Gilkey, Jr. Appointed to UF Advisory Council

Michael A. Gilkey, Jr., a Florida registered and licensed landscape architect with Michael A. Gilkey, Inc., has accepted a position on the Advisory Council for the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture.

The Department of Landscape Architecture is celebrating more than 75 years of landscape architecture education at the University of Florida (UF). Their accredited graduate and undergraduate programs are home to more than 100 students. Ten faculty members enrich the teaching, service and research mission of the department through their diverse planning and design expertise. The Department offers a Bachelor’s degree, First Professional and Post Professional Master’s degrees and a Ph.D. degree from the College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP) with a concentration in Landscape Architecture.

To ensure that the Department’s programs continue to meet the needs of the profession, an Advisory Council consisting of industry leaders from several related design disciplines has been assembled from across the country. The Council will work with faculty to improve current programs, and to help guide future educational and research program offerings from the department.

"Michael is a graduate who has made a name for himself and his firm for quality work,” says Kay Williams, FASLA, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at UF. “His active participation in the social and academic life of the department as a student has translated into a mentoring role that ranges from funded awards that speak directly to the student's experiences here to professional involvement in studio projects."

For more information about the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture, please visit www.dcp.ufl.edu/landscape, or call (352) 392-6098. A partial portfolio of Michael A. Gilkey, Inc.’s work to date may be found at www.magilkey.com. Please call (941) 924-0132 for more information.

ABOUT MICHAEL A. GILKEY, INC.: Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. is a landscape architecture studio in Sarasota, Florida, established in 1981. Through a passion for pure design and personal relationships with architects, contractors and homeowners, Gilkey creates expressions of outdoor space that are direct translations of their clients’ visions. For more information, please visit www.magilkey.com or call (941) 924-0132.

Guest Column: Safe Childbirth Advocate Honored

Kangaroo Promotions has the honor of coordinating a national marketing effort for 2011 Right Livelihood Laureate Ina May Gaskin's Safe Motherhood Quilt Project, set to launch in early 2012. My gratitude to the Sarasota Herald Tribune for printing the following editorial on Monday, October 3rd.

In 2009, American midwife Ina May Gaskin visited Sarasota. She spoke to the physicians at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, displayed her Safe Motherhood Quilt Project at the Selby Public Library, and sat on a panel of experts at the conference on Maternal Healthcare in the 21st Century. She shed some light in our community on the evolution of American maternity care, our current maternal mortality crisis, and the model of care and accountability we must embrace to change it.

These are the kinds of visits Ina May makes on an almost weekly basis, in between delivering babies at The Farm, the "intentional community" in Tennessee she and husband Stephen Gaskin developed in 1970. One book, one airplane flight, one community at a time, she uses her 40-plus years of midwifery experience and research to educate and call to action those of us who are compelled by the fact that, while the United States spends more money on maternity care than any other nation, we remain ranked 50th in maternal mortality and 41st in infant mortality, according to the World Health Organization.

Recently, Ina May received the highest honor of her career thus far: The Right Livelihood Award (rightlivelihood.org), commonly referred to as the "Alternative Nobel." The award, established in 1980, honors "those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." Among 2011's four Laureates, Ina May was chosen "for her whole-life's work teaching and advocating safe, woman-centered childbirth methods that best promote the physical and mental health of mother and child."

The Gaskins will travel to Stockholm in December to accept the honor, which will be presented by Sweden's Parliament.

This will be the second time they have done this as husband and wife; in 1980, Stephen became the first Right Livelihood Award Laureate for his establishment of PLENTY International. This is the first time a husband and wife have each been laureates of the award, causing the Right Livelihood Foundation to liken the couple to Marie and Pierre Curie.

Today, Ina May focuses her efforts heavily on The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project (rememberthemothers.org), in which each quilt square honors a woman who has died in childbirth in the United States since 1982. The Project aims at summoning the national will necessary to lower the rising maternal death rate by creating a consistent, mandatory system for reporting, classifying and counting maternal deaths, and reviewing and analyzing their causes.

