By Andrea Cooper, Entrepreneur, March 2008

In our first-annual look at the nation’s top 25 influencers, we name the individuals, groups and trends we believe will have a substantial impact on business owners in the coming year. In our view, no entries here are merely interesting for you to know about. They are essential—the forces you must take into account now so your business can reach full strength. Read more>>

By Phyllis Korkki, The New York Times, Feb. 17, 2008

Sandra Boynton’s studio, in a converted barn next to her Connecticut home, bears the milestones of her singular career: a long rack of greeting cards featuring quirkily drawn animals; a room full of small, sturdy children’s books, with names like “Snuggle Puppy!” and “Barnyard Dance!”; and, upstairs, where she does much of her work, old-time radios and jukeboxes representing her more recent foray into music CDs for children. As an entrepreneur, Ms. Boynton maintains a firm grasp on market realities and her finances, but she says she has succeeded by refusing to make money her main objective. Instead, she says, she has focused on the creative process, her artistic autonomy, her relationships and how she uses her time. Read more>>

By Kevin L. McQuaid, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Feb. 23, 2008

The nation's 78 million baby boomers will, as a group, likely be healthier, wealthier and more active than any previous American generation in retirement. But the boomers—born from around the end of World War II through the Beatles' U.S. invasion—also will face a significant disadvantage because they will lack retirement role models. Read more>>

Via Centredaily.com, Feb. 14, 2008

Ernst & Young LLP today opened the nomination period for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2008 Awards in Florida. The deadline for applications is March 28, 2008, with the awards ceremony scheduled for Thursday, June 5, 2008 at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards program, now in its 22nd year, is recognized as the most prestigious business award program in the country. Award winners are selected by a panel of independent judges, including local business owners - many of whom have won the award in the past - as well as area leaders from civic organizations and academic institutions. Read more>>

The Florida Venture Forum, Inc. is Florida's oldest, largest and most prestigious statewide support group for venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneurial networking group, the Florida Venture Forum educates entrepreneurs and assists them in identifying sources of venture capital. On May 16, the Florida Venture Forum will host its first Annual Early Stage Venture Capital Conference at the Omni Champions Gate in Orlando. The organization is currently seeking outstanding private companies from the state of Florida to apply to for presentation slots. The event will showcase approximately 10-12 early stage, high growth private companies before a national audience of venture capitalists, angel investors, private equity investors and investment bankers. To apply, visit the Forum web site and click on the Presenter Application. Forms are due by March 17. For more information, go to www.floridaventureforum.org.

In a region recognized for mid-tier market company growth, STAR TEC (STAR Technology Enterprise Center) is an exceptional resource.

The Tampa Bay area’s first technology/manufacturing business accelerator, STAR TEC is a public/private partnership that supports the growth of early stage technology and manufacturing companies. Our community benefits as well, through new jobs, new sources of technology and manufacturing capabilities and new opportunities for specialized employment.

STAR TEC is not just for its tenants. We invite you to join entrepreneurs, funders, service providers and community leaders in attending STAR TEC’s second entrepreneurship conference March 26-27, 2008 at the Hilton Carillon Park in St. Petersburg.

Titled Mapping Your Entrepreneurial Success…Knowing Where to Turn, the conference will offer interactive sessions on the following topics:

• Success Breeds Success – Discussions with Serial Entrepreneurs
• Doing Business with USSOCOM and the SBIR Program
• “Ask the Experts” – A Panel on HR, PR/Marketing and Insurance
• Building the “Take Off” Team – Scaling Your Venture
• Risk Taking and Money Making – Tax, Accounting and Legal Assistance
• From No Dough to Cash Flow – Early and Mid Stage Funding

A sponsors’ networking reception will kick off the program at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, followed by speakers and panel from breakfast through mid-afternoon on Thursday, March 27. Featured speakers are Barry Alpert, Managing Director, Investment Banking, Raymond James & Associates and Geoff Dyer, Founder of Lifestyle Family Fitness. 

If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, join us! For information and registration, visit www.STARTECflorida.com/conference.

Suzie Boland, president of RFB Communications Group, is STAR TEC marketing committee chairman.

