Posts Tagged ‘Florida’
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
 For the ninth year in a row, CEOs rate Texas as the #1 state in which to do business, according to Chief Executive magazine’s annual Best & Worst States Survey, released today. Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana also made the top five.
The results may alleviate some fears in North Carolina, where other such evaluations have not placed the state as high as in previous years.
The states rated worst for business are California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
It’s interesting that states with powerhouse venture capital sources and nation-leading business sectors such as California, Massachusetts, and New York top the list of worst states for business in these polls time after time. Makes you wonder just what these business-friendly state rankings really mean.
| Best 5 States for Business |
Rank 2013 |
| Texas |
1st |
| Florida |
2nd |
| North Carolina |
3rd |
| Tennessee |
4th |
| Indiana |
5th |
| Worst 5 States for Business |
Rank 2013 |
| California |
50th |
| New York |
49th |
| Illinois |
48th |
| Massachusetts |
47th |
| New Jersey |
46th |
The Best & Worst States Survey measures the sentiments of CEOs on a range of issues, including regulations, tax policies, workforce quality, educational resources, quality of living and infrastructure. For the 2013 survey, 736 CEOs from across the country evaluated the states between Jan. 16 and Feb. 14, 2013.
Ohio was the biggest gainer in this year’s survey, rising 13 spots from #35 to #22. “Ohio is doing some amazing things to attract and support a pro-business environment,” said Don Taylor , CEO of Fairlawn, Ohio-based Welty Building Company. The biggest loser was Delaware, which dropped 13 spots to #27.
California hostile to business?
CEOs say California’s poor ranking is the result of a perceived hostility to business, high state taxes and onerous regulations, all of which drive investment, companies and jobs to other states. According to the California Manufacturers & Technology Association,California accounts for 12.6% of total U.S. GDP, but only has a 2.2% share of investments in new and expanding manufacturing sites.
“When you investigate acquiring businesses in some of the states rated poorly for business conditions, the anecdotes all wind up being true,” said Kevin Hawkesworth , President & CEO of Florida-based Shaw Development. “The horror stories about these states are real.”
“California, Illinois and New York are simply awful states to operate facilities or employ people,” according to another CEO. “We will do almost anything possible to minimize our exposure to these anti-business environments.”
Piles of regulations a problem
“Thank you, California!” responded one Texas-based CEO facetiously. “Keep applying pressure on your job creators and we will keep welcoming their moves to Texas.”
A common theme among CEOs is the burden of constantly changing regulations. “Business is too hard without dealing with piles of regulations that are constantly changing,” said Rick Waechter , CEO of Boston Magazine. “I believe there have to be controls, but keep them simple and straightforward—and most importantly, don’t make it a moving target.”
“CEOs continue to tell us that California seems to be doing everything possible to drive business from the state. Texas Governor Rick Perry , by contrast, personally makes it his mission to lead corporate recruitment and economic development efforts in his state,” saidJ.P. Donlon , Editor-in-Chief of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net.
Playbook for success
“The playbook for successful states boils down to three simple moves: engage in real dialogue with business leaders, adapt policies to create an attractive environment, and effectively communicate your story to real job creators,” said Marshall Cooper , CEO of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. “This year’s rankings prove that smart policies result in increased investments, jobs and greater overall economic activity.”
| 2013 Biggest Gainers |
Positions Gained |
| Ohio |
+13 |
| Minnesota |
+6 |
| Alabama |
+5 |
| Arizona |
+4 |
| Kansas |
+4 |
| 2013 Biggest Losers |
Positions Lost |
| Delaware |
-13 |
| Mississippi |
-8 |
| Missouri |
-7 |
| Kentucky |
-4 |
| Wyoming |
-4 |
For complete results, including individual state rankings on multiple criteria, CEO comments, methodology and more, please visitChiefExecutive.net.
Tags: best, business, California, Chief Executive, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, M&A, NC, NJ, NY., ranking, states, Tennessee, Texas, worst
Posted in Alabama, Carolinas, Economy/Jobs, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee | No Comments »
Monday, October 29th, 2012
 If Mitt Romney wants to find his Facebook fans, he should hang out at Chick-fil-A. Obama is more likely to find his at McDonald’s. Romney fans drink Crown Royal, Corrs Light and Budwiser. Obama’s prefer Ciroc, Belvedere Vodka, Gatorade and Dos Equis.
One thing this election is demonstrating: analysis of Facebook fans provides scads of information beyond who “likes” a given brand, politician, or product.
MicroStrategy Incorporated (Nasdaq: MSTR), for instance, a worldwide provider of business intelligence (BI) software, delivers a compelling analysis of the Facebook fan bases of Obama and Romney across key battleground states with its Wisdom app.
