"More People, More Buzz, More Money" courtesy of Skateboarders

It's hard for some people -- especially those from an earlier generation -- to see skateboarding as an important business matter for our county. But the experiences of Chris Cantwell, who has become the informal spokesperson for Manatee County's skateboarders, helps illustrate how skateboarding has both economic potential and regional community relevance.

Before he became involved in design plans for the Riverwalk Skate Park, which is part of Bradenton's $6.2 million Riverwalk development, Cantwell was lobbying on behalf of Sarasota's Payne Skate Park. He's pictured here (in white T-shirt) along with Dan Giguere, a schoolteacher who founded the nonprofit Sk8Skool, which uses skateboarding to teach kids about accountability and responsibility.

Cantwell's role at Payne Park was to help lead a group of parents to take over the skate park, which had been run (at a significant loss) by the city of Sarasota for years. Since the parents took over last year, traffic at Payne Park has more than doubled, Cantwell says, and user fees have dropped from $8 a day to $5 a day. Skateboards are for sale there now, concessions are sold, free wi-fi is available, and after-school programs are now being offered courtesy of Sk8Skool.

A handful of local businesses have signed on as sponsors, although Cantwell and other parents are still looking for a big investor who can really liven up the park.

Why did Cantwell originally become so involved in Sarasota's skate park? Because Bradenton doesn't have a high-quality park that satisfies experienced skateboarders. Rather, it has "modular" parks that Cantwell refers to as "rinky-dink." He oughtta know; Cantwell, 35, grew up in Manatee County and has been skateboarding since he was 13.

He's now optimistic that Bradenton's new skate park will draw families and adult skateboarders from Sarasota to Bradenton, rather than the "vice versa" that has been going on for the past decade. And that means "more people, more buzz, more money" for Bradenton (to coin a favorite phrase from Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton).

Here's one of many YouTube vides of the Sarasota skate park, which give us a glimpse at the possible future of the Riverwalk Skate Park:

Luigi's return gives glimpse at deep friendship

If the tale of Luigi doesn't charm the be-"cheese"-us out of you, perhaps the back story of the friendship between the Rizzos and the Perrys will.

Steve Perry is the loyal Carmen's Italian Cafe customer who spent hours fixing up Luigi, the restaurant's mascot, who was stolen in April and recovered in July. Carmen Rizzo is the owner of Carmen's, where a "Welcome home, Luigi" party takes place at 6:30 p.m. today.

Steve and his wife Rosie (pictured at left, at a restaurant in Rome) just finished their dream vacation to Italy, where they celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. They loved the country so much that they're returning in September, accompanied by Carmen and his wife Kay, who will celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary during the trip.

Sweeter yet, the trip provides Carmen a chance to visit his birthplace of Sicily, which he hasn't returned since the age of four.

To top it all off, Steve and his wife made an important discovery following their weeks of travel and dining in Italy. "Of all the places we went in Italy and all the food we ate, none of it was as good or better than what we have right here at Carmen's," Steve said. "It's surprising that we have some of the best Italian food you can find right here within a few miles of our home."

Be sure and see Wednesday's business section of the Bradenton Herald for more on Carmen, Steve, and Luigi.

More about being tall

As the founders of ilovemyheight.com tell it, maintaining lofty self-esteem isn't the only challenge that comes with being a tall woman. As 17-year-old Jessica McCord mentions in Wednesday's Bradenton Herald, finding the right guy also can be a challenge.

Her aunt and fellow ilovemyheight.com co-founder Kristin Carde turned to the Bradenton Herald 20 years ago to find her 6-foot, 5-inch husband: Carde remembers attracting him with a classified ad in the paper.

Jessica also mentioned the challenge of finding jeans that are long enough. She and her fellow tall female relatives (6-foot, 1-inch tall aunt Kristin, 6-foot, 3-inch tall mother Debbie and 6-foot, 1-inch tall sister Anna) have some online recommendations: Long Tall Sally, the Tall Girl Shop at Loft, and (for tall teens) Alloy.

