Tourism : Innovation + Job News

Just as many farmer’s markets in the Tampa Bay region close for the summer season, one local market is starting a unique twist on a traditional concept. The Bridge Street Merchants on Historic Bridge Street opened a night market in early June, and it will be open on select Saturday nights between now and the end of July.

“I was inspired to start a night market by my travels to other countries that have them,” says Melissa Enders, organizer of the night market. “I figured that with our hot summers in Florida, perhaps it would be fun to see how a night market would be.”

The market is hosted by the Bridge Street Merchants Association, which is a nonprofit group that was formed in 2006 by  merchants who were dedicated to promoting historic Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach.  The area also features a pier, boutiques and resorts. Enders says she hopes the night market will draw visitors of all ages, including children.

“I tried to make it very family and kid-oriented since school will be out soon,” Enders says. “We have yummy food and desserts along with some handmade crafts, miniature golf tournaments, puppet shows and craft tents for kids.”

For vendors interested in participating in the market, Enders says they are still accepting applications and should email her or call 215-906-0668.
 
The Bridge Street Merchants Night Market will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on June 16 and 30 and on July 14 and 28.
 
Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Melissa Enders, Bridge Street Merchants Association

The Wyndham Garden Clearwater Beach Hotel has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation to make its rooms hypoallergenic and eco-friendly.

The hotel, which is located at the southern point of Clearwater Beach at 691 South Gulfview Boulevard, is comprised of 110 guest rooms, all of which were made hypoallergenic.

“In the guest rooms, we removed all original carpet and all wallpaper, and drywall was replaced with a hypoallergenic product and the floor covering is now vinyl wood plank,” says Nigel Duffett, general manager of the Wyndham Garden Clearwater Beach Hotel. “The flooring is 100 percent recycled and green-certified and all other products we use are green-friendly as well.”

According to Duffett, the complete renovation cost more than $2.5 million, however he says it was important to give guests something they have been looking for.

“Our guests are looking for ultra-clean guest rooms and this is where the project started,” he says. “As we planned changes toward this aim, including the flooring, it also became clear that an increasing number of guests are requesting a hypoallergenic environment in which to sleep. An added benefit is that not only are these products better for our guests' health, but also to that of our planet.”

Duffett says special attention was given to bedding. All guest rooms feature mattresses that are made from organic cotton and wool as well as latex, which will repel bacteria, mold and mildew.

Duffett says overall the investment was well worth the money.

“We took a much-loved friend on Clearwater Beach, and transformed her into a beautiful swan in paradise.”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Nigel Duffett, Wyndham Garden Clearwater Beach Hotel

As the food truck phenomenon continues to gain momentum in the Tampa Bay region, friends and followers are presented with a unique problem: How do you keep track of them all? Enter Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Ross Resnick, 27, and his app Roaming Hunger.

Resnick, a University of Southern California grad with a degree in international business management, started the concept as a street food blog in August 2009 when the movement was just starting to pick up steam in major cities.

What began with a database of nearly 300 trucks in San Francisco, L.A., Washington D.C., New York, Portland, Seattle and Pittsburgh has blossomed into a mobile app featuring 2,228 trucks in more than 25 cities including its newest addition, Tampa Bay, which launched on April 6 and currently features 33 registered mobile eateries.

"We're here to help push this industry to make a new medium accessible to the general public," Resnick says.

Looking for the closest truck in your neighborhood? Roaming Hunger provides a map, updated hourly, of businesses in your area featuring info, photos, menus and Twitter feeds. Users even have the option to separate trucks by savory, sweet and vegetarian.

The site's main goal is to promote and build a community around street food culture, according to Resnick. Any truck with an identity can sign up for free and users can create a free login or connect via a Facebook account.

Roaming Hunger's had its eye on Tampa Bay's "exploding" street food scene for a while, Resnick says, but the timing was finally right to go live.

