BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Autumn Senior Living starts construction
Autumn Senior Living has completed demolition in preparation to break ground on a new state-of-the-art senior living campus at 3251 Proctor Road. Tom Wessel Construction Corp. demolished a 55,000-square-foot building of the old HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital that sat vacant for a number of years.

The Autumn of Sarasota community is set to break ground in the first quarter of 2013 with an expected cost of $65 million. Phase I is set to open in 2014 and will include 80 memory-care residences.

+ Princeton Review ranks New College as No. 3
The Princeton Review has ranked the New College of Florida as the No. 3 Best Value Public College in America for 2013. The Princeton Review list features 75 public and 75 private colleges and ranks the top 10 in each category. New College of Florida was the only Florida institute to appear on either top-10 list this year.

“New College is honored to be recognized once again by The Princeton Review and USA Today as one of the nation’s best value public colleges,” said New College President Donal O’Shea in a press release. “During this time of economic uncertainty for so many families, we take great pride in delivering the highest level of academic quality at a cost that is substantially lower than almost all other leading colleges and universities in the country.”

Students at New College of Florida receive more Fulbright Awards per capita than students at many other colleges. For the 2011-2012 academic year, New College’s in-state tuition and fees were $6,783. Among colleges in the Princeton Review’s “Best Value” public college list, the average cost of attendance for in-state students is about $8,300.

+ Fresh Salon opens new location on Main Street
Fresh Salon.Spa.Style opened a new location Saturday Feb. 2, at 1819 Main St., Suite 118, to expand its services. In addition to hair and color services, the new location offers a full-service spa, women’s clothing boutique, nail services, facials, waxing, eyelash extension, massage and body treatments.

Owner Bethany Holmstrom studied at the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg. She owns the salon with her sister, Ashley Bafia, and father, Dan Bafia. The salon at 1830 S. Osprey Ave. is still open but only offers hair services. For information, call 906-7709 or visit freshsalonsarasota.com.