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SRQ DAILY Feb 15, 2016

Monday Business Edition

Monday Business Edition

"It's a new concept for us, and we are really excited to do it."

- Tim Bingham, AMOB on the Pier
 

[Workforce]  Regional Job Demand

In the workforce region made up of Sarasota and Manatee counties, The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reports the highest job demand exists for advertising sales executives and for a variety of technical fields. The data was released as part of the 2016-2017 Regional Demand Occupation Lists provided by the DEO. 

[Film]  Immersing in Virtual Reality
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Will the films of tomorrow feel more like a visit to Star Trek's holodeck? What once seemed a possibility only within the realm of science fiction now seems close to reality with technology like Oculus Rift on the market. Now, the question may be whether the makers of art are prepared to work in an immersive world. Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office, wants to ensure filmmakers on the Suncoast have the knowledge they need regarding virtual reality. “This is the latest and greatest breakthrough in filming techniques,” Corcoran said. 

The film commission on March 3 will bring Lucas Foster, co-founder of Headcase VR and the producer of films including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, to Sarasota to speak at a mixer. “This will help our community become cutting edge,” Corcoran said. Since companies like Oculus have directed recruiting efforts toward institutions like Ringling College of Art and Design in the past, Corcoran expects young filmmakers to take a particular interest in this event. “We do expect a lot of student attendance,” she predicted. “It is their generation of technology, their brave new world. Students of all types, whether it's filmmaking or cinematography or new technology or animation, all have a stake in new technology.”

Foster recently sat on a panel about virtual reality at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Corcoran said it’s exciting to see him come to Sarasota on the heels of an internationally watched event, and that the expertise will be especially valuable now as major investments in film infrastructure get made. She noted post-production and soundstage facilities have been created or are under construction at a number of educational institutions in town. But virtual reality technology could also be of interest in related fields like medicine and scientific research; Sarasota is also home to companies like BioLucid, which have incorporated computer animation into scientific software applications. “This is a happening place for this kind of discussion,” Corcoran said.

The Film and Entertainment Mixer will be held March 3, 5:30-7:30pm, at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus. Tickets are $15 if ordered before the end of February and $20 at the door. 

Photo provided by SCFEO: Lucas Foster shown with Headcase VR viewing and filming technology.

[Government]  Homeless Director Leaving City Post
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

Amid controversy about the handling of a Housing First effort, the City of Sarasota’s top official tasked with finding solutions to homelessness has submitted his resignation. Doug Logan, director of Special Initiatives on Chronic Homelessness, will leave his post in the next two weeks. “Given the current set of circumstances, my ability to do what I felt needed to be done was compromised,” Logan told SRQ. “It was time for me to return to the private sector.” 

City Manager Tom Barwin said the decision for Logan and the city to part company was mutual. Logan has come under intense scrutiny following the public release of a report marked “confidential” and other communications with administration that discussed the formation of a private organization that could rally funds and support for a housing effort. If an entity is determined to be created to serve in an advisory capacity on public policy, Florida’s Sunshine Law could force many communications into a public domain. 

But following news of the resignation, Michael Barfield, a paralegal who requested the release of the report, said Logan’s departure would have no impact on whether a nonprofit formed based on city direction will ultimately have to operate adhering to state transparency laws. “If Doug Logan left the city a week ago or two weeks ago, it doesn’t make an entity not subject to the Sunshine Law when the idea and purpose for the creation originated from none other than Tom Barwin and Doug Logan,” Barfield said. 

Read more at SRQMag.com

[Culinary]  Oyster Bar Enters Fast Casual Market

The Anna Maria Oyster Bar makes its first entry into the world of counter service with AMOB on the Pier, a new restaurant in Bradenton Beach with seating for 158 customers and the fourth business location run by the Manatee County company. Tim Bingham, who has run Anna Maria Oyster Bar’s Ellenton location for seven years, will serve as manager partner at AMOB on the Pier. We spoke with him about the new restaurant concept and its potential future.

