Tech entrepreneur inspired by patriotism, community activism, grandma

A vivid sense of patriotism, successful community activism, and a lifelong drive to be in business are behind Andrea Torkelson's commitment to her new political app, VoterBuzz, which hit iTunes for iPhones Thursday and will be available for Androids next week.

Torkelson (pictured at left touting VoterBuzz at the CampaignTech Conference in Washington, D.C., this week) served in the military for six years as an Army Reservist and was a pharmacy specialist with the 73rd Field Hospital in St. Petersburg.

In 2007, she led a successful fight against a proposed 150-foot high, 137-acre wide landfill -- which Torkelson dubbed "Trash Mountain" -- by going door-to-door to inform her north Manatee neighbors.

And Torkelson's first interest in entrepreneurship emerged when she was a young child, playing "store" with her grandmother, Frances Cardinale, by "driving" her on the back of the family's stationary bicycle and then "selling" her grandmother items from the family pantry.

Cardinale is among the investors in Torkelson's new company, VoterBuzz Inc., which created what Torkelson is calling the "nation's very first social networking app geared specifically toward politics." Click here to find VoterBuzz on iTunes' App Store, and be sure and check out Saturday's Bradenton Herald to learn more about the app and Torkelson.

Some more fun questions and answers from Tiger Bay's downtown talk

Is the downtown library really moving to DeSoto Square Mall?

Will the traffic lights on Manatee Avenue be better synchronized once road construction is finished in December?

Why isn't there more classical music being highlighted by downtown leaders?

Will the so-called "pink palace" still be pink when it is converted into a Hampton Inn & Suites?

And what will it take to get people to stop using the phrase "pink palace" and say "Manatee River Hotel" instead?

Thursday's Tiger Bay Club discussion about downtown revitalization was just chock-full of interesting questions and answers. Friday's story in the Bradenton Herald business section captured the highlights; now here's a rundown of the questions above:

-- No, Vice Mayor Patrick Roff told the audience, there are no plans to move the library to the mall. That was just an idea that someone "threw out" at a committee meeting.

-- The unsynchronized lights on Manatee Avenue are actually by design, and a good thing for the city, Roff said along with Dave Gustafson, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority. "The problem with downtown is that people want to blow through and head out to the beach," Gustafson said. "We need to remind people that they need to slow down, and that downtown is something they need to discover." Roff added, that "it's going to take an extra two minutes to get through downtown, and that's to our favor."

-- The music involved in Realize Bradenton's ongoing efforts, is based on surveys filled out by residents, said Realize Bradenton's leader, Johnette Isham. People who want more of an emphasis on classical music -- or any other form of music -- can start filling out the surveys, which are available at Realize Bradenton's website.

-- No, the so-called "pink palace" will no longer be pink when it is restored, City Planner Tim Polk told the crowd. The building's historic color was "off-white," so under the guidelines of historic preservation, that's the color to which it will be returned.

-- Doing away with the Pepto-Bismol pink exterior color may be the most effective way to end use of the term "pink palace" and start showing a little historical respect by using "Manatee River Hotel." Until the restoration, which is likely to start next spring, city officials might just want to be patient and let the community enjoy the kitschy term while we still can!