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For the Week Beginning Monday, February 11th, 2007
Business churning is a measurement of the creation of new companies and the failure of existing companies as a share of total firms (small businesses with employees). Churning increases as the number of new start-ups and existing business failures per year increase. A high level of business churning can be a major driver of innovation and growth, since it can indicate the presence of entrepreneurial activity and the transition to new industries. Using data from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, the State Science and Technology Institute has prepared a table showing how each state and the District of Columbia has ranked in business churning over the past seven years. Florida ranked eighth in 2006, remaining in the top 10 since 2001. Nevada, Utah and Washington have consistently occupied the top three spots. Click on this link to see the complete rankings: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/013008t.htm.
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of South Florida received a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation. The endowment will be used to advance learning opportunities for older adults in the Tampa area. Read more>>
To listen to an interview with Barrett conducted last year by Bob Barancik, artist and author of Creative Share, a frequent feature of the Buzz, click here.
By Emily Burts
I am proud to be a part of the 38th year of the festival as the Volunteer Coordinator. This festival is one of only a few of its size that is 100% volunteer-run, relying on more than 400 individuals to help make this year’s festival another success. We have two thirds of the volunteer slots filled, but many positions are still available, such as Artist Hospitality, Traffic Assistance, Festival Greeters and Signage. You’ll have fun, enjoy spending the weekend outdoors, see beautiful art from all over the country - over 300 artists participate – plus receive an official festival t-shirt for volunteering! This is my second year as Volunteer Coordinator, and it has been a really rewarding experience to be involved with the Festival. There is a sense of accomplishment that inspires me to keep volunteering and urging others to get involved as well as great satisfaction in knowing that I’ve helped make the festival happen! Other volunteers have said the same thing to me. To sign up, or for more information, go to http://www.gasparilla-arts.com/volunteer/index.htm. There you’ll find descriptions about the areas in need and time slots available. Most positions require only three hours so being a volunteer doesn’t have to take up your entire day! You can also call me at 727-567-5896. Come out to enjoy this great event – whether you’re a volunteer or just want to attend, it will be an event not to miss! Hours are 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday and admission is free.
Industry Outlook 2008: Shades of Green
Just released: State of Green Business 2008 On Wednesday the website GreenBiz.com released a big report on the "State of Green Business.(pdf)" Working mainly with government agency numbers, they scored the economy as a whole to be "treading water" in 10 categories, "sinking" in two, and "swimming" in eight. Read the report>>
Young & Restless: Under 35(ish) in Tampa Bay
The move was supposed to be temporary. Seattle, I thought, called me; maybe Austin could be my next home. But not the Tampa Bay area, a place I’d wanted to leave so badly after graduating from Plant High in 1997 that spending my college years in rural Massachusetts actually sounded like a trade up. These days, it seems nearly everyone I meet between the ages of 24 and 35 recently moved here from somewhere else. Many, like me, are returning to a hometown that has grown tremendously in the last 10 years. Others have arrived for the first time—from NYC, Chicago, Atlanta or Orlando, to name a few—lured by palm trees or the hope of marginally lower rents and home prices (compared to New York, at least) or affordable education. When they get here, these highly educated and highly mobile workers face some tough dilemmas. Does a great job in downtown Tampa outweigh a feeling that there’s not much to do in the area after hours? Does a new condo in St. Pete mitigate an awful commute or dim prospects for regional transit? Many of these “young and restless” types wind up caught between a moderate level of satisfaction with life here and wondering if they should make the jump to a different pond. I know how they feel. Since moving back in 2004, I’ve unexpectedly encountered career opportunities as a freelance writer that would never have been available to me in a bigger