NEW TECH PARK
>>The Lee County Port Authority Airports Special Management Committee and Board of Port Commissioners cleared the way for the development of a planned bioscience and technology research complex expected to support 800 jobs and generate 500 new jobs in the life sciences and medical industries. The project is Phase 1 of the Madden Research Loop, the first of several properties to be developed in public/private partnership at the 750-acre Skyplex Commercial Center, located on the north side of Southwest Florida International Airport property, on Chamberlin Parkway. The developer is a subsidiary of the John Madden Co., which is based in Denver with an office in Fort Myers. Madden Research Loop is intended to attract academics, researchers and business entrepreneurs. Phase 1 includes 25 acres and 275,000 square feet of class-A office and lab space. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for third quarter of 2008.

TIB INVESTORS
>>Members and representatives of the Barron Gift Collier and Lutgert families and their related business interests have purchased 1.2 million shares of TIB Financial Corp.’s (Nasdaq: TIBB) (www.tibfinancialcorp.com) common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 1.2 million shares. Gross proceeds from the investment are $10.1 million. In addition, two representatives will join TIB’s board of directors. Each family group is limited to aggregate ownership of 9.9 percent of outstanding shares.

HOVNANIAN POSTS LOSS
>>National homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: HOV) (www.khov.com), which owns inventory in Southwest Florida, has reported a first-quarter loss $130.9 million, compared with a loss of $57.4 million for the same period a year ago. Revenue dropped 6.2 percent to $1.09 billion for the quarter from $1.17 billion last year. The company sold 3,604 homes, including 1,345 from its Cape Coral operations, with an aggregate sales value of $1.05 billion, an increase of 10.3 percent from 3,266 home sales with a value of $1.14 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2007. But those transactions generated only a 2 percent gross margin, which affected profit. “Market conditions remain challenging across many of our markets,” said president and CEO Ara K. Hovnanian in a news release. “We continue to focus on reducing our inventories, maximizing cash flow and shrinking our overhead to ensure that we properly manage the difficult market conditions we currently face.”

PARADE OF HOMES AWARDS
>>The Lee Building Industry Association’s recent Parade of Homes Awards were presented to several winners in 27 categories for Superior Home Awards, based on price range. Builders also competed in categories for Best Bath, Best Kitchen, Best Exterior, Best Landscape Design, Best Pool, Best Interior Design, Best Outdoor Living and Best Livability. Merit awards were given to interior designers, architectural designers and pool contractors for their contributions to the winning models. The Parade of Homes continues through Sunday. For more information, visit www.bia.net.

AFFLUENT HOMES
>>Ryan A. Chiodo, broker and founder of Chiodo & Associates Inc., has launched a second real estate company called Affluent Homes of Naples, which will focus on properties priced $1 million or higher throughout Southwest Florida and internationally. The office is at 780 Fifth Ave. S., Suite 200, in downtown Naples.

GOODWILL SHREDDING
>>The Fort Myers and Sarasota offices of UBS Financial Services have selected Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida Inc. to provide secured document shredding. The local Goodwill created its document destruction service in 2007 to provide jobs for local individuals with disabilities. UBS is a global wealth management, investment banking and securities firm.

NURSING CONFERENCE
>>Lee Memorial Health System will hold its third annual Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice Conference on April 4 at the Royal Palm Yacht Club in Fort Myers. Healthcare professionals and students are invited to the free, one-day conference, which is part of an effort to expand the understanding and use of research-based evidence to produce the best patient outcomes. The keynote speaker will be Linda Q. Everett, Ph.D., the executive vice president and chief nursing executive of Clarian Health in Indianapolis. She will discuss the American Organization of Nurse Executives’ research priorities and the role of evidence-based practice. To register, call 262-2621.

SENIOR VP
>>Partners Bank (www.partnersbank.net) has named Ed Guest as senior vice president, commercial lending officer. He is responsible for the origination of commercial loans and new business development. Guest has more than 40 years of industry experience, including 18 years in Southwest Florida. Before joining Partners, he served as senior vice president and commercial loan officer for TIB Bank in Naples.

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