Nominations Being Accepted for 10th Annual Best Practice Awards

This summer, Sustainable Florida (www.sustainableflorida.org) will present the 10th Annual Best Practice Awards in several categories to deserving business, government and non-profit organizations. Winners will be honored by a resolution from the Governor and Cabinet. Nominations are due April 10.
An independent panel of judges will review, score and decide who will receive the Sustainable Florida Best Practice Awards in the following categories:

• Large and small business
• Government
• Green Building
• Non-Profit
• Leadership
• Business Partnership

Nominate a client, a business partner, or your own initiative. We expect more than 50 nominations. Read about the 2007 winners on our website. Download the nomination packet and tell us about the great efforts in your part of the state to create a sustainable Florida.
Save the Date - June 9 - Tallahassee - for the awards program and forum. We will be joined by Florida's favorite nature photographer Clyde Butcher for a keynote presentation on the Florida Everglades. For more information and to download the Best Practice Award Nomination Packet, click here.

Going Green Tampa Bay
April 7-12

The University of South Florida, the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission, and Tampa's Urban Charrette are developing a series of green events for April 2008 under the "Going Green Tampa Bay" umbrella. Activities will occur on the USF campus and in downtown Tampa, and will include workshops, lectures, competitions, movies, and an extensive Green Expo. At USF, events will be hosted by the various colleges throughout the Tampa campus under the name "Sustain-A-Bull" and will go from April 7th to April 11th and end with a Green Expo in the USF Sun Dome on Saturday, April 12th. The Green Expo will showcase vendors, invited speakers, workshops, student poster sessions, and student lead competitions that raise awareness and encourage action toward a more sustainable Tampa Bay. The planning committee is targeting 150 booths with alternative energy, recycled materials, and green products of all kinds and has an exciting lineup of workshops that will provide tools for people to go green in Tampa Bay. The Expo coincides with the USF Botanical Gardens Spring sale and shuttle service will be provided to transport patrons between the two locations. All events at USF are free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.goinggreentampabay.com.

Tampa Welcomes Her Kids Back Home
By Cheong Choi

In 2005, heartbreak and the family business planted my feet back firmly in Tampa’s soil after ten odd years of wandering the earth with extended stops in China and Europe. After the obligatory months of sulking about being recalled back to my hometown, I discovered that many of my friends who grew up here also left to find their place in the world and ended up back in Tampa. Some of them were back by choice and some of them by circumstance. All of them shared the common thread of trying to see if there was a place for them in their hometown.

Although the family business (Oceanic Supermarket in downtown Tampa) allowed for a small amount of creativity and interaction with the community, I was dissatisfied with solely learning the art of being a shopkeeper. The peek I had beyond the horizons of these lands had broadened my view of what I wanted out of my hometown experience. Rallied on by my friends who were eager to see another colleague make his mark in this city and fueled by money from years of scrimping and saving, I set out to open up a coffee shop—called Café Hey—in a neighborhood where many would think twice about stepping out of their cars.

Invaluable to this venture were two particular friends who hopped on board the coffee shop project as partners. There are those who advise against going into business with friends, but Chris and Anne Vela’s commitment to the cultural life and the overall improvement of the city of Tampa was evident via their work on the efforts to restore a rare gem in this city: Kiley Gardens. I was convinced that I could put my confidence in them.

After two years of deliberation, concept development, hands-on restoration of the building and endless hours away from our day jobs and beds we opened for business in October 2007. Through those two years of building and the several months that we have been open, the support from the neighborhood as well as other communities throughout Tampa has been overwhelming.

Tampa had been yearning for a place like Café Hey, where people from the neighborhood could stop by and sit or meet for a quality coffee, where local office workers could get a freshly pressed sandwich, but also somewhere where local artists could congregate and display or perform their work and where Tampa history enthusiasts could sit in a restored historical building.

I could go on further about organic fair-trade coffees, small independent businesses, and the other aspects of the coffee shop but the main point is that I had found direction. Our perseverance gave us a stake in the neighborhood, the community, and the city. Whereas many come to Tampa and incessantly chant the sophomoric mantra of how it’s not as good as it is up north or how it’s so much better in Europe, the trick to a better city is to see what you have to offer yourself.

I’ve decided that I’m a ready and willing cheerleader for the next person willing to show what they have to offer.

For more information about Cafe Hey, go to www.myspace.com/cafehey.

Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival
Feb. 23-Mar. 1

Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2008, the Visions of Nature, Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival (www.environmentalfilmfest.com) brings compelling and important films to the
Tampa Bay area and the Eckerd College community in order to raise awareness and promote discussion of questions relating to nature, place, and the environment. This eight-day festival, held February 23 through March 1, 2008, will bring film scholars and filmmakers from around the world to engage the audience in lively discussions of the environmental perspectives contained in documentary, animated, experimental and feature films. Screenings will be held in The Dan and Mary Miller Auditorium and are free and open to the public. All programs begin at 7 p.m. Each program will be preceded by a short reception with the presenter and will feature an opportunity for audience questions immediately after the program. Visit the Environmental Film Festival website for more information: www.environmentalfilmfest.com.

