A Top Rating
by Bob Andelman

RATINGS MASTER Susan Buchanan, manager of media operations for Nielsen Media Research, at work in the company’s new $100- million operations center in Oldsmar.

THE LAST TIME THAT AN ITEM ABOUT THE CITY OF Oldsmar led a story in the MADDUX BUSINESS REPORT was in 1913. That was the year that Ransom E. Olds, inventor of the Oldsmobile, purchased 37,541 acres on the northern tip of Tampa Bay from Richard Peters for $400,000 in cash, bonds and a Daytona Beach apartment building. He named the land “Olds-On-The- Bay.” •Actually, that’s not quite true; this magazine in its first year, 1984, published a story titled “Welcome to Oldsmar – The Last of the New Frontiers,” in which was highlighted the open land available for new business. Some business has developed since then, but not to the degree expected.

All that’s changing, however, for the biggest news in Pinellas County business circles this year is Oldsmar and how much impact road improvements can have on a once-sleepy community. “When they improved the roads through Oldsmar, it became a new world up here,” says Kevin Gartland, president and CEO of the Oldsmar/ Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Growth here was stagnant for a decade or so. We’re surrounded by quality residential development, but the business community waited till we got our act together, transportation-wise.”

Now that it has, the world may beat a path to Oldsmar’s front porch.

Nielsen Media Research – the international service responsible for amassing data and assessing TV viewing habits across the United States – relocated and consolidated its multiple Pinellas County offices in Oldsmar this fall. The first phase of its new 39-acre, $100-million operational headquarters in the Brooker Creek Corporate Center is a 470,000-square-foot building that intentionally looks like an old-style computer punch card. It houses 900 employees. Phase two – 137,000 square feet already under construction – will add another 700 to 1,000 employees.

“The biggest thing to come to Oldsmar, ever, is Nielsen,” says City Manager Bruce Haddock. “That’s the type of business every community would love to have. It’s high tech, with no negative environmental consequences, and high-paying jobs.”

When Nielsen, which has had a low-key presence in Pinellas since 1972, decided to leave its primary offices in another sleepy Pinellas community, Dunedin, the corporation (www.nielsenmedia.com) easily could have looked for bright lights and a big city. But Nielsen loved Dunedin, only leaving because it ran out of expansion room.

Tapping Tarpon It’s a good thing there are so many sponges in Tarpon Springs; suddenly high-flying development officials may need something soft to land on if they ever fall back to earth. “We’ve got a lot of things going on in the city,” says Charles L. Attardo, business services specialist for the city of Tarpon Springs. “We are popping.” SPONGE MASTER The working docks of Tarpon Springs are an area attraction. The activity here, as it is in Oldsmar, is noteworthy because for a long time, little new development took place. But in 2003, projects are breaking out everywhere. “The city of Tarpon Springs has some of the last true developable land in the county,” Attardo says. “Just about everything else in Pinellas County is redevelopment. Everywhere else, you have to tear something down to build something up. We’re a city of 23,000 people and 2,200 building permits from January to October. For a city this size, that’s a heckuva lot of building permits.” Potentially the biggest impact will be caused by the Florida Department of Transportation’s plan to move up the reconstruction and enhancements to Alt. US 19 from the south end of the city to the north, and a similar do-over for Tarpon Avenue from Alt. US 19 to US 19. Construction will start in early 2005. “It’ll be a $10- to $13-million project in all – fantastic for our city,” Attardo says. “It will completely revamp our downtown … The project will include resurfacing, drainage, new sidewalks and streetscapes, burying some utilities, planting trees, medians in roads.” When was the last time Tarpon Springs saw a civil improvement of this size? “I think it was some time when George Washington last visited here,” Attardo says, laughing. “We’re overdue.” Here’s an overview of other new projects in Tarpon Springs: • A $600,000 Pinellas Trail beautification, from the southern part of the city to the middle. A 13-acre, 100,000- square-foot strip center on the Pasco County line on US 19. Several potential users are considering a 74-acre site on the Anclote River. A 230,000-square-foot industrial building is under construction on Anclote Road, just west of US Alt. 19. The Tarpon Mall, located at the southwest corner of US 1 & Tarpon Avenue, is being renovated. The project includes a new 48,000-square-foot Publix (replacing an existing 31,000- square-foot grocery). Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital is building a 6-story, 100,000-square-foot medical office. Leslie Hale Ministries is adding a 27,000-square-foot building. 13 single-family homes are being built off Keystone Road. A 160-unit senior apartment complex is rising behind Helen Ellis Hospital.

