University of Florida President Kent Fuchs told technology executives in Sarasota on Monday that a planned Innovation Station here will funnel Engineering students and graduates into internships and jobs in the state and make Florida more competitive in keeping the jobs of tomorrow. The opening of the extension campus for UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, formally announced formally on Monday, will be the first of six to eight similar programs in Florida and was sold as a major ‘game-changer’ for the university and this community. “So many times over the past year, I have seen students graduate from the University of Florida and leave for Atlanta or the West Coast,” Fuchs said. “This is critical for the community.”

The university within the next six months plans to open an extension in Sarasota that will serve as the first of many satellite efforts for the Gainesville-based school. The announcement on Monday comes after 18 months of negotiations, the approval of $1 million in economic incentives by Sarasota County, a $980,0000 grant from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation and an additional $63,000 grant by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, along with an additional $1 million provided by the University of Florida.  

At a special luncheon hosted by the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, details of the effort were presented to community leaders and investors. Technology CEOs in the region celebrated the deal, which they said will help local companies recruit talent from the strongest engineering program in the state of Florida. “We already naturally pull engineers from UF,” said Trey Lauderdale, CEO for Voalte and a UF graduate who in 2004 earned his bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering and then earned a master of science and engineering from the university’s Warrington College of Business. Among other benefits, Lauderdale said having an extension campus in Sarasota will raise the visibility of local companies like Voalte among engineering students and provide the opportunity for students to get internships and jobs at local companies instead of hunting for work out of state. 

Teri A. Hansen, CEO for the Barancik Foundation, said the effort should benefit all levels of education in the region, with UF officials contributing the science, technology, engineering and math programs in the county as well. “When I went to school, I had no interest in engineering in large part thanks to the way is was taught at the time,” she said. “Today, I would be more interested thanks to the exciting work being done in our schools.” Having the Innovation Station here should boost education from kindergarten upward, she predicted.

Fuchs said the Sarasota program will only be the first major outreach of the College of Engineering. UF’s land grant programs, historically used to open extension centers for the Agriculture program, will be used in coming years for other colleges that can enhance economic development in the state of Florida.

Sammy Abernathy, dean of the College of Engineering, said Sarasota will be a good location for the extension campus because it has a climate that will nurture the industry. She predicts there will eventually be 50 to 60 students doing internships and co-ops arranged through the Innovation Station, and also noted that by being involved in K-12, it will drive more students toward engineering fields. “This is a very holistic approach to being a talent pipeline,” she said. 

Dr. Kent Fuchs, University of Florida president, opened a similar facility in New York City while provost for Cornell University.

The race for an open state Senate seat just got a little more crowded today. State Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, mailed in paperwork Friday to file as a candidate for state Senate and will not seek a fourth term in the state House. Just a couple months ago, Pilon said he would run for a final term in the House, but said he changed his mind when he saw the final court-approved map of the district, which includes all of Sarasota County and west Charlotte County. “I saw an opportunity to move into the Senate,” he said.

He notes plans drafted by the Legislature in special session would have dramatically altered the district and split Sarasota County in two, something that turned his focus on the House, but with a district that looks much more like the one drawn by the Legislature in 2002, Pilon now likes his odds running for the higher office. And with the legislative session just complete, he can now start to aggressively raise funds for a broader campaign. Within 24 hours, Pilon plans to transfer his treasury account for his state House campaign, where he had already raised more than $110,000 for this election cycle, to his Senate race.