Evening Tide Talks at the Florida Aquarium
Tues., Feb. 26, 5:45 to 7 p.m.

Dr. Gregg Bossart, Director, Harbor Branch Division of Marine Mammal Research and Conservation, presents, ‘Emerging Diseases in Marine Mammals: So What’s Ailing Flipper?’ As new human diseases emerge, similar trends are being found in marine ecosystems and are impacting marine mammals. Dr. Bossart has spent more than 29 years in wildlife medicine and researched emerging diseases in manatees, dolphins and birds. He will introduce us to new problems facing marine mammals: What are these animals telling us about their health and ours? At The Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL 33602 in the Taylor Great Room. A complimentary reception begins at 5:45 p.m. with wine generously donated by SharkTrust followed by the featured presentation at 6:15 p.m. presented by Wachovia. For more information, please contact Tom Wagner at 813-367-4036.

Florida High Tech Corridor Council Career Expo '08
Wed.-Fri., Feb. 27-29
Tampa Convention Center

Provides companies the chance to discuss their employment opportunities with career center directors from 100 of the nation’s top universities. To learn more about the expo and sponsorship opportunities, contact Owen Wentworth at owentworth@cfl.rr.com or click here.
https://www.corumgroup.com/ConferenceRegistration.asp

3rd Annual Tampa's Taste of Business
Wed., Feb. 27, 5-8 p.m.

One of Tampa Bay's largest networking events, providing business-to-business networking, food, wine, beer and spirits. Experience a taste of Tampa Bay's finest restaurants and beverage vendors, network, enjoy music, bid in a silent sports auction, there'll be door prizes and giveaways throughout the evening. Tickets: $55 in advance, $65 at the door. A La Carte Event Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa. For information, go to http://www.tampabayceo.com/tasteofbusiness.html.

Spoken Word Artist to Perform at Polk Museum of Art
Fri., Feb. 29, 7-9 p.m.

Polk Museum of Art, University of South Florida – Lakeland, and Polk Community College will host an evening of poetry on February 29, 7 – 9pm, at the Museum. Spoken word artist Tantra will be performing pieces from her new CD, Sacred. Admission is free. Tantra is a Brooklyn, New York, based performance poet and author whose work is considered sexy and seductive. Her topics touch on black love, empowerment, Hurricane Katrina, and HIV/AIDS awareness. This performance is the grand finale to this year’s Black History Month celebrations for all three organizations. For more information, call 863-688-7743 or 863-688-5423.

Guided Hillsborough River State Park Hikes
Sat., Mar. 1, 10 a.m.

Come enjoy the outdoors in one of the oldest State Parks in Florida!
15402 US 301 North, Thonotosassa, FL 33592

• Beginning Hike on our 1⁄2 mile loop Rapids Trail
• Intermediate Hike on our 1 mile loop Baynard Trail
• Advanced Hike on our 3-4 mile loop Florida Trail

Hikes are guided by the Florida Trail Association proper footwear and water are recommended! Please inform the Ranger Station that you are participating in Step Up, Florida! for FREE park entry. First 50 to register will receive a t-shirt, pedometer or water bottle. For more details: please contact Park Services Specialist Patrick Potts *(813) 987-6771 or patrick.potts@dep.state.fl.us. All events are weather permitting. Join this statewide event to promote physical activity. Other events are going on throughout the month of February at various locations. To learn more about this event or to host your own event, call (813) 307-8015 or visit www.hillscountyhealth.org.

Bleu Acier Inc. presents Poetry Salon
Sat., Mar. 1, 5-7 p.m.

As part of her exhibition Liquid World, visual artist Elisabeth Condon presents poet Terry Godbey. Godbey will read from her work including poems that inspired the artist's collages. Terry Godbey's poems have appeared in Poet Lore, CALYX, Rattle, Pearl, The Café Review, Potomac Review and Dogwood. She is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and has received honors from the Rita Dove, Passager, Mount Dora and Night Blooms Postcards contests. She works as a copy editor at the Orlando Sentinel. Liquid World continues until Saturday evening March 8th. Gallery hours: Saturday March 1st: 1 – 7 PM and by appointment. Bleu Acier Inc., 109 West Columbus Drive, Tampa, 813-272-9746, www.bleuacier.com.

De Young and Restless at Kina Kouture
Mon., Mar. 3, 5:30-7 p.m.

