In this week's Tampa Bay Business Journal segment, editor Alexis Muellner discusses a developer's plan for a mixed-use building near Oxford Exchange, what Mentoring Monday is, and how the Tampa Bay Rays rank in the Efficiency Rating.
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Altman Cos. is resurrecting the company's plans to build a mixed-use building near the Oxford Exchange in Tampa.
The building would contain 9,750-square-feet of retail space and 314 residential units.
The Boca Raton-based developer had proposed a different apartment/retail development for the 2.5-acre site last year. Oxford Exchange owner Blake Casper denounced the project believing that plan would prevent the Grand Central area from becoming a shopping and entertainment district.
The new plan is significantly different. It includes almost double the retail space and 18 additional residential units.
The plan also saves one grand tree for the site and relocates a second to nearby public property. The proposed removal of the grand trees was one major reason the Tampa City Council voted down the original plan last September.
Following the changes, Casper is now giving his blessing for the project.
"It's just an example of when a developer listens to a community and comes back with a project that's acceptable and I think it's really exciting for that part of town," said Muellner.
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The Tampa Bay Business Journal is hosting an event on Monday, April 4 to help local businesswomen.
Mentoring Monday will see over 50 of Tampa Bay’s top women entrepreneurs and executives help provide some guidance and support to women who are in the early stages of their careers. The mentoring occurs in 7-minute-long one-on-one coaching sessions.
"It's almost like speed dating," said Muellner. "But it's speed mentoring. And there's still a lot of room for young women who want to take advantage of some successful and talented businesswoman."
The event is occurring from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Metropolitan Ministries in Tampa.
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The Tampa Bay Rays open their regular season on Sunday, April 3 at Tropicana Field. The Rays are hoping to return to the playoffs this year for the first time since the 2013 season.
The Business Journal looked at how well all 30 Major League Baseball teams ranked over the past eight seasons in its Efficiency Rating.
The rating looks at how well a team performed based on the amount of money it spent. More success with a smaller team salary equaled a higher efficiency rating.
The Rays topped the list earning an efficiency rating of 64. They were followed by the St. Louis Cardinals (60) and the San Francisco Giants (58). The Seattle Mariners came in last with a rating of 13.
"You think about the Yankees and Red Sox with big salaries, they're somewhere in the middle of this pack," said Mullner. "It's a really bit analysis we did that really shows how a team like the Rays with a low salary has to make very important business decisions."
You can see the complete TBBJ Efficiency Rating by click here.
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For more information on these stories, click on the video player, go to youtu.be/GnCA0-4T7FQ or pick up this week's Tampa Bay Business Journal available on newsstands or online.