"Tampa's one of the best new cities for food trucks," he says. "It's been really accepting. We wanted to come out and help push the movement even further."

Writer: Matt Spencer
Source: Ross Resnick, Roaming Hunger

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus used to come to the Sarasota area every year to enjoy the Florida sunshine. And now it looks as if it's here to stay. So if you've ever wanted to join the circus, you may just get your chance.

Feld Entertainment, producer of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey as well as Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Monster Jam and other Feld Motor Sports brands, is relocating its headquarters from Vienna, VA, to Ellenton, FL, over the next five years and bringing 235 new jobs to the Tampa Bay area. 

"The circus has a history in Southwest Florida," says Stephen Payne, Feld spokesperson. "This is where we used to do rehearsals. But the rehearsal facility we currently have in Palmetto won’t permit us to grow. In 2008 we acquired a motor sports division, which dramatically increased the size of the company and spurred new brands. But I think it also goes back to a hunger in the U.S. and the world for families to enjoy entertainment together. Our shows offer that."

The new facility, located at 2001 N. U.S. 301, occupies 47 acres and will allow Feld to consolidate and house operations and production activities that support Feld's global tours. The site includes 100,000 square feet of office space with an additional 450,000 square feet of manufacturing space in two buildings. The expansion will allow Feld to retain 148 employees and hire an additional 235 to handle a variety of high skill, high wage jobs such as scenic design, costumes, sound and lighting, as well as maintenance of the circus train.

The move is made possible through a variety of grants and incentives totaling $3,779,734. Incentives include $1,174,765 from the state of Florida's Qualified Targeted Industry Fund, $650,000 from its Quick Action Closing Fund, and $1,500,334 from the Manatee County Government.

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Stephen Payne, Feld Entertainment

Top officials from Tampa Bay business and economic entities joined U.S. Commerce Under Secretary Francisco Sanchez at the Port of Tampa on Monday, Feb. 6, to sign a Memo Of Intent (MOI) that serves to create collaborations and connections among trade exporters and government officials to build a business strategy that will attract more jobs to Tampa Bay.

"Individually none of us has the potential to fulfill and carry out on a sustained level an international trade," says Stuart Rogel, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership. "But collectively we can sustain and focus on areas where we can bear fruit." 

The entities represented at the MOI signing include the International Trade Administration, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the City of Tampa, and their partners, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida, the Tampa Bay Partnership, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa and the Tampa Port Authority. 

"Not only is this a sign of the Tampa Bay community coming together to advance international activities," says Rogel. "But the under secretary's [presence] represents an administration that wishes to double export activity over the next five years. Sanchez talked about how they're on track to meet that goal, which is in line with Florida Gov. Scott's goal to expand the state's export activity. So we're seeing this [MOI signing] as consistent with efforts on a state and federal level."

The signing is in part an answer to President Obama's National Export Initiative (NEI) to double U.S. commercial exports by the end of 2014.

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Stuart Rogel, Tampa Bay Partnership

Realizing that living and playing outdoors in sunny Florida can be an inferno for our four-legged friends, Brian McClish of Tampa set out to find a way to keep his pets cool in the shade.

"I’ve lived in Florida for 13 years and have always owned dogs,” says McClish owner and creator of the K-9 Koolee. “I spend a lot of time outdoors with them while playing beach volleyball or surfing, I like to take them with me whenever I can. Before the Koolee, I would have to either return home early or bring them out of the heat. I started tooling around with different mechanisms to cool them down, and with a medical device sales background I came up with a medical grade polymer that maintains temperature over a long period of time.”

The K-9 Koolee is portable and, according to McClish, has been field tested on the beaches of Florida and scientifically proven to maintain a cool surface for up to eight hours.

"The principle behind the design is an easy-to-carry, duffle bag-style dog bed that’s designed with a cooling element inside the bed,” McClish says. "When the bed is opened up, which is like a clam shell, the internal cooling elements, keep the dog cool outside.”

