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SRQ DAILY May 25, 2015

Monday Business Edition

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Monday Business Edition

"It's a long weekend and people try and get a jump on the June weddings; an awful lot of weddings are going on in Sarasota this weekend."

- Virginia Haley, Visit Sarasota County
 

[Real Estate]  Sarasota Sales, Prices Up

There were more closed sales on single-family homes in April in Sarasota County than any month in the past four years, and median sale price on those homes also hit a peak over the same period of time, according to statistics just released by the Realtors Association of Sarasota and Manatee. There were 791 closed sales, compared with 759 in April 2014, and the median sales price climbed to $221,990, up 13.1 percent from the same month last year.  

[Hospitality]  Originals Holding Quarterly Sale
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Loyalty to local restaurants gets rewarded next week when The Sarasota-Manatee Originals, a group of 54 establishments in the two-county area, holds its once-a-quarter sale on discount gift certificates. “It’s not only a way for us to get people into the restaurants, but people really look forward to the sale,” said Kate Atkin, executive director of The Originals.

More than $35,000 in certificates will be available for the sale, which will be available at dinesarasota.com starting at 7am on June 4. Offering discounts of 30 percent, $50 certificates will sell for $35, $25 certificated for $17.50, $20 certificated for $14 and $15 certificates for $11. The certificates can be used for food only, not alcohol, tax or gratuity, and they must be used within six months of purchase.

Atkin said the sale each quarter serves as the dues for restaurants that are part of The Originals. The organization was founded in 2003. “We exist as a group to collaborate, mainly marketing each other,” she said. That helps ensure a character to the dining options in Southwest Florida separate from the offerings of chain restaurants, and that in turn, Atkin said, proves helpful to the tourism and hospitality industry as a whole. 

[Tourism]  Virginia Haley, Visit Sarasota County
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

On a three-day weekend, the tourists within driving distance become an important group for area hotels. We spoke with Virginia Haley, president of Visit Sarasota County, about how the industry has looked at this holiday.

What does Memorial Day weekend mean for the local tourism industry?  I would say 10 years ago, Memorial Day was not that big a weekend but now it it is a pretty big weekend for destinations. In Sarasota, it has turned into a big wedding weekend. It’s a long weekend and people try and get a jump on the June weddings; an awful lot of weddings are going on in Sarasota this weekend.

What has changed with the industry handling of this holiday?  Now we do a lot of aggressive marketing that we didn’t used to do a long time ago. It is a big weekend for in-state travel, so we’ll see people coming from Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. 

[Web ]  Nutter Custom Construction Reveals Website
Rosie Robinson, rosier@srqmediagroup.com

Nutter Custom Construction, a Sarasota-based residential custom-building company, recently rolled out a new, service-oriented website. The site incorporates a new feature that allows clients to have full access to projects. Users can privately navigate their personalized site and manage all project documents, request builder information and view current progress photos from a computer or smart phone. The revamped site also integrates new high-resolution photos as well as showcases recently completed projects with 3-D animation. 

Nutter Custom Construction

[Recognition]  Grow The Dream Show Podcast Nationally Ranked
Rosie Robinson, rosier@srqmediagroup.com

The Sarasota-based Grow The Dream Show podcast was recently named the No. 2 podcast on Hubspot’s list of the “8 Best Podcasts You Should be Listening To.” Co-hosted by Grow The Dream founder David Johnson, growth consultant Josh Muccio, and The Thomson Group founder Rod Thomson, the show aims to help small businesses grow companies from the mix of experiences and knowledge of the three hosts. 

Grow The Dream Show

[Exec Moves]  Alley President of Artist Series

Edward Alley has been appointed president of the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota’s board of trustees, announced executive director John Fischer. Alley also served as executive director of the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music, supervising the distribution of approximately $1 million annually in grants to performers and arts organizations. The former director of the Exxon-Arts Endowment Conductors Program, Alley served as a vocal adjudicator for numerous national and international vocal competitions. He was also an onsite evaluator and panelist for the opera/musical theater and music programs of the National Endowment for the Arts.  

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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