Where Romney fans hangout
It shows that in the critical swing state of Ohio, Romney may want to visit Skyline Chili in Cincinnati for a meet-and-greet photo shoot, because that’s where his Facebook fans like to hang out. Or when in Cleveland, he may want to set up a guest appearance on WKYC Channel 3 – Cleveland, one of the most watched local TV channels among his fans.
When Obama campaigns in Florida, he may want to visit the Wynwood Kitchen & Bar in Miami, a favorite hangout of his Facebook fans, for a meet-and-greet photo op.
Wisdom is a social intelligence platform that offers insights into the overall preferences of nearly five million US-based Facebook users, representing more than 3% of the US Facebook population. These insights are based on aggregated and anonymized Facebook profiles, which include “Likes” and check-ins, as well as census data.
Who they are, location, age, what they read, watch, listen to
Wisdom currently analyzes more than 535,000 Obama and 172,000 Romney Facebook fans based in the US, and tells us, in aggregate, who they are; where they live; how old they are; what they read; what they watch; what they listen to; what they eat and drink; and where they hang out. To see a comparison of Obama and Romney Facebook fans nationwide and in eight key swing states using Wisdom data, click here.
And, if you want to know how your own Facebook fans lean politically, Wisdom has just launched “My Network Leanings.”
The app categorizes more than 3,000 Facebook pages into Liberal and Conservative groupings to guestimate your friends’ political affiliations and ranks your friends across the Blue-to-Red political spectrum. You can also dive deeper to see which pages led to the rankings. The results can be easily shared on Facebook, Google Plus, email, etc.
Tags: analytics, Florida, MicroStrategy, Ohio, Who really likes Obama? Romney? Facebook fan analysis, Wisdom app
Posted in Analytics, Facebook, Florida, Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
For the eighth year in a row, CEOs rate Texas as the #1 state in which to do business, according to Chief Executive magazine’s annual Best & Worst States Survey, released today.
Florida rose one spot to take the #2 rank, while North Carolina slipped to #3.
Tennessee remained at #4 while Indiana climbed a spot to capture the #5 rank. CEOs named the worst states to do business as California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan.
The Best & Worst States Survey measures the sentiment of CEOs on business conditions around the nation.
For the 2012 survey, 650 CEOs from across the country evaluated the states on a broad range of issues, including regulations, tax policies, workforce quality, educational resources, quality of living and infrastructure. The survey was conducted from Jan. 24 to Feb. 26, 2012.
Louisiana biggest gainer
Louisiana was the biggest gainer in the survey, rising 14 spots to be the #13th most attractive state in the country to do business. The biggest loser was Oregon, which dropped nine spots to #42.
CEOs surveyed said California’s poor ranking is the result of its hostility to business, high state taxes and overly stringent regulations, which is driving investment, companies and jobs to other states.
According to Spectrum Locations Consultants, 254 California companies moved some or all of their work and jobs out of state in 2011, an increase of 26 percent over the previous year and five times as many as in 2009.
“CEOs tell us that California seems to be doing everything possible to drive business from the state. Texas, by contrast, has been welcoming companies and entrepreneurs, particularly in the high-tech arena,” said J.P. Donlon, Editor-in-Chief of Chief Executivemagazine and ChiefExecutive.net.
“Local economic development corporations, as well as the state Texas Enterprise Fund, are providing attractive incentives. This, along with the relaxed regulatory environment and supportive State Department of Commerce adds up to a favorable climate for business.”
Inhospitable business environments mean less jobs, as entrepreneurs and established corporations seek more cost-efficient and tax-friendly locales, said Marshall Cooper, CEO of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. “This survey shows that states that create policies and incentives are rewarded with investment, jobs and greater overall economic activity.”
For complete results, including individual state rankings on multiple criteria, methodology and more, please visitChiefExecutive.net.
