FAA HONORS GAINESVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT CEO AS A MANAGER OF THE YEAR
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) CEO Allan Penksa as FAA Southern Region Air Carrier Airport Manager of the Year for 2012.
Penksa was nominated by his executive staff for his efforts in seeing the airport through a tough economic downturn and in appreciation of his exemplary leadership. The nomination was supported by Ian Fletcher, current chairman of the Gainesville Alachua County Regional Airport Authority.
Penksa has been CEO since 2007. With his efforts through 2012, GNV welcomed several new tenants, including Silver Airways and Phalanx Defense Systems, both of which helped stabilize GNV’s operating budget.
Penksa has also overseen several recent capital improvement projects, including the installation of nearly 300 kilowatts of photovoltaic solar panels. The project is part of Gainesville Regional Utilities Feed In Tariff program, which proceeds will be reinvested in future airport projects.
“Allan is a standout CEO because of his broad and deep knowledge of the airport as a business,” said Matthew Lyons, Chief Financial Officer. “Allan is cool under pressure and establishes a good standard for his administrative team to aspire to.”
Winners of the FAA Southern Region Air Carrier Airport Manager of the Year exhibit exceptional aviation leadership and strive to achieve efficiencies and improved productivity at their airports. More information and the list of prior awardees are at www.faa.gov/airports/southern/airport_safety/awards/.
UF Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies Student accepts full-time position with Front Street
Front Street is extremely excited to announce that Caleb McDow recently accepted a permanent position with the team. Upon Graduation from the University of Florida’s Masters in Real Estate program, Caleb will help expand Front Street’s brokerage presence in North Central Florida. Please join us in welcoming Caleb!
Gov. Rick Scott appoints Brian K. Leslie, COO and Principal of Gainesville-based Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI) to the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority
On March 1, Gov. Rick Scott appointed Brian K. Leslie, COO and Principal of Gainesville-based construction manager Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI) to the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport Authority. Leslie, 46, of Gainesville, succeeds Roderick Gonzalez and is appointed for a term beginning March 1, 2013 and ending July 31, 2014.
CPPI specializes in educational, healthcare, institutional, governmental and commercial construction. Its client list includes North Florida Regional Medical Center, the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, University of Central Florida, University of North Florida, numerous K-12 school districts, state and local governments, and others. CPPI’s Principals include: John V. Carlson, Principal; Breck A. Weingart, Chairman; Domenic E. Scorpio, President/CEO; and Brian K. Leslie, COO.
One of Florida’s largest general contractors, construction managers and design-builders, CPPI is prominently ranked among Florida Trend’s prestigious 2012 Top 200 Private Companies. CPPI is Florida’s 133rd largest privately-owned company based on 2011 revenues of $150 million. In addition, CPPI nationally ranks among Engineering News-Record’s 2012 Top 400 Contractors. According to the survey, CPPI is the nation’s 342nd largest construction firm. CPPI is also ranked 17th largest among “The Southeast’s Top Green Contractors” according to ENR Southeast magazine’s annual survey. Recognized as a powerhouse of innovation, sustainability, craftsmanship and expertise, CPPI has constructed more than 30 LEED projects and has more than 50 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff. For more information, follow CPPI on Twitter @CPPI_News or visit www.cppi.com.
Area Communications Announces New Vice President of Sales
Margarita V. Purvis has been named Vice President of Sales for Area Communications Company.
Purvis’ duties will encompass the sales and support of business communication products and services. She brings more than 20 years of experience in telecommunication products and services, all of which have been in the North Central Florida marketplace.
“I love educating business owners on their telecom products and services, Purvis said. “Many find their phone bills confusing. They often don’t realize implementing current technology saves them a ton of money. The long-term benefit is significantly improved communications with their clients, vendors and employees. When done correctly, it can give a company the competitive edge they seek.”
Purvis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising, with a minor in Marketing, from the University of Florida and an Associate of Arts degree in Business Administration from Palm Beach College. She is also Converged Communications Technology (CTT) certified.
Frankel Media Group Announces New Associate Creative Director and Expands Public Relations and Digital Media Teams
Frankel Media Group, a full-service marketing communications agency in Gainesville, has expanded with the addition of new talent to support continued growth.
The agency has doubled in size annually over the past three years, and this expansion allows the company to focus on building business and the ongoing growth across all departments.
Award-winning designer and creative director, Robert Hedges, joins FMG as the new associate creative director. With more than 20 years in the creative industry, Hedges applies his cosmopolitan design sense and highly conceptual approach to each marketing challenge across a wide spectrum of mediums. He has led projects for clients such as BP, Heineken and McDonalds, and his work has been acknowledged with industry awards from Red Dot and LIA, to Clio and the American Advertising Federation.
Jennifer Norman joins Frankel Media Group from WCJB-TV 20, with experience in media sales and planning, broadcast TV promotion and digital design. She has a passion for seeing the creativity of advertising and marketing and bringing businesses to their optimal growth potential. Norman is an active member of the Gainesville community, volunteering with the Advertising Federation of Gainesville, Gainesville Chamber Diplomat program and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
With a diverse background in both public relations and marketing, Danna Miller comes to FMG as an account executive having worked in both in-house and agency settings. She has a proven track record of securing extensive media coverage for clients in print, online, radio and broadcast networks. Miller has experience working on national and local accounts, representing clients in the hospitality and retail industries in Atlanta, New York and Florida.
Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator Named Finalist for International Award
The Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator of Alachua, Fla., a program of the University of Florida, has been named a finalist for the National Business Incubation Association’s 2013 Dinah Adkins Incubator of the Year award in the technology focus category. The winner of the prestigious award will be announced April 9 at NBIA’s 27th International Conference on Business Incubation in Boston.
Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator’s mission is to provide space, equipment and support services to expedite research and commercial development of promising biotechnologies in the context of viable, well-managed start-up companies that will benefit the university both economically and academically.
Business incubation programs like the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. NBIA estimates that in 2011 alone, North American incubators assisted about 49,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for nearly 200,000 workers and generated annual revenue of almost $15 billion.Approximately 7,000 business incubators operate worldwide.
The National Business Incubation Association is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Each year, the NBIA Incubation Awards honor the business incubation programs, graduates and client companies that exemplify the best of the industry.