The product comes in two sizes: small/medium for dogs up to 55 lbs. and large for dogs 55-125 lbs.

"In addition to our website, people can purchase it at One Lucky Dog in St. Pete, in Tampa at Wag on Davis Island or at Dog Gone Holistic in FishHawk,'' McClish says.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Brian McClish, K-9 Koolee

Ensuring that local food trucks are a staple in Tampa, Mayor Bob Buckhorn recently kicked off the inaugural Mayor's Food Truck Fiesta.

After attending the Tampa Bay region's first Food Truck Rally in Hyde Park in September, the idea for the Food Truck Fiesta came about as Buckhorn considers ways to enhance a hip downtown atmosphere that hosts events to generate urban buzz.

“I was impressed by both the variety of trucks and the large crowd they attracted and I wanted to recreate that same excitement in our urban core,” says Buckhorn of the Hyde Park rally. “While other municipalities have struggled with out-dated ordinances, we've been flexible in an effort to accommodate this growing trend. We really want to define Tampa as a hip city.”

Located on Franklin Street between Madison Street and Kennedy Boulevard, the event began on Wednesday, Nov. 2, featuring food trucks such as Taco Bus, Fire Monkey, Jerk Hut and Gone Bananas; Mayor Buckhorn kicked off the event serving food at the Wicked Wiches truck.

“The urban core is the center of our economic development efforts and this event serves the larger goal of creating more excitement in our downtown area,” says Buckhorn. “Downtown is now a place where people live, work and play and we need to showcase that fact by bringing more people down here -- increased foot traffic will benefit all of the businesses downtown.”

Happy to support the unique community of food truck entrepreneurs, The Mayor's Food Truck Fiesta will continue the first Wednesday of every month at lunchtime from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Tampa, featuring a variety of food trucks each month. The next event is on December 7.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn

CREW Tampa Bay will hold its annual artLOUD sculpture event on Friday, Nov. 11, in Tampa. The event allows local artists the opportunity to share their talent with the community, while helping enhance the downtown area. The sculptures will be placed throughout downtown over the next few weeks and will remain there for the next year.

“We’re installing a total of 20 sculptures this year,” says Abbey Dohring, VP of brokerage for the Dohring Group as well as the founder and co-chair of the artLOUD committee. “We will also be keeping a few sculptures from last year.”

According to Dohring, 95 percent of the sculptures have been created by local artists.

The Nov. 11 artLOUD activities include a gala and silent auction. Also, there will be gourmet tastings, cocktails, live music and an unveiling of the grand prize sculpture.

“Brendan McLaughlin of ABC Action News will be our emcee, the chief of staff for the mayor, as well as other city officials will be in attendance,” says Dohring. “All of the funds that we raise this year will go to Curtis Hixon waterfront park, specifically earmarking this year’s funds for Rock the Park.”

Dohring hopes that the sculptures will bring more people downtown.

“We are a very walkable city that welcomes more than just business,” Dohring says. “Arts and culture create the atmosphere.”

artLOUD will take place on Nov. 11 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Glazer Children’s Museum, 110 W. Gasparilla Plaza in Tampa. Tickets are $65 each and pre-registration is required. Register online at the artLOUD website.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Abbey Dohring, CREW Tampa Bay

If you think Tampa does not have a rich history, think again. The Tampa Bay History Center is full of interesting facts and exhibits that showcase the region’s long historical journey to the metropolitan place it is today. In recognition of its success educating visitors on the history of Tampa and West Central Florida, the History Center became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2011. Only 12 other museums in Florida have the Smithsonian affiliation.

To celebrate, the Tampa Bay History Center will be participating in Smithsonian Day on Sept. 24^th. As part of the celebration, the museum will offer free admission to guests.

“We will be offering free admission to the museum on Smithsonian Day,” says Manny Leto, director of marketing for the Tampa Bay History Center. “Guests do need to go to Smithsonian's website to print out a voucher for their ticket prior to arriving at the center on the 24th. ”

Leto suggests guests who visit the museum set aside at least two hours to explore the center.

