Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

Talk of the bay: USF boss means business as chamber chair

By Times Staff
Published December 14, 2007

Who says academia and business don't mix? University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft took over Thursday as chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. She replaces Tampa lawyer Fred McClure, who closed out his term at a chamber luncheon with high praise for the 2,000-member organization that, with Genshaft's input, helped seal a deal between the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and drugmaker Merck. They formed a high-tech joint venture called M2Gen. Larry Richey, executive with the Cushman & Wakefield real estate firm, took over as head of the Committee of One Hundred, the chamber arm that recruits businesses. He replaces Roy McCraw of Wachovia Bank.

Firms queasy over health care option

We've all got complaints about health care, but the jury's out on what to do about it. Employers, who have a huge stake in the issue, were asked in a recent Mercer survey for their opinions on several proposals meant to fix it. The least popular proposal? A "pay or play" law, which would require employers to either offer a health plan or pay into a fund to provide coverage for the uninsured. Fewer than a quarter of employers nationwide said they approved of this idea. The idea had more popularity - a 30-percent approval rating - in Massachusetts, where a pay or play law has been in effect since last 2006. That's not a resounding endorsement from Massachusetts, though. In last year's survey, before Massachusetts employers had to start complying with pay or play, 49 percent of them approved of the idea.

Root, root, root for the home fighters

What makes a great holiday gift for the adrenaline-addicted, Fight Club-watching man (or woman) in your life? Perhaps tickets to Bonecrunch Fighting's just-announced 2008 season. Bonecrunch, founded by a Harvard-educated entrepreneur from Sarasota, is a fledgling league for mixed martial arts, a form of fighting with few rules and a fast-growing fan base. On Jan. 12, the Tampa Terrors will do us proud when they take on the Port St. Lucie Devils at Lakeland Center. The Lakeland Blaze and the Cincinnati Norsemen also will compete. Tickets start at $20 and are available through Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.bonecrunchfighting.com.

[Last modified December 13, 2007, 22:50:16]