What was the thinking behind this new restaurant? First off, we love being back on the island. It’s where our roots are. This is our fourth location. We are a counter service restaurant, so we don’t have servers. Customers will just come up to the cash registers. Then you sit where you like and we will bring the food out to you. You can get your own condiments and soda. It’s a new concept for us, and we are really excited to do it. It has a lot of the same menu as Anna Maria Oyster Bar, but we are a little bit smaller, and that’s why the menu is abbreviated. We had to downsize it to fit into our menu here. 

Do you expect to see this concept expanded to other new locations in the future? Obviously we always want to grow. We are not sure yet, but we think it will do very well or we wouldn’t have opened it in the first place. If we do as well as expected, then of course. We are always looking for new opportunities.

Will customers see a change at the traditional sit-down locations for Anna Maria Oyster Bar? Absolutely not. We’re not changing anything. We are doing great at the other three locations.  

AMOB on the Pier, 200 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach.

[Exec Moves]  Cocco moves to LernerCohen

LernerCohen Healthcare, a Sarasota-based practice providing complete concierge medical care, announced Dr. James Cocco joined its team of board-certified physicians. This addition coincides with the practice’s recently announced 1,200-square-foot expansion at the Waldemere Medical Plaza, which will include additional space for the on-site physical therapist, dietitian and laboratory. After graduating from Medical College of Virginia, Cocco relocated to Tampa to complete a residency program, then moved to Sarasota and was employed by First Physicians Group of Sarasota, practicing both internal medicine and pediatrics from 2004 until joining LernerCohen Healthcare. 

LernerCohen Healthcare

[Real Estate]  Spicey Estate Buys in St. Armands

Spicey Estate purchased a 1,665-square-foot retail building on John Ringling Boulevard in St. Armands Circle from Tamara D. Gear and James Cardinal for $1.2 million. Pamela Elia and William Rex of Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT represented the buyers; Joseph Boguszewski of Coldwell Banker Residential represented the sellers. 

Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT

[Exec Moves]  Pilon Leads Selah Board

Selah Freedom appointed state Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, as chairman of the Board of Directors, responsible for guiding the organization. Selah Freedom has operated under an elected board since the organization’s conception in 2012. As Selah Freedom is committed to being a statewide leader in the movement to rescue and restore survivors of sex trafficking. 

Selah Freedom

[Spotlight]  Rocking Tunes of Sarasota Music Half Marathon

On Sunday, February 7, racers from 41 states and 13 countries gathered at the starting line for the Sarasota Music Half Marathon at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Braving high winds and cooler than normal temperatures, runners navigated through the heart of Sarasota to the beat of live music, cheering fans and the sound of clanging cowbells, one of the race’s signature sounds. Altogether, 20 local bands lent their talent and voices to 2,800 men, women and children along the course, which spanned the iconic Ringling Bridge, St. Armands Circle and the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens before looping down Orange Avenue into one of Sarasota’s beautiful tree-lined avenues. For runners, the race itself was only the beginning of a daylong celebration of food and music. The finish line festivities featured a main stage with prime views of the bay and a gourmet breakfast catered by Mattison’s and a family-friendly festival atmosphere that the creators of Sarasota Music Half Marathon envisioned when planning one of Sarasota’s most rapidly growing events. The number of entrants in the 2016 race nearly doubled since its debut in 2015. Local runner Warren Grajalez, 17, was the overall winner finishing at an impressive 1:15:01, a pace of 5:44 per mile. A portion of every race entry plays a role in supporting Sarasota through various community causes like education, children and adults with special needs, young professional organizations, cancer research and local animal shelters. The entire event is a stunning display of what the community is capable of: hosting, serving, encouraging and singing a record number of runners through a city that is as supportive as it is beautiful. Registration for the 2017 Sarasota Music Half Marathon, taking place February 5, is now open! For details, visit SarasotaHalf.com. 

The Sarasota Music Half Marathon is a 2016 SRQ Story Project partner and the featured non-profit organization this February. To learn more about the race, the community partners supported by Sarasota Music Half Marathon and to register for 2017, visit them online at SarasotaHalf.com. 

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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