Diversity : Innovation + Job News

Do you work independently and want a way to connect with others for ideas? Are you wondering if it's possible to make a living as an artist or designer? Or maybe you're a musician or actor who wants to meet others in your field. Now there's a way for creative professionals in Tampa Bay to find camaraderie and support to help them make a living doing what they love.

Creatives' Alliance is a professional membership organization for established and aspiring creative professionals such as writers, musicians, painters, actors and actresses, dancers, film makers, tattoo artists, designers and photographers.

The group appeals to all creative disciplines, something that makes it unique in the Tampa Bay region. Strong professional circles exist for those in advertising, photography, architecture and the like. The new multidisciplinary alliance brings together everyone working in a creative field in order to form a more cohesive, collaborative community.

"I love the arts and have built my life on creative endeavors,'' says Aris MacInnes, countess of creativity for Imaginary Mind productions and founder of the Creatives’ Alliance. "I get so inspired by the culture we, as artists, create, and I am bothered by watching the struggles we face to be appreciated, supported and paid well.''

Offerings include mentoring, professional guidance, group brainstorming, coaching, training, industry benchmarks and collaborative tools.

The group's first event is a LaunchPad Workshop on January 19 from 9 am till noon at Keiser University in Tampa, which focuses on launching a freelance career, improving your focus and making contacts with like-minded people.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Aris MacInnes, Creatives' Alliance

Six Tampa Bay innovators were recently named as Charter Fellows by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), a global nonprofit organization of universities and research institutions. The group is part of a class of 98 Fellows from 54 institutions, which includes leading scientists and inventors from around the world.
 
Tampa Bay's Fellows were selected based on outstanding leadership, product development, and their support of and participation in innovation as a whole. Here are the locals from the complete list:

    •    Richard D. Gitlin, Sc.D., professor of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida -- Gitlin has more than 45 patents in the field of electrical engineering. His research includes areas such as digital communication, broadband networks and wireless systems.

    •    D. Yogi Goswami, Ph.D., P.E., professor of Chemical Engineering, University of South Florida -- Goswami is co-director of USF's Clean Energy Research Center. He has developed 18 patents, his major accomplishment is a device that uses sunlight to purify indoor air.

    •    Barbara C. Hansen, Ph.D., professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of South Florida -- Hansen is a Director of the USF Center for Preclinical Research and holds a patent in the area of diabetes treatment.

    •    Alan F. List, MD, president and CEO, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute -- List holds several patents, including one involving stimulating growth in stem cells and bone marrow.

    •    Shyam Mohapatra, Ph.D. Endowed Chair, College of Medicine Internal Medicine, University of South Florida -- Mohapatra is director of the Division of Translational Medicine in the USF College of Medicine. His patents and research focus on molecular and cellular inflammation of allergens.

    •    Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc., Sr. VP for Research and Innovation and President, Research Foundation, University of South Florida -- Sanberg holds over 100 health-related patents worldwide, primarily in the neurology field. His most recent research focused on innovative ways to repair brain damage.

"Tampa Bay should take great pride in this recognition of great minds who are conducting ground-breaking research,'' says Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, a sponsor of the NAI Fellows Program. "Their work has a direct impact on economic development, career opportunities, the potential for entrepreneurial success and our ability to build an innovation economy.''

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Randy Berridge, Florida High Tech Corridor Council; Keara Leach, National Academy of Inventors

Businesses in Tampa have an opportunity to take their innovation up a notch with the arrival of Guy Kawasaki on February 28. Kawasaki will be the keynote speaker at The Art of Innovation event at The Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa.

Kawaski, an entrepreneur, bestselling author and Silicon Valley venture capitalist, played a critical role in marketing Apple's Macintosh computers in the 1980s and was named an Apple Fellow in 1995. He is currently managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and co-founder of Alltop.com, an "online magazine rack'' of trending topics on the web.
 
"We're trying to help inspire small businesses to break out of their shell and be more competitive and innovative in their sector,'' says Charise Strandberg, social media marketing manager for Celestar Corporation, which is coordinating the event. "We want Tampa to jump to the next curve, to be in that thoughtful set of innovation.''
 
What does innovation really mean? What does it take to innovate? How do today's businesses innovate to remain competitive? Kawasaki will speak to these things and more, as he provides hands-on learning with specific actions that can be implemented after the event. The topics will be tailored toward the audience and will include strategic steps to creating new products and services, how to break down barriers to innovation, and how set and achieve high goals. 

