Business Observer

+ Eager Beaver Car Wash wins community award
Insignia Bank-inspired award, the Insignia Award, was given to the Eager Beaver Car Wash for August. The award is given for strong customer service skills and activeness in the community under the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce code of ethics. Insignia Bank was recognized as the “highest initially capitalized, locally owned” community bank and sponsors the award for an outstanding company each month.

+ Carson elected to U.S. Green Building Council
Sarasota architect Michael Carson, of Carlson Studio Architecture, was elected to the Florida Carribean Regional section of the U.S. Green Building Council to serve as the vice chairman. Council members are elected by each USGBC chapter board to represent the chapters in the region. The regional council is made up of eight representatives, two from each of the chapters. Carlson is a founding board member of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter and is the current president and serves on various other committees as well.

+ New College recognized in Princeton’s top colleges list
The Princeton Review named Sarasota’s New College as one of the country’s 376 best colleges for the 2012 edition. This is the 10th year that the college has been recognized. The college has also appeared in another annual publication, Princeton Review’s 100 Best Value Colleges. The top colleges are rated on various criterion, including a scale of 60 to 99 in eight categories. New College received ratings in the 90s for at least three categories.

“Our choices are based on institutional data we collect about schools, our visits to schools over the years, feedback we gather from students attending the schools and the opinions of our staff and our 28-member National College Counselor Advisory Board,” said Princeton Review Senior Vice President Robert Franek in a prepared statement.

+ Community Foundation awards financial aid
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County Board of Directors approved $320,771 in scholarships and grants during its July meeting. The Season of Sharing Fund, an initiative to help families and individuals avoid homelessness received the most money — $100,000. Other recipients include: Gulf Coast Heritage Association, Lighthouse of Manatee’s Early Intervention Program, Early Learning Coalition of Florida’s Heartland and others. An $83,000 chunk will go toward renewal scholarships for students already in college. The Community Foundation awards $6 million to $11 million a year in academic awards.

+ YMCA selected to receive grant for Hispanic program
The Sarasota YMCA was chosen, along with 36 others, to receive a grant from The National Latino Children’s Institute and Kraft Foods to implement Salsa, Sabor y Salud (Food, Fun and Fitness). The program was designed to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle in Hispanic families. The main focuses are good nutrition practices, getting physically active and other healthy habits for the family to do together. The course will be a series of four eight-week classes that will be held on Fridays at the Frank G. Berlin Branch from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Classes start Sept. 2.
“Research shows that Hispanic/Latino children are at a greater risk for childhood obesity, and through collaboration with the Y and NLCI, we’ll be able to get even more Hispanic/Latino families involved and help them lead healthier lives,” said Rhonda Jordan, president of Global Health and Wellness at Kraft Foods, said in a prepared statement.