| Best 5 States for Business |
Rank 2012 |
Rank 2011 |
| Texas |
1st |
1st |
| Florida |
2nd |
3rd |
| North Carolina |
3rd |
2nd |
| Tennessee |
4th |
4th |
| Indiana |
5th |
6th |
Source: Chief Executive magazine (ChiefExecutive.net)
| Worst 5 States for Business |
Rank 2012 |
Rank 2011 |
| California |
50th |
50th |
| New York |
49th |
49th |
| Illinois |
48th |
48th |
| Massachusetts |
47th |
45th |
| Michigan |
46th |
46th |
Source: Chief Executive magazine (ChiefExecutive.net)
| 2012 Biggest Gainers |
Positions Gained |
| Louisiana |
+14 |
| Mississippi |
+8 |
| West Virginia |
+8 |
| Ohio |
+6 |
| North Dakota |
+6 |
Source: Chief Executive magazine (ChiefExecutive.net)
| 2012 Biggest Losers |
Positions Lost |
| Oregon |
-9 |
| Kentucky |
-8 |
| New Hampshire |
-8 |
| Nebraska |
-7 |
| Minnesota |
-7 |
Source: Chief Executive magazine (ChiefExecutive.net)
Tags: Californian, CEOs rank best states for business, Florida, Ill, Indiana, KY, Lousiana, M&A, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, NC, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, NY., Ohio, Oregon, Texas, TN, W. Virginia
Posted in Carolinas, Economic Development, Economy/Jobs, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Studies, surveys, reports, Tennessee, West Virginia | No Comments »
Monday, April 23rd, 2012
 Interior of the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida, the number one meeting hotel in the U.S., according to Cvent Cvent, the world’s largest cloud-based provider of event management and venue selection solutions, has named the top 100 hotels for meetings in the United States, according to meeting and event planners in the Cvent Supplier Network.
The Cvent Supplier Network is a free online marketplace that connects meeting planners with over 200,000 venues worldwide; it generated $4 billion in business for hotels in 2011 and projects more than $5.5 billion to be generated in 2012.
In addition, over 100,000 meetings were booked on the Cvent Supplier Network in 2011 alone.
The list of hotels was compiled from a pool of 80,000 hotels in the U.S. on the Cvent Supplier Network. The ranking was then determined by a set of qualifying criteria, some of which included:
- The number of electronic request-for-proposals (RFPs) the property received from the Cvent Supplier Network in 2011;
- The hotel’s average response rate to the RFPs sent through the marketplace;
- The number of meeting rooms available;
- The total square footage of meeting space offered at the hotel; and
- The amount of business the property was awarded in 2011 by meeting planners through the Cvent Supplier Network.
The list is comprised of venues from a variety of locales, spanning 17 states and the District of Columbia. Florida represents the largest number of meeting hotels in the top 100, taking nearly one-fifth of the list at a total of 19 properties.
Nevada comes in second with 14 properties, and the state of Texas takes third place with a total of 13 hotels on the list.
Top 10 Meeting Hotels in the U.S.
1. The Peabody Orlando, Orlando, Florida
2. Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center, Nashville, Tennessee
3. Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
4. Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida
5. The Venetian and Palazzo Resort, Hotel & Casinos, Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland
7. Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
8. The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia
9. ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nevada
10. MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
For the complete list of Cvent’s Top 100 Meeting Hotels in the U.S. visit http://www.cvent.com/top100hotelsus.
Tags: Atlanta, Cvent, DC, Florida, GA, Gaylord Opryland, Hyatt Regency, Lake Buena Vista, Las Vegas, MD, Nashville, National Harbor, Nevada, Orlando, Rosen Shingle Creek, The Peabody, TN, top 100 meeting hotels, Venetian and Palazzo Resort, Walt Disney Wrold Swan and Dolphin, Westin Peachtree Plaza
Posted in Studies, surveys, reports, Tennessee, Washington, DC | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 10th, 2012
 While iPad3 crushed sales expectations, traffic levels were small compared to prior device versions, according to Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising provider.
According to iPad traffic on the Jumptap network of over 107 million monthly mobile users, iPad3 use in the first six days after launch was heavy, but represented just a small percentage of overall iPad use that week.
iPad3 traffic represented .52 percent of total iPad network traffic on the day of launch, peaked at 2.28 percent by day three, and closed out the week at 1.92 percent. iPad and iPad2, on the other hand, each maintained 45 percent or more of the total iPad traffic throughout the week.
“A very early read of the data would suggest that iPad3 is stealing traffic from the iPad2,” said Paran Johar, Chief Marketing Officer, Jumptap.
“This trend suggests that iPad2 users may be more inclined to switch to the iPad3 than original iPad users.”
Additional March MobileSTAT Findings:
iPhone Users Love Wi-Fi: Data from the Jumptap network showed iPhone users as more likely to use Wi-Fi than Android and Blackberry device users.
Fifty-eight percent of iPhone users utilized Wi-Fi, compared to 35 percent of Android users and 41 percent of Blackberry users.
This could have been due to the fact that 4G iPhones didn’t exist, so iPhone owners needed a Wi-Fi connection more often than 4G Android and Blackberry owners.
Advertisers take note: iPhone users are ripe for geo-targeted campaigns because Wi-Fi offers strong location data.
 Angry Birds was one of many mobile apps that saw downloads peak during the holidays. Two Popular Games, Two Very Different Players: Based on third-party data that Jumptap uses to gain insights about its network audience, the characteristics of Angry Birds players vs. Words with Friends players proved to be very different.