She is also engaged in a national information campaign, aimed at women and medical professionals, about the potential side effects of using Cytotec, or misoprostol, to induce labor. She continues to teach and speak to physicians and midwives worldwide, and has traveled to Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Italy, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Russia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan to do so.

When I was newly pregnant for the first time in 2004, the first book I read was Ina May's "Spiritual Midwifery." Like so many other new mothers, I relied on the birth stories and wisdom so frequently that its pages were dog-eared and tattered by my due date. Since that bestseller, she has penned: "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth," "Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding" and "Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta," published just this summer. I encourage people to read this most recent work, describing the evolution of our maternity care system, and the path we must take to improve it, not only for the highest good of our mothers and babies, but for nations worldwide that strive to replicate our model of care.

"A society that places a low value on its mothers and the process of birth will suffer an array of negative repercussions for doing so," says Ina May Gaskin. "Good beginnings make a positive difference in the world, so it is worth our while to provide the best possible care for mothers and babies throughout this extraordinarily influential part of life."

We as a nation should celebrate Ina May Gaskin, the U.S. 2011 Right Livelihood Award Laureate, with collective pride and gratitude. Her tireless dedication to her calling has rippled throughout the world, and it is up to us to carry her message. It is a privilege to work with Ina May, and the highest honor to call her my friend.

RISE: Sarasota's First Kitchen Share

For many culinary entrepreneurs, the initial investment of launching a food business is enough to squash their dreams. Sarasota baker and local food enthusiast Christine Nordstrom knows these challenges first hand, and has seen them stand in the way of success for many talented chefs in her own community. This summer, she decided to do something about it. Introducing RISE, Sarasota’s first licensed commercial kitchen share.

RISE makes it possible to start a food based business for a fraction of the cost by providing all inclusive hourly or monthly rent to clients that fits their individual needs. Each client is required to obtain their own licensing, permits and liability insurance to operate a business in the state of Florida. However, RISE offers much more than refrigeration and oven space; experts are available for consultation, guidance though the food business licensing process, culinary education, and referrals every step along the way. RISE allows an idea to become a viable product.

“Every Saturday, it seemed I would meet another person with a dream,” says Nordstrom, whose bakery SIFT is a cornerstone of the Downtown Sarasota Farmer’s Market. “Each conversation would end in the same way—I’d learn they didn’t have the financial investment or space needed to execute their ideas.”

Nordstrom did some market research and learned that commercial shared kitchens are thriving in larger markets throughout the country. “It’s a win-win situation. Local food, local business, and local dreams are all being supported here.”

For more information about RISE or to schedule an initial consultation with owner Christine Nordstrom, please call (941)306-6072 or email christine@watchmerise.com.

ABOUT RISE: RISE is a licensed commercial kitchen share where you can dream, create, produce and RISE. We will help your food based business grow in any way we can, from consultation to facility rental. Please call Christine Nordstrom at (941) 306-6072 or visit www.watchmerise.com for more information.

Rosemary Birthing Home Launches New Website

Rosemary Birthing Home, one of two freestanding birth centers in Sarasota, has launched a comprehensive new website (www.rosemarybirthinghome.com). The website was designed to inform families that are pregnant or considering pregnancy about the Midwives Model of Care, and to illustrate the strong community that midwifery creates.

Rosemary Birthing Home’s new website was designed and developed locally by Max Kelly Design and Seven Thirty Three, and coordinated by Kangaroo Promotions, Inc. All of the photographs on the site, with the exception of the client photo gallery, were taken of Rosemary families by Valerie Joy Photography. The site includes information for fathers and big siblings, waterbirth videos, birth announcements, meetings and events held at the birthing home, and an extensive resource guide. “Anyone considering pregnancy or looking to choose a maternity care provider should visit this website,” says project manager Laura Gilkey. “It really illustrates the kind of expert, gentle care that midwives provide. The faces in their clients’ photos say it all.”

Rosemary Birthing Home was established in 2003 and is owned and operated by Licensed Midwives. A free-standing birth center in Sarasota’s historic Rosemary District, Rosemary Birthing Home offers personalized midwifery care embedded with the philosophy that birth is a normal, healthy process that most often requires no medical intervention.

