A Florida Sports Foundation executive will take over leadership of Nathan Benderson Park this year just as the Sarasota venue prepares for its biggest moment on the world stage. The Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates announced on Monday that Stephen V. Rodriguez will come on as the organization’s president and CEO in August.

Rodriguez, who served the past 18 years as senior vice president at the sports foundation, says this opportunity attracted him because of how quickly Benderson park became recognized as a major venue. “I was looking at the potential of the facility and the potential it has as a world-class international facility but also as an outstanding community asset,” Rodriguez says.

He takes on his new post less than two months before the start of the World Rowing Championships, which run Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 and mark the arrival of the most prominent event at the venue to date. “Anyone in sports would be more than enthusiastic to be involved with such a high level event,” Rodriguez says. “All of us understand the importance of the World Rowing Championships to the rowing community. We want the park to serve as an outstanding venue, and we know all eyes will be on Nathan Benderson Park and Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

The publicly owned park also has been the subject of some controversy in recent years, with many questioning whether enough private funding had been raised to support improvements to the facility, making the arrival of a foundation executive in the CEO role especially notable. But Rodriguez would not speak to any potential shortcomings in fundraising for the park in the past, saying he would need to learn the internal operations before identifying any deficiencies.

But as far as his own background, he said one of his proudest achievements with the Florida Sports Foundation had been the continuous operation of the Sunshine State Games, now the longest standing state games in the country. “When the recession hit, state games throughout the country started folding. We were affected as well, but by changing some of the ways we do our event structure and the way we do business, we were able to not only keep the games alive but keep growing,” he says.

Similarly, he also oversaw significant growth in the Florida Senior Games, which grew from being chiefly a recreational event to becoming a highly competitive outing. Along those lines, he says sports hold the potential for improving not only the tourism and visitor economy but in providing for an active and healthy lifestyle for those living here all year.

Rodriguez will be the third CEO for the organization. Paul Blackketter, who helped develop the park as a sporting venue during his time at Benderson Development, came on as SANCA’s first CEO in 2009 and announced his departure from the organization April 2016. Bob Sullivan came on last year but announced earlier this year he would retire by the end of the calendar year. When Rodriguez begins in August, Sullivan will stay on as long as needed during the leadership transition. 

Editor’s Note: This is part 29 of an ongoing series documenting the flights of active-duty US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin on his journey to fly 52 planes in 52 weeks through the year 2017.

Flying doesn’t have to be about pushing the limits or getting that adrenaline rush. Sometimes flying is just about relaxing—about soaring through the air, seeing the sights and taking joy in the wonder of flight. And after a busy two weeks flying around the UK taking off from Lincoln, England with Colin Law in his Ikarus C42, Rankin found exactly that.

A pharmacist by trade, Law’s passion for flight doesn’t come from past military service or thrill seeking, but in that pure enjoyment of the act. And the C42 fits perfectly. German-built and introduced in the late ‘90s, the C42 forgoes the fancy for a relatively stripped down flying machine designed to comfortably and efficiently cruise the skies alone or with a friend. Powered by a Rotax 912 engine (a common and reliable engine Rankin has encountered many times this year) and comprising largely of a cockpit and a simple support beam wrapped in Kevlar-like material extending out as the tail and body. A “pleasure craft,” says Rankin, the C42 found its fans as a safe and easy-to-maintain craft. Minus many of the frills of more expensive craft, “a lot less can go wrong,” he says.

Flying over the English countryside for roughly half an hour or so, Rankin revels in the change of scenery and its green rolling hills—and its history. With Law as his guide, the pair flies low, picking out details. They look down on Lincoln Cathedral—once the tallest building in the world, a title claimed from the Great Pyramid of Giza in 1311 and lost to St. Mary’s Church in Stralsund, Germany in 1549—and Law points out the numerous WWII-era airstrips dotting the countryside, some still active, others still bearing marks of the war.

It’s the decompression that Rankin needs, and he slips into the zone, just flying to fly. In a simple craft like the C42, it’s just him and the sky. “You can just take a second and let the moment last a little while longer,” he says. With every flight, Rankin dips again into the stream that is the history of aviation and wonders at the opportunity. “It’s incredible how far we’ve come,” he says.

For more about the flight in Rankin's own words and a video of the flight, follow the link below. 

Pictured: Ryan Rankin and Colin Law fly the Ikarus C42. Photo courtesy of Ryan Rankin.

Ryan Flies

One aspect that working women’s clothing typically lacks tends to be the one most desired, comfort. The second that women arrive home, stiff dresses and blazers are exchanged for pairs of leggings and sweatshirts; but what if it didn’t have to be this way? The Señorita Dress from Soft Surroundings combines the coziness of athleisure with the formality of work attire with its off-the-shoulder style and bright colors and pattern, effortlessly transitioning from the boardroom to the beach. Featuring a cloud rating of a two, a scale developed in-house to measure the softness of an item, and being described as “heavenly soft,” this dress won’t hold anyone back. From shoes, to jewelry, to makeup, Soft Surroundings has a created a brand focusing on comfortable and stylish women’s clothing able to be worn at home, work or play. 

Image courtesy of Soft Surroundings.

Soft Surroundings, 140 University Town Center Dr. Suite 140, Sarasota, 941-552-7000.

Venice Regional Bayfront Health has named Maria Caruso the hospital’s chief financial officer (CFO). Caruso had been serving as interim CFO since April 2017. Caruso has a decade of experience in financial management of hospitals and health care systems. Prior to joining Venice Regional as assistant chief financial officer in 2015, she served as controller for Deaconess and Valley hospitals in Spokane, Washington. She previously worked as a financial analyst and staff coordinator for Community Health Systems in Franklin, Tennessee. Caruso holds a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in economics from the University of Florida and a master’s degree with a specialization in finance from Argosy University. 

Venice Regional Bayfront Health

ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design has announced the hire of Jason Baxter to accommodate new growth in Manatee and Sarasota counties. As a new account executive for ArtisTree’s North Branch, Baxter will oversee foremen and crews serving homeowner associations in Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas. Jason has more than 19 years of industry experience and has received his Florida Horticulture Certified Professional certification from FNGLA (Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association). Founded in 1990, ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design specializes in planned community/commercial maintenance and landscape design/installation. Services include community maintenance, pest control, irrigation, tree service, landscape design and installation, hardscape installation and landscape lighting. 

ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design