Sarasota-Bradenton ranks No. 2 nationally; Tampa/St. Pete is No. 14.
Tampa Bay Business Journal - July 13, 2007
By G. Scott Thomas, Jane Meinhardt and Michael Hinman

Lan Ha, co-owner and partner of Kaleisia Tea Lounge, makes tea and fruit smoothies for lunch-hour customers.

If you’re seeking the ideal place to grow a small business, Florida is the place to be.
Four of America’s five best markets for small businesses are in Florida, led by No. 1 Orlando, and No. 2 Sarasota/Bradenton, a new study from Bizjournals shows.

"Construction has scaled back, but we’re still seeing substantial growth in Florida," said Mark Vitner, senior economist for Wachovia Corp. (NYSE:WB) "Overall, Florida remains a very good place to do business." Read more here >>

Joe Cortright, Economist with Impresa Consulting, authored two of CreativeTampaBay’s research projects, the Young and the Restless and Things Look Different Here.  In the research for Portland he explores the economic impact of going green.

What if you could add $2.6 billion annually to your local economy?
That’s what Portland has effectively done by getting its citizens to drive just 4 fewer miles a day, according to a briefing paper by our colleague Joe Cortright called Portland’s Green Dividend. What Joe found has big implications for urban leaders across the country.

As a result of enacting a growth boundary, increased density, mixed land uses, and investments in public transportation, walking and biking, Portlanders are saving time and money on transportation that gets funneled back into the local economy.

Critics have long characterized Portlanders as “depriving themselves in the name of saving the environment.” Some have argued that “planning, policies and regulations that restrict use or access to resources impede growth and lower household income.”

But the new study found that assumption is simply not true. There is, in fact, a Green Dividend that accrues to cities willing to make certain choices about urban form and transportation.
Click here to download the full paper. Members will receive a copy in the mail.

Questions? Comments? Email ccoletta@ceosforcities.org. Or go to the CEOs for Cities blog and join the discussion.

www.changethis.com 

Andrew Winston In late 2006, Andrew Winston co-authored Green to Gold, a book detailing what companies must do to ‘go green.’ Here, he writes an original reflection on the recent trends and remaining challenges in the greening of business. http://changethis.com/36.01.Greening  

Bob Barancik and Peter Kageyama share the last word on the Forbes article

The Forbes Article Excludes Tampa Bay’s Real Assets
According to Forbes magazine, Tampa is one of the worst metropolitan areas for the Young & the Restless to reside in the continental United States.

Bob & Amy have lived in several major metros and have a reasonable sense of life at street level in most of the creative and economic hot spots in America — and it is a real mixed bag.

Living in a glamorous, high-profile urban environment where the cost is of living is in the stratosphere is a terrible strain for most young people — even those with great jobs. But being in a place with that much glamour, culture, and nightlife has an allure. The flipside of living where everyone is grasping, dissatisfied, self-absorbed, single, and focused strictly on their status warps and diminishes any sense of humanity or basic human decency. It can also be quite lonely.

Read the full story and provide us with your feedback, click here >>

Stageworks Announces a Staged Reading of a New Play About a Crisis In Children’s Health
July 17, 7 PM

On Tuesday, July 17, Stageworks will present a staged reading of Peter Neil Nason’s original play King Moonracer, one of three winners of Stageworks’ 2006 Florida Playwrights Staged Reading Series. It is based on playwright Nason’s experience as a teacher in Los Angeles and depicts the challenges of working with autistic students. The play includes innovative monologues that allow the audience to enter the minds of these troubled but often creative individuals. STAGEWORKS annually produces LONGJOHNS, an artistic enterprise that is dedicated solely to the artistic development of Florida playwrights. TBPAC’s Shimberg Playhouse, July 17, at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $5, $3. Call 813-229-STAR for info.

