Congratulations to the winners of the First Annual Urban Excellence Awards, which was held this past week.  Of the 23 finalists, 7 organizations and companies stood out.  Each of the finalists have contributed tremendously to downtown’s continued evolution. 

The winners were:

• Channel District Community Redevelopment Area – Strategic PlanFly Bar & RestaurantLights On Tampa
• Old Tampa Book CompanySkyPoint
• Tampa Bay Performing Arts CenterTampa Theatre

To view images and read a description of each winner, click here.  The Partnership looks forward to this becoming an annual event in which the best of downtown is recognized.

Monday, December 3, 2007 – 2:12 PM ESTTampa Downtown Partnership honors movers and shakersTampa Bay Business Journal
Seven businesses and groups active in Tampa's downtown core were recent winners in the Downtown Tampa Urban Excellence Awards.
Presented by the Tampa Downtown Partnership, winners included the strategic action plan of the Channel District Community Redevelopment Area, the Fly Bar & Restaurant, Lights On Tampa, Old Tampa Book Co., SkyPoint, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and Tampa Theatre.

The Channel District CRA is the culmination of a three-year planning project that helped put Tampa on the map with the country's more progressive cities, according to partnership officials. Wilson Miller and Urban Studio Architects are among those groups credited with putting the strategic action plan together.

The Fly Bar & Restaurant was developed by Tampa native Leslie Shirah, who spent time in San Francisco long enough to bring back a restaurant concept she felt would work on Franklin Street.

Lights On Tampa has used new media technologies to bring more free access to art in Tampa's downtown. It debuted in 2006 and is expected to return in January 2009.
The Old Tampa Book Co. has provided a destination for book lovers and tourists for 13 years, creating an "experience" that includes talking to owners David and Ellen Brown.

SkyPoint, with an estimated real estate value of $100 million, has brought an estimated 500 new residents to downtown Tampa. Developed through Novare-intowngroup, the new development is anchoring the city's emerging arts district, according to partnership officials.

The Performing Arts Center has been ranked fourth overall in ticket sales worldwide among venues with less than 5,000 seats, according to Billboard magazine. It provides more than 3,000 performances, community events and arts education programs, serving more than 600,000 residents and visitors to downtown Tampa annually.

The Tampa Theatre has been a center for educational and school-oriented programming, and has been able to continue as a business success since 1926. The theater hosts more than 600 events each year, drawing an average of 140,000 patrons. The theater's activities translate into increased foot traffic, more energy and an economic stimulus for the area, according to partnership officials.

(Dr. Marshall Goodman, VP/CEO of USF Lakeland, and Cindy Price, regional manager, TECO, share ideas in a roundtable discussion at the Nov. 30 regional planning summit.)
 
  “We are the past. We are the present. We are the future.” Emblazoned above the entrance to the Fantasy of Flight conference center, those words greeted participants in the November 30 regional planning summit. And while honoring the past and respecting the present, the group of visionaries placed its focus clearly on the future.

The University of South Florida Lakeland, the Central Florida Development Council and Winter Haven Hospital hosted more than 70 representatives from business, education and government, who met to discuss visions for the future of the region to be anchored by USF’s planned polytechnic campus at the intersection of I-4 and the Polk Parkway.

“As president of Auburndale Chamber-Main Street, I’m delighted USF Lakeland did such a magnificent job facilitating a very productive planning exercise,” said Joel Thomas. “It will pay off in huge benefits for this area as we move forward with growth and development. We had a great group of people representing the agencies and organizations we need to address this region’s development needs.”

The day opened with welcome messages from Dr. Marshall Goodman, VP & CEO of USF Lakeland, and Kermit Weeks, founder and owner of Fantasy of Flight, followed by remarks from Tom Patton, executive director, Central Florida Development Council; Steve Scruggs, executive director, Lakeland Economic Development Council; Robert Green, city manager, Auburndale; and Neal Frazee, vice president, MCSW. During lunch, attendees heard from Tim Center, director, Council for Sustainable Florida.