Angry Birds players were more likely to be Republican than their Words with Friends counterparts (45 percent vs. 23 percent). They were also twice as likely to be on a tablet as the average mobile user. Words with Friends players were more likely to have an income over $100K (40 percent).
In short, Angry Birds offers advertisers a way to reach a broad demographic and to leverage tablet adverting, while Words with Friends has a higher income, smartphone-centric fan base.
Mobile Travels South for Spring Break:
Data from the Jumptap network, sampled during a small window of spring break, revealed that mobile device owners from across the U.S. visited Mexico and Florida this March.
A look at the states of origin of these devices showed that North Dakota residents were 80 percent more likely than the average American device owner to be in Mexico, and Maine residents were 103 percent more likely to be in Florida.
New Jersey represented the state least likely to visit Mexico or Florida during the sample window.
MobileSTAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) is a monthly view of the top targeting and audience trends in mobile advertising. Jumptap strives to better understand mobile audience and educate the entire mobile ecosystem through its insight reports. MobileSTAT contains analysis of hundreds of gigabytes of log data, run through Jumptap’s analytics technology. To download a full copy of the Jumptap MobileSTAT report, visit jumptap.com/STAT.
Tags: Angry Birds, Florida, iPad3, Jumptap, Maine, Mexico, mobile advertising, New Jersey, Travel, Words With Friends
Posted in Angry Birds, Digital Devices, Internet/New Media, mobile games, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech life/Culture | No Comments »
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
 One thing marketers always have to take into account is where their consumers are and more of them moved to the sunbelt last year than to any other states.
Texas gained more people than any other state between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011 (529,000), followed by California(438,000), Florida (256,000), Georgia (128,000) and North Carolina (121,000), according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates for states and Puerto Rico.
Combined, these five states accounted for slightly more than half the nation’s total population growth.
“These are the first set of Census Bureau population estimates to be published since the official 2010 Census state population counts were released a year ago,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves.
“Our nation is constantly changing and these estimates provide us with our first measure of how much each state has grown or declined in total population since Census Day 2010.”
The United States as a whole saw its population increase by 2.8 million over the 15-month period, to 311.6 million. Its growth of 0.92 percent between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, was the lowest since the mid-1940s.
“The nation’s overall growth rate is now at its lowest point since before the baby boom,” Groves said.
California remained the most populous state, with a July 1, 2011, population of 37.7 million. Rounding out the top five states were Texas (25.7 million), New York (19.5 million), Florida (19.1 million) and Illinois (12.9 million).
DC led growth
Among states and equivalents, the District of Columbia experienced the fastest growth between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, as its population climbed 2.7 percent. This marks the first time it led states and equivalents in growth since the early 1940s. D.C. ranked 35th in percent growth between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
Following D.C. in terms of percent increase between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, were Texas (2.1 percent), Utah (1.9 percent), Alaska (1.8 percent), Colorado (1.7 percent) and North Dakota (1.7 percent). North Dakota was 37th in percent growth between the 2000 and 2010 censuses.
The only three states to lose population between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, were Rhode Island (1,300 or -0.12 percent),Michigan (7,400 or -0.08 percent) and Maine (200 or -0.01 percent).
Nevada, the nation’s fastest-growing state between 2000 and 2010, ranked only 27th in population growth between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2011, increasing by 0.8 percent.
During 2012, the Census Bureau will release 2011 estimates of the total population of counties and incorporated places, as well as national, state and county population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin.
The Census Bureau develops state population estimates by measuring population change since the most recent census. These are the first set of population estimates to be based on the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau uses births, deaths, administrative records and survey data to develop estimates of population. For more detail regarding the methodology see
Tags: California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, states that gained the most population 2010-2011, Texas, U.S. Census
Posted in Government/Defense, Studies, surveys, reports | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
 Tower Cloud Inc., a wireless backhaul services provider, has secured $49 million in additional equity to fund its expansion into new markets throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama.
The latest round of funding was led by two of Tower Cloud’s existing investors, The Burton Partnership and Knology Inc. Tower Cloud’s other existing institutional investors include: Sutter Hill Ventures, El Dorado Ventures, Ballast Point Ventures, Kinetic Ventures, ITC Partners Fund and Noro-Moseley Partners.
For this round, two new investors joined the consortium, The Florida Growth Fund and CLR Investors. The funding was done in two phases with $13 million completed in January and $36 million completed in July. This funding follows a $20 million equity commitment by the same investor group in October 2009.
