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SRQ DAILY Apr 25, 2016

Monday Business Edition

Monday Business Edition

"It's key to our growth to put people in positions to achieve success."

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[Real Estate]  Home Market Inventory Rising
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

The Sarasota-Manatee market remains a seller’s market, but the inventory this year does seem to be climbing slowly, according to figures released by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee. For March, an inventory of 4.7 months of single-family homes was available in the Sarasota market, and a 4.8-month inventory was available in Manatee. That was a higher inventory available than in March last year by 5.6 in Sarasota and 5 percent in Manatee. The graphic shows the number of homes on the market in Sarasota each month dating back to the start of 2012. 

[Opening]  Logistics Giant Opening Sarasota Office
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

One of the nation’s leading logistics companies will soon have a sales team operating out of Downtown Sarasota. Total Quality Logistics announced plans to open an office in the BB&T building on Second Street with a team of 10 people on June 6, and plans to create 100 jobs in the next four years. “We look for two things when we open an office,” said Mark Motz, TQL communications specialist. “One is access to professional talent; it’s key to our growth to put people in positions to achieve success. And the other is to look for places where our people want to be.”

The company, one of the largest freight brokerage firms in the nation, connects companies with goods to ship through a network of thousands of carriers. Motz offered the example of a farm in the Sarasota area that needed to ship a truckload of oranges to Kentucky but didn’t have its own fleet of trucks to do so. That farm could call TQL, which works with companies that have access to specialized equipment. “We are primarily a full truckload brokerage company, though we do less-than-a-truckload shipping and some other sorts of shipping as well,” he said.

The company will open its office with a team of six veteran TQL employees and four new hires, and has plans to grow this office to 100 employees by 2020. This office marks the seventh for TQL in the state of Florida, the largest single-state presence of any state of the union for the company besides its home state of Ohio, where there are five offices in Cincinnati alone. Other TQL offices can be found in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville.

The arrival was welcomed by a broad array of business and community leaders. Sarasota County Commission chairman Alan Maio said TQL’s arrival was a “testament to our friendly business environment and quality labor pool.” Sarasota Mayor Willie Shaw said the corporate citizen’s arrival would bring “a welcome boost to our local economy.” And Bill Johnson, president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, said the TQL expansion showed Florida was “the ideal location for logistics and distribution companies.” 

[Agenda]  Unlicensed Work Fine May Rise

Sarasota County Commission: The board on Tuesday will consider increasing a fine for unlicensed contractor activity from $500 to $2,000, the maximum allowed thanks to a recent change in state statute. Commissioners are also expected to discuss the future of the Sarasota Downtown Community Redevelopment Area. The meeting is expected to begin at 9am at the Sarasota County Administration Center in Sarasota.

Manatee County Commission: The board on Tuesday will hear a legislative update on the 2016 Legislative session from state Rep. Greg Steube. Commissioners will also discuss changes in the public comment process. The meeting is expected to begin at 9am at the Manatee County Government Administrative Center in Bradenton. 

Sarasota County Commission

[Roadwatch]  Honore Extension Opens

The Honore Avenue/Pinebrook extension is now open in south Sarasota County, according to county officials. The Honore extension opened to traffic Friday after contractor Russell Engineering completed its work. The Sarasota County project included the design and construction of two lanes within a four-lane right-of-way from State Road 681 to Laurel Road, where it connects with Pinebrook Road in Venice. The extension provides a north/south alternative to Interstate 75. The $11.7-million construction contract for this latest phase was funded through state grants and local taxes, and the project included extensive coordination between county staff and the Florida Department of Transportation. 

Sarasota County

[Opening]  Refinery Open at UTC

Refinery is now open at The Mall at University Town Center. The store provides handcrafted, heirloom-quality, American-made accessories and grooming products. The UTC location is located on the lower level near Saks Fifth Avenue. 

The Mall of UTC

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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