"Development of the new USF Lakeland campus is critical for the future of this region,” said '' Tom Patton.  “We need this campus to stop the brain drain and bring in the types of new jobs that will enhance our quality of life.”

The crux of the day was a series of roundtable discussions on 10 main topics, including academic programs, protection of resources, business recruitment, housing and retail, and government leadership. At each table, a facilitator moderated the discussion while a scribe recorded the flow of ideas.
 “Thank you for helping to build the dream and the vision of USF Lakeland,” said Marshall Goodman. “We will use your ideas from today to help build a consensus that will allow us to make this region great.”

During the course of the roundtable discussions, seven common themes emerged:  

Change is inevitable. We can be defensive, responsive or proactive.

A clearly articulated, shared vision, and courageous leadership committed to attainment of the vision, is essential.

Decision-making must be based on long-term gains rather than short-term popularity.

County-wide collaboration, communication, commitment and cohesion are essential:  one vision, one voice.

Education and business development must be aimed at attracting, developing and sustaining high skills/high wage jobs.

Land development must be aimed at growth of smart and green communities that are architecturally and aesthetically pleasing and that balance the best of small community values and intelligent, controlled urbanization.

The cost of not embracing a paradigm shift is continued loss of revenue, tax base, youth and talent in Polk County.

Complete roundtable notes are available at http://lakeland.usf.edu/Docs/RPSNotes.pdf

To see a summary visit http://lakeland.usf.edu/Docs/RPSSummary.pdf
 

TAMPA — Media consultant and television producer Jaseline Johnson believes she has the newest tool for entrepreneurs.
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/03/05/story5.html

Using the name Jill Isaac, Johnson hosts the half-hour program "Small Business Academy" on public television station WEDU. Designed to present entrepreneurial strategy straight from those with experience, the show has featured a wide variety of guests from the famous such as "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" winner Dawna Stone to the fascinating such as Kimberly Ibasfalean, who operates Captain Kim's Boat Rides & Charters.

"There are just some interesting dynamics out there that the public are not exposed to," Johnson said. "There are not that many shows that focus on small business. Even when you tune in to CNBC, they only recently started to focus on these areas. The media tends to steer the wrong way about covering larger corporations and not small businesses, and that's a mistake."

"Small Business Academy" typically airs the fourth Thursday of each month with an encore presentation the following Sunday. The program, one of WEDU's first local programs produced in high definition, is underwritten by Raymond James Financial (NYSE: RJF).
WEDU also airs another monthly business show called "Suncoast Business Forum" hosted by Geoff Simon that focuses more on larger corporations, something that complements "Small Business Academy," said Ellyne Lonergan, WEDU's VP of programming and production.
Covering home-grown advice

Born and raised in Toronto, Johnson has built a career in television production, spending a good part of the 1990s in Asia. She moved to the United States a few years ago, settling in New York to complete her master's in diplomacy and international affairs at the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy before moving to St. Petersburg.
When she isn't involved in television production, Johnson is an adjunct faculty instructor with the University of Tampa, teaching intercultural communications.
"This is a thriving business community, just as good as any other business city in the United States," Johnson said. "People don't realize that we do know what we're doing here, and there's a lot of good advice out there for people trying to do this."

Hillsborough County's Small Business Information Center also sees the need for advice.
"There is a lack of reality people have sometimes on what it really takes to start a business," said Beth Calhoun, community services coordinator. "That includes financially, their startup costs, trying to reach customers. Many times they are not fully aware of who their competition is."
The center provides a number of programs to educate soon-to-be and existing small and minority-owned businesses.
mhinman@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2477

Seven University of South Florida faculty members have been selected to receive the coveted “Patel Research Fellow” award for the 2008 academic year. The research fellows will be working as a team to address critical problems facing the developing world including potable water, sanitation, sustainable economic development and public health challenges.

The prestigious awards were announced by Patel Center Executive Director Betty Castor. “This is a group of faculty with outstanding academic credentials, a commitment to excellence and a shared ability and enthusiasm about working collaboratively across disciplines,” said Castor. “The world’s problems, such as water quality and availability, can’t be solved in isolation. Working together, we’re hoping the team’s research will have a positive impact that is felt across the globe.”