Tags: Ballast Point Ventures, CLR Investors, El Dorado Ventures, financing, Florida, Florida Growth Fund, ITC Partners Fund, Kinetic Ventures, Knology Inc, Noro-Moseley Parnters, SC, Sutter Hill Ventures, The Burton Partnership, Tower Cloud, wireless backhaul services
Posted in Alabama, Cloud, Florida, Georgia, Mobile, Money, South Carolina, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Friday, September 16th, 2011
 As T-Mobile USA, Inc. continues the rapid expansion of its 4G network, J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, Volume 2, shows that customers in the Northeast, Southeast and West regions are satisfied with an improved network experience, including call quality and messaging and data performance.
In its study, which compares network performance among the largest U.S. wireless carriers, J.D. Power and Associates recently announced that T-Mobile earned the second highest ranking in these three regions covering 32 states, tied in the Northeast.
T-Mobile ranked second out of four in both the Southeast and West regions, and tied in the Northeast. The Northeast region covers the seven states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Southeast region covers nine states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The West region covers 16 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
“T-Mobile’s ongoing commitment to making reliable connections available to more Americans continues to pay off as shown by the results of this J.D. Power study,” said Neville Ray, Chief Technology Officer for T-Mobile USA. “In the past six months, we have continued to advance the performance of our 4G service while also driving improvements in call quality, reliability and the overall experience for our customers.”
The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study measures consumers’ wireless network experience, based on 10 criteria that impact a carrier’s performance. Wireless phone subscribers surveyed were asked about their experiences with dropped calls, static/interference, connection on first try, immediate voice mail notification, message transmission failures and mobile Web and e-mail connection errors. Call quality and data performance were examined in six regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, North Central, Southwest and West.
Results of the 2011 Wireless Network Quality Performance StudySM, Volume 2, are based on more than 22,000 Internet survey interviews conducted between January 2011 and June 2011.
Tags: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, J.D. Power Wirelss Network Quality Performance Study 2011, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northeast, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Southeast, T-Moblie, Utah, Washington, West
Posted in Internet/New Media, Mobile, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Friday, August 5th, 2011
 CAMBRIDGE, MA – New data from Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising firm, shows that consumers in the South and Southwest tend to be Android-biased compared to the rest of the country, while those in the Midwest and Northeast lean towards iOS.
California, Texas and Florida over-index for Android use and states in New England and the Midwest over-index for iOS use.
Blackberry use, which over-indexed in New York, was also included in the geographic data. This new data establishes an evolving narrative of a North vs. South divide in the ongoing battle of the two top mobile operating systems.
The results are revealed as part of Jumptap’s monthly data report, Mobile STAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends), which is based on data for the first half of 2011 from the over 83 million unique users on the Jumptap mobile ad network. The report also showed that Android continues to hold the top spot in terms of overall share (with iOS coming in a close second), but that iOS ads continue to outperform ads on other operating systems.
“Our advertisers are requesting the most granular data available on mobile users so they can create the most targeted campaigns,” said Paran Johar, Chief Marketing Officer for Jumptap. “This new data reveals some interesting patterns for advertisers to consider when targeting consumers using Android devices vs. iOS devices.”
Ad performance on Sony Ericsson Android devices rivals Apple’s iOS devices
The STAT report also examines the ad performance on Android devices in new dimensions, breaking out ad performance by both manufacturer and carrier.
The manufacturer analysis showed that Sony Ericsson devices are the only Android devices with ad performance nearing that of iOS devices. Ads running on Sony Ericsson devices in the first half of 2011 averaged a .54% click-through rate, making it the only Android manufacturer above the industry average of .52%, but still not as high as iOS devices at .78%.
Jumptap’s Mobile STAT report is a monthly view into targeting and audience trends in mobile advertising. Jumptap takes a unique data-driven approach to mobile advertising, enabling it to surface the insights contained in the report. STAT contains analysis of hundreds of gigabytes of log data, powered by the scalable, efficient and lightning-fast Jumptap technology. Jumptap strives to make mobile advertising smart and simple, and STAT was designed to benefit the entire mobile ecosystem.
To download a full copy of the Jumptap STAT report, see: jumptap.com/STAT.
Tags: ad performance on mobile devices, Apple, Blackberry, California, Florida, Google Android, iOS, Jumptap STAT report, New York, RIM, Sony Ericcson, Texas
Posted in Apple, Google, Marketing, Mobile, smartphones, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
 BOCA RATON, FL - InfoFinder Search Technologies Inc., a company selling software that helps businesses locate electronic files, has raised $6.68 million of a mixed securities offering aimed at $9 million.
The company is led by former Citrix Chair Edward Iacobucci, who previously oversaw IBM’s development of personal computer tech. He also founded DayJet, an on-demand air taxi services that shut its doors in 2008.
The company’s website notes that according to the IDC report “The high cost of not finding information” by analyst Susan Feldman, average knowledge workers spends 15% to 35% of their workday searching for information.
