
Realtors, Iverson’s Can Help Your Buyers And Sellers.
Iverson’s Furniture, a high-end used furniture store celebrating 56 years in business, now offers services for Realtors. Iverson’s buys, sells and consigns furniture and estates in two Sarasota locations.
Many real estate professionals have seller clients who want to sell their furniture quickly after the home sale closes. Iverson’s Furniture will buy the entire contents of the home. “We’ll clean it out, move it out and hand you a check,” said owner Mari Morton. “We’ll make it easy for you.”
Iverson’s Furniture will also help Realtors stage listed properties, working within their budget to best present the home.
The store’s website is updated almost daily. “We have sold housefuls to out-of-town buyers who shopped on our website, then we stored it for them until they closed on their home in Sarasota,” said Morton. To view the latest offerings, please visit www.usedqualityfurniture.com and click on the Furniture Gallery tab.
Realtors and customers who wish to sell their furniture should send photos or a link to their virtual tour to iversonsfurniture@comcast.net.
The Bee Ridge store (2223 Bee Ridge Road) can be reached at (941) 924-8355. The Clark Road store (3224 Clark Road ) can be reached at (941) 922-1842.
Sarasota County Fire Department Receives $20,000 Grant.
The Sarasota County Fire Department is receiving $20,000 from Fireman’s Fund to purchase smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher training system that will be used to teach local residents how to safely and effectively use fire extinguishers. The grant is awarded by National Trust Insurance Services (NTIS) and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.
In addition to enabling firefighters to provide hands-on fire extinguisher training to the public, the funds will also purchase dual-technology smoke detectors. These detectors offer the highest rate of reliability and will be distributed to community members lacking the financial means to purchase this critical life-saving device.
The Sarasota Opera informed National Trust Insurance Services about the fire department’s need.
“We work to provide the best service possible to the people of Sarasota County, and this grant supports these efforts,” said Fire Chief Mike Tobias. “We appreciate this contribution and commend Fireman’s Fund and its agencies — such as National Trust Insurance Services — for all their efforts to support the fire service in Florida.”
“As we celebrate our company’s 150th anniversary this year, we also look to the future. With this grant, we are honored to support initiatives that help firefighters overcome the modern challenges they face,” added Lori Fouché, CEO of Fireman’s Fund. “We are pleased to celebrate this important milestone of our grant program with National Trust Insurance Services.”
Sarasota Fire Department officials, firefighters, elected officials and executives from Maury, Donnelly & Parr, Inc. and Fireman’s Fund will come together for a special public event where the milestone grant will be celebrated and fire extinguisher training will be demonstrated:
Date / Time
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Location
Sarasota Opera House
61 N. Pineapple Avenue

RE/MAX Alliance Agent Earns Award.
RE/MAX Alliance announced that Marty Haines was presented the RE/MAX 100% Club Award. The 100% Club is an international award level recognizing associates who have earned between $100,000 and $249,999 in gross commissions during the preceding calendar year.
Additionally, Haines received a certificate for graduating from Buffini & Company’s Peak Producers 12-week training program and was presented with the RE/MAX Alliance Group Spirit Award for demonstrating support to RE/MAX Alliance Group and the community through participation, leadership and service to others.
Haines is a Broker-Associate in the Venice office, located at 1314-B East Venice Avenue, Venice, Florida 34285. She can be reached at (941) 308-4627 or mhaines@remax.net.

Sam Rodgers Homes Opens New Office.
Sam Rodgers Homes has a new home – a new 6,000-square-foot office space in Lakewood Ranch that includes an on-site design gallery. Located at 7381 Professional Parkway East, the Sam Rodgers team recently purchased the property and is busy settling in.
“This is the nicest office we’ve ever had,” said Sam Rodgers. “In the past we’ve worked out of four or five construction trailers or even a remodeled pro shop. It’s wonderful to have everyone under one roof. I knew right away that this was the perfect set-up for us. We never would have found anything better without building it ourselves.”