Attendees will include large and small businesses from the Tampa Bay region, including Florida Blue, Bank of Tampa, Digital Hands and 352 Media.

"A lot of businesses are doing the same thing day after day,'' says Strandberg. "We want to break out of that, to make Tampa an innovation hub. We're only going to do that by bringing people like Guy to Tampa.''

For more information and to register, visit Knowledge M, a division of Celestar.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Charise Strandberg, Celestar Corporation

Because of the large percentage of unemployed veterans, WilsonHCG has launched Operation Transition, a veteran's initiative with a "holistic approach'' to creating sustainable careers and life paths for veterans and their families. The ultimate purpose of the initiative is to acknowledge the commitment of veterans and to support their transition back to civilian life by "providing the career tools they require to present themselves and their experience effectively.''

The concept emerged in the fall of 2011 when WilsonHCG and other companies from around the nation partnered with the TV show Dr. Drew's Lifechangers on the CW Network in an effort called "Putting America Back to Work.'' As Bridget Webb, Wilson HCG senior director of marketing & recruitment technology, sat in the audience, the story of a young marine veteran stood out. On a flight back to Tampa Bay post-collaboration, Webb thought about the significant number of veterans struggling to make the transition after returning from military service.

Webb pitched the idea of creating an initiative to prepare veterans for military to civilian life transition to company CEO John Wilson who loved  the idea; thus Operation Transition came to life and officially launched in the fall of 2012. As many veterans hold degrees and other expert certifications, Webb explains how the program helps them "get acclimated and find jobs'' while fostering an environment where they can get a one-stop collage of tools and resources. The program offers ''free career assessments'' which help veterans translate their unique skills to the current market in addition to helping them build a LinkedIn profile to showcase their expertise.

"We encourage companies to adopt veteran recruitment programs -- to find someone within their organization who is a veteran and who can be their champion,'' Webb says. This provides veterans with inspiration and the "tools they need to be successful which effectively increases the economy in Tampa.''

Operation Transition 2013 is partnering with several organizations to launch an April webinar geared toward sharing specific career assistance to transitioning veterans. In the summer, Operation Transition will have on-site locations where veterans will be "paired with hiring managers who are informed of the veterans' expert skills and who are ready to make the introduction and start the interview process,'' says Webb.

For individuals, companies or organizations wishing to get involved, contact Webb by email.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Source: Bridget Webb, WilsonHCG

With a focus on serving families with disabled members, Positive Behavior Supports Corporation (PBS) is building a network of professionals who can provide quality services in Tampa Bay.

The company strives to ensure stringent internal quality standards in order to impact the families and improve their quality of life, says Clinical Director Jennifer Agganis. The company is currently contracting with board certified behavior analysts, board certified assistant behavior analysts and behavior assistants, thereby offering an alternative for unemployed professionals having a specialized expertise. It also opens doors for teachers, psychologists, doctors and other certified professionals to pursue part-time and fulltime work opportunities.

Many of PBS Corp.'s clients are individuals or families with children who suffer from mental illness and other disabilities that may present behavior and basic skill challenges that limit functional abilities. The firm has a growing demand to support Autism Spectrum Disorder, which includes Asperger's Syndrome, PDD-NOS and Autistic Disorder. Particularly for individuals diagnosed with these disorders or related disabilities, it is important to have behavioral services provided to them in "their naturally occurring environment; it's where their world occurs,'' says Agganis.

In just over three years, the company's overall client base grew from 100 to 600. "It's a constant ebb and flow based upon what each of our clients need,'' says Agganis. One family with a child having specific behavioral needs may require between 8 and 40 dedicated hours, so PBS is "constantly looking for analysts and behavior assistants.''

Additionally, professionals will be offered on-going online training on different behavioral aspects as well as mentorship hours toward ensuring final certification for those that require it.

The firm is expanding its core Tampa Bay services to incorporate speech and language pathologists and licensed mental health counselors. Interested candidates can apply online. For more program information, contact the West Coast Regional Coordinator Milissa Yeagley at 855.832.6727, ext. 1013.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Source: Jennifer Agganis, PBS Corp.

In a continuing effort to develop local artists and integrate arts into the community, the Arts Council of Hillsborough County is offering seven grants of up to $2,000 each to individual artists.

"The arts are what give us a quality of life,'' says Teri Simons, director of program services for the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. "They bring us together as individuals. Creativity of a community is a pretty good measure of the quality of the community.''