InfoFinder says its product is a search system enabling you to find ANY text content from documents, databases, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, e-mails, attachments, scanned documents and any other text content file.
nfoFinder AS was established in Trondheim, Norway, in 2000 to help bridge the silos where information resides. The company says its mission then is the same as it is today: to make company data located behind-the-firewall instantly and securely accessible – regardless of what it is, where it is located or who needs it.
Its product is used by more than 20,000 individuals across 300 private and public sector organizations on a daily basis in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and the United States.
Tags: Boca Raton, Enterprise electronic file search, financing, Florida, InfoFinder Search Technologies
Posted in Florida, IT | No Comments »
Monday, November 1st, 2010
 TAMPA, FL – The National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $2.6-million grant to the University of South Florida and Tampa-based biotechnology company Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics Inc., to establish dosing and safety guidelines for transplanting human umbilical cord blood cells (HUBC) into animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers hope to use the pre-clinical data to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to carry out clinical trials with patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our immediate goal is to move our beneficial findings with cord blood cells into clinical trials for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease,” said the grant’s principal investigator Dr. Jun Tan, a USF neuroscientist and professor of psychiatry.
The NIH Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer grant is based on the success of an ongoing research partnership between USF and Saneron aimed at determining the therapeutic benefits HUBCs offer when transplanted into animal models of a variety of neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.
“Our next stage of research is translational. This study’s primary aims are the completion of preclinical safety and validation studies and the submission of an Investigational New Drug application to the FDA for a Phase I clinical trial,” said Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols, president and chief operating officer of Saneron.
Additional funding will be provided by a Florida High Tech Corridor Industry Matching Grant through USF Connect.
Previous research by USF and Saneron has shown that injecting HUBC into laboratory (in vitro) and animal models (in vivo) of neurodegenerative diseases does not promote a strong immune response, so rejection is not a problem, said Dr. Tan, who is a consultant for Saneron. The potential for HUBCs to promote an anti-inflammatory response may provide overall benefits. Inflammation is a biochemical component of Alzheimer’s disease.
Saneron worked with USF to develop a HUBC cell technology platform called the U-CORD-CELL program. The program aims to improve the quality of life for patients by developing and producing innovative, high-quality treatments for neurological and cardiac diseases.
“This grant will afford Saneron the opportunity to bring the U-CORD-CELL™ technology to the clinic in the pursuit of a potential therapy for those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease,” Kuzmin-Nichols said.
See also: More than 100 medicines in development for Alzheimer’s.
Tags: Alzheimer's treatment, cord blood cell transplant, Florida, NIH grant, Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics, Tampa, USF
Posted in Florida, Money | No Comments »
Monday, November 1st, 2010
 GAINESVILLE, FL – Bit Cauldron Corp., which sells 3D enabling technologies, including eyewear, has raised at least $1.43 million of an equity round targeted at $1.57 million, according to a regulatory filing.
The company disclosed the raise in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Since these filing often lag actual investments, the company may have already closed the round. The firm raised a $1.07 million round of equity in August.
Founded in 2008, Bit Cauldron manufactures 3D technologies such as eyewear. It says it develops products to help people create, share, view and print 3D content.
Everyone seems hyped on 3D technologies right now, but we have our doubts about how many people will be shelling out the money to be early adopters of 3D enabled TVs that require wearing special eyewear. While the new 3D systems are a quantum jump of an improvement over the old, wearing special glasses remains a restrictive and limiting factor.
Tags: 3D eyewear, 3D tech, Bit Cauldron, financing, Florida, Gainesville
Posted in Florida, IT, Money | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
 MIAMI - Brightstar Corp.,which sells software to manufacturers, operators, retailers, and enterprises in the telecommunications industry, has reached a stock purchase agreement to acquire Illinois-based OTBT Inc., a reseller of wireless solutions for small to medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. OTBT provides its customers with a single source for all wireless devices, activations, service, and software.
The acquisition, once complete, will allow Brightstar to offer Value-Added Resellers (VARs) a customized and centralized platform to manage all facets of wireless device activation and services, as well as business implementation tools for operators. Initially, Brightstar will focus on helping VARs and their business customers with the activation and renewal process.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Tags: acquistions, Florida, Illinois, IT, Miami, Telecommunications
Posted in Acquisitions, Florida, IT, Telecommunications | No Comments »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
 FORT MYERS, FL – CallMiner, a company selling speech analytics software, has closed on its $4 million round from from Boston-based Sigma Partners, Durham, NC-based Intersouth Partners, and Florida-based Inflexion Partners, and an undisclosed strategic partner. It plans to use the funds for expansion.
Other Investors in the company include Village Ventures, Williamstown, MA; and In-Q-Tel, the U.S. Intelligence venture arm based in Arlington, VA.