“Dunedin was wonderful,” says Buchanan, who is in her 11th year with Nielsen and sixth at its helm in Pinellas. “It was our first choice to stay. Our workforce grew up there. Unfortunately, they did not have space for us and there was nothing else available. It was sad to leave. It’s a charming place.”

Richard ‘Buzz’ David is director of the Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) office. He’s in the awkward position of representing both Oldsmar and Dunedin.

“We don’t want to step on Dunedin’s toes because, ultimately, they’re the biggest loser,”David says. “But Nielsen’s … going to retain those jobs in this county rather than moving to Georgia, plus they’re creating another 600 jobs. And a lot of those jobs are paying 150 to 200 percent of the average county wage. That’s why we came up with our own incentive plan to help with some of the cost of moving to the new facility. We have to make the most of that.”

“We could have left Pinellas County,” Buchanan confirms. “But we’ve got a workforce here that’s remarkable. We’re known for long-tenured employees. So our No. 1 requirement was to stay within a 15-minute commuting time from where we were.” Owned by the Netherlands-based media conglomerate VNU, Nielsen’s new Pinellas facilities are the largest in the company’s U.S. holdings.

In Oldsmar, as in Dunedin, Nielsen is already making a big impact. When the doors to its new facility recently opened, employees were greeted with welcome packages from 60 local merchants introducing their wares, services and offering introductory discounts.

“They came in and overnight became the biggest employer in town,” Gartland says. “We’re a town of 13,000 people. Getting Nielsen means a big chunk of new folks looking for lunch each day. Our small businesses are excited about serving those employees.”

Buchanan says her company won’t soon become invisible again. “Twenty or 30 years ago,” she says, “Nielsen ratings were pretty well known; today we enjoy less brand recognition than we’d like. In the past, people understood what we did and what we measured. Today’s world is just more complex. We’re finding markets with large Hispanic populations and they don’t recognize the Nielsen name …The television environment is more complex, too, with hundreds of channels to choose from. That’s why we’re launching a new brand-recognition campaign.”

Bridging Clearwater One of the most substantial developments in Clearwater this year is not a business but a lifeline. It’s construction of a new $69-million, fixed-span bridge rising over Clearwater Harbor to replace the annoying, cranky Memorial Causeway drawbridge that has given area drivers and emergency planners fits for decades. Traffic is expected to begin flowing across the new bridge in March 2004. “It addresses huge concerns the city has in getting people over to the mainland,” says City Manager Bill Horne.

And when motorists finally get to travel the new span, they’ll be able to visit the city’s new 90,000-square-foot waterfront municipal library, which is expected to open in February. The height of modernity, the Robert A. M. Stern design will include a cafe and bookstore.

“Finally, it’s nice to have a good story to tell,” says Mike Meidel, president and CEO of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. Meidel says that the city’s commitment to new signage and streetscaping downtown will go a long way in the district’s revival as a business and cultural center.

While its new home was under construction, the library temporarily relocated to the former headquarters of the Colliers Arnold Company. And when the library moves into its new digs, the old Colliers Arnold building will bite the dust. Lee Arnold has a preliminary design for a new 18- to 20-floor, signature building on the site with ground-floor retail, 44 luxury residences and 126 suites or 176 resort units. “We’re looking for a high-rise development partner,” Arnold says, “and we’ll do the financial engineering.”

Many of the opportunities and issues downtown are the same ones that have perplexed business recruiters for years. Waterfront properties such as the Calvary Baptist Church and even city hall can be had by a developer with the right plan and an appropriately large check. But despite umpteen redevelopment plans, many visitors can’t see past the swarms of Scientologists that populate the downtown in their familiar blue suits and white shirts.

