Local Business News

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Men's Wearhouse doesn't like the way its founder looks anymore.

The men's clothier said Wednesday that it fired executive chairman and face of the company George Zimmer, 64, who has appeared in many of its TV commercials with the slogan "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it."

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A proposed agreement between the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and the city would help offset parking costs for C2C Solutions when it moves 200 employees downtown to the EverBank Tower, JTA said Wednesday.

In the first two years of the lease, JTA would charge $24,000 per year and the city would pick up that cost without charging C2C for parking at the lot, located near the convention center, JTA spokesman John Finotti said.

In the following two years, the lease would rise to $48,000 per year, which the city would pay by charging the company for parking.

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Venezuela native William Guillermo Mora’s passion is connecting Jacksonville’s business community to the rest of the world.

His business, GM Consulting-Gamma Brands on Jacksonville’s Southside, specializes in developing business plans for companies — primarily American heavy industrial and manufacturing firms — that want to enter foreign markets, as well as helping foreign businesses enter the U.S.

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The shipping executive selected to be the Jacksonville Port Authority’s next CEO said Tuesday he does not think his separation agreement with Horizon Lines would create any conflicts of interest for him as JaxPort’s top administrator.

Brian Taylor resigned from Horizon Lines last November and is receiving $370,000 a year over a two-year period from the company, which uses the JaxPort-owned Blount Island terminal for shipping cargo to Puerto Rico.

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Orange Park Medical Center CEO Tom Pentz announced Tuesday he will retire at the end of the year.

Pentz began his career with HCA, which owns Orange Park Medical Center, more than 30 years ago. He served as CEO at four HCA hospitals before coming to Orange Park Medical Center as CEO in May 2008.

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The Jacksonville Women’s Lawyers Association chose Leslie A. Goller as its Woman Lawyer of the Year.

Goller is a trial attorney at the Terrell Hogan personal injury and wrongful death law firm, where her practice focuses on consumer litigation. She is an environmental advocate, election lawyer and community activist.

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Downtown Vision Inc has added Valerie Feinberg as director of strategic partnerships. Feinberg will create a multi-year plan for development and fundraising initiatives.

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The average sales price for homes in Northeast Florida rose above $200,000 last month for the first time since 2008. The number of sales continued to climb as well, according to Northeast Florida Association of Realtors’ monthly report, with closed sales at their highest since 2006. Homes also are selling faster and for a higher percent of the asking price than they have since 2007.

Key numbers in the report:

Pending sales: 2,321, down from 2,345 in April but up from 1,725 May 2012. Closed sales: 1,951, up from 1,933 in April and 1,606 in May 2012.

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FedEx has made it official: It’s going to build a facility at Cecil Commerce Center to replace the company’s Lane Avenue location.

There has been speculation that FedEx Ground would build at the former Navy base off Normandy Boulevard, and it did confirm last month that it was in talks with Cecil.

But confirmation from the company didn’t come until Monday.

FedEx spokesman Jesse Bull said construction is expected to commence Nov. 1 on the 300,000-square-foot facility, with completion expected in June 2015.

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Timothy Gibbons, business editor at the Times-Union, is leaving to become managing editor at the Jacksonville Business Journal.

Gibbons has been with the Times-Union for 11 years. He will start at the business publication in mid-July.

“I look forward to using the skills and experience I’ve developed over more than a decade at the Times-Union at the Business Journal,” Gibbons said. “The Business Journal has ambitious plans, and it will be exciting to be a part of that future.”

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For the first time in seven years, most U.S. homebuilders are optimistic about home sales, a sign that construction could help drive stronger economic growth in coming months.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index leaped to 52 this month from 44 in May.

A reading above 50 indicates more builders view sales conditions as good, rather than poor. The index hasn't been that high since April 2006, just before the housing market collapsed.

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ATLANTA - When President Barack Obama announced the creation of a national network of manufacturing-development hubs, Georgia had already been down that road for a decade.

“Now, if we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas,” Obama said during his State of the Union address in January. “… Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. We need to make those investments.”

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The idea of picking up part of the $733 million cost of deepening Jacksonville’s ship channel to 47 feet is getting a guarded reception from city and state officials.

The Jacksonville Port Authority’s share of the bill would be $388 million, and the federal government would pay the rest. JaxPort officials have said they would turn mainly to the state for assistance in picking up its tab, but also would seek city support.

At this point, there is no plan for how to do that — even conceptually.

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Sit down for this one. Wait until you hear how much Google interns are paid per month.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is interested in developing the Shipyards property, a 40-acre plot of city-owned land that has been mired in lawsuits, bankruptcy, grand jury investigations and broken promises.

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MONDAY

Beaches Business Association, noon Mondays, Jacksonville Beach Public Golf Course clubhouse, Penman Road. Speaker: Sandy Golding, chairperson of Beaches Watch. $8, lunch. (904) 476-0607 or jaxbba.com.

Masters Series, 7-9 p.m., JaxREIA Office, 103 Century 21 Drive. Speaker: Cameron Gaskill with a Step-by-Step Guide to Pricing Your Rehab. (888) 545-7342.

TUESDAY

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