The Patel Fellows’ findings, in the areas of water and resource conservation, economic sustainability, best business practices and disease prevention will be useful to communities, non-governmental organizations, governments and policy makers, on local and international levels.
Listen to Castor talk about the Patel Fellows in a podcast on USF’s website: http://www.usf.edu.
Five disciplines are represented among the Patel Fellows: public health, engineering, geography, geology and business. Two of the recipients are from the USF College of Public Health, two from Civil and Environmental Engineering, two from the department of geography and one from the USF College of Business. In this inaugural year for the global research awards, scholars will receive $15,000 to support their grant work in applied research.

The seven scholars and their areas of expertise:
Elizabeth Barnett, Ph.D., USF College of Public Health focuses on the impact of economic development and disparities on African American health. Her fellowship will help extend her investigations into cardiovascular health in the Caribbean. Her findings have the potential for wide applicability to other developing nations undergoing rapid economic transformation.
Michael Barnett, Ph.D., USF College of Business conducts research into sustainable economic activities and the “business case” for corporate social responsibility. He examines relationships between business, government and non-governmental organizations as they relate to sustainability practices and regulatory processes.
Martin Bosman, Ph.D., Department of Geography, is an expert on globalization and global city formation especially in the “global south.” His specialty is privatization and natural resource management in Latin America and Caribbean.
Wilbur Milhous, Ph.D., College of Public Health, is concerned with the prevention and treatment of neglected diseases with a special emphasis on malaria. His work is being done in concert with USF’s commitment to develop models and present research findings with local, national and global applications and that guide future solutions and education in Florida and around the world.
Mark Rains, Ph.D., Department of Geology, concentrates on the sustainable use and management of natural resources and ecosystems as well as socially-just economies based on ecotourism. He has most recently worked in the Dominican Republic on a teacher education program in the Caribbean centered on global climate change.
Maya Trotz, Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, works in the areas of potable water and ecotourism. She has been examining quality in natural and engineered water systems with an emphasis on heavy metals. She has worked in Guyana on mercury contamination from mining activities and is taking a class to Guyana in 2008 to work with the Wai Wai people who are seeking to conserve their highly bio-diverse tropical rainforest.
Daniel Yeh, Ph.D., Civil & Environmental Engineering, specializes in membrane biotechnology as it relates to drinking water and waste water engineering. His research into sustainable sanitation solutions is in response to the global water crisis.

Demonstrates college's commitment to both minimizing its ecological footprint and maximizing environmental awareness and green practices.

November 28, 2007] – Eckerd College, the only national private liberal arts college in Florida, has launched an informational sustainability website this month. The website, www.eckerd.edu/green, illustrates Eckerd's commitment to both minimizing its ecological footprint and maximizing environmental awareness and green practices.

"Many in the Eckerd community believe that the most pressing social, economic, political, and moral issues of the 21st century have to do with the environment, and our particular location here on the Gulf of Mexico especially enriches that dimension of the College," says Dr. Donald R. Eastman III, President of Eckerd College. Dr. Eastman is one of more than 400 college presidents to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Eckerd's list of sustainable endeavors is extensive:

• the Presidents Climate Commitment that addresses climate change;
• the hands-on, student-run recycling program;
• the participatory Yellow Bike program designed to increase bicycle use on campus and decrease automobile traffic;
• the annual weeklong Visions of Nature / Voices of Nature environmental film festival;
• Iota Complex, a residence hall for which Eckerd is seeking LEED (Leadership in
• Energy and Environmental Design) certification;
• facilities vendor UNICCO's GreenClean green products approach;
• food services vendor Bon Appetit whose Circle of Responsibility and Eat Local
• Challenge aptly match Eckerd's environmental ambitions; and
• the popular Environmental Studies major that explores relationships between humans and the
  natural world.

"Eckerd has had a longstanding commitment to educate students about the environment and ecologically thoughtful practices," says Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Allison Ormsby. "Students who major in Environmental Studies are prepared to become thoughtful and effective environmental professionals, whatever career path they ultimately choose." Eckerd's Environmental Studies graduates use their degree to launch careers in such diverse fields as environmental education, natural resource management, parks and recreation, environmental and urban planning, landscape architecture, environmental law and policy making, scientific journalism, and public health.