While the office area was move-in ready, the team has plans to remodel the design gallery over the next few months. When complete, it will feature kitchen and bath elements, flooring, hardware, miscellaneous treatments and paint options. A privacy wall provides a quiet area for the professional on-site designers to consult with customers, while the gallery itself will offer a sample of some of the company’s most popular product lines and finishes.
Sam Rodgers Homes has maintained office space in Venice since 1993 and currently has a full-service design gallery on Clark Road in Sarasota for the Arthur Rutenberg Homes buyer. As a franchisee for Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Sam will operate both companies out of the new building.
For more information, call 941-896-4813 or visit their website at www.samrodgershomes.com.
South Florida Museum Presents Little Shop of Horrors.
The South Florida Museum presents Little Shop of Horrors as part of the Film Fridays series, 6pm on May 24, 2013.
(1986) Rated PG-13, 88 minutes. “Feed me, Seymour!” Rick Moranis stars as the nerdy skid row florist who makes the discovery of a lifetime – a talking, singing, blood-sucking plant. Seymour quickly finds himself supplying his new “pet” with meals… of the human variety.
Admission is $5 General Admission, $3 Member Admission.
Seating is limited; reservations are recommended. For more information and reservations, please call 941-746-4131, ext. 0.
You may purchase your tickets online at www.southfloridamuseum.org
Teresa Witte Named Global New Homes Sales Manager.
Teresa Witte, who brings more than 20 years of experience in new homes sales and management, will head RE/MAX Platinum’s Global New Homes Sales Division. Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Witte has worked for many of Florida’s top developers, including Levitt and Sons, Maronda Homes and Coscan Homes on the Florida East Coast. She opened a Coscan Homes presence in numerous Brazilian real estate brokerages, and was responsible for the high percentage of sales to South American clients at the developer’s Point of Aventura luxury condominiums.
Prior to joining RE/MAX Platinum Realty, Witte was a Sales Associate for Lennar Homes, where she specialized in luxury condominium sales in the River Strand Golf and Country Club in Manatee County. She was involved in all phases of the construction process, including sales, customer service, design review, and coordination with customers and construction managers.
Witte has also conducted sales training seminars for companies such as IBM and Samsung, most recently in Brazil in 2012 for Samsung. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and is completing her second bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies at the University of South Florida in June 2013. She is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Witte’s efforts will be concentrated initially in South America (Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia), Canada and the United Kingdom. She will work from the RE/MAX Platinum Realty Lakewood Ranch office at 8215 Natures Way, Unit 109, Lakewood Ranch, Florida 34202. She can be reached at (941) 302-2585 or teresa@platinumrealtyflorida.com.
Michelle Crabtree Named As 2013 Five Star Real Estate Agent.
Michelle Crabtree of Michael Saunders & Co. was selected as a 2013 Five Star Real Estate Agent. This is the sixth year that she was a winner for providing exceptional service and overall satisfaction by clients, peers and industry experts.
Selection was determined by an independent research firm in partnership with Sarasota Magazine to determine which real estate agents in the Sarasota area, rated the highest in key criteria, such as integrity, communication and customer service. Less than seven percent of licensed agents in the Sarasota are listed as Five Star Real Estate Agents.
Crabtree is a third generation Sarasotan and has been a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker Sale Associate since 1982. She was a Director on the Sarasota Board of Realtors (SAR) from 2008-2010, was recognized by the Sarasota Women’s Council of Realtors as “Business Women of the Year” for 2009 and was also chapter president in 2007. She has the designations/certifications of CRS, CIPS, GRI, ABR; PMN, TRC, RSPS, SFR, AHWD, GREEN.
Sharky’s On The Pier Voted Best Beach Bar.
