Site Selection

Plenty of celebrities have launched restaurants over the years; now, the Wahlberg family is coming in hot into the restaurant scene with fresh branding and delicious homemade burgers.

TAMPA, Fla. (August 2, 2018) — SiteZeus, a leader in location intelligence technology solutions, today announced it has hired Larry Salinas as its new Business Development, Sales Engineer. In addition, Salinas will leverage his years of experience as an end user in the retail industry to help SiteZeus refine its products and improve on functionality that can better serve client needs.

Forward thinking retailers are increasingly embracing big data in their business decisions when choosing new store locations. Using INRIX big data, site-selection companies help retailers pinpoint their target demographics and see where shoppers are coming from and analyze the potential profitability of millions of retail locations.

TAMPA, Fla. (April 27, 2018) — After a year of major growth, SiteZeus, the leading SaaS site-selection platform for retail industries, is taking home another win. SiteZeus CTO Chuck Cooper represented the startup at the second annual Chicago Machine Learning VC Summit where he competed against other machine-learning companies in a pitch to a crowd of entrepreneurs, developers and prospective customers. The event hosted over 600 attendees and 20 speakers in 2017.

What do chicken wings, casual dining, and NOLA-inspired cuisine have in common? If they fall under the banner of Ballard Brands, we must be talking about the company’s Creole-influenced Wow Cafes, Boardhouse Serious Sandwiches, The Original City Diners, and the one-two combo of PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans and New Orleans Roast Coffee and Tea. Begun by brothers Paul, Scott, and Steve Ballard in 2012 and today consisting of 150 outlets, this culinary tribute to their home state of Louisiana is spreading the good word, and good food, of the area around the world.

It seems like a strange juxtaposition between business, but in the highly competitive world of in-vestments and customer service could you find a single company offering both taste tempting bar food and automotive paint and collision services. That’s exactly what Atticus Franchises have been doing since it began. This Atlanta-based private equity firm is focused on high return investment opportunities, with the WingStop casual restaurants and Maaco bodyshops the core of their extensive Southeastern US portfolio.

British eatery Wagamama is a company on a mission, and with core values like ‘fresh,’ ‘restless,’ ‘playful’ and ‘free,’ their goal is to spread positivity through nutritious, delicious cuisine from care-fully sourced ingredients. It’s all part of their desire to bring people and the community together. They currently have establishments in New York and Boston, but the company is looking to expand its reach in the US, hoping to leave diners refreshed and feeling better than when they walked through the doors.

Site selection technology is continuing to evolve rapidly and drive transformative change to “old school” site selection practices and methods. SiteZeus is on the cutting edge of that transformation with its location intelligence platform that is powered by the latest in AI and machine learning predictive analytics. Co-founder Keenan Baldwin recently shared his insights on what’s ahead for location intelligence.

It’s an ongoing debate between burger aficionados – flame broiled or grilled on a flat-top. Some swear by the traditional hot metal surface, while others will only savor the flavor created by fire. Burger King has long been an advocate of the former, a position that has helped the company stand out among the competition. For Partner and Franchisee Broadway Restaurant Group, there’s a de-sire to beat the competition, delight each guest, invest in people, and dream big.

Rush Bowls is unique eats. Crafted from the freshest fruit, decadent yet wholesome ingredients, and offering up to 40 grams of protein, these morning pick-me-ups offering high nutrition along with up to five servings of fruits and vegetables. Launched in Boulder, Colorado in 2004, Rush Bowl is looking to expand its mission of bringing healthy options to the masses while maintaining a high level of quality and value.

Back in 1948, it was only one of 18 such businesses in the entire United States. Founder Joe Bahm opened the original Mike’s Minit Man, and with it, Indiana’s first automated car wash. Now, 70 years later, the renamed Crew Carwash is dominating the area with attention to service and commitment to their customers. With 30 outlets, including several providing self-serve wash bays, this is a company that cares about your satisfaction, while applying the principles of safety, integrity, fun, team-work, and accountability to each and every interaction with the public.

The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in Tampa, Florida. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to: revenue potential, leadership team, brand/product traction, and competitive landscape. Additionally, all companies must be independent (un-acquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.