For more information, please call 941.330.9966 or visit www.rosemarybirthinghome.com.

About Rosemary Birthing Home: Established in 2003, Rosemary Birthing Home is a free-standing birth center in Sarasota’s historic Rosemary District. Owned and operated by Florida licensed midwives, Rosemary Birthing Home offers personalized midwifery care, birth center births, home births, water births, pre-pregnancy nutrition counseling, postpartum care, support groups, lactation counseling, complete childbirth education, a lending library and more. A free orientation to Rosemary Birthing Home is offered by appointment at (941) 228-7303. For more information, please call 941.330.9966 or visit www.rosemarybirthinghome.com.

AC Company Keeps Sarasota Cool in Record Heat

Just in time for this summer’s record heat wave, Southwest Florida has a new choice in air conditioning service technology. Kinetic Air Services, led by experienced managing partner Lee Senseman, is the product of an evolutionary vision of home indoor air service, providing custom tailored air system solutions to clients in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Kinetic Air Services was founded on the principle that clean air matters to the health of our homes, our families, and our community. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers to the public. Kinetic Air Services focuses on proper air exchange, filtration, and purification, their three tenets of healthy indoor air quality. Kinetic’s technicians are NATE (North American Technician Excellence) and EPA certified, have extensive experience in the HVAC industry, and back their work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee for service, repair and comfort.

Lee Senseman’s experience and industry involvement dates back to 1976, when he completed trade school and began work as a field technician. He moved to the Suncoast in 1985 and he then continued to evolve as a senior commercial technician, successful service manager and most recently as principal at several prominent firms. After 35 years in the industry, Senseman had cultivated a vision of providing top quality, thorough and affordable air services to our community. “Over the years, I have developed a systemic approach to providing indoor air quality that just isn’t being offered elsewhere,” says Senseman. “I decided to openKinetic Air Services to better assist my clients and my community.”

Kinetic Air Services is a full spectrum air service company. They begin by providing a complete assessment of an existing system, focused on maximizing performance and reducing energy costs, to determine the most appropriate service plan for each client. From the design and implementation of complete air distribution systems to the installation of filtration, purification, ventilation and dehumidification components to unmatched cleaning and repair, Kinetic Air Services is a concierge service for your home’s health. Please visit www.kineticairservices.com or call (941) 748-8488 for more information or to schedule an assessment today.

About Kinetic Air Services: An evolution in HVAC business philosophy, Kinetic Air Services is dedicated to providing whole home care solutions. With concierge-level service and professionalism, our master technicians will provide affordable and timely guaranteed comfort. For more information or to contact Kinetic Air Services, please visit www.kineticairservices.com or call (941) 748-8848.

Cameron Cox Interiors Launches New Website

Sarasota interior design studio Cameron Cox Interiors has launched a new website, www.cameroncoxinteriors.com, showcasing an illustrious Gulf Coast career that spans four decades. The site, designed by Denise Lange of Pleasant Street Creative, highlights the inspiration, execution, and recognition for some of her most signature spaces and favorite pieces.

“After 30 years in the Interior Design business, I felt I had to move into the 21st century,” said Cameron Cox, ASID Allied Member, whose images for the site range from current professional digital photography to yellowing polaroids and old magazine clippings. “It has been bittersweet going down memory lane, having to choose which projects to include or omit from this site; they were all significant and memorable in my overall design portfolio, and in the people I worked with.”

Cameron Cox Interiors oversees interior design projects from Sarasota, Siesta Key and Bradenton, to Boston, Ohio, Connecticut and Tennessee. Though Cameron is open to a full range of design aesthetics, she considers her signature a blend between traditional, eclectic and nautical. “I handpick everything for my clients like I would for myself. I like to shop locally, especially since we have a lot of great consignment shops and an architectural salvage shop.” She gleans inspiration from her clients’ favorite possessions, and from happy, uplifting color combinations.

Please visit Cameron Cox Interiors, now on the web at www.cameroncoxinteriors.com.

