Brevard Business BBN News Vol. 29 No. 6 February 7, 2011 A Weekly Space Coast Business Magazine Leasing activity strong on Executive Suite floor at Imperial; ‘day office’ leasing and management portfolio in By Ken Datzman Brevard includes the Class “A” 107,628– square–foot Imperial Plaza office building, SUNTREE — The small–business the 126,172–square–foot Centre at Suntree market in parts of the county seems to be retail complex, and the fully occupied slowly improving and has regained some of 14,200–square–foot Suntree Plaza, all on its footing since the middle of last year, North Wickham Road. when activity bottomed after 24 months of “We had about 15 vacancies on the painful entrenchment. Executive Suite floor of Imperial Plaza at One positive sign is that small firms are mid–year. I had never seen that before in back in the market shopping for office– the 10 years I’ve been with the company. suite space. So we did some reconfiguring of space on Carla Casey, regional manager and that floor and added seven office suites. property manager for South Florida–based Now, we have a total of 22 suites and only Brenner Real Estate Group Inc. in Brevard three vacancies. Leasing in the second half County, said she saw a surge of leasing of the year on the fourth floor of the activity at one of her company’s facilities in building was very solid. The small– the second half of last year, perhaps business market boomed,” she said. signaling a flattening out of one piece of the Casey said the makeup of tenants at the commercial real–estate sector. Executive Suites is varied, from financial– Demand for space on the full–service consulting companies and financial– Executive Suite floor of the multi–tenant advocate businesses to counseling firms, BBN photo — Adrienne B. Roth five–story Imperial Plaza office building on and other professionals. “We have a really North Wickham Road in Melbourne, which good mix of businesses.” Imperial Plaza in Melbourne is set to introduce a new office concept on its Executive Suite floor of the houses a range of companies, accelerated in Colette Wood, sales and leasing five–story building. Carla Casey, right, regional manager for Brenner Real Estate Group Inc., which the final months of 2010. associate for Brenner Real Estate Group in leases and manages the building, said businesspeople will now be able to use suites on a daily rental basis. Her firm is targeting traveling businesspeople and other unique users. Colette Wood is leasing “The small–business market is rebound- and sales associate with Brenner. ing strongly,” said Casey, whose company’s Please see Imperial Plaza, page 19 U.S. medical–technology industry losing its edge, new study finds declining when compared with other eroding. Researchers scored each country on five By Janet Moore countries across the globe,” said Tracy The report looked at traits that contrib- different “pillars,” or areas that have Scripps Howard Service Lefteroff, a Global Managing Partner of ute to med–tech innovation and quantified historically supported med–tech innova- PwC’s venture capital practice. “And we’re them in a scorecard involving nine tion. They include the availability of The innovative edge that brought the in real jeopardy of losing our lead.” countries, including the United States, financial incentives, such as government U.S. medical–technology industry to global Even a slight erosion in U.S. leadership China, India, Brazil, France, Germany, dominance may be slipping, according to a status can siphon off good–paying med– Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Please see Study, page 16 study that consulting firm PwC has just tech jobs, Lefteroff added. Increasingly, released. U.S. consumers will not always be the first In the next decade, the report predicts to benefit from advances in medical INC. NEWS, that China, India, and Brazil will experi- technology. BUSINESS BREVARD ence the strongest gains in developing The 52–page report from PwC, formerly PAID next–generation lifesaving products, as PricewaterhouseCoopers, should add fuel POSTAGE US capital, jobs, and research gravitate toward to a growing sense of angst felt by the STANDARD these growing markets. med–tech community that its stature as a PRESORTED “The key finding is that the U.S. is haven for medical device innovation is BBN DIGEST Author, education expert Marion Brady to address League of Women Voters Your Business on a Mac The League of Women Voters of the Space Coast will host a “Timely Topics Luncheon” featuring guest speaker Microsoft Office, QuickBooks, Filemaker Pro, Point-of-sale... Marion Brady at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at Faster, Safer, More Secure. Everything is Easier on a Mac! Kiwi Tennis Club’s Palm Cafe, 30 Tradewinds Drive, in Indian Harbour Beach. Brady is a distinguished educator with experience in a range of areas, including administration, as a publisher consultant, textbook author and education