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Wednesday's Afternoon Update

Retailers go high tech to boost holiday sales

Retailers are using new technologies this buying season to separate consumers from their money and to fend off competition from both brick and mortar stores and online sellers. And the holidays will be a crucial test of whether many of these high-stakes gambles pay off. More at Forbes.


7 tips on how to market effectively to Hispanics

If you’re not trying to sell your products to Hispanics, you’re missing out. After all, Hispanic buying power in Florida more than doubled from $104.8 billion in 2010 to $212.8 billion in 2012, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth. More at the Orlando Business Journal.


Florida Physicians Group Reports Patient Data Breach

Business Profile

Nana's Original Stromboli

nanas stromboli
For the 86-year-old grandmother, it's a chance to go big with a family recipe. Marie Ventura started making strombolis — a baked Italian pizza-dough stuffed with meats and cheeses — during her youth in Pennsylvania. Now, Nana's Original Stromboli is leaping from storefront to wholesale in Fort Lauderdale.

» Full story from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A physicians group with offices throughout Southwest Florida has notified 4,400 patients that their protected health information may have been breached. The medical group said representatives from its office are now working with law enforcement, including the sheriff’s office and the Internal Revenue Service More at the Insurance Journal and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.


Holiday shoppers, beware — knockoff goods can cost you dearly

It might seem like a bargain. It might look pretty. It might even look like the genuine article. But as the annual holiday shopping frenzy starts this week, federal authorities are warning South Florida consumers to be on the alert for knockoffs and counterfeit products they say are a ripoff and could even be dangerous. More at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.


Florida banks slow lending, boost profits in 3Q

Florida-based banks dialed down their loan growth in the third quarter amid a tough interest rate environment, but they boosted their profits. The state’s banks increased their loans by a total of $252 million, or just 0.3 percent, during the third quarter, according to new data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. More at the South Florida Business Journal.

Work/Life Balance
Reading fills lots of needs for busy professionals

readingHoliday overwhelm is upon us. Will we ever find the time to sink into the couch with our new electronic reader or devour the paperback we picked up at the book fair? Whether for fun or to get ahead, reading has proved to sharpen our minds. Today, many statistics show that top CEOs read four to five books per month.

» More from the Miami Herald