Cox and Showhouse Featured in Sunday H-T

Cameron Cox of Cameron Cox Interiors was featured in today's Sarasota Herald-Tribune for her work in the 2011 Designer Showhouse. Kangaroo is thrilled to coordinate graphic and web design for Cameron, who specializes in residential, nautical, and commercial interior design. The following is an excerpt from the article, found in entirety here:

(photo by Thomas Bender, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)

Cameron Cox dressed her fisherman's bedroom with a narrow Murphy bed and draped windows in fishnet. The hanging light fixture is a repurposed handblown clear glass jug. "I had the best time with this space," said Cox, "scouring antique shops for just the touches that would reference the period. The room is masculine with early 1900s furniture, but I think it's charming and it looks like a boat captain or fisherman would be right at home here."

Cameron Cox Interiors Featured in STYLE

One of Kangaroo's newest (and most fun!) clients is Sarasota's Cameron Cox, an interior designer in our community for almost thirty years. We are so pleased to share with you yesterday's Style Magazine feature on this north Sarasota Bay home, with spaces and views scripted by Cox throughout. She is truly a Sarasota icon and we are proud to share her work with you! Much more to come!

Rosemary Birthing Home Welcomes Licensed Midwife Kathleen Cardin

Kathleen Cardin, LM, CPM, gave birth to her second child almost twenty years ago, in the comfort of her home, surrounded by people who loved her. By the time her daughter was three months old, Kathleen was accompanying a pair of senior midwives to births, and a few years later she graduated from an accredited Florida midwifery program and began her practice in Tallahassee. After a decade in Maine as a nurse in both a small county hospital and an 850 bed regional medical center, Kathleen is unpacking her moving boxes and packing her midwifery bag to join Harmony Miller, LM, CPM at Sarasota’s Rosemary Birthing Home.

“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a healer; that is, to help and support people through life processes and to help them grow, and to grow myself,” says Kathleen. “I was taught right from the start that birth is a beautiful process, an awesome experience, and something to look forward to and enjoy.”

Rosemary Birthing Home was established in 2003 and is owned and operated by Licensed Midwives. A free-standing, accredited birth center in Sarasota’s historic Rosemary District, Rosemary Birthing Home offers personalized midwifery care embedded with the philosophy that birth is a normal, healthy process that most often requires no medical intervention.

"I am so happy to have Kathleen joining the Rosemary family,” says Harmony Miller, midwife, owner and operator of Rosemary Birthing Home since 2006. “She has so much to offer to our community."

Rosemary Birthing Home families and the Sarasota community are invited to meet Kathleen, Harmony and the rest of the Rosemary Birthing Home care team on Saturday, December 11, in the Rosemary Court gardens. For more information, please call 941.330.9966 or visit www.rosemarybirthing.com.

About Rosemary Birthing Home: Established in 2003, Rosemary Birthing Home is a free-standing birth center in Sarasota’s historic Rosemary District. Owned and operated by Florida licensed midwives, Rosemary Birthing Home offers personalized midwifery care, birth center births, home births, water births, pre-pregnancy nutrition counseling, postpartum care, babywearing classes, support groups, lactation counseling, complete childbirth education, a lending library and more. A free Choices in Childbirth Class and Rosemary Birthing Home Orientation is offered on Mondays and Tuesdays (by appointment only). For more information, please call 941.330.9966 or visit www.rosemarybirthing.com.

Introducing: 12th and East Home

On November 23, Sarasota will become the flagship site for a new home accessories boutique, created by one of the area’s most reputed interior design firms. Located at the intersection of 12th Street and East Avenue, 12th and East Home is the retail showroom for hand-picked accents and custom-designed pieces from Jessica Holmes Interiors.

Jessica Holmes has been an interior designer in Sarasota for 11 years, building a portfolio of fresh, effective design for our community’s most savvy clientele. Holmes, along with designer Melissa DeMore, has brought the same level of sophistication into 12th and East Home, carefully selecting each product with her clients’ aesthetic in mind. The store will carry candles, lamps, jewelry, scarves, throws, coffee table books and more, from some of the industry’s most coveted and innovative lines. Holmes and DeMore have also created exclusive lines of custom pillows, dog beds and table linens, as well as small upholstery pieces.

