Beverages - Bradenton-based Tropicana Products has tapped Dennis Hareza as senior vice president and CFO. Hareza was previously vice president of financial planning for PepsiCo, the parent company of Tropicana, in Purchase, N.Y. He joined PepsiCo in 1985 as a financial analyst. He replaces John Stofko, who retired last year.
Distributors - Scott Kalister has joined Sunrise-based Kellstrom Industries as COO, a newly created position. Kalister, 47, was most recently president of customer support at Lexington, Mass.-based Raytheon Aircraft, an aircraft parts distributor. Kellstrom Industries also distributes aircraft parts.
Engineering - Former Florida legislator Winston W. "Bud" Gardner Jr. has been promoted to COO of Tilden Lobnitz Cooper, an Orlando-based engineering firm. Gardner, 52, previously was the division director of TLC's Cocoa regional office. He served 14 years in the Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives.
Home building - Financially struggling Tampa-based Walter Industries named Don DeFosset president and CEO, the company's fifth last year. DeFosset, 51, takes over from Donald Boyce, who has served on an interim basis since Bob Burton left the post last August. DeFosset was most recently COO of Dura Automotive Systems, a Rochester Hills, Mich.-based automotive components manufacturer.
Law - Alice G. Hector has been named a partner at Miami-based law firm Broad and Cassel. Hector was a founding partner of the commercial litigation boutique Hector & Harke and most recently was a partner at Miami-based Steel Hector & Davis. Hector, well-known in her field, specializes in insurance defense, employment litigation and complex commercial litigation matters, among others.
Publishing - Tim Franklin has been tapped as the new editor of the Orlando Sentinel. Franklin, 40, was most recently editor of the Indianapolis Star, a post he held for 11 months before taking over in Orlando. Prior to his stint at the Star, Franklin spent 17 years at the Chicago Tribune, where his last position was associate managing editor of business. As editor of the Sentinel, Franklin is reunited with Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune. He replaces John Haile, who was the Sentinel's editor for 15 years before retiring last year.
Services - David Grimes resigned as president and CEO at Tampa-based Sykes Enterprises, an operator of call centers for technical assistance. Hired as president in 1998, Grimes, 52, was promoted to CEO last September. He was seen as a possible successor to founder John Sykes. Sykes, 64, will return to the helm until a replacement can be found.
Technology - Jason Donahue has joined Fort Lauderdale-based TeleComputing, an applications service provider, as president and CEO. Donahue, 32, was most recently executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's telecom, media and networks business in New York. He replaces co-founder Jostein Eikeland, who will stay with the company as chief strategy officer.
Telecom services - Tampa-based Switch & Data Facilities has named Patricia Higgins as CEO. Higgins, 50, spent several years at AT&T and was most recently CEO of the Research Board, a consulting group affiliated with the Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Group. Higgins replaces co-founder Stephen Kelly, who will continue to lead the company's real estate operations. Switch & Data provides facilities and infrastructure services to technology businesses.