and more competitive market; 300-plus days of sunshine a year have sweetened the pot. Though I now feel grounded in Tampa, thoughts of New York’s vibrant community of 20- and 30-somethings or unparalleled cultural attractions are never more than about 5 minutes from my mind. At CreativeTampaBay, supporting and growing the young and restless contingent of our community has been a longtime goal, so I’m happy to announce that we’ll be starting a new column in the Buzz devoted to the concerns of the 35-and-under set. (That age range isn’t meant to be exclusionary; contributors on the topic are welcome regardless of age. Just email me.) In the coming weeks, you’ll hear from folks who’ve just arrived, folks who have been working for years to make the Bay area a better place, and even folks who’ve decided to jump ship. I hope these columns will spark informal discussions about what living here is like for the area’s next generation of leaders–or at least make some folks feel like they’re not alone. Stay tuned…
On the Easel: Alison Saar
Tampa Bay's Media Talk
Tampa Bay Technology Leadership Association Membership Drive Panel discussion: "It's a Virtual World" at The University of Tampa, Vaughn Center, 7:30 a.m. Virtual worlds such as Second Life are generating interest from both a marketing and social networking perspective. This panel will discuss what's currently being done and what the future may hold for virtual worlds. RSVP to Dale Hempel at dalehempel@earthlink.net or 813-220-5332. Washington Week Taping with PBS Host Gwen Ifill
Trashy Treasures
Art After Dark
Herbfest
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Voice Over Seminar with Brian Fasulo
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 Megan Voeller. 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: |
02.11.08
CreativeTampaBay.com 02.11.08 - by admin
For lots of regions, especially declining ones, universities have come to be seen as economic saviors, at least since people started talking about Stanford University's role in the rise of California's Silicon Valley. One leading Valley entrepreneur, asked for "the secret" of the area's success, replied, tongue-in-cheek: "Take one great research university. Add venture capital. Shake vigorously." The idea actually sells universities short. It oversells their commercial role and underestimates their other contributions. 
This week on Florida Matters; the Century Commission was created by state lawmakers several years ago to help map out a blueprint for ways to accommodate Florida's growing population while maintaining quality of life. It just released a new report. Join us to discuss what's in that report and what's ahead for Florida's future. Guests: Rick Baker, Mayor of St. Petersburg and Chair of the Century Commission; Susan Glickman, US Southern Region Director with The Climate Group. 
Artist Jack Barrett dealt in metaphors. Hundred of collectors own pieces he painted by "divine guidance," a feeling that he couldn't quite explain. 
The Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is quickly approaching! This premiere outdoor art show, one of the country’s finest, will be held March 1-2 in downtown Tampa.
Across the state, the commercial real estate industry leads Florida businesses on the green path, says Charles Kibert, a building-construction professor at the University of Florida and leading expert in the field. But while many Florida business and governments are undergoing environmental tuneups to meet consumer demand and forthcoming mandates, others are backing away from green initiatives in response to economic conditions.
In August 2004, I did something I swore I would never do. Taking stock of my 700-sq.-ft. Manhattan apartment (a space I shared with two other women and a cat) and my prospects of finding a “meaningful” job after graduate school, I bailed on New York City and moved back to my hometown: Tampa.
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art’s monthly program On the Easel will feature a selection by African American artist Alison Saar in honor of African American History Month. Museum registrar and curator Annette Gordon will discuss Saar’s 1993 artwork Man Club, a large format print. The program will be held in the Museum Lobby at noon on Wednesday, February 13, 2008, and is free with Museum admission. 
Media Talk co-hosts Janet Sherer and Rob Tiisler join Business Buddies, Tampa’s monthly networking event, as they webcast live from Mangroves Seafood Grille & Bar in Soho. Guests include Brad Freeman, president of Business Buddies, and Sarah Combs, program supervisor; Shane Meade, lead singer of The Sound; PJ Leonard, executive producer of independent film The Messenger; and Nancy Vaughn of Fashion Week Tampa Bay. 