“The concept of 12th and East Home is to marry the vintage spirit with a fresh, modern elegance,” says Holmes, whose fiancé Adam Holiday collects, restores, and sells 18th and 19th century antiques from the adjacent warehouse. “We are bringing some rare and special antiques in to the store and refreshing them with vintage-inspired modern upholstery and accents. The result is a look never before seen in Sarasota.”

A grand opening reception at the showroom, located at 1220 East Avenue North, is planned for December 2nd, 5:00-7:30pm. Guests will enjoy light fare and 10% off of all purchases. For more information about 12th and East Home, please call (941) 365-8205, or visit their website at 12thandeasthome.com.

About 12th and East Home: 12th and East Home is a sophisticated home accessories showroom anchored in Sarasota, Florida. Interior designers Jessica Holmes and Melissa DeMore present an ever-changing collection of vintage-inspired modern accents and expertly selected consigned antiques, establishing a unique and relevant aesthetic for today’s discerning home decorator. Our showroom, established in November 2010, is located at 1220 East Avenue North in Sarasota, Florida, or on the web at 12thandEastHome.com.

Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Celebrates National Landscape Architecture Month

April is National Landscape Architecture Month, a time for professionals and students to celebrate the impact landscape architecture has created in their communities, and to focus on introducing students and the public to the profession. Locally, Sarasota studio Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. is celebrating by educating students of all ages about the profession and practice of landscape architecture, and by giving back to the community.

What is Landscape Architecture?

Landscape architecture is the profession that encompasses the analysis, planning, design, management and stewardship of the natural and built environment. Activities of a landscape architect include creating public parks, site planning for commercial and residential properties, reclaiming blighted areas, designing towns and historic preservation. Landscape architects have advanced education, professional training, specialized skills and licensure in 46 states.
Examples of Landscape Architecture in Sarasota

One signature example of landscape architecture in Sarasota is the estate and museum of John Ringling. Designed by Fort Lauderdale landscape architect Frederic B. Stresau in 1952, the Ringling residence complements the man whose career was predicated on the dramatic and the spectacular. Stresau later made a name for himself as Florida’s premier horticultural landscape architect by penning the popular “Florida, My Eden,” a guide to Florida’s trees and plants.

Another notable landscape architect that literally put his mark on Sarasota was John Nolen, who designed the plan of the city in 1925. Nolen’s firm also procured plans for many other Florida municipalities, including Clearwater, West Palm Beach, and Venice, which he called “an opportunity better…than any other in Florida to apply the most advanced and most practical ideas of regional planning.”
When describing his work on the Sarasota city plan, Nolen said, “A good plan is one which does not attempt to bind the city too far in the future, but is subject to amendment from time to time. It is an encouragement to civic art in that its very design suggests harmony of elements and beauty of form. These features in a recreational center, such as Sarasota, are prime essentials.”

Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Gives Back for National Landscape Architecture Month

Local landscape architect Michael A. Gilkey, Jr., vice president of Michael A. Gilkey, Inc., will celebrate National Landscape Architecture Month by engaging students in the practice of his profession. At the youngest level, Southside Elementary kindergarten students will design and plant their own “Shoebox Butterfly Gardens,” with flowering plants supplied by Mariposa Nurseries. Gilkey will facilitate the exercise in the students’ science lab, taught by Mr. Chip Phillips. Gilkey is excited to share his love of the profession with even the youngest students, his own son Banyan among them. “Sustainability is a principle that can be taught at a very young age. To me, sustainability is not a constraint, but an avenue to increased creativity. Some of the most creative people I know are children.”

(The following frequently asked questions were reproduced with permission from the American Society of Landscape Architects. For more information please visit www.asla.org, or call 202-216-2331.)

Q. What is the difference between a landscape architect and other design professionals?

Landscape architecture, architecture, civil engineering and urban planning are all professions that work with the “built” environment. Despite some overlap between these professions, there are important distinctions.

