Private business clubs in Florida
Once exclusively male dominions, private business clubs have existed for decades. Today's versions are about much more than just handshaking and deal making. They cater to upcoming and established executives of both genders with a range of amenities -- from fully equipped offices to spas and lounges with dance floors.
The Bankers Club
One Biscayne Tower, Miami
 |
The Bankers Club was the first private business club in Miami. "At one time there were six, but now we're the only one left in the city," says general manager Ken Henson. Amenities include an e-lounge with workstations, high-speed internet, video conferencing, audio-visual equipment and concierge services; a dining room; and events room for everything from wedding rehearsal dinners to bar/bat mitzvahs.
» See a sampler of Florida's Business Clubs from Florida Trend
Getting paid to hire might be the next step in unemployment fight
Jerold Nelson didn't possess the skills needed to land a job at Interactive Blue, a utility contractor in Coral Gables. But the 51-year-old brought an unusual selling point: The company only had to pay him about $1.50 an hour. Laid off for nearly a year, Nelson still wasn't willing to work for nearly nothing. Instead, he qualified for a federal training program that temporarily subsidizes up to 90 percent of a new hire's wages. The discount was enough for Interactive owner Robert Mena to try out Nelson, who last month won a permanent position helping to permit cable systems for the company. "In this economy, it's tough to take a chance on hiring someone who is not an exact match,'' Mena said. "It gave us more flexibility.'' [Source: Miami Herald]
Oil drilling in the Everglades has a long history
Oil has been pumping out of wells from what's known as the Sunniland Trend in the western Everglades since 1943. So here's a quick 10-point tutorial on Sunniland, the unlikeliest oil patch in the South —- and so far one of the safest, since according to state records there has never been a major oil spill there. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Jobs challenge shows no one has answers
America's sickly economy can be healed with jobs, jobs and more jobs. On that there is agreement. Figuring out how to produce them is what's stumping everyone. Other than letting time take its course, Washington lacks a clear answer on how to create permanent new jobs on a national scale. Forecasters suggest it will take 20 million new jobs over the next 10 years just to repair recession damage and to keep pace with adult population growth. Read more from the Associated Press and see other takes on the jobs problem and the presidential speech from Florida sources below:
» On eve of Obama's jobs speech, we're suddenly awash in ideas to boost employment
» Entrepreneurial job creation key to economic recovery
» Economists: Government should push for infrastructure spending
» A look ahead at Obama's jobs plan
Florida Hospital for Children uses Disney to boost patient satisfaction
Patient satisfaction at the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando has risen significantly and is now among the best at children's hospitals nationally after it turned to The Walt Disney Company in 2009 to turnaround its image. The hospital's workers are "cast members," and new visitors to the hospital are greeted by people in various Disney-themed outfits. Patient volumes are also up nearly 50 percent. Read more from Becker's Hospital Review and the Fort Myers News-Press. See also Florida Trend's special report on Kid-Friendly Care.
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Downtown West Palm Beach attracting new businesses
An art gallery, steak and seafood restaurant and sportswear company are the newest businesses to open on Clemantis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. "These three businesses are a great addition to the tropical environment," of the downtown area said Teneka James, business development director of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority in a news release.
These three new businesses join nearly 25 others that opened in downtown West Palm Beach in 2011.
› Florida Free Rides wants to expand throughout Pinellas
Can an electric cart taxi service find happiness and success in Tarpon Springs by offering free rides between tourist districts?
Business partners Jason Gibertoni and Kevin Martyn, owners of Florida Free Rides, told city commissioners last week their business plan, which has proven successful on Clearwater Beach, can work in Tarpon Springs, too.
The two want to operate a tour-guided taxi service, ferrying passengers within "free zones" between downtown and the Sponge Docks.
Mayor David Archie welcomed the new business, noting there are still logistics that need to be worked out before service can begin.
› Spending offers no hint of recession in South Florida
Spending continued to grow in South Florida during the first half of 2011, with no hints of the pullback that emerged before the last recession.
New data from Broward and Miami-Dade counties show taxable sales up almost 7 percent in June compared to 2010, the 17th straight month of growth.
That's an encouraging sign amid widespread economic anxiety that the nation is heading for a second recession.
› Trader Joe's coming to Naples
The rumors are no longer rumors about Trader Joe's coming to Florida.
"It's absolutely true," said Alison Mochizuki, a spokeswoman for the trendy grocery store chain.
The chain, with a cult-like following elsewhere in the nation, will open its first Florida store in North Naples, at a former Borders book store. The 14,000-square-foot grocery store will open later this year. A lease was recently signed.
"There are a lot of foodies in the area," Mochizuki said. "We consider ourselves a neighborhood grocery store and it seems like a wonderful neighborhood for us to be part of."
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Homeownership beats renting -- if you can get a loan
South Florida's ratio of rents to home prices is its highest since 1997, according to a report this week from a TD Bank affiliate.
During the recession, home prices in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties plummeted by roughly 50 percent, while rents declined by just 2.5 percent over the same period, said Alistair Bentley of TD Economics. He cites data from the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Index and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With homes so affordable now, owning is better than renting. "Of course, that's if you can get a loan," Bentley said.
› Marlins' ballpark 80 percent complete
Dirt piled 6 feet high stands midway between the two dugouts at the Florida Marlins' new ballpark.
No, that won't be the pitcher's mound. Construction crews are still digging and grading in preparation for the opening of the ballpark in April, but the $515 million project is 80 percent complete, and the Marlins say it is on schedule.
The Marlins held a tour of the site Wednesday. The field is still dirt and mud, because the natural grass isn't scheduled to be laid until January.
› New report warns that space missions are injuring astronauts
Like a veteran NFL team, NASA's aging astronauts are piling up injuries -- raising concern that NASA and its 61-member corps will have enough healthy astronauts available for rigorous six-month shifts aboard the International Space Station, according to a new report.
Most worrisome is a recently diagnosed -- and not fully understood -- eye problem found among some astronauts returning some space that can cause headaches and blurry vision.
Related:
» Nation's astronauts may be in short supply
› Wynwood art walk revs up for Art Basel
The new art season is upon us. Wynwood art dealers, wringing their sweaty palms, are in a sniff over who did or didn't make the cut for Art Basel.
The galleries are cranking out dozens of fresh shows like the conveyer belt at Krispy Kreme. The food trucks will be out in droves this weekend, eager to feed the throngs to the delight of starving culture vultures and the dismay of dealers tired of choking on exhaust fumes, sweeping chicken and rib bones off their stoops, and flushing the drunks from their bathrooms. Stop complaining, folks. You've got it made in a floundering economy.
› Oshkosh Defense will cut 75 Jacksonville jobs
Oshkosh Defense will cut 75 jobs in Jacksonville when it closes a Northside facility that installs armor siding on military vehicles.
The closure is an example of how the federal government's move to reduce Department of Defense spending can impact Northeast Florida employment. Defense spending helped many of the region's manufacturing companies keep employees on the job during the recession.
» Defense Contractors:
War Business
› Securing a team to occupy City of Palms Park is a 'long shot'
City of Palms Park may find a replacement for the Boston Red Sox, according to Lee County Commissioner John Manning, who also cautioned against being optimistic.
"It's a very, very, very long shot," Manning said this morning.
He said two teams may be interested. One trains in Florida and the other in Arizona. Manning said he has had no contact with either team and neither has visited City of Palms Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox from 1993 through 2011.