Business Observer 02.18.10

+ Bel Mare slashes condo prices
Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes has emerged from foreclosure with scaled-back pricing on its remaining condominium residences.

Originally priced from $435,000 to $1.4 million, the remaining residences are now priced from $140,000.
Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes—which overlooks the Manatee River comprises two 14-story towers on 32 waterfront acres inside Riviera Dunes Resort & Yacht Club.

Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes is now under the cownership of Colorado-based CCS Bel Mare LLC.
The condos range in size from 1,847 to 3,871 square feet. Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes is located at 130-140 Riviera Dunes Way, Palmetto.

For more, call 932-0032.

+ Willis Construction VP joins Argus board
Dr. Warren G. Simonds, vice president of Lakewood Ranch-based Willis A. Smith Construction Inc., has joined the Board of Directors of the Argus Foundation.

Simonds has been active in the business community in the fields of banking, architecture and construction since moving to Sarasota in 1972. He has been a participating member of the Argus Foundation for 15 years.

The Argus Foundation is an group of business and community leaders who have come together to facilitate communication, education and cooperation between the public and private sectors. Working through the foundation, business leaders comment on the issues facing the local community and provide actionable solutions. The foundation has established liaisons with city, county, state and federal governments. The foundation monitors the activities of the various governmental bodies and holds public officials accountable for performing their duties efficiently and cost-effectively.

Members of the Argus Foundation come from a broad cross section of the business and professional community representing more than 50 different industries.

Willis A. Smith Construction, Inc. is the oldest construction firm in Sarasota and Manatee.

+ Tidewell Hospice names new VP
Tidewell Hospice announced last week Denise Pope, as its new executive vice president, philanthropy.
Pope will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and management for Tidewell’s philanthropy program, which includes securing and stewarding charitable gifts.

Pope joins the Tidewell team with more than a decade of executive level philanthropy, development and public relations expertise. She most recently served St. John’s Hospital and St. John’s Children’s Hospital in Springfield, Ill. as chief development officer.

Tidewell cares for more than 1,400 people per day in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties.

+ Manatee commissioners approve grants for new jobs
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners approved recently two Economic Development Incentive grants totaling $213,000 that will go to Oliphant Financial, a debt buyer and software provider, and Star2Star Communications, which develops and provides business-grade communications solutions via the Internet.

The Manatee County Economic Development division worked closely with the Economic Development Council, a division of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, to ensure the companies from relocating and expanding elsewhere.

Oliphant, 9009 Town Center Parkway, plans to add 133 new employees in five years for a total of 160 employees. The company moved into a 20,000-square-foot building in Lakewood Ranch in December.
Star2Star, 600 Tallevast Road, plans to create 80 communications technology jobs in the next five years.