-Landscape architects manage any jobs concerning the design and use of outdoor space and the land. The scope of the profession includes site planning, town or urban planning, park and recreation planning, regional planning, garden design and historic preservation.
-Architects primarily design buildings and structures with specific uses, such as homes, offices, schools and factories.
-Civil engineers apply scientific principles to the design and construction of public infrastructure such as roads, bridges and utilities.
-Urban planners develop a broad, comprehensive overview of development for entire cities and regions. Earlier this field was closely associated with landscape architecture and architecture; however, urban planning has developed into a distinct profession with its own courses and degree programs. Today many landscape architects are still heavily involved in the field of urban planning.

Each of these four professions is very distinct from gardeners, landscapers, horticulturists and landscape contractors.

-Gardeners and landscaper designers usually do not have the advanced degree that is requisite for landscape architects. Their activities focus primarily on fundamental garden design and maintenance.
-Horticulturists are trained in the science of growing and producing plants. Many horticulturists become nurserymen or work in garden centers.
-Landscape contractors install planting elements of design conceived by landscape architects. Landscape contractors may be gardeners or landscapers.

Q. Why are commercial developers, urban planners, architects and public policy makers hiring landscape architects with increasing frequency?

Thoughtful landscape architecture adds value to a commercial development by handling aesthetic and practical considerations, and addresses the growing public concern for the environment. In recent years, the most successful building projects in terms of profitability and positive client public response have been those that incorporate the collaborative expertise of many professions. In such cases, landscape architects and the other design professionals have worked together from the project’s planning stages.

ABOUT MICHAEL A. GILKEY, INC.: Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. is a landscape architecture studio in Sarasota, Florida, established in 1981. Through a passion for pure design and personal relationships with architects, contractors and homeowners, Gilkey creates expressions of outdoor space that are direct translations of their clients’ visions. For more information, please visit www.magilkey.com or call (941) 924-0132.

Urban Reef to Open in Downtown Sarasota

URBAN REEF is proud to announce its grand opening, infusing a fresh vacation atmosphere into the heart of downtown Sarasota. The Reef is cooking up fresh tropical cuisine with an edgy twist, nightly live entertainment and a wide range of special events. URBAN REEF is owned and operated by the two-generation Sarasota family of Larry and Kathy Heinzerling and Eric and Andrea Zito. The grand opening is set for Thursday, November 12th, with a soft opening on Monday, November 2nd.

With inspiration from traditional Floribbean cuisine, Urban Reef has developed a menu with that is unique to Sarasota, bringing the beach into the city with fresh, local seafood. Common ingredients in the URBAN REEF kitchen are bold and modern, featuring stars such as curry, coconut, coffee, pumpkin, cilantro, and ginger. For starters, URBAN REEF offers Caribbean inspired appetizers, featuring:

--Deep Fried Barbados Style Fish Fritters with House Tarter --Massa Corn Slow Braised Pork Tamale Cakes, Chipotle Chocolate Sauce, Sour Cream & Pineapple Pickled Ginger

Featured dishes from the URBAN REEF dinner menu include:

--Crispy Skin-on Snapper, Pineapple Slaw, Coconut Red Curry and Mango Salsa --Pan Seared Grouper, Spinach Lump Crab Stir Fry, Coo Coo Cake and Peppercorn Beurre Blanc --Coffee Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Goombay Smash Yucca Sweet Potatoes and Apple Jus

URBAN REEF offers live entertainment both upstairs and downstairs, including a vast array of talent from local DJ's, singers, bands, and karaoke performers. There are several events planned to round out the holiday season, including special industry nights, block parties and charity functions, including a benefit in early December for Daxton Cole Blanford, a nine month old baby with stomach cancer. All cover charges from the benefit will go directly to the Blanford family. “We love our community,” said co-owner Eric Zito. “We want nothing more than to add to our growing town and for our town to love us right back.”

Join the URBAN REEF family on Thursday, November 12th, for a fabulous grand opening weekend with great entertainment, food and drink specials, and prize giveaways. For more information, please call (941) 365-5181.

