Opinions to go Online

Maybe those killer abs can wait yet another year. Perhaps 2005 is when expanded horizons move up on that New Year’s resolution short list.

If so, consider what the University of Tampa is offering this semester. A chance to get familiar with the language and customs of the world’s most populous – and most economically hard-charging – country in the world — China.

For the first time, UT will offer “Chinese Language and Culture” in each of two seven-week spring sessions. Classes, which are limited to 15 students and designed for those with little or no experience with (Mandarin) Chinese, will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-7:30 p.m. Session I begins Jan. 18; Session II , March 15. Cost of the (two-credit) course is $510 for credit; $389 for audit. Both sessions will be taught by adjunct instructor Amy Chou, a native of Taiwan.

According to Susan M. Taylor, associate professor of languages and linguistics, UT is testing the foreign language waters beyond the traditional offerings of Spanish, French, German and Italian. A course in Japanese was well received last semester.

“We have to start small,” says Taylor, “because we don’t know if there’s a market for it. But I think there will be.” That market, Taylor says, is travelers, the culturally curious and “business people.”

Additional information is available at 253-3333 (x3359)

In less than three months, the Iorio Administration will be half way through its term. A couple of observations:

Mayor Pam Iorio remains a mediameister’s dream public official. She is absolutely who you want out front, especially when empathy matters – which it always does. She connects with people and is not confrontational. The camera — as well as the podium and any microphone – still love her.

Having said that, how disappointing is it that one of her most critically important audiences – the Hillsborough County Commission — remains unmoved? In fact, the city-county relationship seems no better than before. Even with two new Hillsborough County commissioners, a solid “working relationship” still appears oxymoronic.

The mega, public-private sector Civitas development, of course, didn’t happen on Iorio’s watch because the county wouldn’t sign off. The recent county commission-influenced (read Ronda Storms) MPO vote against the street car indicated that new blood isn’t a transfusion of bi-partisanship.

Two points:

First, it’s as amazing as it is frustrating and embarrassing that this eastern side of the Tampa Bay market should still be sporting such a not-ready-for-prime-time, parochial perspective. Whether the mayor is named Iorio or Greco.

Most recent Exhibit A: The latest in counterproductive hyperbole from Commissioner Storms. As reported by the Tampa Tribune, she characterized the city’s attitude as one that says “we’re the center of the universe and all the planets rotate around us.”

That populist piffle plays well outside city limits, especially in the Rustic Belt, where so much growth – and resulting tax-base expansion — is occurring. And because the county administrator is appointed by the commission, some commissioners have fiefdom-like clout and points of view.

The result: Tampa, with 320,000 residents, is seemingly seen as merely the biggest city – with the biggest municipal ego – in the 1.1 million-resident county. Brandon on steroids.

What Tampa is, however, is what every other major metropolitan statistical area in the country has – a hub. A center-of-the-market, urban hub. It’s not a Copernicus-defying presence demanding tribute and obeisance, but it does do what all hubs do. It’s an economic engine and catalyst.

It’s reflected in the thousands who commute daily from the suburbs to Tampa. And it’s reflected in the economic ripples created by the likes of Tampa International Airport and the Port of Tampa.

It’s why the Bucs and Lightning and USF are here. It’s a reminder that office parks and residential developments don’t happen in a Valrico vacuum – as the word “suburban” suggests.

The second point: Now that the half-way mark approaches, look for the mayor to trot out the bully pulpit on occasion. The gloves – even the velvet ones – are off.

In fact, the pro-active, hard-ball approach on the new, yet-to-break-ground art museum was illustrative.

There’s a lot riding on the museum – for the city and the mayor. The $72-million project is the linchpin for a cultural arts district, which is, in turn, the key catalyst in downtown revitalization per se. It’s the cornerstone of the mayor’s plans for downtown.

It has to happen.

Yet the mayor’s mantra is to never put tax payers at risk, even for an economic development tool. Centro Ybor, The Sequel, is anathema to all Iorions.

And yet to wait for all the financial planets to align perfectly is to incur additional, project-threatening construction-cost increases. Already, the costs have risen by $10 million. And that revised construction price of $54 million is only good until Feb. 10.

The mayor, as we know, made a very high-profile demand last month for a “business plan” – as if the concept hadn’t occurred to anyone before. But it got everyone’s attention, got the trustees off the dime and gave the mayor cover. It also signaled to a few new arrivals in the business community that the time was now to ante up and make that debut commitment.

The museum’s board of trustees then produced financial backing for its share of the project, whereby they would be responsible for any operating-cost shortfalls. City Finance Director Bonnie Wise found the numbers credible and acceptable. The mayor than agreed to send the lease proposal and operational agreement to Tampa City Council this week (Jan. 6).