Just ask Eckerd alumna Audrey Copeland who graduated in May 2007 with a double major in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. She applied her studies immediately in her current role as Eckerd's Environmental Service Learning Intern. "In my role as president of the Sustainable Campus Task Force during my junior and senior years, I worked with our food services vendor to switch from
Styrofoam to biodegradable containers in the College's eating venues," says Audrey. "Now, I get to focus on assisting with the first steps of the Presidents Climate Commitment by taking an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions on campus and making recommendations on how Eckerd can achieve climate neutrality."

Eckerd's sustainability site offers in-depth explanations of its green endeavors. Information will be updated regularly as campus initiatives emerge and are implemented, providing like-minded individuals and organizations the chance to discover a college community that takes its environmental role seriously.

www.eckerd.edu
Eckerd College, 4200 54th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 3371

Tampa Bay Business Journal Monday, November 19, 2007 – 5:58 PM EST

Gov. Charlie Crist continues to promote environmentally friendly building throughout Florida, making stops Monday in Pinellas and Sarasota counties to recognize efforts there.
Crist visited the 110-year-old Belleview Biltmore Hotel, which will be renovated by Legg Mason Real Estate Investors according to standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

"The Belleview Biltmore is a fixture in this community and its preservation is crucial to our culture and historical industries," Crist said, according to a release. "I commend Legg Mason's concern for the environment and commitment to restoring the resort in a way that will help preserve Florida's beautiful natural environment." Officials with Legg Mason said their goal is to get a designation as a "green lodging" destination by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a program launched in 2004 that provides environmental guidelines for hotels to conserve natural resources and prevent pollution.

As part of the announcement, John Hildreth with the National Trust for Historic Preservation said that the Belleview Biltmore would be removed from the organization's Registry of Most Endangered Buildings. The Belleview Biltmore is one of the largest, continually occupied wood structures in the country, and over the past 100 years has hosted heads of state, movie stars and even British royalty.
Crist also toured the Twin Lakes Green Building, Sarasota County's first LEED-certified building. It is a retrofitted older building made to be more energy efficient and renovated with sustainable materials.

The building is home to the University of Florida-Sarasota County Extension offices and has been awarded a gold-level LEED certification. The new construction manages storm water runoff to limit erosion, utilizes recycled and local materials, and institutes measures for conserving water – including rainwater collection – low-valve fixtures and native plants.

Note to Contributor’s:
We would like to thank everyone that contributed to the Buzz in 2007. Our last issue for this year will be the December 17 issue. For the next three issues (Dec. 3, 10 & 17 publication dates) the deadline for contributions will be Thursdays to ensure inclusion the following Monday. The first 2008 Buzz will return January 7. May your holidays be filled with creative delights!

The Tampa Museum of Art (TMA) announced today that it received a lead campaign gift for $1.2 million from longtime Tampa Bay area philanthropist Bretta B. Arthur. Arthur has been affiliated with the museum for nearly 30 years and has a strong commitment to education and arts in the community. “This generous gift brings us one step closer to achieving our fundraising goal. Bretta’s generosity is exemplary and I appreciate all that she has done for this institution,” says Raymond E. Ifert, chairman of the museum board of trustees. TMA is conducting a capital fundraising campaign to build a new facility that will be located in downtown Tampa's Curtis Hixon Park. Phase one of the facility consists of approximately 66,000 square feet and is designed by San Francisco, CA, architect Stanley Saitowitz. Site work is expected to begin in February of next year, with the opening of the new museum anticipated by the fall of 2009.
 
