The Business Observer

Started in 1997 as the Gulf Coast Business Review, the Business Observer is the leading provider and most authoritative source of business and economic information affecting the Gulf Coast from Tampa Bay to Naples.

It specializes in reporting on the region’s industry and economic trends; emerging companies; corporate strategies; identifying and profiling the region’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs and top business leaders; and keeping its readers abreast of state, regional and local government actions affecting business and the economy.

When it started, the Gulf Coast Business Review focused solely on Sarasota and Manatee counties. In October 2001, the Review acquired the 51-year-old Tampa Bay Review and became a regional weekly covering the business scene from Tampa-St. Petersburg to Sarasota. In 2005, the Review expanded again, opening an office in Fort Myers to cover the fast-growing business communities in Lee and Collier counties. In 2013, with a coverage area from Polk to Collier counties, the Review relaunched with a new look and a new name, the Business Observer. The new name brings the paper under the branding of its parent, The Observer Media Group. In addition to the Business Observer, the Observer Media Group publishes 10 community and business newspapers in communities stretching from the Gulf Coast to Orlando to Palm Coast to Jacksonville.

The Business Observer covers an area that encompasses more than 90,000 businesses. The Business Observer is committed to providing business owners, senior executives, entrepreneurs, investors and public policy makers with the Gulf Coast’s most authoritative and relevant business information through its weekly print content and daily through its website and daily e-newsletter.