“A lot of skepticism relates to the Church of Scientology,” Horne concedes. “But there will be people downtown who are not Scientologists.”

That would certainly be true if a new use were found for the old Calvary Baptist Church and city hall. “As far as downtown goes, the linchpin is not the new library,” says Alan Bomstein, president of downtown Clearwater-based Creative Contractors. “The library is a good thing but a library is not a catalyst for development. It’s city hall and the old Calvary Baptist Church. If the city gets someone to bite, then you’ll see something substantive happen. If it’s more than a condo building, I think you’ll start to see some revitalization. If they can capitalize on the waterfront, they could do a lot. But they have never had the public and political support to develop the waterfront.”

Horne thinks the time for that may be now. “An investor group has made an offer to purchase the church property,” he says. “It’s the first time an actual offer has been made on the church property. Our property has been appraised at $7.2 million. The commissioners are willing to relocate city hall if the property development warranted it.”

An offer of $14.75 million was made by Abdi R. Boozar-Jomehri and turned down by the church, which is hoping for $17 million or more. Boozar-Jomehri would like to develop condominiums on the site and hopes to acquire city hall. The city, meanwhile, expects someone else will step forward or this offer will come back on the table.

That’s not to say there haven’t been signs of life in Clearwater’s downtown. A 200-unit townhouse project and a new Publix neighborhood shopping center have been added downtown. “The sense in the community I’m in touch with is one of optimism,” says Bomstein. “The city commission seems to want to do stuff. The city manager wants to do stuff. I haven’t seen more optimism than I see now. I think the activity will come this time.”

One big issue ahead of the city is Pinellas County. County officials will decide soon whether to stay downtown or take its massive payroll, office complex and sheer presence and move elsewhere to meet its growing space needs. “We’re asking the county to stay downtown,” says Horne.

Just south of downtown, Morton Plant Hospital is launching the largest expansion project in the hospital’s 87-year history. The $84-million master site plan includes a new heart hospital, more private rooms, integration of all women’s services into one center, expansion of surgical suites and expansion of radiology and endoscopy services. The entire project is expected to be complete in 2007.

“It’s the largest expansion in this hospital’s history,” says Philip K. Beau-champ, the hospital’s president and CEO. Despite the expansion, Beauchamp doesn’t expect the hospital – which currently employs 2,500 – will add many new jobs to its payroll. “We think some of this may substantially improve our cost-efficiency,” he says. “We think it will let us do more things better with the staff we have.”

Retailing in Clearwater got a jolt this fall with the reopening of Clearwater Mall, which isn’t really a mall at all. The old mall was torn down by Sembler Company and reconceived as a big box power center featuring the county’s first Super Target, Lowe’s and Costco. The center is more than 90 percent leased.

“It’s been a good year for us,” says Sembler President Craig Sher. “The high point is Clearwater Mall. We’ve done better than we expected in leasing pace and rates. There is just a huge pent-up demand for retail because there hadn’t been anything built of any size.”

What Clearwater does need – desperately – is a modern cineplex. A decade ago, the city had four theaters; today, it has none. “It’s a slam-dunk but there’s no land,” Sher says.

That could change when the Philadelphia Phillies open their new $30-million spring training stadium on US 19 near Drew Street. Formerly the site of a Home Depot, the land adjacent to the stadium includes a Target store that closed when the new Super Target opened at Clearwater Mall. The city and Phillies are interested in attracting more entertainment there; a movie complex could satisfy everyone.

The city is also exploring the possibility of attracting a theater downtown, where it could also draw tourists from Clearwater Beach.

Between downtown and US 19, the city is at long last focusing its attention and resources on reinvigorating the North Green-wood Avenue residential community. This includes construction of a new recreation and aquatic center, a branch library and the renovation of many apartments.