Since 1989, the Council has awarded $600,000 in grants to individual artists through this program. Last year's winners included Erin Cardinal Wright, who choreographed and directed a dance film called "The Enormity of Two,'' which explores the common threads that bring two people together.  

"The goal is to enable the artists to pursue a project that will help them take their career to the next level,'' says Simons. "That might be through education, a specific medium or technique, or maybe equipment.''

The council is also looking for ways people can bring the arts back into the local community to benefit the citizens. For example, last year's grant winner Crystal Haralambou used the funding for education and support of Shakespeare Behind Bars, a nonprofit program that uses theater to help juvenile justice offenders develop life skills and successfully reintegrate back into society.

Funds for this year's grants are provided by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the Council's FIVE by FIVE art event.

The Council also funds a grant program for arts groups and cultural organizations, which typically opens in August.

Requirements and an application for the individual artist grants can be found on the Arts Council website. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, January 18, 2013.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Teri Simons, Hillsborough Arts Council

Tampa Bay businesses now have a way to make sense of the often ambiguous analytical data available about their website and other digital media platforms. A franchise of E-Nor, a web analytics company originating in Silicon Valley, recently opened in Temple Terrace.

The company's name is derived from Noor, the traditional Mediterranean word for light. As a certified Google partner, the company's expertise is in bringing to light meaningful digital analytics that will help businesses better understand their market. Many companies already access data for free through Google analytics, but they might not realize the full potential of how valuable the data can be to their growth.

"The digital economy is really growing rapidly, and big data is a major part of its progress,'' says Bilal Saleh, principal partner for E-Nor and owner of the Tampa franchise. "With all that's going on online and with social media, companies have tons of data they don't have real access to or insight about.''

Saleh has worked in the telecommunications industry for the past 20 years at companies such as Motorola and MCI Communications. He and E-Nor's founder, Feras Alhlou, started their careers together at Precision Systems Inc (Psi) in St. Petersburg in 1990. Alhlou, an MBA graduate from the University of South Florida, moved to California. PSi was acquired by a California-based company.

The technical work is currently being done by E-Nor's parent office in California, but as the local office grows, the plan is to become a fully functioning operation, covering the southeastern U.S.
 
"The Tampa Bay area is really growing in the IT sector,'' says Saleh.

"There's a lot of emphasis on growing the IT talent in the area. We're very upbeat about the future of these services in the Tampa Bay area.''
 
E-Nor is hosting a two-day, hands-on training workshop focused on Google analytics January 22 – 23, 2013, in Tampa. The agenda includes in-depth information about market segmentation, data tracking and generating reports. For more information, visit E-Nor's website. 

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Bilal Saleh, E-Nor

Ten locally owned businesses in Tampa Bay are coming together to make the holidays a little brighter for a deserving family.

The initiative is coordinated by LocalShops1, a grass roots organization that supports locally owned businesses through community events and promotions.

"This is truly a regional approach to what local means, with businesses banding together and crossing city lines to do this,'' says Ester Venouziou, founder of LocalShops1. "By coming together, local businesses can have a bigger impact, which of course helps the community.''

Over $3,500 worth of donations have been secured thus far, including a Christmas turkey from Three Birds Tavern in St. Petersburg, two mattresses from Tampa Bay Discount Mattresses, a collection of items from vendors at the Gulfport Tuesday Fresh Market and the grand prize of a full child's bedroom set from The Iron Pelican Antiques & Home Décor. Thirty businesses are expected to attend a holiday party hosted by Island Flavors and Things in Gulfport to donate toys for the family.

A holiday party will be hosted at The Yellow House Event Venue, where the prizes will be given to the family. 

"Local businesses, in general, give much back to the community,'' says Venouziou. "Some studies show that, on average, local businesses give three times as much to local charities as compared to national corporations, so we weren’t surprised to see so much generosity.''

Families can be nominated by contacting: theironpelican@yahoo.com by December 14. Nominations should include the name, contact information, city they live in, ages of children and reason the family deserves to win. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Other local businesses interested in contributing prizes can contact LocalShops1 or call 727.637.5586.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Ester Venouziou, LocalShops1

T-Mobile plans to add 150 employees to its Tampa call center operations.

"We're investing in our Tampa facility, which we are expecting will be taking more calls as a result of increased sales,'' says Katie Bookey, PR representative for T-Mobile. "We’re staffing up in order to provide the first-class service we are known for.’

All of the positions that T-Mobile is looking to fill are full-time financial care representative roles. The company is looking for experienced reps, including bilingual reps who speak Spanish and English. Collections experience, as well as a history of work in a call center environment, is required.