Venice’s Sharky’s on the Pier was voted 2013’s best beach bar by Florida Beach Bar. This is the first time Sharky’s made the TOP 10 Florida Beach Bar list. Sharky’s is located on Venice Bach and features a pier extending into the Gulf of Mexico. It is a favorite hangout for locals, beach goers, fishermen, and, yes, sharks and sharks teeth.
Tiki huts offer the shade, and the tiki bar is action packed. There is live music every day of the week and a 2 story deck enabling one to look down on the tiki bar and out onto the Gulf and fishing pier.
Sharky’s On The Pier, 600 Harbor Dr S, Venice, (941) 488-1456, www.sharkysonthepier.com
Founded in 2010, FloridaBeachBar.com is the top online directory of Florida beach bars featuring over 250 bars from all over the state. It includes beach bars that are on the beach or water and those beach bars that are just a short distance away. Bar listings includes contact information, pictures, rating, and maps. Over the past 12 months, FloridaBeachBar.com has served up over 350,000 pages of beach bar information.
Each year visitors to the site are asked to vote on their favorite beach bar. Voting begins in mid March and ends on April 30th. Thousands vote for their favorite beach bar and the results are combined with FloridaBeachBar.com’s Pink Flamingo ratings to create the annual Top 10 Florida Beach Bar listing and select Florida’s Best Beach Bar. www.floridaBeachBar.com
Chefs Cooking For Kids.
On Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 6PM-9PM join Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast for a culinary extravaganza with leading local chefs and restaurants. Enjoy delicious culinary samplings created by guest Chef de Cuisines, music and an auction. Click HERE to download flyer.
Tickets $60 per person/Tables $500
An evening benefitting one-to-one mentoring programs and the children of Manatee County
For information call (941) 746.7000 to reserve visit www.bbbssun.org
Free Health Fair At Hope Lutheran Church.
Hope Lutheran Church invites all companies, schools, organizations and individuals to attend the 1st Annual Asian Heritage Celebration featuring a “Santa Cruzan Parade” on May 25th from noon to 10pm. It is free to attend, just wear your best Long Gown and ask your friends to come as well. All ages are welcome. There is a FREE HEALTH FAIR from 9am-2pm.
For Gift2CARE Little Miss, Miss and Mrs Ambassador 2013 candidates please text Gift2Care to 55469 for a free application form. Call (941) 567.7752 for more info.
Location: Hope Lutheran Church, 4635 26th Street West Bradenton FL 34207
Datum Corporation Acquires BreakFree IT.
Datum Corporation, a Sarasota-based company offering comprehensive, one-stop technology solutions for small- to mid-sized businesses, announced that it has acquired Bradenton-based BreakFree IT (BFIT) in a 100 percent stock purchase. BFIT is a leading provider of outsourced information technology (IT) services throughout the region.
“We take a very deliberate approach to acquiring organizations that will add to and fulfill strategic geographic goals, as well as bring top talent to the business,” said Tom Frost, CEO of Datum Corporation. “Break Free IT has assembled an excellent team and an impressive client list. The addition of Datum’s resources will add to the already first-rate service.”
BFIT and its founders have been engaged in IT services in the Sarasota and surrounding areas for 20 years. The company’s clients include performing arts organizations, private schools, medical organizations, insurance agencies, and other small- and mid-sized businesses. In addition to acquiring the clients and stock, Datum will retain all of BFIT’s current staff.
“Over the past 20 years I have cultivated deep relationships and bonds with the business owners in Sarasota, Bradenton and the surrounding areas,” said Jeff Wood, former President of BFIT. “Joining forces with Datum is a natural extension of the services BreakFree IT already provides, and will only strengthen the relationships I have developed during my career in Information Technology.”
For more information, visit www.datumcorporation.com or call (941) 256-8700 X110.
Carl Abbott Speaks To Informed By The Land.
Thursday, May 16 at 7 pm Ringling College of Art and Design will host Architect Carl Abbott for a conversation on the tenets of modern and ancient design’s which are informed by the land.
