Business Observer 07.08.10

+ Sarasota boutique relocates to Main Street
The luxury bath and beauty boutique Simply Spoiled Boutique announced it would be relocating its retail store operations July 1 to 1471 Main St. The new location gives customers more access to parking, extended shopping hours, frequent charity events, a wider selection of products and the launch of a new VIP program.

“Our commitment to the small-business market and the belief that moving to Main Street will enhance the vibrancy of downtown and allow us to continue indulging our customers’ every whim makes this the best move for our business,” said owner Vanessa Opstal.

+ SFC receives donation for meal-delivery truck
Senior Friendship Centers was recently awarded $20,000 by the William and Marie Selby Foundation to be used for a new truck for home-delivered meals and GPS units for use by meal-delivery drivers.

Reliable, safe transportation is a cornerstone of the agency’s meals program that provides nutritious meals to clients who would otherwise go without such nutrition. The new truck replaces an older vehicle with high mileage and repair issues.

+ Pat Price honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent called Pat Price one of her heroes.

The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County awarded Price a Lifetime Achievement Award, for which she was recognized June 22, by the Sarasota County Commission.

Price, who has served as the chapter’s president twice since 1991, has organized and moderated dozens of non-partisan candidate forums with hundreds of candidates since 1992. She is a long-term chairwoman of voter service for the club, expanded voter outreach by instituting candidate forums for every local race and published voters guides for primary and general elections. The guides helped to combat voting-booth guesses by including photos and information about every candidate on the ballot.

“It is the local elected officials who have the most day-to-day impact on a person’s life,” Price said. “They are responsible for the streets, the parks, law enforcement and public education.”

+ Economic Development Corp. holds networking bash
The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, which provides business assistance to local companies and helps forge solutions to community challenges that affect the quality of life, held its annual networking bash June 24, at G.WIZ The Science Museum.

The event offered networking opportunities for local business representatives and celebrated the work of the EDC, its volunteers and partners.