The call center is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight, so there are plenty of shifts available to potential employees. T-Mobile offers employees a comprehensive benefits package, which includes medical/dental/vision coverage, matching 401(k) program and paid time off. In addition, employees receive mobile phone and service discounts.

According to Bookey, the company is actively recruiting and plans to fill all of the positions by the end of March 2013. Those interested in applying for the financial care representative positions can do so through T-Mobile’s website.

T-Mobile’s Tampa Call Center is located at 18205 Crane Nest Drive in Tampa.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Katie Bookey, T-Mobile

The Money Crowd, a crowdfunding website designed for nonprofits in Tampa Bay, provides a new option for  community members to support the causes they care about. The site aims to give nonprofits an avenue to fundraise with little to no overhead and less administrative work than traditional projects.

"We wanted to see if crowdfunding could work on a local level for a niche market,'' says Kostas Stoilas, senior associate at Cushman & Wakefield of Florida and founder of The Money Crowd.

Nonprofits develop a need with a specific project, event or cause. The Money Crowd's volunteer team then meets with the organization to fine tune the concept and shoot video to be used on the site. Promotions are done by both the nonprofit and The Money Crowd, and donations go directly to the organization through their Paypal account.
 
A Venice, FL native and graduate of The University of Tampa's MBA program, Stoilas developed the idea while on the leadership council at Big Brothers Big Sisters, which is also the site's first project. The goal is to fund an event that will recognize volunteers who have been with the organization for five years.

The most recent -- and most successful -- project is Hannah's Homeless, a winter clothing and food drive to benefit St. Petersburg's homeless population. The project began in September and has already exceeded its $2,500 goal. The success of this project in the early stages indicates they're on the right path and the community embraces the concept.
Future plans include events to allow donors to meet the organizations they are benefitting for happy hours and networking. 

"Charities love it,'' says Stoilas. "Now we're trying to build the audience and get people to regularly visit the site to find other causes they can get involved with.''

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Kostas Stoilas, The Money Crowd

Going Green Tampa, a directory and advocate for eco-friendly businesses and City Recycling Group, a professional clothing recycling company, are partnering to keep textiles such as clothing, shoes, purses and stuffed animals out of landfills while benefitting those in need. The companies are seeking businesses to host bins at their site, making donating convenient and accessible to the community.

Clothes and shoes take up more space than any other non-durable good in the solid waste stream, accounting for approximately 12.5 million tons of total waste per year in the U.S. alone. That amounts to 67 pounds of clothing contributed by the average person.

Currently, 185 business host bins throughout the Tampa Bay region. Any type of business qualifies to host -- apartment complexes, gas stations, restaurants, retail establishments. Businesses can receive money back from the collections they turn in or choose to donate the money to a charity. City Recycling Group picks up collections weekly.

Most of the clothing collected is recycled as second-hand clothing and sent to Second and Third World countries. Some is made into cleaning and polishing cloths for industrial use, while some is recycled into fiber for insulation.

"It's a triple benefit,'' says Tara LaSalla, partner and account manager for Going Green Tampa. "Most importantly, it keeps things out of the landfill. The host also gets money back, and it furthers their green efforts.''

If companies don't have a lot of money to spend on a green initiative, this is an easy way for them to make a difference.

"It's helping people, and it's good for the environment,'' says LaSalla.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Tara LaSalla, Going Green Tampa

Tampa Bay culminates Global Entrepreneurship Week with Startup Weekend Tampa, beginning November 16 at 6 pm at Keiser University.

The 54-hour event allows Tampa Bay entrepreneurs to pitch their startup ideas and receive feedback from peers, mentors, coaches and other experts. Participants select the top ideas, and teams are formed to create business models and take the concepts to the next level. 

The third of its kind in Tampa, the Startup Weekend Tampa event is part of a global grassroots movement, which has inspired more than 400 events in 100 countries around the world.  This fall's event is part of a larger competition, providing the winning team with an invitation to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Brazil in March 2013. There, they will give a 90-second pitch in a live competition featuring investors, government officials and policymakers from around the world.

Startup Weekend brings together developers, designers, marketers, business people and entrepreneurs to form a community network that is focused on action.

"It's very powerful to have these interconnections and opportunities so we're not just meeting up for a casual conversation,'' says Ryan Sullivan, brand manager for TVGoods and co-organizer of Startup Weekend.  "We say, 'think of a concept, build a product'.'' Eighty percent of participants globally have continued to work on their startups after the weekend concluded.

