Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Digest

Local business

By TIMES STAFF
Published April 18, 2007

BankUnited opens branch in county

CLEARWATER - BankUnited Financial Corp. has opened its first neighborhood banking branch in Pinellas County.

The branch is in the Harbor Oaks Shopping Center at 620 S Fort Harrison Ave.

Bill Vandeven of Dunedin has been named vice president and branch manager. He most recently was a financial specialist with Wachovia Bank in Indian Rocks Beach and before that a financial adviser with Morgan Stanley in Clearwater. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida.

BankUnited Financial Corp. is the holding company for the Florida-based BankUnited FSB. With assets of $13.8-billion at the end of 2006, BankUnited has 81 branches in 13 Florida counties.

TBE Group promotes project manager

TBE Group, an international consulting, design, engineering and construction firm, has promoted Jason M. Stanley to senior project manager in the firm's utilities division.

His responsibilities include managing subsurface utility engineering operations, business development, proposal preparation and client relations.

Stanley joined the firm in 2002 as a utility coordinator; he was promoted to project manager in 2005. His previous experience includes work for a Tampa engineering consultant and the Florida Department of Transportation in Bartow.

TBE was incorporated in 1984 and has more than 40 offices throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, China and Puerto Rico. It's headquartered at 380 Park Place Blvd., Clearwater.

Contract signed to build green school

Creative Contractors has signed a $14-million contract to build Gulf Trace Elementary School in Holiday.

The 93,000-square-foot school's seven buildings will include classrooms, a library, art and music rooms, offices, a kitchen and large multi-purpose cafeteria.

Gulf Trace is to be Pasco County's first green or environmentally friendly school. It also will be the first Pasco school to use the tilt-wall construction method in which concrete slabs are poured on-site and lifted into place to form the exterior structure of a building.

Creative Contractors was established in 1974 by its chief executive officer Alan C. Bomstein and is based in Clearwater at 620 Drew St.

Emhart Glass acquires Clearwater company

Emhart Glass, a division of Bucher Industries and a worldwide supplier of glass container production and inspection machinery, has purchased ICS Inex Inspection Systems of Clearwater, a leader in the development and manufacture of automated inspection systems.

With the acquisition, the Emhart Glass Cold End business unit has been renamed Emhart Inex. The company plans to relocate its research and development and marketing from Elmira, N.Y., to the former ICS Inex headquarters, 13075 U.S. 19 N.

Emhart Inex will be headed by Joseph F. Laundry, vice president of the former Emhart Glass Cold End. Emhart Glass is headquartered in Cham, Switzerland.

Palm Harbor Sylvan Center hires director

Sylvan Learning Center at 34808 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor, has named Eileen A. Schmidt director of education.

Schmidt will lead hiring, training, supervising and scheduling of instructors, assessors and support staff.

She also will develop and maintain individualized educational programs, provide quality assurance and confer with parents on enrollment and student progress.

Schmidt most recently ran a Sylvan Center in Michigan and has been with the company for 16 years. The learning center provides in-center and live online tutoring at home to students of all ages and skill levels. There are more than 1,000 Sylvan Learning Centers throughout North America.

Human Resource pro joins Market Street

Terri Gonzalez has joined Market Street Mortgage as senior vice president of human resources.

She was previously a senior associate with Mercer Human Resources Consulting and has more than 20 years of experience in the field.

Market Street Mortgage, a wholly owned subsidiary of NetBank, was established in 1989 and is a leading residential mortgage loan originator. It has more than 60 locations in 49 states serving home buyers, home builders and real estate agents. In 2006, the firm closed $3.2-billion in mortgage loans. Corporate headquarters is at 2650 McCormick Drive, Clearwater.

Klein & Heuchan hires commercial associate

Scott Bell has joined Klein & Heuchan Inc., Realtors, as a commercial associate specializing in industrial, office and land sales for development.

He has a marketing degree from Florida State University and previously worked in sales, marketing and management.

Established in 1983, Klein & Heuchan has 20 associates specializing in commercial brokerage, real estate acquisition and investment and landlord-tenant representation. The company is at 1744 N Belcher Road, Clearwater.

Largo Pak Mail owner to join advisory panel

Joe Falanga, who opened the Pak Mail store in Largo Mall six years ago, has been elected to the company's Franchise System Advisory Council. Falanga will represent the Southeast on the council.

Pak Mail stores provide custom packing and crating, freight forwarding, furniture shipping, small moves, overnight shipping, private mailbox rental, moving supplies and pick-up and delivery.

[Last modified April 17, 2007, 22:17:12]