Welcome to the S2 Report, a daily publication of business news and information covering Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Send us your business news and announcements for inclusion in the S2 Report: press@S2Report.com. We can’t publicize it if we don’t know about it!

TODAY, June 2: Legislators Thank You Reception: The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Sarasota University Club are hosting this Thank You Reception for our area’s state legislators and Chamber Trustees. Free for Chamber Trustees; $20 for other Chamber members. Thursday, June 2, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Sarasota University Club. If you’d like to attend, email cburkhart@sarasotachamber.org.

TOMORROW, June 3: Leadership Application Deadline! If you are thinking about applying to become a member of the 2005-2006 class of Leadership Sarasota County, a program of the Greater Sarasota County Chamber of Commerce, get that thing filed ASAP! The applications are due tomorrow. To download the application, go to www.sarasotachamber.org.

TOMORROW, June 3: Gary Mormino book signing: Florida historian Gary Mormino, author of Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida, will be at Sarasota News & Books tomorrow night to sign copies of the book. Land of Sunshine documents the transformation of Florida from the smallest state in the south to the fourth largest in the country, epitomizing the country’s growing and changing culture. June 3, 7:00 pm, Sarasota News & Books, 1341 Main Street, Sarasota. For more information, go to www.sarasotanewsandbooks.com.

First State Bank added to NASDAQ Index: Yesterday, America’s Community Bankers announced the addition of 26 banks from across the country to the America’s Community Bankers NASDAQ Index. Among the banks added was one from the Gulf Coast – First State Financial Corp., the Sarasota-based parent company of First State Bank. The Index, launched in December 2003 to represent nationwide community bank industry performance, includes more than 500 community banks with market capitalization of more than $190 billion. The complete list of all banks on the index can be found here: www.AmericasCommunityBankers.com.

ActionCorps offers free book to volunteers: Sarasota-based ActionCorps International, a new service that matches volunteers with needy communities around the world, is offering a free 200-page leadership book to volunteers who join the network. The book, “Elegant Leadership: Simple Strategies, Remarkable Results,” was authored by ActionCorps founder and entrepreneur Andrew Neitlich, and it has received great reviews so far, from business school professors to entrepreneurs. The book comes with no strings attached – you may receive it, but still, like all volunteers who sign up on the network (it’s free to sign up), you can cancel anytime. Currently, ActionCorps is working with organizations in Senegal, Nigeria, and Eastern Africa, but for most volunteers, travel is not required. To learn more about the organization or to sign up, go to www.actioncorps.org.

Gevity to offer time and labor management solutions: Yesterday, Bradenton-based Gevity, a human resources and employee management company, announced that it has partnered with Time America to provide automated time and labor management solutions for clients. Time America has developed a suite of systems that enable companies to track manage employee time and human resource data. Gevity will private-brand that suite of products as part of the arrangement. Read more about it.

Invisa borrows to stay afloat: Sarasota-based Invisa announced yesterday that it has entered into a credit facility agreement with Friday Harbour LLC, a company owned and managed by some of Invisa’s stockholders. Under the agreement, Invisa can borrow up to $50,000 (which may later get increased to $100,000) on seven days’ notice – it’s already received $10,000 – to pay for operational expenses while the company treads water. The parties to the agreement seem to express hope that the company will enter into a merger before the credit facility expires. To read more about the arrangement, click here.

Cosimo’s owners open Café 1660: Susie and John Ganley, owners of Cosimo’s Brick Oven, have opened Café 1660 inside the newly remodeled Ramada Inn in Osprey. The Ganleys opened Cosimo’s in Westfield Southgate Mall in July 1998; it was recognized in the 2002 Zagat Survey . Café 1660, with Chef Shane Dabney serving up eclectic contemporary cuisine, has already been named one of Sarasota’s “10 Best New Restaurants” by Sarasota Magazine. The location in fast-growing Osprey offers meeting and banquet facilities as well. For more information, call 941-918-2610.

Bradenton consultant to serve on Tampa panel: Bradenton consultant Celia Szelwach, president and founder of Creative Collaborations Consultant, will serve on an expert panel for the American Society for Training and Development’s special interest group on organizational development. The panel will discuss tools, trends, and lessons learned in the area of organizational development. The panel discussion will be held tomorrow, Friday, June 3, from 9:00 am to noon at the Drake Beam Morin offices, 2502 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa. For more information on the panel or the organization, click here.

County overhauls compensation plan: Sarasota County has announced what might be a dramatic overhaul of its employee compensation program. County Administrator Jim Ley announced a plan to retain high-performing staff members at average or better wages, based on a pay-for-performance plan. The plan will also encourage employees to get training that will advance and develop their careers, and to get seek a balance between work and personal well-being.

Florida small business owners say things are good: According to a recent report by the National Federation of Independent Business/ Florida, a net 55% of respondents said that business conditions are “good” in Florida. That’s a 6-point drop from last quarter, but still highest in the Southeast United States. The greater Tampa Bay region got the highest markets, with a net 61% saying conditions are good. On the other hand, only a net 26% of respondents called the business environment in Florida supportive, down from 32% last quarter and the lowest in the Southeast. “Business environment” refers to the way small business owners perceive how well government and community leaders support entrepreneurs. To read more about the report and its findings, click here.

A new meaning for “charge my cell phone”: According to a report on Business Week online, Japanese cell phone carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. is about to launch the cell phone that doubles as a credit card. The company already came out with phones last year that are also debit cards’ now the company is going to add credit card usage to those phones. The phones use FeliCa chips, which are tiny radios that send out a signal when the phone is placed near a sensor. The current debit card version lets users pay for vending machine and convenience store purchases, gain entry to clubs and cinemas, and soon they’ll be able to get through turnstiles at train stations. To counteract security concerns once the phones go credit, when the user makes a purchase, the company will automatically send a confirmation email. Read more about the technology here.

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