From the Corner Office

Robert Hensley has been president and CEO of Integrity Employee Leasing since 2021. The company handles back-office services for small and mid-sized businesses, from payroll processing and workers’ compensation coverage to timekeeping and employee benefits management. The Charlotte County company has clients with employees in 20 states. Prior to Integrity, Robert was a franchisee for First Watch in the Miami area; Taco Bell across ...

Erin Duggan is president and CEO of Visit Sarasota County, a position she was appointed to after 18 years with the organization. Prior to being named CEO, Duggan was public relations manager, brand director and vice president.  

Together, Business Observer Managing Editor Mark Gordon and Erin talk about her leadership lessons working in several different positions at VSC, what she learned from her mentors ...

Ian Black has been in the commercial real estate industry for some 60 years, first in his native Northern Ireland and, since 1982, Sarasota. He founded his own company in 2003, and Ian Black Real Estate over the past 20 years has worked on, brokered and played a key part in several prominent Sarasota projects, especially downtown and in the Rosemary district. Ian is also on multiple civic and nonprofit boards in Saraso...

Paul Sohl is CEO of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, an economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida. Paul oversees The Corridor Council’s portfolio of programs supporting research, marketing, workforce and entrepreneurship. Sohl joined The Corridor Council in June 2020, following more than three decades of service in the U.S. Navy. In his...

Natalie Johnson is a co-founder of Vidl Work, where she oversees business development, strategy, and innovation. She also works directly with clients, providing consulting, training, and coaching services. Johnson is also an industry-recognized performance coach, a sought-after keynote speaker and a certified Dare to Lead Facilitator. She’s worked with Johnson & Johnson and Deloitte as well as with the United State...

Jason Lutzk is chef and owner of Grace Restaurant in Pass-a-Grille Beach. He’s professionally trained in classical French, Modern American, Mediterranean, South American and Italian cuisine and pastries. A Tampa Bay native, he’s also worked at 400 Beach in St. Petersburg, Ponte Modern American in Tampa with James Beard nominee Chris Ponte and was Sous Chef and Pastry Chef with James Beard nominee Chef Steven Oakley at Oakleys Bistr...

William Raveis founded his eponymous real estate brokerage 50 years ago, in an office above a grocery store in his hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut. The company has since become a family-run business and one of the largest real estate brokerages in Connecticut, with a rapidly-growing presence on the west coast of Florida. The company now has 4,500 agents, 140 offices, and in nine states 

Together, we talk about Bill’s humble begi...

Erin Cigich has been with Sarasota-based web marketing firm Perform[cb] for 17 years. She has led the firm, now with 140 employees, through two different private equity investments and has overseen four acquisitions. The University of Florida grad has also become a thought leader in the niche space of affiliate marketing and cost-per-action advertising   

Together, we talk about the tipping points at Perform[cb] and her role in ste...

Michael Davis helped build TerraCap Management into one of the largest commercial real estate fund management companies in Southwest Florida, where he sourced, evaluated and acquired more than $1.3 billion in real estate transactions and partnerships. In 2021, however, he faced something of an identity crisis mixed with what he called self-doubt, depression and anxiety. He overcame that and in 2023 he bought a real estate brokerage...

This week, we speak with Donald Suxho, co-founder of Global Sports Institute in Venice, a youth sports training facility with volleyball and pickleball courts. Prior to GSI, Donald was a decorated collegiate, Olympic and professional volleyball player. He was an All-American and national Player of the Year as a senior at USC and competed in two Olympics. 

Together, we talk about Donald’s career in volleyball and what he overcame to...

This week, we speak with Chon Nguyen, partner with The Proper House, a multi-unit Tampa Bay area hospitality company with brands that include the Rooster & the Till, Gallito Taqueria and the Nebraska Mini Mart. Chon also founded an IT services company, Newgentek, that's behind Fusionprep, a kitchen recipe software program for multi-unit restaurants. 

Together, we talk about how — and why — Chon balances running business in two ...

This week, we speak with managing partner of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, John Martin. John’s humble beginnings started on a farm in Illinois. He grew up in a town of 1,000 with no stop light, but it did have a baseball field. He fell in love with baseball while listening to the Chicago Cubs on the radio. John went on to have a successful career in agriculture, working for several seed companies, and is still part of...

This week, we speak with Owner of Coyote Ugly Saloon, Joanna Olsen. Joanna fell in love with Coyote Ugly one night as a patron when she was 24 years old. That fateful night led to a napkin deal allowing Joanna to bring Coyote Ugly to Atlanta. Since then, she has opened 4 locations across Florida, including Tampa, Panama City, Destin, and Daytona.

Together, we talk about the importance of owning her own land, and the reason why the ...

This week, we speak with Mark Loren, founder of Mark Loren Designs. Mark is a goldsmith, silversmith, and platinumsmith who started his gallery in Fort Myers almost 40 years ago.

Together, we talk about managing the waves of economic downturn, Mark’s best leadership advice, and competing with national brands. We also discuss lab grown diamonds and the impact they have on the industry.

3 Takeaways:

1. (07:30) Being nimble might be ...

Johnny Crowder likes to say that, in short, he’s a suicide/abuse survivor, TEDx speaker, Billboard-charting heavy metal musician and a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist. He’s also the founder of Cope Notes, a Tampa-based mental health platform that provides daily support to users in nearly 100 countries around the world. Now Johnny, who has  “YOU MATTER" tattooed across the back of his neck and "SAVE THEM" tattooed on...

This week we speak with Aysegul Timur, President of Florida Gulf Coast University. Aysegul was named president of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers last summer — the fifth top leader in the 33-year history of the college. Timur is a first-generation college student who moved from her native Turkey to Naples 25 years ago. She joined FGCU in 2019, after working at Hodges University for nearly 20 years. Her name is pronounce...

This week, we speak with Taylor Villegas, founder of Twelve Tables and Sunny Collabs, angel investor, podcaster, keynote speaker, and influencer. Taylor’s companies work with growth-stage startups and established brands on anything from strategic advice to one-off projects to longer marketing campaigns and more. Prior to these companies Taylor worked for a variety of other entities, including one of the largest contractors in the r...

This week, we speak with Veronica Swiatek, founder and owner of Massage Studio. Veronica owns Massage Studio, with one location in downtown St. Petersburg and another location in South Tampa. She also owns retail stores in the Tampa International Airport and commercial real estate properties in the region.

Together, we talk about Veronica’s career in restaurants and hospitality and how she took those customer service and work ethi...

This week, we speak with John Miles, author, podcaster, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. John is the author of “Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life.” Prior to the book, John had a successful career in the U.S. Navy and Corporate America, with Dell and Lowe’s, among others. 

Together, we speak about what drove John to leave his high-paying C-suite role to become an...