We reported that the company had raised a portion of the round in early August.
Founded in 2002, CallMiner sells enterprise speech analytics software.
CallMiner’s President and CEO Terry Leahy said, “CallMiner’s industry leading speech analytics platform – Eureka – continues to gain rapid traction in the marketplace as evidenced by two consecutive years of triple digit marquee customer growth and corresponding revenue growth.”
Its clients include Continental Airline, Daimler Financial Services, and Comcast, among others.
The company raised an C round in an undisclosed amount in March, 2009, a $10 million B round in 2006 and a $2.8 million A round in 2004.
CallMiner presented at Tech Media’s 2010 Southeast Venture Conference.
More and more companies are using call analytics to examine those recorded service calls. Most of the calls we make to companies now let you know you’re being recorded or might be. They often run speech analytics on the recordings.
For TechJournal South’s profile of the company in Feb. 2010 see:
CallMiner digs actionable gold from service calls
Tags: Boston, CallMiner, Durham, Florida, Inflexion Partners, Intersoutch Partners, NC, Sigma Partners, speech analytics
Posted in Carolinas, Florida, Internet/New Media, IT, Money, North Carolina | No Comments »
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
 TAMPA, FL – Oragenics Inc. (OTCBB:ORNI) has closed on a $2 million equity and debt round, according to a regulatory filing. The company has developed an oral treatment that could prevent tooth cavities for a lifetime, an antibiotic effective against resistant bacteria, and other innovative products.
Koski Family Limited Partnership is the company’s main investor.
Oragenics, which disclosed the financing in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of oral health, antibiotics and general health.
Founded in 1996, it has R&D facilities in Alachua, FL and is headquartered in Tampa.
It sells products based onits ProBiora technology and has a number of others in development.
The company’s Web site outlines the following company history:
Dr. Jeffery Hillman began his basic research into the concept of replacement therapy for preventing dental caries or cavities in the late 1970’s at the Forsyth Institute in Boston. He transferred his research to the University of Florida College of Dentistry in 1992.
There, he continued to pursue the development of a genetically engineered strain of Streptococcus mutans that could help prevent cavities by replacing the body’s natural caries-causing strains of S. mutans.
Currently in clinical trials, Oragenics’ patented SMaRT Replacement Therapy is a painless, one-time, five-minute treatment that has the potential to offer lifelong protection against tooth decay. Applied topically to the teeth with a swab, the therapy can be administered by dentists in the office or in the field.
During his work with S. mutans, Dr. Hillman discovered MU 1140, or a mutacin, a powerful lantibiotic that is produced by the bacterium in tiny amounts. This new broad-spectrum antibiotic has demonstrated activity against Gram-positive bacteria responsible for a variety of clinically important diseases, such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis) and both growing and non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis cells.
Under the research leadership of Dr. Hillman, the company is also developing two proprietary platforms for the identification of genetic targets that can be used in diagnostic tests as well as in vaccines and therapeutics.
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: anitbiotics, Biotech, diagnostics, Dr. Jeffrey HIllman, financing, Florida, Oragenics, preventive cavity treatment
Posted in Florida, Money | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
 WESTON, FL – ParinGenix, which is developing a modified form of heparin to reduce inflammation in patients following a heart attack, has nabbed $4.39 million of a $5 million equity funding, according to a regulatory filing.
Investors in the company, which disclosed the raise in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, include Investors Research Corp. Technologies, (RCT) of Tuson, AZ, Academy Venture Fund of Charlotte, NC, A.P. Kennedy Family Securities of Madisonville, LA, CHL Medical Partners, Stamford, CT, Domain Associates, Princeton, NJ, and Aurora Funds, NC.
It raised a $4 million A round in 2002 and a $20.4 million B round in 2006.
Previously KRCT Therapeutics Inc., ParinGenix has developed a form of heparin that significantly reduces damage to the heart following myocardial infarction. It’s lead drug, PGX-100, is also in clinical trials for other critical-care indications.
Tags: Aurora Funds, Cary, Charlotte, financing, Florida, NC, ParinGenix, Weston
Posted in Carolinas, Florida, Money, North Carolina | No Comments »
Monday, August 9th, 2010
 James Dwyer FORT MYERS, FL—Aug. 8, 2010—James A. Dwyer, Jr., 73, a visionary and serial entrepreneur who was instrumental in launching the cellular telecommunications industry worldwide, passed away Friday evening at his home in Fort Myers, Florida, after an extended illness.
One of the founding fathers of the cellular business worldwide, Dwyer was a lawyer and salesman best known for starting early cellular systems in several top U.S. markets and working with colleagues and competitors to build a strong base for the young industry.
