Tampa : Innovation + Job News

When Marcus Meyer opened Gator Janitorial Services in 2004 it was a one-man operation. 

His company has expanded its services and staff, and changed its name to reflect its broader range. Gator Cleaning Solutions provides commercial cleaning services, including floor care, windows and construction cleanup in addition to general cleaning. And Meyer and his wife and partner, Erin, recently hired a quality assurance specialist and plan to add more sales staff.

"Up until now, it’s been myself and our first hire making cold calls, etc.," says Marcus. "Hopefully we’ll bring on our first sales rep soon. And if growth goes as we plan, we want to bring on another one. As the sales team brings in new business, we can then add another QA specialist as well as an account manager. So we're anticipating 20 to 25 new hires. full-time, part-time and contracted cleaners."

Marcus attributes the growth to word-of-mouth and a consistent commitment to personal service.

"Through the years of having the company, it’s always been the personal touch," he says. We get a large amount of referral business. I still have clients I had as an individual from the very beginning. We get a large amount of referral business. Even through the down economy, we’ve enjoyed a 35 percent growth rate."

Adds Erin: "We pride ourselves in our constant research of products and services. We use state-of-the-art equipment and eco-friendly products. With our healthcare and education clients, we strive for high satisfaction scores and low infection rates. For our business clients, its about their image. We help create and maintain that."

Marcus says he has noticed more demand for services recently, which may be indicative of an improved economy.

"I do feel that the economy is improving," he says. "I can tell because our clients are asking for more frequent cleanings again. For a while there, they'd gone down to two or three a week. Now they're asking for five times a week again. They’re reinvesting in their image, which is what we help them do."
 
Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Sources: Marcus and Erin Meyer, Gator Cleaning Solutions

Talk Fusion, a Brandon-based video communications company, has created an innovative new app for smart phones.

The Fusion-On-The-Go app is a video email app for the iPhone and other smart phones on the market and, according to Talk Fusion founder and CEO Bob Reina, there are no other apps like it on the market.

“We are very confident that Talk Fusion’s Fusion-On-the-Go is the only video email app available for not only the iPhone, but any smart phone,” Reina says. “It is a one of a kind in the industry. ”

The app allows users to create personal and professional video emails while on the go. Users can use their smartphone video camera to shoot videos or upload pre-recorded videos and send emails to their contacts. The app has personal and business templates in more than 20 languages allowing a wide range of users the ability to use the app.

“Fusion-On-the-Go video email app for the iPhone was created in response to match the growing trend of mobile device use,” Reina says. “We are staying in tune with the growing needs of our customers. ”

Currently the app is only available to Talk Fusion’s customers and associates, however, for those affiliated with the company, the app is free to download. In addition to Fusion-On-The-Go, the company offers several other innovative products, including video conferencing, live broadcasting and video blogging.

“We also have Fusion Wall, the world’s first video-driven 3D social networking site to make friends, and attract customers for your business while having fun,” Reina says. “We are committed to continuing our development of world-class solutions for an affordable cost.”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Bob Reina, Talk Fusion

Innovators, investors and entrepreneurs are encouraged to save the date Feb. 6^th as the Moffitt Cancer Center will host its annual Business of Biotech conference.

The conference offers businesses and investors the opportunity to network with each other in an effort to bring biotech concepts to fruition. In fact, that is the theme of this year’s conference, “Turning Vision into Reality.”

“Our team wanted to develop a conference theme that reflects today’s biotech progress in the Tampa Bay area,” says Jarett Rieger, director of technology management and commercialization at Moffitt Cancer Center. “Speakers at the conference will look at the history of biotechnology, the current state and the future of diagnostics, medical devices and personalized medicine.”

The keynote speaker for the event is Dr. Risa Stack, a venture capitalist with Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. She has experience investing in personalized medicine, therapeutics and platform technologies.

“Dr. Stack has over 15 years of experience in investing and she will share her knowledge with the audience, focusing on personalized medicine,” Rieger says. “Other speakers will give talks on fundraising, personalized medicine, the future of biotech and issues facing medical device companies.”

According to Rieger, last year’s conference attracted more than 310 attendees, including scientists, investors, entrepreneurs, businesses and students. He expects attendance to surpass 300 again this year.

“The Business of Biotech conference is an opportunity to network with other members within the Tampa Bay biotech cluster to learn about what’s new in the region, ask questions of local area experts and gain a national perspective on biotechnology.”

