The North Central Florida Business Report

“Go for it.” This was the advice that Gina Bianchini said that she would give to a younger version of herself in an interview with The Levo League, an online community for Gen Y women in the workplace. Bianchini is the founder of Ning, a free do-it-yourself platform for social networks, and a new site [...]

I recently attended the first meeting of a new initiative from the local United Way’s Young Leaders Society called CEO Chats, during which “youngish” (40 or younger) local business leaders were able to chat with a local CEO about what it takes to become, and stay, successful. For the inaugural meeting last month, we heard [...]

I recently read a book entirely on a tablet for the first time, while (guiltily) neglecting the paper edition that arrived days later. It got me thinking: In a time when “success” often means merely staying afloat, what can we learn from the book industry—perhaps in a greater state of flux than any other industry? [...]

Since the New Year began, I have been inundated with futurist predictions and trend-watching soothsaying in the media as well as in my email inbox. So much so that I expect Merlin or Nostradamus to stroll into my office any second, or holographically project themselves from my computer screen, to help me figure out how [...]

Even though the Gators haven’t been getting Gainesville any positive national press of late, GRU has been, and in a very good way. Co.exist, an influential Web feed focusing on what it calls “groundbreaking innovation” from Fast Company magazine, recently headlined Gainesville as the “world capital” of solar energy. California-based technology writer Andrew Price reported, [...]

I ate this morning at Bagels Unlimited, one of my favorite breakfast places, in the company of a young fellow whose friendship I have come to highly value. The more I know him, the more I like him, and I find myself learning in each of our encounters. Over coffee, coddled egg, bagel and lox, [...]

By: David Hipschman Economic indicators are slippery things, which is why soothsayers don’t have much job security. The unemployment rate dipped this month, but may be much higher than indicated, as folks who have stopped looking for work are not counted. Meanwhile, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal say that the recession is over. Or [...]

Like many of you, I’ve been suffering whiplash over the last several weeks as I’ve watched the stock market (and our politicians) ping-pong with every shift in economic news. Clearly, this is a time of anxiety and disruption. But one thing that’s keeping me sane is the knowledge that here in Gainesville we’re the captains [...]

We shouldn’t be looking at ways to narrow every road—including major commuter corridors—to accommodate alternate uses.

In the last several years I’ve become a sponge for business publications, consuming a half dozen magazines, eight or 10 daily e-newsletters, a handful of youtube videos and a business book or two each month. Partly, I’m seeking inspiration for stories we might cover in The Business Report, but even more importantly, I searching for [...]