American Cellular Telephone Corp., the system he launched in Indianapolis on Feb. 3, 1984, was the third cellular system in the country and the first built from the ground up for commercial service. The first two systems had been in experimental trials for several years
Dwyer and his allies successfully convinced the FCC to allow independent paging operators and radio common carriers (RCCs) to build public cellular networks and compete with the monopoly wireline telephone company.
At the time, many of these businesses were family-run operations licensed by the commission to provide private paging, answering, and early car telephone services. The decision unleashed a historic wave of investment and competition in wireless telecommunications.
“The entire wireless industry is saddened by the loss of Jim Dwyer,” said Dennis F. Strigl, retired President and COO of Verizon Communications and former President and CEO of Verizon Wireless.
Dwyer was a founding member of the CTIA, the wireless association, served as a director and was chair from 195-96. He led the association as Congress revised the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the first major overhaul of telecom law in 62 years.
Dwyer was Founder and President of Independent Cellular Network, Inc., and Wireless One Network, operating cellular systems under both wireline and non-wireline licenses in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida. In October 1996, ICN was sold to 360 Communications Co., which was acquired by Alltel Corp. in 1998. WON was sold to AT&T Wireless in June 2000.
Dwyer also owned and operated Qualicom Electronics Corp., a company specializing in paging and trunked radio systems for businesses. In 2002 he founded Interop Technologies with his son and was chair at the time of his death.
Interop Technologies (www.interoptechnologies.com) provides core wireless solution
Tags: dies, Florida, Interop Technologies, James Dwyer, Jr., wireless pioneer
Posted in Florida, Internet/New Media, People | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
 TALLAHASSE, FL – The Florida Opportunity Fund has launched a Clean Energy Investment Program, a fund of $36 million in federal stimulus dollars for state projects that promote adoption of clean energy technology.
“From renewable energy products to energy efficiency in manufacturing, the program has the potential todeliver strong employment growth and significant economic benefits to the State,” said Louis Laubscher, chief operating officer and senior vice president of Enterprise Florida.
The Clean Energy Investment Program is a direct investment initiative that will provide qualifying Florida businesses with funding primarily for three uses:
• Facility and equipment improvement with energy efficient products and materials;
• Acquisition or demonstration of renewable energy products for use in their operations;
• Improvement of existing production, manufacturing, assembly or distribution processes to increase
energy efficiency.
“The Florida Opportunity Fund will make capital available to businesses with an investment model that can provide funds for years to come. It’s a great way for the State to advance and sustain its clean energy industry while addressing the need to reduce energy use,” said Christian Poindexter, a member of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission and the former Chairman and CEO of Constellation Energy.
Florida is a leader in establishing a green energy economy. A recent report from Pew Charitable Trusts shows the State added more than 31,000 clean energy jobs from 1998 to 2007, ranking in the top 10 states. Florida clean energy jobs grew at a rate of 7.9 percent, while nationally jobs only grew by 3.7 percent.
Tags: Clean Energy Investment Program launched, Florida, Florida Opportunity Fund
Posted in Economic Development, Energy, Florida, Money | 1 Comment »
Monday, August 2nd, 2010
 WINTER PARK, FL – LensAR Inc. has nabbed $7 million of a $12 million equity raise for a laser-based eye treatment system, according to a regulatory filing. Investors cited in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission include Aisling Cpaital of New York, and MA-based Extera Partners.
In 2009 the company raised more than $7.5 million in two offerings.
Randy Frey, CEO, writes on the company Web site that “The LensAR approach is to bring the accuracy and precision of lasers into the operating room to replace blades and greatly reduce, if not eliminate, the need for ultrasound power to perform the majority of cataract removals.”
To date, according to the company, the LensAR laser system has been successfully used in well over a hundred eyes outside of the US, and is actively under review with the FDA for approval for use in the United States.
Contact Tech Journal South Editor and writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: financing, Florida, laser eye treatment, LenAR, Medical Device
Posted in Florida, Money | No Comments »
Friday, July 30th, 2010
 FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Thomas H. Lee Partners has agreed to merge with Intermedix Corp., which sells revenue cycle management software to the emergency health care industry, from Pathenon Capital Partners and minority shareholders.
The transaction, which has received early clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, is expected to close next month. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“Intermedix is a clear market leader in the rapidly growing emergency healthcare information technology and services sector,” said Todd Abbrecht, Managing Director at THL.
THL is one of the oldest and most successful private equity investment firms in the United States. It raised about $22 billion in equity capital since founding in 1974. It invested in more than 100 businesses with an aggregate purchase price of more than $125 billion, completing over 200 add-on transaction
Tags: Acquisitions, Florida, Intermedix Corp., IT, Thomas H. Lee
Posted in Acquisitions, Florida, IT | No Comments »
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