When GrowFL announced its 2017 list of Florida Companies to Watch, the Gulf Coast got a significant share of attention. From an incentive marketing company boasting eight at its Bradenton headquarters to a craft brewer shipping beer from a Sarasota distillery to a VoIP provider based in Venice, the firms in the region showed off the Sarasota-Manatee area as one enjoying disproportionate success in cultivating startup businesses.

“It affirms the recent significant national recognition our area has been receiving for being a great place for entrepreneurs to start and grow a business,” says Mark Huey, Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County president and CEO. “What is exciting about this particular recognition is that it growing growing businesses that are helping diversify our local economy, since most of their revenues are earned outside our market.”

Companies to Watch were selected from more than 500 applicants and were selected for being second-stage companies headquartered in Florida that demonstrated high performance in the market[lace with innovative strategies. Out of the 50 companies announced by GrowFL recognized for 2017, four hail from Sarasota County: AdRizer, Big Top Brewing Company, Clickbooth and Lightspeed Voice. 

Web companies earned particular attention. AdRizer, a Sarasota-based tracking platform for publishers seeking return on investment optimization and digital marketing analytics, specializes in real-time analysis of revenue partners for businesses. Clickbooth, a Sarasota digital advertising company, has been recognized nationally for its high customer acquisition rates. Light speed Voice, based out of Venice, offers cloud-hosted Voice-over-Internet-Protocol telecommunications, a business service growing in popularity. CEO Brad Fuller released a statement touting the GrowFL recognition. “Our company would be nothing without our amazing team of professionals, who work tirelessly to provide impeccable service to our national client base. It is because of their dedication that we continue to grow and thrive,” he says.

Of course, Sarasota brewery Big Top’s recognition came thanks to growth at the bar top, not the laptop.

Bradenton-based Xplor, an incentive marketing company, specializes in developing promotions for companies to build loyal customer bases and improve brand recognition. “Owning a small business is both rewarding and challenging,” says Anju Lynn, CEO and President. “For our efforts to be recognized is more than we can ask for.” 

Craftswomen in Rwanda bring their tradition of weaving to western storefronts with All Across Africa bowls, found in Terra Nova on St. Armands Circle. Constructed with chords of dyed sisal fibers and sweet grass, the structure takes on a spiral shape as they snake up into a concave formation. Tightly woven and eye-catching in design, the bowls take on a color block pattern, bringing in white, teal and green chords that seamlessly feed into one another. These bowls serve as a perfect catch all for keys and notepads, add a hand made touch of home décor and help support craftswomen who combine entrepreneurship with traditional weaving— a brief bio accompanies each piece, telling a story about the artist behind the bowl. Enjoy for $45. 

Photo by Shelby Schwartz.

Florida Studio Theatre has announced the appointments of Greg London as director of artistic operations and Becca Jennings as marketing director. In his role, London will serve as a “chief of staff” for the producing artistic director. This newly created position comes as a result of the tremendous growth seen in the last few years at Florida Studio Theatre. London will work as liaison with the production department and in casting and creative staff hiring, as well as the literary department and new play development. London comes to FST with over 20 years of professional theatre experience working with a variety of theatres across the country such as Celebration Music Theatre, The Palace Theatre, Richmond Free Shakespeare Festival and the Spoleto Festival, USA. In her role as marketing director, Jennings will oversee the entire marketing department and manage all aspects of public relations, communications, advertising, and digital/social media. Jennings previously served as marketing and communications manager for First Person Arts. 

Florida Studio Theatre

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative has partnered with Suncoast Technical College (STC) to offer a tuition-free plumbing technology certification program beginning this fall. The nine-month class will be held Monday through Friday, 7:45am–2:15pm, with both classroom and on-the-job training. While the focus is on young adults, the program is open to students of any age. Once they complete the program, graduates will be able to enter apprenticeships with local employers leading to plumbing jobs with average US wages of $54,000 a year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. CareerEdge will also fund internships for these plumbing students through its internship reimbursement program, whereby employers receive up to $1,500 for hiring an intern. The program provides financial incentives for local employers to utilize interns in high demand industries in order to meet their workforce needs. CareerEdge is also partnering with Manatee Technical College on express programs for plumbing and electrician certifications, and with Learning Alliance for a short-term broadband technician program. Suncoast Technical College will host an information session on August 8 from 5–7pm in the main atrium of its Sarasota campus at: 4748 South Beneva Rd., Sarasota. 

Suncoast Technical College

The Sarasota County School District will establish two full-time pilot programs for four-year-old children at Gocio Elementary, beginning in August. The program, approved by the School Board July 18, will include a three-year study to gauge the academic impact of high-quality preschool instruction on young children. The classes will be taught by two certified master teachers and two certified paraprofessionals. Students who live in the Gocio Elementary attendance zone will be eligible; the school is located at 3450 Gocio Road in Sarasota. The program is made possible through Joe and Mary Kay Henson, local philanthropists who founded the Eagle Academy at Alta Vista Elementary. The Hensons have committed $700,000 over a three-year period to fund the initial set-up and costs related to this study. The young students in the program will be immersed in learning through a curriculum incorporating a variety of experiences. Upon completion of their preschool experience, they will be able to transition into Gocio’s Summer Learning Academy. Students participating in the Academy will have the benefit of a year of school-based academic learning before beginning kindergarten. 

Gocio Elementary