The Orlando Sentinel, Fla., Beth Kassab column: Bio-lobbyists want Orlando presence

Aug. 6--Chances are BioFlorida, the statewide group that lobbies for the bioscience industry, will become the latest organization with "bio" in its name to call Orlando home.

President Russell Allen tells me the group has plans to expand to Orlando from West Palm Beach so it can be on hand as the region's biomedical cluster takes shape.

That might not mean a whole lot right now considering the organization employs just three people and at least two will remain down south.

But Allen says there's big potential to grow BioFlorida here.

"We probably wouldn't have been considering a move if it weren't for the momentum behind the Lake Nona project and the life science boom, if you will, in the city," Allen said.

Of course, you could also say there's a "boom" in South Florida, with the Scripps Research Institute and Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.

But Sesh Thakkar and the other guys at Tavistock Group, which controls Lake Nona, have applied serious pressure on Allen to move near the site where the Burnham Institute and UCF Medical School are building.

As developers, they may be somewhat new to creating a biocluster from scratch, but they're well-schooled in Florida politics and the value of keeping a lobbyist close at hand.

Grant Hill and Jim Seneff have one -- do you?

Speaking of bioscience, Bob Mandell, the first Florida trustee named to Burnham's board, is preparing for a 30-day art sabbatical.

In case you weren't aware, Mandell, who sold his Greater Homes Inc. to Meritage Homes Corp. in 2005, is also a painter.

He'll spend September at a Vermont arts studio studying landscape and abstract techniques.

His work hangs in the homes or offices of NBA player Grant Hill, CNL chief Jim Seneff, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty.

Mandell says he considers painting "more of a hobby" and never sells his pieces -- they're either given away or auctioned for charity.

If he hadn't gotten out of the sagging home-building business at just the right time, he might be asking big bucks for them.

Money talks

Last week I wrote about Central Florida's lack of venture capital and, particularly, early stage funding for start-ups.

The Florida Venture Forum, a statewide group devoted to connecting companies with capital, recently announced its first-ever early-stage venture capital conference.

The place? Orlando. Stay tuned for more details on this event set for May.

Still getting better

Let's take a break from all the bio buzz and get to something we can all relate to: grocery shopping.

Winn Dixie's brutally honest ad campaign, "Getting better all the time," has a catchy jingle. But do ads that tell consumers your company needs improvement work?

Last week I had a few minutes to chat with Winn Dixie President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Lynch, and he said the short answer is yes.

So much so that a new slate of ads with the same jingle will hit the airwaves this fall, he said.

Lynch, who was hired about two years ago to transform the Jacksonville-based chain, said customers respond to the honesty. The chain's stock price has more than doubled since it emerged from bankruptcy in November, closing Friday at $27.01.

"You've got to tell them the truth," he said. "It's a mea culpa."

Beth Kassab can be reached at 407-420-5448or bkassab@orlandosentinel.com

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