Monday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 5/7/2018

Will Uncle Sam shower some love on spaceports?

All around the country, from Florida to Alaska and all points in between, new spaceports are popping up to support the burgeoning private space industry. Now, the federal government may be ready to throw some fuel on that fire. More from Popular Mechanics.

See also:
» Lunar rover's cancellation hits KSC

Sales and Marketing Advice
The secret to selling feature-rich products: Don’t talk about the 'technology'

Even if the product or service you are selling is complex and full of whiz-bang features, be sure to speak to the specific outcomes and don't get mired in details, or you will bog the sale down. Remember - it’s hard for mere mortals to get excited about the cold techy stuff inside of your product. Read Ron Stein's full column.

Cool weather compressed Florida peach season

A representative of Florida Classic Growers expects peach shipments to wrap up in a couple of weeks in what he describes as a positive but compressed season. The company’s president, Al Finch, said the initial harvests had been delayed by a few days due to cool weather during the growing period, but once the campaign got underway the volumes came on quickly. More from Fresh Fruit Portal.

JEA’s new interim leader seeks to win over skeptics

Aaron Zahn, who vaulted from a six-week stint on the JEA board to suddenly become its interim CEO, is a runner who has competed in a handful of triathlons, including a half Ironman race. So when he considers what he wants to accomplish at JEA, he takes a long view. More from the Florida Times-Union.

CareerSource tech grant was supposed to help people in seven counties. Has it?

When CareerSource Tampa Bay won a $3.8 million federal grant in 2016, it pledged to train people in seven counties for jobs in technology and healthcare. But records from the agency show the training has helped people primarily in just two of those counties: Hillsborough and Pinellas. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Remembrance
Phil Alessi Sr.

Some may know the Alessi name from the 106-year-old Tampa bakery. Others may recognize Tampa-based Alessi Promotions that produced boxing cards around the world. On Sunday, family patriarch Phil Alessi Sr., the man most responsible with growing the Alessi brand, died at Tampa General Hospital after battling diabetes for years.

» More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Business Profile
Peachey’s Baking Co.

Peachey’s Baking Co. was founded in 2007. It’s a family affair that’s grown from siblings selling doughnuts at a single festival to a sought-after food stand at well-known national events like the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.