Sarasota native, Ivan Stoltzfus, completed his almost six month cross-country tractor drive Saturday, October 12. The retired farmer journeyed many of America's county and state roads in a modified 1948 John Deere tractor he refers to as “Johnabilt”, which reached top speeds daily of 14 MPH. Stoltzfus lived on the road and slept in his RV trailor.

From a young age, Stoltzfus was captivated by his father’s stories of traveling across the U.S., and he always had a dream of one day being able follow in his footsteps. While going through the process of what it would take to make this dream a reality, Stoltzfus realized he needed a purpose to drive him the thousands of miles.  Although he never served in the military, he always had an devotion to those who had. This admiration developed into the idea to travel the country to raise money and awareness for veterans and first responders. Stoltzfus teamed up with Operation Second Chance (OSC) for his venture to create the Across America for Wounded Heroes initiative. 

The national nonprofit is known for its dedication in providing financial and emergency assistance to America's wounded, ill and injured service members. Additionally, the nonprofit's veteran retreat program has a strong presence within Sarasota, and is run by former military officers who volunteer and donate all of their time—proving that life in the service doesn’t end when you retire. 

Stoltzfus started his journey in Germantown, Maryland in May before heading across the motherland to Red Lodge, Montana, arriving in time for one of OSC’s Veteran Retreats. From Red Lodge, he traveled south through Texas before heading his way back to his home in Sarasota. Along the way, he met many veterans who shared their stories and donated personal items forStoltzfus to hang in his tractor as he continued on for the cause. Some of these gifts include a service members' Purple Heart medal, old photographs from war, military patches, mass cards of relatives passed and more. His 5500-mile journey concluded as he rolled into the Der Dutchman restaurant on Bahia Vista with a local crowd applauding at the finish line of his philanthropic pursuit.  

For more information about OSC and Across America for Wounded Heroes, visit here.

PGT Innovations a national leader in the premium window and door category, recently revealed its 24,500-square-foot iLab, an extension of the business that serves as a product incubator and micro-factory, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday. The new iLab operations include creating prototypes, developing initial product builds, and, if needed, assisting in setting up mass-production plans for products. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees toured iLab, viewed its products and heard from PGT Innovations executives and Venice Mayor John Holic. The crowd also saw an impact-resistant glass demonstration, a part of PGT Innovations’ stringent testing protocols. 

“The iLab supports PGT Innovations’ mission to manufacture highly engineered and technically advanced products that can withstand some of the toughest weather conditions and revolutionize the way people live by unifying indoor and outdoor living spaces," said Jeff Jackson, President and CEO of PGT Innovations. "With this state-of-the-art facility, we’ve brought together an exceptional team of inventors, tinkerers, engineers, and dreamers who also have in-depth industry knowledge.” 

Located at 3440 Technology Drive in North Venice.

Sarasota County Schools is pleased to announce that Brentwood Elementary School’s John Weida is the 2020 Principal of the Year, and Booker High School’s Merlin Schenk is the 2020 Assistant Principal of the Year. Both recipients were recognized at district administrative and school staff meetings this week. “Our district is privileged to have many highly experienced, talented leaders,” said Todd Bowden, superintendent of Sarasota County Schools. “John Weida and Merlin Schenk epitomize the stellar qualities we prioritize in all of our school leadership. Mr. Weida and Mr. Schenk have each been unquestionably impactful to the various school communities they have served over the years. It’s our hope that our principals and assistant principals continually develop their skills and areas of expertise, as well as encourage their colleagues to strive for excellence.”

Sarasota County Schools has received two prior Florida Principal of the Year awards. Alta Vista Elementary’s Dr. Barbara Shirley received the honor in 2014, and Booker High School’s Dr. Rachel Shelley received the honor in 2017. 

Haus of Trikes & Bikes, a local motorcycle dealership with headquarters in Fort Myers, will expand its operations into Bradenton with a second dealership on 6823 14th St. West. The dealership will showcase over 100 motorcycles, Trikes, ATVs and Side by Sides on over 10,000 Square Feet. A state of the art service center will provide repairs and custom builds for all metric brands, Harley Davidson models and ATVs. The new location will be carrying, as an official dealership, Royal Enfield motorcycles as well as CF Moto ATVs, UTVs and Side by Sides. Similar to the headquarters in Fort Myers, the dealership in Bradenton will be specialized in providing trike conversions and certified pre-owned motorcycles. The grand opening is targeted for mid November. 

Senior Advisors, Tony Veldkamp, CCIM and Bob Morris of SVN Commercial Advisory Group recently coordinated the purchase and sale of  a 9,580 SF, 1.1 acre, Medical Surgery Center in Bradenton. BATH, LLC, was the seller, represented by both Veldkamp and Tom Brown with Wagner Realty. The buyer was represented by Morris. Purchase price was $3,600,000. The asset will remain as a single tenant, triple net investment property occupied by Coastal Orthopedics Group, who use it as their Lakewood Ranch surgery center. 

James Crutchfield, who launched and has led the County's successful Community Paramedic program in 2016, has been named Chief of Emergency Medical Services. The Community Paramedic Division will now fall within EMS, allowing the Public Safety Department to focus its efforts in both pre-hospital emergency medicine and preventative healthcare for patients in need. Acting Public Safety Director Jacob Saur said it was a clear-cut decision to ask James to oversee the Emergency Medical Services Division.  

The Community Paramedicine Team has graduated more than 400 patients since 2016. It has also diverted nearly 1,200 ambulance trips and loaned more than 285 pieces of durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, scooters and hospital beds. The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is now reviewing the Community Paramedic Program to evaluate the processes and overall successes of the program. USF has measured cost savings $3.5 million through their evaluation process.

Because of his success, James has gained recognition from the State of Florida Department of Health and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight which is the state EMS regulating authority. He received the 2018 EMS Injury Prevention Award, serves as the co-chairperson for the Florida EMS Advisory Council’s Access to Care Committee and a board member for Manatee County’s Health Alliance and is active in many local health collations. 

The public has another opportunity to weigh in on the future of transportation in Sarasota when the City hosts two community workshops later this month. The City is in the second phase of “Sarasota in Motion,” the first citywide transportation master plan. Sarasota in Motion will serve as a playbook for how the City not only invests in transportation infrastructure, but also how it achieves the community’s long-term quality of life goals. Anyone who lives, works or plays in Sarasota is invited to attend one of the two upcoming workshops and share their thoughts on what they would change about the City’s transportation network, how our streets can be safer and how travel options can be expanded. Both workshops will be held Tuesday, October 22, with two options offered that day:

• Workshop No. 1: 11:30 am - 1 pm at the Selby Public Library auditorium, 1331 First St.
• Workshop No. 2: 4 - 5:15 pm at Selby Goodwill Manasota-Newtown, 1781 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way

In addition to the workshops, an interactive online feedback map is now available at SarasotaInMotion.com. Citizens can zoom in on specific streets, intersections and routes on the interactive map and post their comments and ideas. For more information on the transportation master plan, to provide your input or to subscribe to the email list for future updates and events, email SarasotaInMotion@SarasotaFL.gov. 

Now available to view online, Rising Rosemary highlights the diverse businesses and happenings that are taking place in Sarasota's Rosemary District. Download a copy of this special section to use as your go-to guide while you explore this dynamic, bustling neighborhood. 

Click here to view the feature