“In 1996, the city commission agreed with Greenwood leaders that the city was overdue to update facilities that dated back to segregation,” Horne says. “The North Greenwood corridor is primarily residential. The business community there is restaurants and package stores … The market does not appear to be strong for diverse commercial or retail. We are talking to the community about what the neighborhood would support. The market studies don’t indicate it has the capacity to be a major commercial center. So we want to strengthen its potential for residential development and keep it free of crime.”

St. Pete Astir Finding a segment of St. Petersburg that isn’t blooming is much harder these days than finding ones that are. New projects are rising or moving rapidly through the planning process downtown, in Midtown, in Tyrone, on 4th Street North and in the Carillon Park/Gateway area. “The difference between a year ago and today is a significant amount of tire kicking,” says Ron Barton, the city’s director of economic development. “Even though the economy and job growth is slow, the evidence we have is that businesses are doing serious planning. We have 10 significant relocation or expansion projects that will be 300 to 500 jobs each or higher.”

The Gateway area, which includes Carillon Park, has blossomed into a substantial driver for St. Petersburg and the county in terms of jobs and tax generation. As it was originally planned a number of years ago, the vision for Carillon was of a corporate office park. Over time, the development concept evolved with the market. “I think that’s a good thing,” Barton says. “We want office product that will fuel job creation, but large mixed-use development is more attractive to companies.”

Town Center, under construction in Carillon, has a Publix Super Market as its centerpiece accompanied by local retail, restaurants, a new St. Anthony’s Hospital medical office complex and residential development.

“It helps not only the companies in Gateway and Carillon but also the residents in Feather Sound or those renting residential product in Carillon,” Barton says. “It makes it a well-rounded environment that doesn’t empty out at 5 o’clock.”

Meanwhile, downtown St. Petersburg enjoyed another record year of permitted activity in 2003, its second in a row.

“In a lot of markets there was very little construction going on this past year; our downtown defied that trend,” says Barton. “One of the biggest categories is residential projects. And the good thing is it’s not all about high-rise condos on the water-80 front. That’s just part of it. We also have a number of in-fill townhouses and loft projects.”

Serving the rush of new downtown residents is University Village, a new neighborhood center anchored by Publix Super Market and Eckerd Drugs. It opened fully leased in November. “It’s really needed down there,” says Craig Sher, president of the Sembler Company, developer of the center.

Many of the downtown’s big economic engines continue growing as well, including Bayfront Medical Center, All Children’s Hospital and the University of St. Petersburg’s Bayboro campus. To serve its burgeoning downtown enrollment, for example, USF announced this year that Barnes & Noble will build a three-story bookstore and parking deck on campus.

Adjacent to the downtown, the creation of the Midtown district will take another giant step with the selection (pending City Council approval) of a proposal to build a grocery store, bank and retail node at the corner of 18th Avenue South and 22nd Street. The city invested $1 million in land acquisition to assemble the site and ensure it would go forward.

“Craig Sher has publicly stated that Midtown deserves a grocery store and that he will be working to ensure that occurs,” says Goliath Davis, deputy mayor for Midtown economic development.

Davis has come to represent the Midtown neighborhood to the city – and the city to the neighborhood. He is its biggest and most tireless proponent, one who will not rest until the community is whole again.

“I like to tell people that Midtown is undergoing a renaissance,” Davis says.

Over the last two years, more than 30 businesses have either started or relocated to Midtown, including the $1-million St. Petersburg Clay Company renovation, the $4-million Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center at the historic Mercy Hospital campus, the Manhattan Casino restoration, the Midtown Achievement Center (and St. Petersburg College branch) and a number of small African-American- owned businesses.

One of Davis’s proudest accomplishments for the district might seem modest by most standards, but for Midtown, the opening of a Hungry Howie’s pizza franchise at 3075 18th Avenue South and the prospect of home pizza delivery represent a giant leap.

“Pizza delivery in Midtown was virtually nonexistent,” Davis says. “No pizza delivery!”

Davis likes to tell the story of taking a reporter from the St. Petersburg Times on a Midtown familiarization trip. The reporter asked the manager of Babcock Furniture, “Why is your business here?”

“It’s simple,” the manager said. “We make money here. We’re not in business to not survive. There’s some wealth here that’s untapped.”