The trustees figure ticket sales (with prices increased from $7 to $10), plus memberships, program fees, corporate support and restaurant sales can carry the day operationally. It probably can – and not just for the first few years when sheer newness and novelty are big draws.

A much larger facility means the museum can display its full collection – and it’s extensive — and open itself to the sort of blockbuster exhibits that it currently can’t come close to accommodating.

Next up for the Tampa Museum of Art, for example, are two exhibitions: “Signs & Symbols/African American Quilts” and “The New York Yankees & The American Dream.” It can – and will — get better.

Look for ground to break sometime next month.

His old Columbia Restaurant Group business card used to read: Richard Gonzmart, “CEO/President.” His new one: Richard Gonzmart, “Fourth Generation.”

It speaks volumes.

Gonzmart, 51, remains the out-front presence and the day-to-day operator of the CRG, whose crown jewel is the Columbia Restaurant, the iconic anchor of Ybor City. He’s also co-owner with his brother Casey, 56. But what is underscored by the new card is that this is a successful FAMILY business. It’s also the sort of symbolic gesture you make when your family business is celebrating its centennial.

“When I was younger, titles were important,” Gonzmart recalls. “But what is really important is my duty to prepare the next generation to succeed.”

That fifth generation already includes his daughters, Lauren, 28, and Andrea, 25. Lauren heads the retail sales (gift shops) department; Andrea presides over a new inventory- and food-costs software program.

Much has happened over the generations since the Columbia Restaurant was founded –as a 60-seat corner café — in 1905 by Gonzmart’s great-grandfather, Casimiro Hernandez, Sr. Back then it was known for its Cuban coffee and Cuban sandwiches and served mainly cigar workers. Now it’s famous for its paella , caldo gallego soup and 1905 salad; renowned for its worldly wine list; and acclaimed for its flamenco dance troupe. As the largest Spanish restaurant in the world, it has become a must-dine experience for out-of-town and international visitors. Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Rocky Marciano visited; so did Marilyn Monroe, Stephen King and George Clooney.

Today it spans an entire city block, encompassing more than 52,000 square feet. It can seat 1,700 diners in its 15 dining rooms. A recent $6.5-million expansion and renovation resulted in a state-of-the-art kitchen plus new dining rooms, wine cellars and air conditioning system.

Also expanding over the years has been the number of restaurants. The Columbia family flag is now planted in Sarasota, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Celebration. The newest is opening in the first quarter of ’05 in West Palm Beach.

Further forays into the modern marketplace range from the hiring of key, non-family personnel and the implementation of a 401k plan to the establishment of training programs and standardized recipes.

“At a certain point we had to change the culture,” acknowledges Gonzmart. “In a family business, you often see ownership using the business as a personal bank account.”My brother and I now draw a salary like everybody else,” he notes. “We hired a CFO nine years ago to bring us into the 21st century. We never had a budget. Now it’s all about re-investing in all our units and our people.”

It’s also about a long-running synergy with Ybor City. Both the Columbia’s and Ybor’s fortunes have been intertwined over the decades. During The Depression, Casimiro Hernandez, Jr. spurred business in the Latin Quarter by building the first air-conditioned dining room in Tampa. During the ruinous days of urban renewal, Richard’s father, Cesar Gonzmart, began bringing in top Latin entertainment.

“Back in the ’60s, the Columbia was the only thing drawing people to Ybor,” says former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco. “Had the Columbia gone away, I don’t know if Ybor could have stayed alive. But Cesar always hung in, never gave up and his kids have the same attitude.”

It was re-affirming to see the numbers for The Florida Aquarium’s most recent fiscal year. The Channel District attraction took in revenue of $11.8 million, the best ever performance in its nine-year history. As a result, the city’s subsidy was lowered (from $850,000 to $750,000) for the current operating budget.

What was re-affirmed is that the Aquarium can be both educational – and fun. And marketed mainly as the latter. It didn’t open that way and debuted to disappointment.

While attendance – 608,000 compared with 582,000 in 2003 – was up, that’s only part of the equation. Visitors also lingered longer and spent more in the gift shops and restaurants.

A key reason is the new Explore A Shore, a 2.5-acre play area for kids that has been a magnet for moms and young children. The key catalyst was Thom Stork, the Aquarium’s president, who overcame some staff doubters and pushed hard for the $2-million addition. Statistics show that visitors have doubled their stay on average – from two to four hours – since Explore A Shore’s introduction in March.

Prior to his arrival in 2002, Stork had been in senior management positions with Busch Gardens and Orlando’s SeaWorld. It shows.

Moreover, the upturns in revenue and attendance have been achieved without compromising the integrity of the environmental education that remains at the heart of the Aquarium experience.

But Stork knew the stark reality: Whatever your educational benefits, first priority is to up the turnstile count.