Featured Stories

Can your business survive three, six or nine months with one or two key employees absent? What about a lawsuit? Can your organization handle the expense and emotionally exhaustive, time-consuming process of an employment investigation into your organization’s workplace practices? If you are like most small businesses, the answer is no. For small to medium-sized...

With the arrival of the bustling holiday season, businesses are scrambling to add additional staff members to assist in daily operations. These staff members, or individuals working with a particular employer for less than 120 days, are referred to by some as seasonal employees. Many companies, however, classify such persons as independent contractors so as...

Despite the lingering 80-degree weather, it’s certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Gainesville … and Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Boxing Day, as well. The holiday decorations have been in local stores since before trick or treaters rang a single door bell and traffic on Archer Road looks like UF move-in day in...

For many, the finance industry is an enigma, and trying to learn more about it can be both daunting and bewildering. As a result, many people see investing as a totally foreign concept, and view the stock market as an unapproachable whirlwind of numbers, graphs and jargon. When exploring an industry dominated by business tycoons...

CenterState Bank is setting the stage to become the largest community banking company in the state of Florida with its two recent acquisitions of Harbor Community Bank and Sunshine Bank. The proposed mergers would result in $10.1 billion in assets, $6.6 billion in loans and $8.1 billion in deposits. Both mergers are expected to be...

Have you heard about digital currencies such as Bitcoin? Often referred to as cryptocurrency or virtual currency, digital currency is a major technological development impacting commerce in the 21st century. A $3,000 purchase of Bitcoin at the beginning of 2013 would be valued at over $1 million today.  Bitcoin hit an all-time high over $6,000...

Recently reaching their 15th year of business and operating nine locations across the state, Bento Café’s Bento Group has a lot to celebrate. Bento Café, which began as a single location at 3832 West Newberry Road, quickly expanded to additional locations in Gainesville, Orlando, Tallahassee, South Florida and St. Petersburg. “It’s a very exciting time...

Alachua County was awarded the Cooperative Agreement to Benefit Homeless Individuals (CABHI) Grant by the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. This grant provides a total of $2.4 million over three years with a goal of increasing Alachua County’s capacity to coordinate and...

Leaving their home country for long periods of time, international students, undergraduates, and graduates have huge adjustments to make while pursuing their academic goals in the United States. Upon securing a job within these shores, another phase of adaptation is required for international professionals. A few challenges include: Some international professionals are reluctant to comment...

With places like the Innovation Hub proliferating in Gainesville, it’s clear that the home of the Gators is also a city where business ideas abound. With all the creative concepts flowing, however, the question of how to officially trademark a business idea and/or brand might be something on the minds of prospective business owners looking...