Kevin Dean, Curator of Ringling’s Selby Gallery, asked Carl Abbott to give this talk following their successful show of Abbott’s Architecture last year. He will discuss how modern architecture can be informed by ancient designers who worked with the land to plan their built environments. As in Greece, Egypt, Maya — designs that align with specific land forms and celestial events.
Maya – This summer, Abbott will be working in the Yucatan with archeologists studying how the Maya planned and built their environments.
Following the talk, the Architect will be available to sign his new book, IN/FORMED by the LAND: The Architecture of Carl Abbott. (available locally and on the web)
South Florida Museum Presents Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
The South Florida Museum presents Invasion of the Body Snatchers as part of the Film Fridays Movies Matter series, 6pm on May 17, 2013.
(1978) Rated PG, 115 minutes.This late ‘70s remake of the 1956 classic maximizes the paranoia and isolationist themes of the original story about a San Francisco man who begins to suspect that everyone he knows is being replaced by an emotionless alien clone.
Admission is $5 General Admission, $3 Member Admission.
Seating is limited; reservations are recommended. For more information and reservations, please call 941-746-4131, ext. 0.
You may purchase your tickets online at www.southfloridamuseum.org
Free Admission To Museum Of Art Galleries On International Museum Day.
On Saturday, May 18th there is free admission to The Ringling Museum of Art as part of International Museum Day. View the special exhibition, Herb Ritts: L.A. Style, before it closes on Sunday, May 19th.
While you’re there, be sure to stroll their Bayfront Gardens, which are open to the public daily from 9:30 am – 6:00 pm. Admission is not required.
RE/MAX Platinum Creates International Builder/Developer Partnership Program.
RE/MAX Platinum Realty, a luxury real estate brokerage with five offices in Sarasota and Manatee counties, has opened a Global New Homes Division. The division will provide international sales support to builders and developers, starting with those in the Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice market.
“We will leverage the global RE/MAX broker network to develop our own relationships and create a proprietary network of brokers who will bring international clients to RE/MAX Platinum Realty,” said Broker-Owner Bryan Guentner. RE/MAX has a global reach of more than 85 countries and recently announced its expansion into China.
Builders and developers who partner with RE/MAX Platinum Realty will have access to sales associates in the five local offices, as well as the international brokers in the Global New Homes Division network. Builder and developer properties will be marketed through networking, international trade shows and active company sales efforts.
For more information call (941) 929.9090 or visit www.platinumrealtyflorida.com.
Home Resource Scores Exclusive Brands.
Home Resource, the leading contemporary and modern furniture show room on Florida’s West Coast further strengthened their product offerings after attending the Cologne and Milano Furniture shows. Adding to many of the exclusive lines, Home Resource has the honor to be the only retailer in Florida for Team 7, a world renowned Austrian brand known for their solid wood contemporary furniture (www.team7.at) and Dreieck, a German company that specialized in unique glass tables and display units (www.dreieck-design.com).
Home Resource also has secured Florida’s West Coast exclusivity for Italian brands Alivar, which offers a complete line of high end furnishings (www.alivar.com), Cierre, a company that specializes in hand constructed leather furniture, (www.cierreimbottiti.com), and Gallotti and Radice which also specializes in glass products such as desks, sideboards and tables (www.gallottiradice.it). Discussions are underway with other Italian brands that Home Resource hopes to solidify in the next few months.
Lastly, Home Resource is now the exclusive Representative for Brown Jordan outdoor furniture for the region (www.brownjordan.com) and Richard Schultz outdoor furniture. (www.richardschultz.com)
All the above mentioned furniture lines are either on display in their showroom or will be in their showroom in the next few months. It is certainly well worth the effort to see the exquisite design and amazing craftsmanship of these products. Home Resource is located at 741 Central Ave, Downtown Sarasota. For more information visit www.homeresource.com or call (941) 366.6690.
John Cannon Named To USF Business Advisory Board.