The one-day conference will be held at Moffitt’s Vincent A. Stabile Research Building. Those interested in attending should register online or email Patricia Teston.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jarett Rieger, Moffitt Cancer Center

Doctors Express Tampa, an urgent care facility, opened in the Westchase-Citrus Park area in December. While the facility, which treats a wide range of illnesses and injuries, is currently open there are still job positions to be filled.

“We are hiring x-ray technicians, technologists and medical assistants for our Tampa location,” says Dr. Emad Yousef, co-owner of Doctor Express Tampa. “We want to fill these positions as soon as possible. ”

The new facility offers patients an on-site lab and digital X-ray. A board-certified physician will be on duty at all times, and the facility will also have a board-certified pediatrician on-staff.

“We offer the highest-quality, top-of-the-line equipment and on-site pharmacy,” Yousef says. “Patients can get treated, get lab work done and receive the prescription all in our office. ”

With the growing popularity of urgent care facilities, Yousef plans to open more locations.

“We hope to have another location open later this year,” he says. “We also plan to open one facility a year for the next five years. The urgent care centers will be throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. ”

In celebration of the facility’s opening, there will be a grand opening event on Saturday, Jan. 14, from 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. The event will feature music, food, children’s activities, giveaways and free health screenings.

Doctors Express Tampa is at 6182 Gunn Hwy. in Tampa. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, no appointment necessary. Most insurance plans are accepted, and payment plans are available for the uninsured.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Dr. Emad Yousef, Doctors Express Tampa

The Nonprofit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay is the lucky recipient of an anonymous $830 donation in honor of 83 Degrees Media.

The donation came after 83 Degrees partnered with Connect Your Cause before the holidays to urge readers to donate to your favorite charity or nonprofit organization in honor of our second birthday.

The promotion attracted donations from 83 Degrees readers to 11 different organizations in the Tampa Bay region, says Ginger Watters, principal at CYC.

The Nonprofit Leadership Center received the greatest number of new donations and thus earned the anonymous donor's $830 match. The Center teaches nonprofits the skills to operate their businesses through affordable training, coaching, and online resources.

The 10 other organizations that received donations as part of the promotion included:

CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse Inc.)
Community Tampa Bay
Family Promise of Pinellas County
Instruments of Change, Inc.
St. Petersburg Free Clinic, Inc.
Tampa Bay Watch
Tampa Theatre
Metropolitan Ministries
R'Club Child Care, Inc.
Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts

Thank you to all who contributed!

Diane Egner is publisher and managing editor of 83 Degrees Media. Comments? Contact 83 Degrees.

Inland Fiber and Data (IF&D), a data center in Winter Haven, has been selected by the Robotic Assisted Microsurgical and Endoscopic Society (RAMSES) to house the group’s surgical video repository. RAMSES is a medical trade group that promotes the development of robotic assisted microsurgical tools and related products for use in surgical settings.

“Robotics enable surgeon’s precision, as well as providing the capability for surgeons to perform procedures on patients in remote locations,” says Tim Nissen, marketing manager for Six/Ten Corporation, which owns and operates Inland Fiber and Data. “Videos of RAMSES members’ surgical procedures are being hosted on data servers within Inland Fiber and Data. This provides the ability for members to archive their procedures, and allows for access of content by other members for research purposes.”

Robotic assisted microsurgical procedures are expected to become customary in the future, and according to Nissen, more than 600 robotic assisted procedures have been successfully completed around the world.

In addition to hosting data servers for groups like RAMSES, IF&D also provides disaster recovery services and is a provider of private cloud services, including its "storage on a wire'' solution. The IF&D data center, which opened in 1975, was part of a joint venture between AT&T and General Telephone Electric. Nissen explains how the location was strategically chosen.

“Winter Haven provides an ideal data center location as it is 168 feet above sea level and outside both the 500-year flood zone and the maximum wind-borne debris areas associated with land-falling hurricanes, he says. “IF&D’s location in the I-4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa provides clients multiple air and road access to its facilities. ”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Tim Nissen, Six/Ten Corporation, Inland Fiber and Data

The USF medical college has been renamed the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. The change in name recognizes the financial contribution of Frank and Carol Morsani, who have committed to a gift of $20 million for a new education center.

The Morsanis previously gave to the university to fund the Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare. Their total gifts of $37 million to USF Health is the largest individual donation ever received by the university.

“This is history for the college of medicine, and it is history for the whole University of South Florida,” says Dr. Judy Genshaft, president of USF. “This is also history for an entire community and the nation.”

The new education center will focus on innovative ways to teach team-based care. The team-based care approach allows students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and physical therapy to focus on personalized medicine in an inter-professional team environment. The new six-story center will include a student-run free community clinic and state-of-the-art classrooms.

