David Karins, founder of Karins Engineering Group, Inc., became interested in entrepreneurship in high school while working at his father’s company. He kept his eye on that goal consistently and as a result was well prepared to strike out on his own when the opportunity presented itself. Due in part to that focus, Karins was…

Dr. Nancy Crews, founder of Custom Manufacturing & Engineering, Inc., spun the company out of a Lockheed Martin operated nuclear weapon component plant in Pinellas County. “At the end of the Cold War, they were in the process of downsizing the nuclear weapons complex in Florida and were looking at people to help them take…

Eric Rosenthal, CEO of Florikan, a manufacturer and distributor of controlled release fertilizers, took over the family business before turning 35 and has grown it due in part to strong strategic planning and goal setting. “We were introduced to the economic gardening concept through the Sarasota EDC,” he said. “We worked with GrowFL in their…

Glenn Williams, President of Bell Performance, has one of the most classic American business stories. His first job at Bell was the exhausting and dirty work of making the product in the warehouse. Now he leads the company at which he worked his way up from the bottom. “I had done some part time work…