Appearing on Tampa Bay’s Media Talk
July 19, 6 PM

Media Talk co-hosts Janet Sherer and Rob Tiisler welcome "Creative of the Week" Todd Grant, executive creative director at Cole Weber United in Seattle, who will talk about marketing integration and his life and times with the Budweiser bullfrogs. Media Talk is a live weekly, global webcast at www.TampaBaysMediaTalk.com between 6PM and 7PM each Thursday. Segments are available at Google, YouTube, AOL, iTunes and gcast; search word: Media Talk Tampa.

Music of the Harlem Renaissance: An Evening of Elegant Music
July 19, 7:15 - 8:15 PM

Music performed by Vincent Sims Jazz Quintet on Thursday, July 19, 7:15 - 8:15 PM at the Studio@620, 620 First Avenue South, St. Pete. This public event is free and funded by: Al Downing Tampa Bay Jazz Association, Inc. and the Florida Humanities Council. For further information call 727-895-6620.

TMA’s Art After Dark with Starbucks
July 20, 8-11 PM

A themed after-hours museum event that offers live music, performances and entertainment, culinary delights, libations and so much more. Third Friday of each month.$10 admission. Members free.

SouthShore Friends Book Sale
July 20, 9 AM – 6 PM &
July 21, 9 AM – 5 PM

The Friends of the SouthShore Library will hold a book sale at the SouthShore Library on Friday and Saturday, July 20th and 21st. A Silent Auction of about 10 books published by The Easton Press will be auctioned individually. Each book is in "perfect" condition, leather bound with raised spine, 22kt. gold cover text and tool work, moiré fabric endsheets, and satin ribbon page markers. Titles include A Tale of Two Cities, The Iliad of Homer and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The sale will also have a very large selection of books sold in the "Buck A Bag" sale format. You can fill a bag with your choice of books for $1.00! All of the Funds from the sale will go to provide free Literacy, Art and Environmental programs for children and adults at the SouthShore Regional Library. Please call Jim Duffy at 813-634-1396 if you can help for a few hours on Friday or Saturday.

Ten Steps to Starting Your Own Business
July 24, 7 - 9 PM

On Tuesday, July 24 at 7 PM, the Pinellas County Chapter of SCORE (The Service Corps of Retired Executives) will host a free seminar on the Ten Steps to Starting a Small Business at the Tarpon Springs Library. Registrations are requested. Materials and handouts are provided. Please stop by or call the library to sign up. SCORE offers no-fee counseling to any small business owner who wants to grow his or her enterprise. SCORE is a cadre of successful retired executives dedicated to giving something back to the community. Some have worked for Fortune 500 companies but many are self motivated entrepreneurs. Their experience covers management, marketing, sales, manufacturing, purchasing, human resources and finance. Tarpon Springs Library is located at 138 East Lemon Street, Tarpon Springs. Call 727-943-4922 to register and for more information.

Opening Reception for Two Diverse Exhibitions
July 27, 7-9 PM  

The Gulf Coast Museum of Art hosts an opening reception for two exhibits Friday, July 27, 7 - 9 PM, William Oliver’s Evolution of Movement and Pablo Siebel’s Reflexiones Intimas. Artist Talk with Pablo Siebel, 6:30 PM. Museum & MS Society Members free. Guests $10 RSVP to 727-518-6833 ext. 207 or by email sponsored by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of North America, Mid-Florida Chapter. The Gulf Coast Museum of Art is located at 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo.

Frankly Sinatra Show Benefits Local Charities
July 28

Here’s a little sample of what’s in store for you on Saturday July 28 at the Cuban Club in Ybor City Tampa. Click on this link to see The 22 piece Don Juceam Orchestra in action.  Then link to WWW.CUBANCLUB.ORG and make your ticket reservations. Your ticket includes all of the following: The 5 star “Frankly Sinatra” show, heavy hors d’oeuvres from five of Tampa Bay’s great caterers, and the Cuban Club open bar.  This is an easy choice: one price gets you one terrific evening of entertainment, dinner and drinks and your support of these great organizations- Moffitt Cancer Center, Veterans with Disabilities, All Children’s Hospital. See you on the dance floor!