But he joins a heavy Republican field that already includes Republicans state Rep. Greg Steube, former state Rep. Doug Holder, former Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson and Potomac Financial CEO Rick Levine, as well as Democrat Frank Anthony Cirillo. Steube has more than $229,000 raised and has racked up endorsements during session. Patterson has more than $92,000 raised and loaned herself $60,000. Holder has raised more than $178,000. “Money will come if people support me,” Pilon said. He hopes his moderate conservative stance and some specific successes on this year’s water bill, juvenile justice reforms and laws helping seniors obtain prescription medication will win over voters. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 30, with the general election slated for Nov. 8 

Of course, Pilon’s move to the Senate ballot shakes up the race for his House seat, where Democrat Ed James III, a successful campaign operative who helped underdog candidate like U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham and Sarasota City Commissioner Shelli Freeland Eddie win office, had raised more than $76,000 to challenge Pilon in November. On Monday, Sarasota businesswoman Alexandra Miller, CEO of Mercedes Medical, filed as a Republican in the state House contest, running on her experience as an entrepreneur and knowledge of the health care industry. 

Have you ever been somewhere with no WiFi connection and felt like there’s nothing you could do to be productive? Say you are on vacation, away from the office or in a location where there is no free Internet. You have your laptop with you. What do you do to use your time effectively? Many email systems will allow you to work off-line. It’s not only possible; it’s also a good way to make use of idle time.

Depending upon what email service you use, you may be able to respond to existing emails, compose new ones, or just take some time to clean up your inbox or sent mail. To work offline, first you must determine what type of email service you’re using. Is your email a web-based system that requires you to login into a URL, such as www.outlook.com? If that’s your scenario, you can use your mobile device’s Internet access as a WiFi “hotspot.” Check under your settings or control panel options on your mobile device to see if your device allows this. Then, turn the option “on.” Now, check your laptop WiFi icon and you should see the name of your mobile device, like “John’s iPhone.” This solution is called “tethering.” It basically shares the mobile device WiFi with your computer so you can check and write emails fully accessing the Internet.

If the email system you use is a software application on your desktop (Outlook desktop version, Internet Explorer, Apple mail, etc.) you should be able to open your email program and start writing your emails. Then, save them to your drafts folder. The next time you connect to the Internet, all you have to do is refresh your email system to send the new emails. One other tip is to prepare your time away from the office in advance while you have Internet access. If the email system has a “work offline” option, it should allow you to copy emails that are saved on a server to your local drive. This way, you will have access to all past emails received or sent—even when you have no Internet connection.

With the advent of mobile phones and other mobile devices, you can certainly stay up to date on email using those devices. The advantage of using your laptop is that you have access to your desktop applications like Microsoft Office. Creating complex documents from your phone is challenging, especially with a tiny screen. The hotspot option allows you to be just as productive as you would be in the office, and provides you the advantage of attaching existing files from your computer to emails you compose. One note of caution: check with your mobile provider to see if using the hotspot feature will incur additional charges.

Pedro Pérez is a founding partner of Nuevo Advertising Group, and an adjunct professor of Global Brand Strategies at Ringling College of Art and Design. For over 17 years Pedro has offered clients his knowledge and expertise. Pedro has always demonstrated a keen analytical sense combined with a good dose of common sense in crafting digital and online marketing strategies as part of an integrated marketing plan. 

Dilaver Duka of Best 11 Soccer purchased a property on Gateway Avenue from Bernd Gohlke for $575,000. Best 11 Soccer will continue to run this property, which consists of two multi-family apartment buildings, one 3,120 square feet in size and the other 3,094 square feet, as a multi-family living complex. The buildings were constructed in 1964 and received asphalt paving improvements in 1990. Eric Massey and Ben Graham of Michael Saunders & Company represented the buyer and Roger Piro of ReMax Alliance Group represented the seller. 

Michael Saunders & Company

J.E. Charlotte Construction, a Venice-based construction company, completed the 3,900-square-foot social center for the residents of the Players Club Longboat Key. Exclusively for owners and renters, the new clubhouse includes a fitness center with machines and free weights, library, multipurpose rooms for banquets, meetings and events with a state-of-the-art kitchen as well as management offices for staff. The exterior of the building features a wraparound veranda, a covered patio, an outdoor entertaining area with grills and a fire pit and all new landscaping. 

J.E. Charlotte Construction