Local Business

Long before Apple made a business decision that paved the way for Kathryn Harper’s game-changing iMessage app—Loji (think logo plus emoji)—the Palm Beach resident was busy laying her own groundwork for an entrepreneurial leap that continues to soar. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Harper spent two years in the mid-2000s working for

  When it comes to interior renovations, everything, it seems, is at the touch of a fingertip. The do-it-yourself market has exploded, with socially driven platforms bringing homeowners easy access to design ideas. Pinterest, for example, has revolutionized the concept of visual bookmarking, while Houzz inspires with photos of finished spaces and then sells the

Butterfly World has had a steady stream of visitors for the past 30 years, including as many as 15 school groups a day. Twelve guides provide hour-long tours, showcasing different species and their life cycles, and teaching people how to create inviting butterfly environments in their own backyards. Butterfly World employee Natalie Carbonell inspires visitors

Eight months after Hurricane Irma battered the southernmost stretch of Florida, the biggest problem for businesses in the Florida Keys has less to do with the damage caused by the Category 4 storm. Much of that has been fixed. What’s still being repaired is public perception about the 125-mile island chain, which counts tourism as

A Creek resident uses her nursing experience to help others change their tattoo past Though it might not seem like an obvious leap to take 32 years of nursing experience and turn it into a specialization in laser tattoo removal, registered nurse Jamie Plastina finds that the two correlate. Her business, VanishThatTat.com offers laser tattoo

A business-minded family’s car wash creates jobs for adults with autism In 2011, Tom D’Eri was graduating from Bentley University, a highly regarded business school near Boston, thinking about what kind of career he wanted. Perhaps something related to corporate social responsibility. Or sustainability. Or social entrepreneurship. At the same time, his father, John, a

Vincent Iafano hails from Detroit, where half his family is retired from Ford Motor Company, the other half from General Motors. It was natural for him to go into business with Warren Henry Automotive, a local group run by a father and son, Warren and Larry Zinn, that sells Audis, Lamborghinis, Jaguars, Infinitis and Land

When Dr. Michael Sanwald committed to a practice dedicated entirely to at-home care, he knew there would be times, like the night of a recent holiday dinner party in Fort Lauderdale, when duty would call after normal business hours. In this case, a dying patient required end-of-life care. And, so, at 9:30, Sanwald left the

Build it once, build it right. That’s the mindset Chris Joerger, founder of Big Shot Rides, brings to his business. The Coconut Creek resident has developed a reputation as the go-to man for building and customizing anything with a motor. Joerger discovered his love for cars at an early age, growing up near the raceways

The president of the Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce admits with a laugh that the chamber didn’t do anything special to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its incorporation in 2017. But Cindy Brief notes that something special did happen—a partnership that unites two cities. In August, the chamber announced that it had integrated with

It started with a Labor Day barbecue. Something that had the potential to be a gathering of youths sitting and staring at their cellphones turned into a marathon session of one of today’s hottest games: bottle flipping. The goal is simple: Flip a partially filled water bottle and make it land upright. “My son and

Two South Florida entrepreneurs place their bets on unique flotation devices They say that no great idea can get off the ground without passion. For Coconut Creek resident Doug Schultz and Oakland Park resident Justin Rietema, it was a mutual love for being on the water that turned these friends into entrepreneurs and business partners.