PBS host Gwen Ifill will be the honored guest of a reception co-sponsored by the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists Feb. 15, when she brings her show Washington Week to St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater. After the 3 p.m. taping, which includes a half-hour local show to be aired on WEDU-Ch. 3 after her national version, Ifill will come to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies for a fundraising appearance. Her meet-and-greet reception co-sponsored by TBABJ will follow that appearance, starting at 7:15 p.m. at the Poynter Institute, 800 Third St. South, St. Petersburg. Friends and members of the TBABJ will be able to attend the reception for free. Please email us if you plan to attend, though walk-ups are welcome. 
Trashy Treasures, the pre-loved Art Sale at the Dunedin Fine Art Center exemplifies the age-old adage that one person’s trash is really another person’s treasure. Gently used art, art supplies, and other artsy stuff gets spiffed-up and arranged for your shopping pleasure at two events, both of which will be held at the new DFAC Classroom Annex at 614 Main St, Dunedin. The first is a Trashy Treasure Preview Party on Friday, February 15th from 6:30-8:30pm. Shoppers are invited to wear your trashy duds! Admission is $10 at the door and there will be complimentary hot dogs, popcorn as well as beer & sodas. The second event is the Trashy Treasures Art Sale on Saturday, February 16th, from 10am -2pm. 
The Tampa Museum of Art will present the first public event at its new, interim location on Friday, February 15, from 8 - 11 p.m. The popular third Friday event, Art After Dark with Starbucks, will feature the work of West Tampa artists Edgar Sanchez Cumbas, Chalet Comellas, Lynn Manos, Kathie Olivas, Guillermo Portieles, Tracy Middula Reller and Alex Torres. Music will be provided by Chris Walker and Roberto Maldanado. The museum's interim facility is located in the newly refurbished historically significant building, Centro Español, 2306 N. Howard Ave., Tampa. Admission is free for museum members and $10 for non-members. 
Herbfest is a celebration with educational lectures and all types of vendors selling fresh herbs, spices, plants, herbal beauty and nutritional products, gift and craft items, and more. This year, Monica Brandies, well-known gardening book author for Better Homes and Gardens and contributor to Florida Gardening magazine, will lead the lectures that begin at 9 a.m. Herbfest and Market In the Park are events of Pinellas County Extension, which helps to foster a culture of sustainability and is supportive of local growers, product makers and businesses that uphold the practice of living and working green. Each Saturday, find healthy, farm-fresh local produce, delicious gourmet foods, plants and much, much more in the spectacular natural setting that is Market In the Park. Admission is always free. 
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago celebrates more than 30 years as one of the most renowned dance institutions in the world consisting of 21 virtuoso dancers from diverse cultural backgrounds who perform annually for a worldwide audience of more than 100,000 people. Its exciting and eclectic repertoire has featured works unparalleled in artistic excellence by world-class choreographers including founder Lou Conte, Christopher Bruce, Bob Fosse, Twyla Tharp and Ohad Naharin. 
The Sunday Seminar at Venue Actors Studio this month will feature Brian Fasulo, internationally known TV and radio talent. Brian will be speaking about the business of voiceovers, spokespersons and product endorsements. This lucrative business is booming for the voice actor. Tickets are $5 at the door; space is limited and all spaces will be filled at 4:55 p.m. For reservations please call Venue at 727-822-6194. Venue Actors Studio is located in the new Broyhill Plaza at US 19 and Mainlands Blvd in Pinellas Park (2 lights North of Gandy/Park Blvd). RSS feed for comments on this post.
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Please include information about the April 12 Getting Green by Going Green Expo at the USF Sundome in the newsletter. It is co-sponsored by USF and the Planning Commission of Hillsborough County. You can contact me at 813-974-8118.
Delcie Durham, Associate Provost and Graduate Dean, USF
Comment by Delcie R durham — February 11, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
Megan, I really like the new “Young & Restless” feature. Just read Dan Feinman’s entry, which was interesting, as I have been thinking about doing the exact same thing. Makes me wonder how many NYC —> Tampa transplants are out there. Looking forward to more stories.
Comment by Jared — February 19, 2008 @ 8:52 am