ABOUT URBAN REEF: Urban Reef is located at 1888 Main Street, on the corner of Links and Main in the heart of downtown Sarasota. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday for lunch from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, and again for dinner from 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM. The bar is open until 2:00 am Monday through Saturday. Dinner prices range from $15-$24 a dish. For more information, please call (941) 365.5181.

Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Launches Website!

The Sarasota Landscape Architecture studio Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. is excited to announce the launch of their website! Designed by the innovative Atlanta firm Biscuit Studios, LLC, the website explores Gilkey's design philosophy and process, gives an overview of recent work, and introduces key personnel. The studio enjoys relationships with our community's finest architects, builders and designers, and welcomes the opportunity to illustrate how their design strategy may enhance your project.

Kangaroo was proud to coordinate web and graphic design for the site, as well as webmarketing and media relations for its launch.

Bella Casa of Sarasota Launches New Website

Kangaroo Promotions is proud to announce the launch of the new website for Bella Casa of Sarasota, the Gulf Coast's premier custom waterfront home builder. Please take a moment and visit, and tour some of the incredible homes that Bella Casa of Sarasota has created in our community.

Kangaroo Promotions was proud to coordinate website design by Biscuit Studios and write a bit of copy for the site. We look forward to showing you more of these exquisitely crafted homes.

Sharp Painting: Commitment to Sharp Quality

Sharp Painting has quietly carved a niche in Sarasota as the finest residential home painter in our community. For the past five years, owner Brad Augsburger has concentrated solely on customer service and extreme attention to the quality and detail of his workmanship. With this attention came the exclusive use of Benjamin Moore paint products from his friends at Sarasota Paint. Brad fully endorses the richness and endurance of Benjamin Moore, and believes that an initial investment in products like the Aura paint line results a long-term cost savings to the homeowner.
Brad's goal is to bring professionalism into painting in Sarasota. Through a critical eye, Brad demands perfection on his projects, whether they be newly constructed estate homes or small repainted rooms. Sharp Painting takes careful steps to ensure the longevity of their work, including cleaning and pressure washing, scraping, mold treatment and primer application with the finest products available.

Kangaroo is looking forward to providing Sharp Painting with a complete marketing package.

Concrete Countertops, Etc.: Durable Beauty

Concrete Countertops, Etc. owner Jake Brady utilizes the very latest in sustainable concrete surface technology. His concrete surfaces are beautiful and long lasting, and play a vital role in reducing the burden on our nation’s landfills.

Concrete Countertops, Etc. uses a three-part component system and surface-reactant lithium sealer, resulting in a product which is more dense and more stain-resistant than any other concrete surface available. Jake's unique mix design replaces 35% of the Portland cement with a post-industrial waste that actually makes his concrete stronger. Concrete Countertops, Etc. also uses the wastewater from their polishing process, helping protect Florida’s fragile water supply.

A native of Nova Scotia, Jake moved to Sarasota in 1997 and began his remodeling career with his father. He began his own business, Jake of All Trades, specializing in kitchen and bath remodels. In 2007, he attended the Concrete Countertop Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina, completing intensive training in precast countertops and sinks. After a mutually beneficial employment experience with Ben Nettles Concrete Design in 2008, Jake created Concrete Countertops, Etc. with a unique technique, mix design, and philosophy. Jake resides in Sarasota with his partner Angel and his English Bulldog, Maggie, and enjoys fishing in Sarasota Bay and riding his motorcycle.

Concrete Countertops, Etc. is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the Florida Green Building Coalition, and is an elite support member of the Concrete Countertop Institute.

Please contact us to visit to the new Concrete Countertops, Etc. showroom, at 6130 Clark Center Avenue, Suite 101.

Kangaroo is enthusiastically assisting Jake with design coordination, consumer relations, media relations, and industry and grant research.

Bevinco of Sarasota: Inventory of Nightlife

Bevinco already saves Sarasota and Manatee bars and restaurants huge amounts of money each month. In fall 2008, Bevinco will not only be taking inventory of liquor, but of Sarasota nightlife, featuring establishments that benefit from their service.

Bevinco of Sarasota increases the profits of their establishments by an average 10%-15% (sometimes upwards of 25%) while reducing their costs by 5%. This is done through careful comparison of the liquor, beer and wine portions used in a time period with portions sold.

