Business Observer 7/31/2013

+ Longboat Key Club & Resort receives 30th AAA Four-Diamond Award
The Longboat Key Club & Resort received its 30th consecutive AAA Four-Diamond Award. The resort has received the honor every year since 1983, one year after its opening. It is one of just six lodgings in Florida to receive the award for 30 or more years.

AAA Four Diamond establishments represent 3.9% of the current 59,000 AAA/AAC approved and diamond-rated establishments.

“We are thrilled to achieve this outstanding milestone of 30 consecutive years as an AAA Four-Diamond Resort,” said Jeff Mayers, general manager of the Key Club, in a prepared statement. “With such a tradition to uphold, we are challenged every day to perform to our very highest standards and consistently deliver superior service and experiences for our guests. We have seen generations of families that come to enjoy their vacations here year after year, and we welcome the new guests who search out this venue of distinction.”

+ Anna Maria Fish Co. and Cortez bottarga featured in New York Times article
Cortez bottarga, sold by the Anna Maria Fish Co., was featured in a July 22 New York Times story titled “Bottarga, an export that stays at home.”

Anna Maria Fish Co., owned by Seth Cripe and Ed Chiles, produces more than 1,500 pounds of Cortez bottarga each year, the article states.

+ Sarah Olivero named avian hospital administrator at Save Our Seabirds
Sarah Olivero was named avian hospital administrator at Save Our Seabirds (SOS).

Olivero has been an avian hospital technician for nearly three years at SOS and recently received her Class III Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“I am very excited about the future at Save Our Seabirds,” said Olivero in a prepared statement.