Luxury home builder John Cannon was appointed to the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee Business Advisory Board for the College of Business. Cannon and other business leaders will assist the College as it goes through the process of becoming separately accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The Board will work closely with the faculty as they review the current undergraduate business curriculum and begin to design a new curriculum for implementation in the Fall semester of 2014.
South Florida Museum Presents It: The Terror From Beyond Space.
The South Florida Museum presents It: The Terror From Beyond Space as part of the Film Fridays Movies Matter series, 6pm on May 10, 2013.
(1958) – With notable similarities to Alien and other modern sci-fi flicks, IT tells the tale of a rescue mission sent to Mars to see what has become of a marooned expedition crew. But will they realize that they risk bringing the threat back with them?
Admission is $5 General Admission, $3 Member Admission.
Seating is limited; reservations are recommended. For more information and reservations, please call 941-746-4131, ext. 0.
You may purchase your tickets online at www.southfloridamuseum.org
Nuevo Advertising Group’s Office Now On Sarasota’s Main Street.
Nuevo Advertising Group announced they moved their office to The Sarasota Courthouse Center Building, 1990 Main Street #750, Sarasota, FL 34236.
“After nearly 10 years in our original location, and with many newly-signed accounts, it was necessary to move into a space that offered the technological infrastructure required by our agency and our clients, and that better represented our agency,” said Pedro Perez, co-owner/vice president of Nuevo Advertising Group.
Nuevo Advertising Group is an award-winning full service marketing, advertising and public relations agency. Founded in 2004 with the initial mission of bridging the gap between businesses and the Hispanic community, the agency has since expanded to serve the general market. Nuevo Advertising Group launched www.nuevotranslation.com, a focus division of Nuevo Advertising, in 2005 to serve the growing translation needs of businesses.
For more information, visit www.nuevoadvertising.com or call (941) 752-4433.
Cat Depot Grants Presidential Service Awards.
Cat Depot honored its volunteers on Saturday, April 27, with a Volunteer Appreciation Night party at Cat Depot. Cat Depot staff ‘worked’ the event by cooking and serving dinner to thank the volunteers for their countless hours of dedication to the animals. Volunteers mingled and enjoyed music by Tommy DiSarro, Full Swing Productions. The evening culminated with a presentation of the President’s Volunteer Service Award to eight volunteers who gave over 500 hours of service in 2012. Award recipients were Mary Budd, Bill Clack, Jeff Donahue, Marianna Basile, Marianne Hight, Martha McKlveen, Nancy Hambleton and Nancy Fox.
“We call them volunteers, but to our felines and Cat Depot team members, volunteers are heroes . . . heroes that help us save lives,” said Corey Roscoe, volunteer and education manager.
In 2012, Cat Depot volunteers contributed 18,162.5 hours of service. Cat Depot averages 1,500 volunteer hours per month with over 140 active monthly center volunteers. From small to tall, young and old, permanent or visiting residents, volunteers help Cat Depot with cleaning, laundry, dishes, animal transport, off-site events, fundraising, clinic assistants, medical data entry, reception, retail sales, cat socialization, adoption assistants, foster families, food bank, coin bank, photography, food prep, and education/lectures.
Anyone interested in volunteering, or seeking more information, should call Cat Depot at (941) 366-2404 or go to http://www.catdepot.org.
Cat Depot, a nonprofit, 501(c)3 no-kill, free-roaming facility, is recognized for its progressive design and commitment to helping homeless, abandoned and injured animals. Open seven days a week, Cat Depot’s mission is to save lives, find loving homes, and provide the resources and education to improve the destiny of homeless cats. Cat Depot is where compassion meets commitment.
Cat Depot supports more than 125 cats and kittens on any given day. Shop in our Cat Depot Supply and Gift Store specializing in cat supplies and unique gifts. Open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Handicap accessible. Cat Depot is located at 2542 17th Street, Sarasota, Fla. 34234. For more information, go to www.catdepot.org, or call 941.366.2404.