Business Observer 02.04.10

+ In ’09, Ackerman achieves $32 million in closed sales
Sarasota resident Barbara Ackerman, of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, achieved more than $32 million in closed home sales volume for 2009, making her the top agent in volume among all agents in Sarasota and Manatee counties for the second time in the past three years.

Ackerman carries a home-sales inventory ranging from $400,000 to her current marketing effort, a $13 million property on Longboat Key.

+ SCVB hires Hobeck Bates as its new sales manager
Lynn Hobeck Bates has joined the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau as the sales manager of cultural and international tourism. She previously specialized in public relations for the Ringling Museum and will be responsible for promoting Sarasota and the surrounding area as an attractive and culturally rich destination that produces significant economic benefits for Sarasota County. Other tasks include formulating sales programs to promote the community at trade shows, sales missions and sales presentations predominately in the United Kingdom and Germany.

+ Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group honored
The national Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) recently named Sarasota Memorial’s First Physicians Group a “better performer” because of its superior customer satisfaction and operational performance.

First Physicians Group has received MGMA recognition for its superior performance for seven of the last eight years. The primary care medical group includes 43 physicians and seven physicians’ assistants/ARNPs in 11 locations throughout the region.

+ Caldwell Trust Company appoints vice president
William Cunningham has been appointed as the vice president and trust officer for the Caldwell Trust Company and is based in the company’s Sarasota office, at 1561 Main St.

Cunningham brings 45 years of trust experience to his new position. He began his career at Riggs National Bank, in Washington, D.C., working for 12 years in trust operations. In 1977, he moved to Sarasota, where he served as vice president at Southeast Bank with responsibilities in trust and estate administration. He has also served as vice president of trust administration for Northern Trust Bank of Florida.

“I’m looking forward to working with a small company that shares my philosophy about customer relations — that the client is of utmost importance,” Cunningham said in a prepared statement. “I have client relationships going back to my days with Southeast Bank. I care about my clients.”