Refreshments and light appetizers will be served.

The council’s first meeting will be at Brighton Bay Retirement Resort, 10061 Sweetwater Parkway, Jacksonville, on Sept. 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A. Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptists Health System will make a presentation.

For more information call 904-366-6626.

Yahoo! sites (up 0.6 percentage points to 18.9%) came in second, and Microsoft sites (up 0.6 percentage points to 12.7%). Both Yahoo! sites and Microsoft sites have experienced gains due in part to the continued utilization of contextual search approaches that tie content and related search results together. Ask Network captured 3.6 % of the search market, followed by AOL LLC with 2.2%.

Organizer Marshall Reddy, FranNet Principal/Florida, is teaming up with UNF’s Small Business Development Center to bring in seven to 10 franchisors, who will talk about franchising opportunities. Advantage is the media sponsor for the event.

Two workshop sessions will be held. The first will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; the second, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

To RSVP contact Reddy at mreddy@frannet.com or go to www.frannetflorida.eventbrite.com.

The scorecard, as well as a detailed explanation of the new scorecard methodology, is available online: http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/goals/index.html.

The first annual tournament will be held August 31 at Bowl America on Beach Boulevard. Registration and networking will begin at 4:30 p.m. with bowling starting at 5 p.m. There is a $50 fee per bowler, half of which is tax deductible, and a $500 presenting sponsor and several lane sponsorships are still available for $150.

“We hold monthly networking luncheons open to members and guests, but the highest quality networking that we offer is at after-hours events,” says SBRN Director Nancy Boyle. “Attendance is always high and great relationships are strengthened in a more laid-back business setting.”

The “Friends of the SBRN/SBDC” Program was created several years ago in to provide additional funding to the two city-funded small business enhancement programs at UNF. Each is funded through city and federal funds, but prefer to gather private funds to ensure the organizations don’t run the risk of suffering from budget cuts.

Florida Companies to Watch is presented by GrowFL and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation.  Sponsors for the event include the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Florida Business Incubation Association, and the University of Central Florida.   

Companies to Watch is a unique awards program developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation to honor second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace, exhibit innovative products or processes, or otherwise make those companies “worth watching.”  Companies to Watch operates statewide in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and the northeastern region of California.

“We encourage second-stage companies to apply for this outstanding program,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and associate vice president for the University of Central Florida’s Office of Research and Commercialization.  “Being selected for the Florida Companies to Watch awards program provides growing businesses the credibility and recognition that distinguish them among their competitors.”

To be eligible for the award, a company must be a privately held, commercial enterprise that is currently in a stage of growth and past the start-up phase.  Qualifying companies must also be headquartered in the state of Florida, employ between six and 99 employees, and have between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue.  Companies in all industries are invited to apply.

A selection panel of judges representing areas of economic development, banking, entrepreneurship and small business look for evidence of fast and/or high growth in employment rates and revenue.  In addition, Florida Companies to Watch award recipients also demonstrate special strengths and traits that stand out from the competition including entrepreneurial leadership, product innovation, social/community responsibility and competitive business practices.

Companies may apply directly to the program, and professionals who work with qualifying companies such as attorneys, accountants, bankers, public relations representatives and economic development professionals are also encouraged to nominate businesses they believe should be recognized.  The deadline to nominate a second-stage company is September 17, 2010.  All companies vying for the award must submit an application, which will be accepted until October 8, 2010.

The companies selected as 2011 Florida Companies to Watch will be recognized at a special ceremony set for Thursday, February 17, 2011 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla. 

In addition to the recognition of being named a Florida Companies to Watch, winners have the opportunity to participate in a leaders retreat attended by Companies to Watch award recipients from other states and held at the Edward Lowe Foundation’s Big Rock Valley property in southwestern Michigan. 

For more information, visit www.CompaniestoWatch.org or email FloridaCTW@edwardlowe.org.