A new grant to CareerEdge Funders Collaborative from Boeing will help employers cover training for manufacturing jobs in the region. Mireya Eavey, executive vice president of CareerEdge, said the funding provides both the opportunity to diversify the region’s economy and help local workers already working manufacturing lines to better themselves professionally.

“Someone can have an existing employee and want to assign them to a different area in a manufacturing plant,” Eavey explained. “They will need to train them for that, and we can provide half of the salaries to the employer. That will spur more upward mobility to individuals.”

CareerEdge can reimburse up to 50 percent of salaries up to $13 per hour and assist a total of 40 workers of job seekers over the course of the two-year grant from Boeing. The $125,000 in grant funding funds the program, which also prioritizes racial and gender diversity in the workforce and aims to develop employer leaders committed to building sustainable career development.

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce initiative is one of two sites nationwide selected for Boeing’s grant program to up-skill and increase wages for manufacturing workers.

The success comes on the heels of successful efforts like a Newtown HVAC Fast-Track training program approved in April by the Sarasota City Commission. That program aimed to train workers in a program to take in-demand jobs in the air conditioning field.

Eaves said, with the pilot program, everyone was hired into jobs, a tremendous measure for even a small program. “And most of these guys won’t start at less than $16 an hour,” she notes. Some moved straight from the program into jobs paying $40,000 a year.  

With everything from Sponge Fleece crop hoodies for winter to racerbacks and tanks for summer, Reef + Ledge apparel has the fishing community covered all year long with its high-end materials, original designs and in-house production team. And its most popular product? The Reeflex Tech Fishing Shirt.

Dyed with environmentally friendly inks, the chemical-free, UPF50+ Italian fabric contains moisture-wicking properties that ensure a cool, dry and sun-protected fit for every sunsoaked hour on land and at sea. And with anti-snag technology, natural antimicrobial fibers to eliminate fishy odors, active seam technology for stretchier and stronger fabric and a Midnight Ocean design, it’s the “TESLA of fishing shirts,” says Merry Beth Raymond, Managing Partner of Reef + Ledge.

Coming soon, Reef + Ledge will reveal four new color options for the Reeflex Tech line with two new hoodie options. Follow Reef + Ledge on Instagram and Facebook @reefandledge, then shop online or at the new storefront in the Historic Downtown Village. 

Photo courtesy of Chad Smith.

Reef + Ledge, 1853 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, 34236, @reefandledge.

What do you get when you combine fossils that are millions of years old, a meteorite that’s billions of years old, wild manatees that are being nursed back to health, and live presentations from astronomy and manatee experts that will blow your mind? The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature!

The Bishop in Bradenton offers something for everyone. Its July celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing is giving astronomy fans a month of events to geek out. The Museum’s Finding Florida special exhibition returns August 1, providing natural history nuts with an exhibition and a game all in one. Visitors choose an animal character – manatee, terror bird, giant ground sloth or armadillo – and imagine the choices they needed to make to migrate successfully from South America to Florida 3 million years ago. The manatees in the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat mesmerize animal aficionados and casual visitors alike. 

In early fall The Bishop opens the Mosaic Backyard Universe, a highly anticipated new permanent exhibition especially for kids 2 to 8 years old. And far from being “just a kids’ area,” the museum is creating something unique. Thanks to an early leadership gift from The Mosaic Company Foundation, The Bishop is building a place where kids can explore and learn, encouraging them to explore the world around them in a place many first start learning about science and nature – the backyard.

Visit The Bishop's website for Planetarium show schedules, manatee presentation schedules and more information to plan your visit. 

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature

To help address the root causes of chronic homelessness, the City of Sarasota launched the first homeless court in the state of Florida in collaboration with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court, Office of the State Attorney, Office of the Public Defender, Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness and Gulf Coast Community Foundation.  The court recently marked its six-month anniversary. In that time, 21 individuals voluntarily entered the program and five successfully graduated with the criminal charges dismissed.  Three were successfully housed.

Known as Community Care Court, cases are limited to homeless individuals charged with minor criminal activity within the Sarasota city limits. Homeless individuals facing non-violent misdemeanors or criminal violations of the Sarasota City Code, such as open container, trespassing, lodging out of doors, and public urination, may be eligible for this specialized court, which focuses on causes and solutions for homelessness. Individuals who volunteer to opt into the program may be diverted into available social service programs in the region’s Continuum of Care and other service providers for mental health screening, drug/alcohol assessment, employment and housing opportunities. 

The American Bar Association recently adopted a resolution urging local courts to adopt homeless court programs as a way to help transition chronic homeless from the streets through social services and ultimately to self-sufficiency. 

City of Sarasota

Intercoastal Medical Group has announced the addition of its newest specialty, Hematology & Oncology. Joining Intercoastal in creating this new specialty is fellowship-trained Penny Heinrich, MD, board-certified in Medical Oncology.

Prior to joining Intercoastal Medical Group, Dr. Heinrich established her own practice, Suncoast Cancer Institute, in Sarasota in 2015. She also has served as associate medical director for Tidewell Hospice, as well as served on the Board of Directors for the American Cancer Society in Sarasota. Her past experience includes as a medical oncologist/hematologist with The Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center in Thomasville, GA. She will continue seeing existing and new patients at her current office in the Midtown Medical Park. 

Intercoastal Medical Group

New College of Florida has named Loretta Shields as the college’s Assistant Vice President of Human Resources. She has spent most of her professional career as Executive Director of Benefits, Wellness and Compliance at Kent State University. She has also held human resources positions at the Norfolk Airport Authority, Chicago Title Insurance Company and the University of South Carolina. 

As Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, Shields’ primary responsibilities consist of providing leadership and guidance in the areas of classification, compensation/payroll administration, data analysis and reporting, employee benefits, recruitment and retention, employee relations, environmental health and safety/risk management as well as AFSCME and PBA bargaining unit negotiations.   

New College of Florida

The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust has provided Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County (BGCS) with a lead gift to expand the organization’s sixth Boys & Girls Club location in Arcadia. With authorization from Eric Kaplan and Dean Hautamaki, co-trustees of the Louis and Gloria Philanthropic Trust, the site will be named the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club. 

BGCS began operating this facility in July 2018 and providing children, ages 6 to 11, with year-round programs to help them excel in school, become leaders and adopt healthy habits. Children also receive healthy meals and snacks and foster meaningful relationships with peers and trusted mentors. The Club is currently serving at maximum capacity with nearly 75 children participating in programs each day. 

Earlier this year, the City of Arcadia transferred the lease of the Smith-Brown Recreation Center that sits adjacent to the building to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. The goal is to transform the structure into a multi-purpose gymnasium for youth with designated space for physical activities, project-based learning and education. The facility will also be available for community use outside of the Club’s operating hours, and will become a valuable community asset. 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County