While we're speaking about the tall among us, turns out our area is the home base for Tall Clubs International, a worldwide online gathering place for 50 clubs and 2,000 tall members. Among its missions: to raise money for scholarships, to advocate for tall-relevant topics like more legroom on airplanes, and to raise money for Marfan Syndrome, a connective tissue defect that strikes tall people more often than, as Tall Clubs International calls most of us, "the less vertically gifted."

The group also selects a Miss Tall International every year. This year's honoree is 6-foot, 2-inch Talisha Tolliver, a high school math teacher from Moreno Valley, Calif.

Don't forget to see Wednesday's article about ilovemyheight.com at Bradenton.com

Beyond S&P's debt rating downgrade: the deficit

While we all teeter on the edge of our seats watching for more ramifications of Friday's debt rating downgrade, the debate continues over the big issues that preceded Standard and Poor's historic move to drop the U.S. from AAA status to AA+.

For example, two economists quoted in Tuesday's Bradenton Herald are bold in their views about what's really needed to tackle the country's deficit problem.

"The president's debt commission: therein lies the solution to our problems," says Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida. In addition to reform of Medicare and Social Security, the commission recommends tax reform that creates three income levels and eliminates all exemptions.

Snaith says following the commission's recommendations will not only solve the long-term deficit issue; it will reverse the rating agency's downgrade. "We get more revenue, and we address the long-term problem with entitlements that we have to. We make a credible move and a commitment that would have S&P changing its mind."

Richard Coe, an economics professor at Sarasota's New College, points out that even if the country somehow reaches "full employment," we'll still have a $600 billion deficit. His answer: repeal the Bush tax cuts and enact minor reforms to Social Security and Medicare spending.

Coe also echoes other economists' concerns about the constant push -- generally led by Tea Party Republicans -- to drastically cut government spending at a time when the private sector doesn't appear capable of fueling the economy. "We've got to get growth, and I don't see where growth's going to come from without more government stimulus." To take in more of Coe's views on government stimulus, click here.

Be sure and check out Tuesday's Bradenton Herald to read about the local (non) impact of S&P's downgrade.

It's stock market craziness!

Have you seen the numbers today?

The stock market is in the midst of its biggest retreat since the financial crisis.
The Dow Jones industrial average plunged as many as 440 points today. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is down 3 percent, many believe headed toward a market correction.

Local financial advisers are taking a proactive approach and calling their clients with suggestions.

For Griffin Dalrymple with Opinicus Wealth Management in Bradenton that means taking a good look at companies whose stock is being oversold.

"Our eyes and ears perk up when we see some that are less expensive," he said. "There is a lot of irrational selling going on."

He is looking at companies with low debt and a high cash content along with stable earnings.

Tom Breiter of Breiter Capital thinks the market is in the middle of a natural correction and admits "there are some good buys out there."

"This is not an abnormal event, but it is a little disconcerting since for the last four months we've had very little good news."

Stay tuned.

Jennifer Rich, business editor

The latest "green" idea from Bunker Hill

I've promised this blog will provide a sometimes quirky look, with a different "lens," at Manatee's business happenings. You can't get much more quirky than the picture below: the wedding arch at Duette's Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery, made entirely of recycled bottles.

As I wrote in this earlier article about Bunker Hill, owners Larry and Lenora Woodham take "green" to new levels. Their bottles, their buildings, their irrigation system, even how they cook dinner is all about reducing their carbon footprint.

Not a drop of their wine goes into a new bottle; it all goes into recycled bottles, brought to the Woodhams by their customers. And if they can't use the bottles for wine, they'll use them for masterpieces like the wedding arch!

Now, the Woodhams are taking things even further. They're encouraging customers to keep their 12- and 24-can soda cartons and reuse them as wine carriers -- or to bring them to Larry and Lenora, so they can be sure the cartons are recycled.

For any business that's decided being "green" requires too much of that other green (money), talk to the Woodhams. They're ready and waiting to share creative, affordable tips on how to be environmentally responsible.

Click here for more on Bunker Hill.