, stating that countries that charge for certain American products to be imported should see like assessments levied when the same products come into the United States. “We’re going to have a level playing field,” says Trump. “I say level, but if the table’s slanted slightly toward us, I’d accept that also.” 

Tervis over the past decade stepped up production in Venice, expanding facilities and adding lines of products. Tervis tumblers and other products, while often made with materials produced overseas, get assembled exclusively at a plant in North Venice. Company officials also noted that all products were designed here and that Tervis employs in-house artists to create the original wraps and other elements decorating the glasses.

Trump at the ceremony stated that, as president, he will support policies that benefit companies doing their product creation here. “When we purchase products made in the USA, profits stay here, revenue stays here and jobs, maybe most importantly of all, stay here,” Trump says. “No longer are we going to allow other countries to break the rules, steal our jobs and drain our wealth. And it has been drained.” 

Functional and playful in design, Catstudio’s Florida dish towel, found in Gidget’s Coastal Provisions —a treasure trove for quintessential tropical gifts—acts as a whimsical map, pointing out all things special to the Sunshine State. The towel pays homage to Florida with colorful and creative designs screen-printed by hand, covering the front in an extremely busy fashion. The towel highlights vibrant cities as well as quieter destinations, jumping dolphins next to swaying palms and other quirky elements such as a lizard boating in the Gulf. A miniature Ringling is even incorporated into the bustling landscape, posing as a symbol of Sarasota’s arts and culture. Framed with hand embroidery, this towel is great for drying dishes, starting up a conversation or as an eye-catching gift.  

Gidget's Coastal Provisions, 5242 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key, 941-343-7646.

Gift your wardrobe a seriously darling addition with the Julie Brown Selina dress in pink ($132). Part of her 2017 Spring collection, this lightweight dress is equal parts spicy and flirty, with the option for a modest one-shoulder look or a more sultry full off-the-shoulder look. Boasting a tantalizing shade of pink, this dress transitions beautifully from a day at Siesta Beach to catching the sunset over a romantic dinner date.  Julie Brown never fails to design creations that make you feel beautiful and chic any time of day.

Photo Credit: Wyatt Kostygan 

Foxy Lady, 481 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34236. 941-388-5239

Foxy Lady

Williams Parker has announced that Colton F. Castro has joined the firm, where he will focus on estate planning and estate and trust administration. Castro received an LL.M. in Taxation, his J.D. and B.A., and an Estate Planning certificate from the University of Florida. Williams Parker has one of Florida’s largest and most sophisticated estate planning and administration practices. The firm’s estates and trusts attorneys are regularly engaged to provide the legal framework to address business succession, estate planning, tax planning and retirement planning goals as part of the smooth transition of clients’ businesses and estates to future owners and beneficiaries. This includes both lifetime and postmortem planning. When necessary, Williams Parker estate and trust attorneys represent clients, or their fiduciaries, in litigated estate and trust administration proceedings and in tax controversies involving estate and gift tax matters. The firm also has substantial experience working with family offices and a long history of coordinating with non-Florida lawyers and handling the Florida-specific portions of client representations. 

Williams Parker

Richard Miller of executive search firm Brooke Chase Associates has announced the successful placement of Anthony Passe as Territory Sales Rep in Austin, TX with Rinnai. Passe will be responsible for implementing sales plans, developing new business opportunities and conducting ongoing comprehensive product training to all sales outlets, distributors, gas utilities, builders, etc. He will manage the sales team functions and outputs to ensure the team is effectively maximizing every opportunity to achieve Regional and Corporate Sales objectives. Passe’s most recent position was as regional account manager with HD Supply. Rinnai America Corporation is the No. 1 brand in North America in the tankless gas water heater category and continues to lead the market by providing cutting-edge technology, innovative products and creative marketing programs. 

Brooke Chase Associates