March 3rd will mark the Dunedin Fine Art Center's first official de Young and Restless event of the year at Kina Kouture, Dunedin's high-end punk/goth couture boutique. Members free, Guests $5. Fashion presentation by Deborah Kynes, the Vintage Princess of Dunedin. Bold and Beautiful Martinis by donation. Learn the future plans of Y&R and our future collaborative ventures with TMA's Avante Garde, GCMA's Les Fauves, and Dali's Zodiacs. DFAC’s infamous de Young and Restless (for members under 40) offers engaging social and educational events for a rising generation of art admirers between the ages of 18 and 40. De Young and Restless offers exclusive benefits such as: invites and free admission to after-hours “young collector” educational events and studio tours, collaborative events with other area YP groups, fun and enriching volunteer opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, special privileges at DFAC events, and much, much more! For more information, go to www.dfac.org.

Spike Lee at USF Sun Dome Corral
Tues., Mar. 4, 7 p.m.

Spike Lee is known for tackling prickly issues of relevance to the African-American community in his films, which have been described as "controversy-courting" and "consciousness-tweaking." He almost single-handedly ushered in a climate of newfound respect for African-American filmmakers and actors in a business that has historically marginalized their contributions to film. Lee's body of work has earned him a Las Vegas Film Critics Society "Lifetime Achievement Award" and an MTV Movie Awards "Silver Bucket of Excellence Award," among numerous other awards for individual productions. Tickets are free for USF Students with valid USF ID; $3 for USF Faculty, Staff, and Alumni with valid USF ID; and $8 for the public. For more information, click here.

Boston Marriage
Feb. 21-Mar. 9, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m.

Jobsite Theater, resident theater company of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and winner of four 2007 Creative Loafing Best of the Bay Awards – including Best Theater Company – brings back the razor-sharp wit of David Mamet in the Bay area premiere of Boston Marriage, playing the Shimberg Playhouse Feb. 21-Mar. 9. Anna and Claire are two bantering, scheming "women of fashion" who have long lived together in a lesbian relationship on the fringes of upper-class society. All tickets priced at $24.50. Rush ticket prices for students, seniors and military are $10, and will only be available 30 minutes prior to curtain with cash and valid ID at the TBPAC Ticket Office window. A mini-season ticket to the remaining four 07-08 Jobsite plays is on sale now for just $78.40 per person plus an $8 handling fee per order. For more information, go to www.jobsitetheater.org.

CEOs of Florida's Inc 500 Fastest Growing Businesses to Speak at UT
Wed., Feb. 27, 4-7 p.m.

CEOs from the Inc 500 fastest growing businesses in Florida will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 4-7 p.m. in the 9th floor, Vaughn Center at The University of Tampa. Panel discussion and Q&A with reception to follow. The panel, titled “The Power of 5,” will feature Marcus Adolfsson, president and founder of Smartphone Experts; Brian Blackburn, president and co-founder of Xymogen; Robert Byrne, president and founder of Power Pro-Tech Services; Chris Hurn, CEO and board member of Mercantile Commercial Capital and Richard E. Walker, president of HealthCare Support Staffing. Tickets: $49 per person. Limited seating. To attend, RSVP by Feb. 20 to Angie Ballard at aballard@ut.edu. Visit www.ut.edu/centers for more information.

Digital Boot Camp
Fri., Feb. 29-Sat., Mar. 1

The International Academy of Design & Technology is preparing for its newest offering of hands-on training for the Tampa Bay community with its upcoming Digital Boot Camp. The two-day workshop will provide attendees with a 360-degree crash course on the film and music industry, from the first take to the final cut – and beyond. Spanning two full days, the Academy's event will feature a distinguished collection of experienced professionals, certified trainers, and industry insiders in recording arts and digital production. The range of topics will cover everything the aspiring film-maker and music producer needs to know – the recording process, lighting, cinematography, video and sound editing on the industry's latest software, and even marketing and distribution in today's market. This year's Digital Boot Camp will take place on the Academy's campus from February 29 through March 1. For more information, visit www.academy.edu.

BayCycle Photo Contest

Tampa BayCycle announces a photo competition leading up to the second annual Tampa BayCycle campaign, to be held May 2008. Winners of the competition will have their images on display throughout May at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (200 N. Tampa St., downtown Tampa). The photography contest is open to everyone, from the amateur photographer to cyclists living in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Citrus, Pasco and Hernando counties. For a complete list of rules, please visit www.tampabaycycle.com.

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Special thanks to this week’s BUZZ volunteers:
Editor: Megan Voeller
Creative Contributors: Donna Manion and Deanne Roberts.
Design and Distribution: Sean Kelly