Following the $18.1 million sale of Main Plaza, how might the new owners redevelop the property — and how will that impact the eastern end of downtown Sarasota? Over the past year, stakeholders on the eastern end of downtown have hailed a comedy club, craft beer bar and buffalo wing restaurant as encouraging steps toward creating a distinct identity for the area. With that in mind, the $18.1 million sale…
Read MoreDeveloper purchases Hollywood 20 complex
A local investment group with ties to PGA golfer Greg Norman acquired the Main Plaza/Hollywood 20 complex in downtown Sarasota for $18.1 million, with the aim of reviving the aging office and retail center. The entrepreneurs behind the group, Jesse Biter, Eric Baird and David Chessler, say they have no set plans for the property. The deal closed Nov. 12. “That side of Main Street has really struggled,” Chessler said,…
Read MoreMain Plaza plan likely in early 2016, buyers say
The new owners of Sarasota Main Plaza expect to have their redevelopment plans set by early next year. An investment group composed of local entrepreneurs Eric Baird, Jesse Biter and David Chessler paid $18.1 million Thursday for the downtown Sarasota complex, which includes the Hollywood 20 movie theater. Chessler said Friday that the group, called BBC Main Street, will gather ideas over the next three to four months and present…
Read MoreMain Plaza/Hollywood 20 sells for $18.1 million
A local investment group with ties to PGA golfer Greg Norman acquired the Main Plaza/Hollywood 20 complex in downtown Sarasota for $18.1 million, with an aim of reviving the aging office and retail center. The group, comprising of entrepreneurs Jesse Biter, Eric Baird and David Chessler, say they have no set plans for the property. The deal closed Thursday. The 8.6-acre site, anchored by Regal Cinema’s Hollywood 20 theater, a…
Read MoreBuzzPrizeExpo Boosts Entrepreneurship
The spirit of entrepreneurship was celebrated at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday as the inaugural BuzzPrizeExpo launched. Now, organizer Suzette Jones hopes to start up conversation about providing better support to up-and-coming businesses. “We proved that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well on the Gulf Coast,” she said. “From the vendors to the six selected startups who pitched to private investors, we saw innovation and enthusiasm at all levels.” Among…
Read MoreDeveloper to break ground on 180 downtown apartments
Following a $7 million acquisition, Atlanta-based Carter aims to start construction next week on a downtown Sarasota project originally conceived by local entrepreneur Jesse Biter. An Atlanta-based development firm, Carter, plans to begin construction next week on 180 apartments in downtown Sarasota, in a project that dates back at least three years. Its 10-story rental building, with ground-floor retail space and two floors of parking, is slated for completion sometime…
Read MoreJesse Biter: Let Uber operate in Sarasota
I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: In business and in life, you’re either growing or you’re dying. I’ve seen the validity of that statement proven over and over again. When a business stops investing in innovation, or allows bureaucratic red tape to bind its growth and level its trajectory, it is doomed to the kind of mediocrity that leads to failure. Ensuring that Sarasota avoids the mire of…
Read MoreSpace Florida Launches Employee Bonus Plan
Space Florida’s Board of Directors on Wednesday approved the creation of a bonus plan for employees that could land the agency’s president an annual windfall reaching 50 percent of his base pay. But board members also were emphatic that the first performance-based bonus packages won’t be awarded until after the 2016-2017 fiscal year. “All we’re doing is agreeing that this is the structure, that this makes sense,” said board member…
Read MoreSarasota to consider affordable apartment project
A proposal by Sarasota businessman Harvey Vengroff — one of a slew of apartment proposals and projects in the city — is the subject of a community meeting today. The complex that Vengroff proposes to build at 2211 Fruitville Road, east of downtown, would have 404 units within five six-story buildings. The units would range in size from 350 square feet for an efficiency to more than 800 square feet…
Read MoreBiter plans residential HuB
The HuB’s founder has a new housing project aimed at those who can’t currently afford to live downtown. Entrepreneur Jesse Biter is continuing his quest to add more attainable housing targeted at young professionals in downtown Sarasota. Now, he’s pursuing a plan to add 90 apartments next to his HuB business incubator. Brian Jones, president of Jones Development Co., is teaming with Biter Enterprises on the project. At Tuesday’s Downtown…
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