Bevinco then uses a proprietary, industry leading software program to organize and summarize their findings, so that their clients know exactly when and where to take action to control any losses and increase their profit. Bevinco guarantees better results for their clients, regardless of what current inventory management system or method of analysis they are using.

Bevinco Bar News will feature a bar, bartender, and drink recipe each month, as well as introductions of new liquor, beer and wine on the market. This innovative tool will also showcase profit increases and loss reductions for featured bars, and incentives for prospective clientele.

“The promised results were immediate. All my costs dropped dramatically and are very consistent on a month to month basis. I would strongly recommend any liquor establishment hiring BEVINCO. When and if I open another restaurant, BEVINCO would be the first on board.” --current client

Kangaroo Promotions is excited to assist Bevinco in generating Bevinco Bar News, industry research and consumer and media relations, website coordination and potential event planning.

Bella Casa of Sarasota: Pure Craftsmanship

Bella Casa of Sarasota is the no-compromise quality builder of finely crafted, beautiful custom homes on Florida's Gulf Coast. With years of experience working with the state's finest artisans, builders, contractors and architects, team leader Don Whisman has developed a refined eye for quality and craftsmanship.Each home built by Bella Casa of Sarasota is unique, elegant, and exactly suited to the needs of its owner. Bella Casa of Sarasota invites you to tour their Sarasota collection and see for yourself the difference that true craftsmanship brings to a custom home.
Kangaroo will serve Bella Casa of Sarasota by coordinating web and graphic design services, media relations, marketing and publicity.

Marcy Chapman: Compositional Watercolor

Celebrating the work of watercolorist Marcy Chapman is nothing short of a pleasure. Recently planted in Sarasota, Marcy's unique use of layering, color, and light brings nature's treasures to life on canvas. She has developed techniques for transparent watercolor painting and mixed media applications that draw the eye to the glow within the colors she uses.

Marcy's work has been celebrated and published worldwide. Her love of the watercolor medium has inspired her to offer classes and workshops on the subject, including instruction at the John C. Campbell Folk Art School in North Carolina, and this fall at Glenridge on Palmer Ranch. Marcy's paintings have sold at art festivals and galleries nationwide, including the famous Woolworth Walk art district of Asheville, North Carolina. It was there that she and her husband Clint owned and operated Artists' Loft, a bed and breakfast artists' retreat and gallery.

Currently, Marcy Chapman is planning a retrospective art opening to kick off her fall collection. The event will feature the work of thirty years, yet she is full of new inspiration. "I always feel like I'm bursting with ideas. There are a million paintings swirling in me," she says. The fall collection celebrates color, and features realistic subject matter superimposed upon exactly composed collage elements.

Kangaroo is proud to assist Marcy with media and consumer relations, publicity, grant research and web coordination as she takes root in our community. She welcomes your commissions and specializes in site-specific pieces that set the tone for a room. Often, her commissions include large scale focal pieces (such as in a great room, hotel lobby or hospital waiting room) that will begin a series of smaller pieces throughout the space.

Michael A. Gilkey, Inc.: Landscape Architects

Our second project is a natural marriage; a marketing package for Sarasota's premier landscape architecture studio, Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. Our scope of services includes press coverage, awards submittals, website coordination and presentations to universities.

Michael A. Gilkey, Jr. was raised and influenced by the area's finest and most established landscape architect, his father, Michael A. Gilkey. Growing up on drawing boards and jobsites, Michael learned every facet of drafting, design, installation and maintenance. He received a classical education at the University of Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with high honors. Since his graduation in 1999, he has become a licensed and registered landscape architect, Vice President of the design-build firm Michael A. Gilkey, Inc., and has taken over company operations since his father's retirement.

Through a passion for pure design, Michael A. Gilkey, Inc. creates expressions of outdoor space that are direct translations of clients' visions. Working with their highly experienced landscape contracting team, their professional maintenance technicians, and the community's finest tradesmen, Gilkey ensures accurate implementation and continuity of each unique concept through every phase of the design process.