columnist for Knight–Ridder/Tribune. In his book titled “What’s Worth Learning?” Brady criticizes the “dysfunctional core curriculum” used in the Visual Dynamics United States. He explains how general education can be provided for less cost, without affecting staffing, and with more positive results. He compares the “No Child Left Behind” initiative to a new ad emailed “paint–by–numbers approach.” Brady says that under this Bottom Line approach educators follow standards that dictate what they tell the students. He claims that accountability is A Better used to measure how much the students can remember at FULL COLOR the time they take the standardized tests. Improve Your Bottom Line! “In everyday life, what counts isn’t what you know, but what you can do with what you know,” he said. Join us this February for our next 694 E. Eau Gallie Blvd Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937 Other areas of discussion will include Brady’s positions FREE small business seminar: www.visdyninc.com • [email protected] • 321-773-7788 on the topics of “value education,” vouchers and charter Thursday the 3rd At 5:00 PM. schools. There will be a question–and–answer session after See our calendar for more dates & times. the presentation. The public is invited to the luncheon. The cost is $20 For more information go to www.getmactraining.com, or call 321-773-7788. and includes a buffet. For reservations, call Doreen Archer © 2010 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo and iPad, are registered trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. at 622–4071. The reservation deadline is Feb. 10. Applied Behavior Analysis Conference Florida Tech’s School of Psychology and the Behavior Analysis Student Association will host the fifth annual Applied Behavior Analysis Conference Feb. 4. Titled, “A Conversation About Punishment: 3 Perspectives,” the conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Gleason Performing Arts Center on the Melbourne campus. The conference speakers are Merrill Winston, an expert in the analysis and treatment of severe behavior disorders with special groups; Matthew Israel, founder of the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, which provides behavioral treatment to children and young adults with autism and conduct or psychiatric problems; and Aubrey Daniels, a noted authority on the application of scientifically–proven laws of human behavior to the workplace. The conference fee is $50 per person. Florida Tech students will be admitted free of charge. A job fair will also be held to give ABI job–seekers an opportunity to network with companies that are hiring behavior analysts. The Gleason Center is on University Boulevard. For more information about the conference, send an e–mail message to Dan DeRosa at new ad emailed [email protected]. Dr. Amiridze to present lecture Feb. 9 Holmes Regional Medical Center’s Heart Month FULL COLOR Lecture Series will host “Advanced Care for Stroke Patients,” a presentation by Dr. Nana Amiridze, a board– certified neuroradiologist with Health First Physicians. The program is from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, in HRMC’s Auditorium A. The address is 1350 S. Hickory St. The presentation is free of charge. BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 2 Call Adrienne Roth at 321-951-7777 for Advertising Information FEBRUARY 7, 2011 BBN DIGEST PMC Red Hot Heart Health Reception set Feb. 23 at Holiday Inn in Titusville TITUSVILLE — Red symbolizes action, strength, confidence, courage, and vitality. And you can be “Red Designing Dream Homes Hot” at any age. All it takes is the “right state of mind, strength of heart, and red attire.” Designers West Interiors So, put on your red shoes, red dress or red slacks and join the North Brevard community for a uniquely specializes in complete energizing health and wellness experience at Parrish Medical Center’s Red Hot Heart Health Reception. Designerscustom West residential homes The event will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, providing a full range of services. Feb. 23, at the Holiday Inn Titusville–Kennedy Space Center, 4715 Helen Hauser Blvd. The hotel is behind Cracker Barrel, off State Road 50 west of Interstate 95. pick up BBN11/15/10Space Planning A PMC “Art of Healing Hearts (cardiovascular care) and Spirit of Women” event, this program includes free of pageSelection 3 of Finishes charge health screenings such as blood–pressure checks, Custom Furnishings blood–glucose tests, and health–risk assessments, along with other health information. Outdoor Living Areas Attendees also will get a chance to learn some “Red FULL COLOR Hot Zumba” moves during a dance and fitness demon- Color Palette Choices stration before the program. Zumba is a fusion of Latin Accent Pieces & Artwork and international music that creates “a dynamic, exciting, and effective fitness program.” Kitchen Cabinetry Then from 6 to 7 p.m.