“Wild About Art” Show
July 29, 3 – 7 PM

On 29 July 2007 from 3 to 7 PM the Resort and Club at Little Harbor will be hosting the second Annual “Wild About Art” Show.  This show is free and open to the public. It features one dozen of Central Florida’s finest artists who feature wildlife and natural themes in their work.  Artwork will be on featured for display and sale. The Resort is located at 611 Destiny Drive in Ruskin and directions can be found at www.staylittleharbor.com.  For more information concerning show details and artist to be featured please call 813-645-3291 and ask for extension 414.

Inkwood Books Sponsors Get Caught Reading Program
Through August 31  

Enter Inkwood Books’ annual photo contest and win a $100 dollar gift certificate and a poster of your winning entry. The winning photo will be displayed in the bookstore, on their website (www.inkwoodbooks.com) and MySpace page (www.myspace.com/inkwood). Deliver or send (email or mail) a photo of your favorite reader caught doing what we love best by August 31. Winners will be announced in September. (Inkwood is not responsible for photo entries). Get Caught Reading is a national campaign of our friends at the American Association of Publishers (www.getcaughtreading.org).

Planning Commission Seeks Citizen Input on
Changes to Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan

The Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission has been asked by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners to aggressively seek comments on proposed changes to the county’s Comprehensive Plan.  In a major effort to educate citizens on the Comprehensive Plan and also give them the opportunity to comment on proposed changes, Planning Commission staff will hold a series of four “Open House Dates” in June and July.  Citizen comments will be provided to the Board of County Commissioners for review prior to a series of public hearings to adopt formal changes to the comprehensive plan.   Open House meetings have been scheduled from 5:30 - 7:30  pm

• Thursday, July 19
  SouthShore Regional Library
  15816 Beth Shields Way
  Ruskin, FL 33573
  South CountyArea
• Thursday, July 26
  AlonsoHigh School
  8402 Montague Street
  Tampa, FL 33635
  Town N’ Country/Citrus Park Area

For more information on the comprehensive plan updates or to schedule a Planning Commission staff member to contact your group about a making a presentation, contact Tony LaColla at 273-3774, ext. 350 or visit the Planning Commission website at www.theplanningcommission.org.

A Global Effort To Empower Youth Through Music
July 21, 6- 11 PM

Project Ahimsa’s 2007 Global Youth & Music Summer Benefit will be hosted on July 21st from 6 to 11 PM at the Royal Theater in midtown St. Petersburg in celebration of local and global music programs in an evening of African and South Asian sound, movement, tastes, sights, and unity.  In addition to helping youth of Project Ahimsa, attendees will enjoy: Performances by Bay Area Sponsored Youth; Tribal Style’s Roots-Rock Sounds; Catered Caribbean, African American, and South Asian Cuisine; Open Beer & Wine Bar; Silent Auction; Live Art by Whiskey Dog Print Shop; and a vibe charged by globally recognized performance and visual artists.  Proceeds from this event will benefit Project Ahimsa programming with the Boy’s & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast, Tampa Bay Children’s Chorus, and help launch new music programming in Tanzania, Africa at Global Alliance for Africa’s Tumaini Vocational Training Center.

Green Drinks
July 20, 5-7 PM

Hobnob, network, and commune with your fellow green building and development professionals at the sixth Green Drinks. Held the third Friday of every month starts at 5 PM and goes to 7 PM.  Expect green building and development professionals, from architects to engineers to project managers to developers to attorneys to homebuilders. Where: Fly Bar and Restaurant. 1202 Franklin St., Downtown Tampa.    

You may subscribe/unsubscribe to this newsletter by clicking here. If you have a story idea, information on an upcoming event or wish to submit a by-lined article, please email Donna Manion .  Please submit events in paragraph form like the formatting in this newsletter. You may include graphics which will be used at the editor’s discretion. If you are having problems receiving this newsletter, contact the CTB webmaster.

Special thanks to this week’s BUZZ volunteers:

Editor: Donna Manion

Creative Contributors: Deanne Roberts, Megan Hendricks

Community Columnists: Bob Barancik & Peter Kageyama

Design and Distribution: Sean Kelly