“We have three floors of exhibition space and three interactive theaters,” Leto says. “Our tagline is 'exactly what you didn’t expect' because people are always pleasantly surprised by how much history is in the area.”

In addition to a variety of exhibits, the museum features a kid-friendly interactive area, the Columbia Restaurant Cafe and a research center. The Tampa Bay History Center at 801 Old Water Street is next to the St. Pete Times Forum in downtown Tampa. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Manny Leto, Tampa Bay History Center

Busch Gardens, the Tampa amusement park that draws visitors worldwide, now offers guests an innovative and high-tech way to see the park. The amusement park has develop an interactive iPhone application that uses GPS technology to guide visitors through the park.

"The technology for real-time navigation and ride wait times/show times is GPS-enabled and activates once guests are inside the park," says Jody Anderson, manager of digital communications at Busch Gardens. "Browsing the app outside the park will provide guests with information for all of the park's other attractions and amenities."

In addition to notifying guests of ride wait times and show times, the GPS in the application can virtually guide visitors through the park.

"An interactive map will show guests where they are in the park and allow them to highlight the quickest real-time route to their next destination by clicking the 'take me there' button on any destination page," Anderson says. "Whether the destination is a restaurant, show, ride, animal habitat or nearest restroom, the app can give details on its description, location and restrictions."

The application can be used once you leave the park as well. "One extra element we are excited about is the car finder," says Anderson.

"This tool can be used anywhere, anytime to pinpoint where you parked your car."

Anderson says the reception of the new application by fans and guests has been great. While the application is currently only available for the iPhone, the team at Busch Gardens is working on an Android version that will be available this fall.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jody Anderson, Busch Gardens

Fans of Lee Roy Selmon's restaurant will be happy to hear that the home of soul-satisfying food will be opening two new locations, one in Palm Harbor and the other in Brandon.

The original Lee Roy Selmon's at 4302 W. Boy Scout Blvd. in Tampa opened in November 2000; since then the restaurant has opened locations in St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota and Ft. Myers. The newest additions to the Selmon's family in Palm Harbor and Brandon have not yet opened, but will soon.

"We will be opening the Palm Harbor location at the end of May," says Lee Roy Selmon's President Greg Lynn. "We have not finalized the opening of our Brandon location yet, but are working on it."

In preparation for the opening of the restaurants, Lynn says the Selmon's organization is hiring up to 100 jobs at the Palm Harbor location alone.

"We will be hiring front of the house positions such as hosts, servers, bussers and bartenders, as well as back of the house positions such as prep cooks and management," says Lynn. "We are always looking for great management at all of our locations to help grow our concept."

Lynn says that interviewing is taking place now at the Palm Harbor storefront in the Park Avenue Shoppes center.

In a time when many restaurants have gone under due to the economic recession, Lee Roy Selmon's has thrived. Lynn attributes its success to several strategic decisions.

"We have managed to combine high-quality food and service with value-priced menu items," he says. "By having managing partners in each restaurant we have encouraged out of the box thinking, and have adjusted to the times and will continue to do so."

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Greg Lynn, Lee Roy Selmon's Restaurant

Want to see Tampa's downtown skyline from the waterfront? Curious to see the waterside fronts of multimillion-dollar homes on Harbour Island and Davis Islands? Love the gentle splash of seaspray while keeping on eye on seabirds soaring overhead? How about doing it all at sunset?

Tampa Bay Sailing Tours offers what other water vessels around downtown Tampa can't, a more private sailing experience for a maximum of six guests aboard NoShooz, a 36-foot Catamaran.

Guests can enjoy sunsets, dolphin encounters, food and drinks. "There are certainly other vessels out of the downtown area that take 30-50 people out to look at the dolphins, but we are running a small, more intimate practice," says Josh Dohring, owner of Tampa Bay Sailing Tours. "Each sail includes a captain and a mate who serves great food and drinks."