Arthur first became involved with the Tampa Junior Museum years before the TMA was founded in 1979. “In those days I spent a great deal of my time and effort working to develop resources for children in our community. Education has always been at the heart of my philanthropic interests, so I am very pleased to have been able to assist the museum with a gift of time – and now a gift of financial support,” says Arthur. Arthur’s patronage of TMA is wide ranging. She has served in numerous volunteer capacities, including museum docent and board trustee. While raising her two children (Tready Smith and Anne Pittman) in Tampa, volunteerism was an integral part of their daily lives. Arthur instilled the importance of giving back to the community and each of her children has adopted their own philanthropic interests. Arthur’s daughter Tready Smith currently serves on the TMA board of trustees and as president of the museum’s foundation, and is active with the Child Abuse Council in Tampa. Arthur’s daughter Anne Pittman is actively involved with the St. John Presbyterian Learning Center in Tampa. “Philanthropy in our family is crossing generations and I’m proud to have had a hand in that,” says Arthur. “Tready and Anne each share the love of volunteerism and are giving back to the community in their own way. At this time in their lives, much like when I was a young mother, they have a great deal of talent to offer organizations”
 
The cost of the new museum project is $33.5 million. Funding for the facility will come from both the public and private sectors of the community. The City of Tampa has allocated $18.5 million of Community Investment Tax Funds and additional monies are being generated by the museum through private donations. Since opening its doors in 1979, the museum has operated as a proud culmination of almost three decades of cooperation among art organizations, private citizens and government agencies in Tampa and Hillsborough County.

By Donna ManionExecutive DirectorCreativeTampaBay 

The Tampa Bay Technology Forum recently introduced the Emerging Companies Academy to help budding entrepreneurs have a greater chance of success. Operating outside the framework of the traditional educational systems for developing entrepreneurs, the Emerging Companies Academy provides real time experience for entrepreneurs. According the Brent Britton, attorney with Squire Saunders & Dempsey, LLC, and one of the founders of the Academy, “There shouldn’t be any companies failing because they can’t figure out how to succeed.”

The academy is free of charge to innovative technology related companies with a business plan. Each company leader is provided a mentor, road map, and set of instructions for a month’s worth of meetings. After completing the road map, companies are put in front of a mock venture capital panel where they are given pointers after making their pitch. When they are ready, assistance is provided to get them in front of real funders.

Britton and a team of professionals that have launched the Academy hope to grow more successful young companies making the area attractive to those wanting to start new businesses, and to convince venture capital companies to settle in the Tampa Bay region. They have formed a mentor practice and have no shortage of volunteers to become mentors. Those interested in becoming mentors need to complete short skills inventory so they can be matched appropriately with mentees. The mentors help identify the needs of the company. In addition there is also a free listing of resources used by the emerging companies to locate assistance or expertise that they don’t have.

Currently there are 15-20 companies enrolled and somewhere in the process. Britton says they are just about at a point where they can see the process end to end. One company has a deal on the table, another has finished the mock trial and been asked to flesh out their business and comeback, and two others are ready for the mock VC panel.  Though this it has been in development for months, Britton is pleased with the progress that has been made.

The future of the Academy could go in several directions. Currently the Academy is volunteer based. Once the company achieves success it makes sense to seed funds back to the academy and bring along the next generation of companies. Details of the size and scope are yet to be finalized. For now it’s about helping people achieve and putting that in the forefront. If successful the Academy could influence the entrepreneurial landscape of the region. Britton asks “Can we increase the likelihood of creating a place more like that?”

For more info visit http://www.tbtf.org/default.aspx?pageid=179. Please send any questions to academy@tbtf.org.

Aspen Institute Survey recognizes curricular leadership in social and environmental business programs.
(St. Petersburg, Fla.)—Oct. 16, 2007

The Aspen Institute’s 2007-2008 edition of Beyond Grey Pinstripes recognized USF St. Petersburg’s MBA program’s significant leadership in integrating social and environmental issues in its MBA program. It was ranked 34 on its list of the Global Top 100 Schools.
Geralyn McClure Franklin, dean of the College said, "Our MBA students benefit from practical coursework in ethical decision making. We share the responsibility to restore public trust in business and believe our students are capable of exceeding standards.¨
The faculty at USF St. Petersburg created elective MBA courses and concentrations in areas of social and environmental stewardship in 2004. In 2005, the program refocused its curriculum with six required courses incorporating these concepts. Enrollment has grown significantly since then, this fall by more than 70 percent.