“Our vision for the Morsani College of Medicine could not be more clear or dramatic,” says Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of USF’s college of medicine. “We intend to be the leaders of the revolution that will transform the future of health care education and health care delivery by creating a new model that makes the old model obsolete.”

The new Morsani College of Medicine building will be located at the southeast corner of Bruce B Downs Boulevard and Holly Drive at the site of the former USF medical clinic.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Sources: President Judy Genshaft, USF; Dr. Stephen Klasko, USF Health

The tides may change in St. Pete’s favor if Pierre-Yves Cousteau, son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, decides to choose the area for his company’s U.S. headquarters.

Cousteau recently visited the St. Pete area scouting out possible locations for his organization. He was in town for four days in November and met with several key players, including business leaders, city council members and other divers.
 
Dr. Peter Betzer, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and professor at USF’s College of Marine Sciences persuaded Cousteau to visit the area after meeting him in Spain. Betzer showed Cousteau around USF St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay region.
 
“He was fascinated with our technical capability and our major marine science complex,” Betzer says.  
 
Cousteau founded the nonprofit Cousteau Divers in 2010. The organization works to conserve and protect the oceans, while offering divers an online community through its website. The organization’s mission statement reads, “By uniting a community of divers who are concerned about the marine environment, Cousteau Divers bring the legacy of Jacques-Yves Cousteau to life, making each diver an agent of the study and conservation of the aquatic realm. ”
 
Through his website, Cousteau encourages divers to upload photos and videos of their diving excursions to keep a real-time record of the ocean conditions.
 
Betzer says Cousteau’s decision on whether he will open his headquarters here could come soon.
 
“He’s coming back in January,” Betzer says.  “After meeting with some key people during his next trip he should be in a position to say this is where I want to set up shop. It would be so exciting for all of us in the community.''
 
Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Peter Betzer, St. Petersburg Downtown 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

Tampa Bay area exporters looking to grow their businesses may find helpful information at the International Trade Networking event on Dec. 7 in Tampa.

The networking event is being put on by the Florida District Export Council (FDEC) along with the U.S. Commercial Service. Organizers of the event aim to increase trade in the region by connecting exporters with each other.

“The goal of the event is for companies to connect with each other and hopefully do business, thus expanding international trade in Tampa Bay,” says George Martinez of GlobalRepfind, LLC, organizer of the event. “Attendees can introduce their company, products and/or services and meet potential customers or links to customers overseas.”

In addition to connecting exporters, several FDEC members will be present to answer trade questions. The FDEC, which is made up of businessmen and women who have been appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, often advise local exporters. This networking event will allow attendees the opportunity to gain insight on trade and seek answers from FDEC mentors.

“This event will give attendees ways to grow their business by exporting or importing,” says Martinez.

The International Trade Networking Reception will Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Wyndham Tampa Westshore Hotel, 700 North Westshore Blvd. in Tampa. The cost to attend is $15 per person. Those interested in attending can register through the FDEC website and pay online, or by check at the event. The deadline for registration is Friday, Dec. 2.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: George Martinez, International Trade Networking Reception

Advanced Healthcare Partners (AHP) is partnering with LCG Capital in an effort to increase profitability and growth for local healthcare companies. AHP, a healthcare consulting company, was launched by Jimmy St. Louis earlier this year. The partnership with LCG Capital, a Tampa-based investment bank, will help healthcare companies by providing a broad range of financial advisory services.

“LCG Capital has been very successful, and I believe we will mutually benefit from this partnership through utilization of their resources and experiences financing companies and through our expertise in healthcare operations,” says St. Louis. “I believe that 30 to 50 percent of the business that we bring to the Tampa area will be a result of our relationship with LCG Capital. ”

St. Louis is the son of one of the co-founders of the Laser Spine Institute (LSI), and was the former chief operating officer of LSI. He started AHP in hopes of increasing revenues for healthcare companies by offering business growth solutions so physicians and researchers can focus on serving patients and improving medicine.

“We are looking for innovative technology within the medical field that we can help bring to market,” St. Louis says. “Helping companies in the healthcare sector grow will have a positive economic impact on the Tampa area.”

According to St. Louis, that economic impact could be into the millions, even billions of dollars over the next three to five years.

