BUSINESS OBSERVER

+ Richard D. Crawford receives award
Richard D. Crawford, of Edward Jones in St. Armands, has won the firm’s Ted Jones Entrepreneurial Award for his exceptional achievement in building client relationships.

“It’s truly an honor to be recognized for building relationships with those clients we serve,” says Crawford.
The award is named after Ted Jones, the son of the firm’s founder who developed the one, financial-adviser branch business model.

+ LLSA Chamber announces nominees
The Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce announced this week the 2012 Small Business of the Year Award nominees. The Rookie category nominees are: Elite Family Care, Boost Studio, Consider It Done and Always Home. The nominees in the 10 employees or fewer category are Siesta Sports Rentals, Sunglass Express and G. Fried Flooring.

The 2012 Small Business of the Year Award winners will be announced at the annual awards breakfast, which takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 26, at the Lido Beach Resort, 700 Ben Franklin Drive. Cost is $25 per person. Call the chamber office at 383-2466 for information.

+ Martinez to serve elegant French dinner
Maison Blanche Chef Jose Martinez will be the featured chef June 21 at the James Beard House in New York. He will prepare his “French Elegance” dinner, which will also be available at his Maison Blanche restaurant, on Longboat Key, in the fall.

+ Happy anniversary, Nancy Oberlin
Nancy Oberlin started at Longboat Key Club and Resort as a cook and then moved into a supervisory position in the food and beverage department. There was recently a reception held in honor for her 25 years of service to the Key Club. Among her contributions, she is also famous for her highly-anticipated banana bread that she brings in for the staff.

+ LLSA Chamber gets a makeover
The Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce has a new look. The new logo was designed by Boost Studio and will be unveiled at the Small Business Awards Breakfast June 26. A new website is currently being designed and will be released July 1.

+ Key Club goes green on the greens
Longboat Key Club and Resort has made par with its green initiatives. John Reilly, director of agronomy, has led the process of making the golf course “green” using natural fertilizers and organic processes instead of synthetic fertilizers. The runoff from sprinklers and hydrating systems is filtered through natural compounds, which makes it a healthier environment. The course also uses biodegradable tees, energy-efficient golf carts, biodegradable serviceware and recycled water at all rewash stations.

+ Sarasota Bay Watch changes officers
On Wednesday, June 6, at a monthly board of directors meeting, the officers changed watch at Sarasota Bay Watch, the nonprofit organization that protects and restores Sarasota Bay’s ecosystem. Co-founder and previous President Rusty Chinnis has taken on the role of chairman of the board and will serve as an ambassador for the organization to help in whatever way “furthers the cause,” Chinnis says.

“I think it’s important to keep the organization vital and that we keep adding new board members and changing the composition of the executive committee,” he says.

Larry Stults is now president; Jeff Birnbach is vice president; and Gary Serviss is treasurer.