Dave Walker, director of the Program of Distinction, said he was excited that USF St. Petersburg is being recognized in the classroom while the Bulls are winning on the field. “We were particularly pleased with our number three ranking in student exposure by Beyond Grey Pinstripes as a result of these new courses.” See the new core courses at http://www.stpt.usf.edu/cob/graduate_studies/RequiredCourses.htm .
The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education, a program of The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, compiled Beyond Grey Pinstripes, its biennial research survey and alternative ranking of business schools, looking at how well social and environmental issues are incorporated into the training of future business leaders.

Invitations to participate in the 2007 survey were sent out to more than 600 internationally accredited business schools offering in-person, full-time MBA programs. More than 40,000 pages of data were collected from 111 schools this year, 71 institutions located in the U.S. and 40 international schools, representing 18 countries. 

In addition to being recognized by the rankings, USF St. Petersburg will also be featured on the Beyond Grey Pinstripes website, and in the Aspen Institute's upcoming Alternative Guide to MBA Programs. The complete ranking of the Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2007-2008 Global 100 business schools can be found at www.beyondgreypinstripes.org.

Tampa Museum of Art Interim Executive Director Ken Rollins was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Florida Art Museum Directors Association (FAMDA) at its meeting on September 18, 2007. To be eligible for the award, FAMDA requires that a museum director must have served at least 25 years as a museum professional and have made significant contributions during his or her tenure. According to John Blades, FAMDA president and executive director of the Henry M. Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, FL, “Ken Rollins' long and distinguished career, and his leadership abilities, makes him the obvious choice for a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Art Museum Directors Association.”

 “The Florida Department of State has benefited from Ken Rollins’ knowledge and volunteer service,” says JuDee L. Pettijohn, deputy secretary of state, Office of Cultural, Historical and Information Programs, State of Florida. “Ken is extremely deserving of this prestigious recognition.  He has been dedicated to the museum community for the better part of his lifetime as an advocate and spokesman for issues impacting his own museum as well as on behalf of his colleagues.”

Rollins joined the Tampa Museum of Art in September 2005 with a two-year contract as interim executive director. He immediately launched a comprehensive strategic plan that evaluated every facet of the museum’s operation, with a focus on preparing the museum for a new facility. Now that plans for a new Tampa Museum of Art have come to fruition and site work is scheduled to begin on the building in February 2008, Rollins has agreed to extend his employment contract to provide continued leadership through the start of construction and while the search for a permanent museum director gets underway. "Ken Rollins is a dedicated professional with an established history of success in his field. I'm pleased for Ken on a personal level, and proud to be working with someone of his stature as director of this institution," says Raymond E. Ifert, chairman of the museum’s board of trustees.

Rollins has served his entire museum career in Florida in a number of museum directorships, and has provided statewide leadership of the arts while serving as president of FAMDA on two separate occasions. In 1994, Rollins assumed leadership of the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, FL, as executive director. Prior to that position, he served as executive director of the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL, for 12 years, following a directorship at the Deland Museum of Art. Rollins has led the development efforts and construction of two major museum facilities in Florida – the Polk Museum of Art and the Gulf Coast Museum of Art – achieving American Association of Museums’ accreditation for both institutions.  “Ken is a most deserving recipient of this award. He has worked in art museums both small and large throughout the state, and at each post he has brought the utmost of professionalism to his leadership roles,” says Gary R. Libby, member Florida Arts Council and retired director of the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, FL.

Rollins also served as chairman of the Florida Association of Museum’s Foundation, as a grant review panelist for the Florida Arts Council, and as a member of the executive board of the Southeastern Museums’ Conference. Rollins is a Museum Assessment and Accreditation Consultant for the American Association of Museums, and currently serves on numerous boards locally and nationally. In 2004, Rollins was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Florida Association of Museums.  Rollins is a 1964 charter class graduate of the University of South Florida where he studied liberal arts, received a Master’s degree in Ceramics/Sculpture from the University of Tennessee in 1973, and is a graduate of the Museum Management Institute, University of California at Berkeley.