Dohring says that the sailing experience is great for tourists; however, locals and particularly executives or business owners looking for a different way to entertain clients would enjoy the sail as well. "For local business owners, the sailing experience is another option for entertaining clients, an alternative to a golf outing."

Dohring, who also runs a commercial real estate brokerage, says he hopes the sailing tours will help draw people to downtown Tampa. "I want to see downtown thrive, and people taking advantage of the waterfront, making it a place that people want to come and stay," Dohring says.

As part of that desire to keep downtown neighborhoods and businesses thriving, Dohring says he uses local independent restaurants to cater the food on board. "When you go out on a sunset sail, you are getting food from a place like Sono Café or one of the other great restaurants downtown."

Tampa Bay Sailing Tours launched in early February, and Dohring says the response from the business community has been very positive thus far.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Josh Dohring, Tampa Bay Sailing

LEGOLAND Florida plans to start interviewing potential employees in June in preparation for an October 2011 opening. The new theme park plans to fill 1,000 positions needed to support operations.

"We have an entire park to fill," says Jackie Wallace a representative of LEGOLAND Florida. "From maintenance staff, to ticket takers at the front gate, to food and beverage workers, and retail staff for the shops we are really prepared to start filling out these positions."

Wallace says that the company will start with hiring managers and supervisors first, and then will do a mass hiring in June.

"All applications must be submitted through our website; once we pre-qualify candidates we will invite groups of applicants to our on-site assessment center," says Wallace. "We will bring in groups of applicants from 20-50 people at a time and watch people interact with each other, do some interviews, interactive games and assess how candidates interact. From there we go into a more formal interview process."

For service positions, Wallace says the company is looking for a certain type of employee. "Our park is dedicated to families with children ages 2-12, so it is imperative that the folks we bring on board be very kid-centric," says Wallace. "Candidates don't need to have a theme park background, however it does help.

While the core demographic audience of LEGOLAND is children, Wallace says the park caters to parents as well.

"Our secondary target audience are adult fans who grew up with an affinity to the Lego brand, and are interested in introducing their children to Lego."

Wallace says interested applicants can visit LEGOLAND Florida's Facebook page for updates and opportunities to interact with LEGOLAND representatives. The theme park is near Winter Haven in Polk County east of Tampa.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jackie Wallace, LEGOLAND Florida

Downtown Bradenton is groovy. And it's going psychedelic to prove it.

From March 5 to April 16, downtown Bradenton will celebrate the '60s through art, fashion, literature and music during its SHOUT the 60s event.

"The 14 events offer something for everyone," says Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton, the organization sponsoring the event. "Fashion, films, food, music, politics, performances, baseball, and demonstrations."

Isham says the idea for the '60s event was spurred by a performance taking place at the Manatee Players.

"About six months ago, we decided to expand upon the production that Manatee Players was doing called Shout!, about a girls' group in the '60s. The idea came out of the monthly meetings of our Cultural Partners Work Group."

Isham further explains that, like the spirit of the '60s, the event is all about collaboration.

"One of our key core values is collaboration, explains Isham. "The 60s promo grows out of and depends on our collaborative action. Whereas other groups say they are interested in collaboration, we 'walk the talk.' "

Partners for the event include ArtCenter Manatee, DeSoto Historical Society, Manatee County Cultural Alliance, the Manatee County Historical Commission, the Manatee Players, the Pittsburgh Pirates, South Florida Museum and the Village of the Arts.

Isham points out that while the event is fun, there is a serious component, too. On March 19 the Rowlett Magnet School's drama department will present a performance of Healing the Hurt that chronicles veterans' experiences of and healing from the Vietnam War. Flash Back, Flash Forward on April 4 will explore the role of government and conservative and liberal values at the Institute for Public Policy on the the USF campus.

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Johnette Isham, Realize Bradenton