“We plan to run and manage 20 to 25 small scale companies, which are typically between 3 and 5 million dollars, as well as five to eight larger operations that are between 25 and 50 million dollars,” St. Louis says. “If those high scale companies employ 100 people each that could have a great impact on Tampa’s economy. ”
                                                                             
Writer: Kimberly Patterson
 Source: Jimmy St. Louis, Advanced Healthcare Partners

A grid-tied solar power system has been implemented at a chemical compound company in Alachua, Florida. The implementation of the system was made possible due to a grant from the Renewable Energy for America-Program (REAP), which funded the cost of installation.

The system was engineered, designed and installed by Solar Impact located in Gainesville. Solar Impact is a photovoltaic (PV) system provider. PV systems use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar Impact plans to bring its PV systems to the Tampa Bay region.

“We would love to implement similar systems in Tampa,” says Don Ryan, director of sales and marketing for Solar Impact. “We continue to educate business owners and homeowners on why they should own their electricity through solar means instead of renting it through utility companies. Many business owners are simply not aware of the tremendous financial returns with solar. ”

The PV system that was installed in Alachua is a rooftop system that consists of 180 Mage PowerTec Plus 190 MH modules. According to Ryan, the project was an excellent investment.

“Between a 30 percent federal tax credit and the REAP grant, they recovered over 80 percent of the cost of their system in less than a year,” Ryan says. “They are earning over 17 percent annually on their investment in solar. ”

The USDA, which awards the REAP grant, funded $45,000 for the project. These funds represent the federal government’s investment in renewable energy.

“First and foremost, the U.S. cannot continue to do business as usual when it comes to energy,” Ryan says. “Our reliance on foreign fuel is both an economic and national security issue. It is critical that we continue to find ways to harness the power of renewable energy sources that have been with us since the dawn of time, such as solar and wind. ”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Don Ryan, Solar Impact

Savtira Corporation, a business to business cloud solutions company in Tampa, announced that the founding chairman and CEO of Napster, John Fanning, has joined its advisory board. Fanning founded Napster, an online music store, in 1998. Since then, Fanning has founded other Internet ventures, including NetMovies, NetGames and Net Capital.

“Mr. Fanning has a plethora of experience in the technology/internet industry,” says Marialuisa Curran, communications manager for Savtira. "His role at Savtira will be as a resource of knowledge in tech specialties such as streaming, distribution of content aggregation and video-on-demand (VOD). Mr. Fanning’s background in music, games and net-related innovations such as client-server game play, voice over IP and auto-upgrading/authentication, along with his financial expertise in helping finance early stage Internet companies are all knowledge-based assets that will play an instrumental role in guiding Savtira via the advisory board. ”

In addition to Fanning, Savtira has added other key members on its board.

“We have two other members so far as we continue to develop our advisory board,” says Curran. “Mr. Kelly Chase, a former NHL player. Also, Mr. Vik Grover, a former wall street research analyst and senior managing director of investment banking at Source Capital Group, Inc. ”

Savtira announced in August that it would be adding 265 people to its payroll by the end of 2012. The company was founded in Nov. 2010 and has experienced tremendous growth over the past year.

“The array of knowledge from diverse fields creates a melting pot of innovation, so our advice would be to broaden the scope of industries when selecting members for an advisory board,” Curran says. “Anyone with a passion for creativity and drive for growth will be an important player on your team. ”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Marialuisa Curran, Savtira Corporation

With all of the uproar over proposed banking fees, many people are exploring their options to move their money from big banks to credit unions. GTE Federal Credit Union (FCU), a member-owned credit union serving Tampa Bay, reports an increase in new member applications. Over the past month, the credit union has experienced a 31 percent increase in applications.

“Consumers are looking at banking in a different way now,” says Brian Best, senior VP of member solutions and chief lending officer at GTE FCU. “It’s important for individuals to know that credit unions were designed to help and benefit the member, which is the owner. Banks are designed to benefit shareholders. ”

Due to bank customer anger over fees and the movement of Occupy Wall Street, protesters declared Nov. 5 “Bank Transfer Day” and encourage those who hold accounts at banks to move their money to credit unions. GTE FCU sweetened the deal by offering $5 a month to new members for a 12-month period.

“Credit Unions have been around since the great depression and were formed to help people,” says Best. “With the recent economy, the thing that provides more momentum towards credit unions is that they have always been around to help people during tough times. ”

Best goes on to say that credit unions do not have to charge fees to customers like banks do because of the way credit unions are set up.

We are designed as a not-for-profit, therefore we don’t have to meet significant plateaus of earnings and profits,” he says. “This means we don’t have to charge the fees that banks have to in order to meet a certain profit.”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Brian Best, GTE Federal Credit Union

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