Business Observer 11.26.09

+ Kompo Family Co. buys bank HQ land
Kompo Family Co. LLC, a limited liability company headed by Sarasota chiropractor Dr. Gary Kompothecras, purchased the 1.7 acres housing the corporate headquarters of Community Bank of Manatee for $1 million. The purchase price equated to $13 per square foot for the land at 2025 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

The former owner, an entity of Lakewood Ranch master-developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, signed a ground lease with Community of Bank of Manatee for the bank’s current 15,000-square-foot headquarters in July  2005.

Kompothecras and his wife, Elizabeth, provided a mortgage to the purchase entity for the property of $1 million.

Gary Kompothecras is best known for his Ask Gary lawyer and medical referral service.

+ Ranch to host business program
Allen Carlson, CEO at Sun Hydraulics, will headline a CEO Nexus Forum at 4:30 p.m., Dec. 1, at the State College of Florida Lakewood Ranch campus, 7131 Professional Parkway E.

The forum will kick off Sarasota County’s Economic Gardening program, which will offer services to stimulate growth in “second-stage” companies that qualify.

The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County and Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce are hosting the forum, which will bring together leaders of established second-stage businesses in a confidential setting to meet and learn from CEO peers who have grown their companies into a more advanced stage of business development.

To qualify as second stage, a company must have between 10 and 50 employees, generate annual sales of $1 million to $25 million, and have increased sales and employment during three of the last five years.

Qualifying second-stage companies can attend the forum by contacting Brittany Brocious at [email protected].