Florida businesses rally for holiday giving

Florida businesses and their employees continue to rally around local charities "even though their dollars are stretched more than ever before," said David Biemesderfer, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Philanthropic Network. The group expects donations in Florida to have risen slightly or remained flat after leveling off to about $1.26 billion in philanthropic giving in 2011. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

See also:
» Some examples of Florida holiday giving

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Florida Trend Exclusive
Live Chat: Florida and Colombia as trade partners

Improved safety, economic growth and a new free trade deal with the U.S. has strengthened Florida's trade and business connections with Colombia. Join Florida Trend writer Lilly Rockwell and Bob Grammig, a partner with Holland & Knight's Tampa office, as they discuss why Colombia is an important trade partner. Submit your questions now on the chat page and join the chat live tomorrow at noon.

» Read our report on the Florida-Colombia Connection

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Sales and Marketing Advice for Florida business
How to make that first impression count

Business Profile Mom-trepreneur takes healthy homemade spreads to market Like most moms, Michelle Terry wants to see her kids eat healthy food. So, 18 months ago, she took matters into her own hands, literally, and created Whole to the Core Sweet Hummus — a chick pea-based spread made with fruits and nuts. And the product has local markets humming. » More, including video, from Florida Today.

You’re at a business reception and then it happens -- someone asks what you do. It’s an opportunity to make a business connection. Yet, people tend to give a message that usually makes the listener yawn, if not confuses them altogether. Read Ron Stein's full column.

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Online rights hot area for intellectual property lawyers

The explosion of online content has heated up business for South Florida’s intellectual property lawyers. They’re involved in a range of issues from protecting clients’ online rights to resolving domain name disputes to determining who is responsible for digital copyright infringement. More at the Miami Herald.

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Small Business Advice
Let staff know you appreciate and value them

For many people this can be a very stressful time of year, and managers need to take this opportunity to reach out to each of their employees with some gift or token to show them they are appreciated for who they are and what they do for the company. It does not have to be an expensive gift; the important thing is that each employee feels recognized and appreciated. More from Dr. Jerry Osteryoung.

Out of the Box Small equals more farming in South Florida A new crop of farms are sprouting up throughout South Florida, expanding agriculture into the most unlikely of places, allowing some people to enjoy rural life even in an urban setting and others to pay the bills. The one thing they all have in common: They're small. From peaches to pigs and sheep to llamas, new farmers are using small farms to experiment with products unheard of in South Florida even a decade ago. » Full story from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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