Past winners of the Tampa event include Trivia Wars (now Trivia Bash), a gaming platform that allows people to play trivia games with different partners on mobile devices, and Checkout My URL, which rates websites on usability and feasibility.

Ultimately, events like this produce more centered businesses that help the Tampa Bay region grow.

Cost for Startup Weekend Tampa at Keiser University is $99 for general admission; $49 for students.

For more information or to register, visit: Startup Weekend Tampa.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Ryan Sullivan, Startup Weekend Tampa

A small contribution can make a big difference to St. Petersburg artists at FEAST Tampa Bay on November 15 at 6:30 pm at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Each $20 ticket includes a taste of St. Petersburg's best restaurants and a glimpse into current and future projects from local artists. Participants use their ticket to "vote'' on their favorite projects, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the artists.

"We're engaging supporters of the arts with the artists that are doing work in the community in a very personal way. You get to meet the people and hear directly from their mouth what they're working on, making a direct line of support,'' says T. Hampton Dohrman, director of Creative Pinellas and co-organizer of FEAST Tampa Bay.

The event is the third of its kind in Pinellas, and the first collaboration between Creative Pinellas, Keep St. Petersburg Local  and the Museum of Fine Arts. The synergy between the three groups with their common support of the Pinellas arts and business community allows this innovative event to localize arts funding with a community voice. 

The partnership allows the event to capitalize on the pride of St. Petersburg restaurants that are donating the food so that ticket sales directly benefit the artists. As a new twist for this event, every artist will walk away with something. Each "vote'' from participants will directly transfer to cash for the artist, with the project with the largest amount of votes receiving additional funding from Creative Pinellas.

 The event "injects cash into the arts community for ambitious artists who are looking to do something cool and can make a lot of impact with the small amount,'' says Dohrman.

Artists can apply online through October 31. Tickets are available online or onsite.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: T. Hampton Dohrman, Creative Pinellas

The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa offers high quality arts instruction to K-12 schools through a new Conservatory-To-Go initiative. Instructors from the Center offer on-site curriculum on a fee basis, allowing for a custom package designed to meet the needs of each individual school.

"They're getting a fully catered ongoing palate of arts education,'' says Wendy Leigh, VP of education for the Straz Center.

Subjects offered through the program include music classes such as string, percussion and woodwind instruments, theater and musical theater, and dance classes such as ballet and hip-hop. Most classes that are taught on site at the Center are also taught though the traveling program, which is meant to supplement arts programs currently in place in schools.

"In Hillsborough County in particular, the arts are very well served,'' says Leigh. But, most schools don't offer programs in dance or musical theater, allowing Straz to fill the gaps and provide additional enrichment for the students.

The pilot program at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic School provides theater and/or music classes to students in kindergarten through eighth-grade, serving more than 230 students since it began in September.

The program is in Tampa initially, but the goal is to eventually expand regionally.

"Not everyone can get downtown [for our onsite courses], so the more we can get these models to work the more we can serve the community all over the Tampa Bay region,'' says Leigh.
 
The Straz Center is participating in the Great American Teach-in on November 15. Schools interested in getting a sampling of this program can contact: (813) 229-7827.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Wendy Leigh, Straz Center

Tampa Bay's communities offer eclectic blends of culture, creativity and ways of life. A new website uses photographs to profile the people and places that contribute to this vibrancy.

Snapshot Tampa Bay looks at what makes Tampa Bay the cultural mecca that it is -- its people. The project is a labor of love by two local residents and creative advocates, Bryan Hunt and Julia Gorzka Freeman.

"It's our way of spotlighting people, events and places that are going on here in a novel way, to provide a glimpse into how we live,'' says Bryan Hunt.

The inspiration for the website came from their realization that there is lots going on in Tampa Bay that people don't know about. The site offers a different way of looking at people, by taking images inside their homes and businesses to show how they live.

They plan to highlight different neighborhoods to help people discover new restaurants, organizations and people, like Larry and Charlie Schiller of Schiller Salvage in Odessa. The Schillers travel the country to find the neatest and most quirky salvage items to sell in their store.

Other features will include the realm of Tampa Bay's creative economy, from someone living in a condo on the beach to a farmer in the rural areas of Brandon. Future plans include an "explore'' page that will help people navigate the Tampa Bay region and find cool places to go and things to do.

"We're creating a place for people to look at Tampa Bay in a new light,'' says Hunt.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Snapshot Tampa Bay, Bryan Hunt