Friday, January 25, 2019

5A Identifying Local Opportunities

All the articles I have retrieved are from the Tampa Bay Times 

Opportunity 1: Franchises Ding McDonald's Wall 


https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0124%21January%2B24&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/17128B96391E0648

Story: McDonald's new store design proposal to build a wall between the cashier and kitchen, so customers are not able to see the kitchen equipment, or other things behind the cashier register. People who own McDonald's franchises are not happy with this proposal because they feel that it is unnecessary and a waste of money. They also think that a wall between the kitchen and cashiers will not benefit in terms of customer service as well. 

Problem: The wall, also known as SAM (service area modernization) would not only be a waste of money,  but it could also be a bad idea to include in the store. With this wall, at least one cashier would need to be present by the register, because the people in the kitchen would not be able to monitor the restaurant. It carries its own risks because if a cashier isn't present or busy with another customer and a bad person enters the restaurant, then it is a recipe for disaster.

Who has the problem?:  The McDonald's franchisees have the problem with building the SAM wall. "Franchisees own more than 90 percent of McDonald’s 37,000 locations globally." Therefore, all of these franchisees have to pay extra for something they believe to be useless.



Opportunity 2: Drinking Water on Hold  

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0122%21January%2B22&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711D749C1681B80

Story: Clearwater, Florida was supposed to implement a system that would treat wastewater in a way that could then be used as drinking water for citizens. Clearwater was the first city in Florida to use this system for their water supply. Construction for the plant has started, however the city has had to stop construction because the costs were more than the city had anticipated. The benefits of this system would be amazing, because of the many bodies of water that exist in surrounding areas, so they could reuse water to then provide to citizens 

Problem: The construction of the wastewater plant has been put to a stop, due to lack of budgeting. Becuase of this, the city may have to ask its residents to pay more in their water bills, to help with this payment, but in return after the facility is built, they will have the highest treated water in the entire state. 

Who has the problem: The city of Clearwater is facing this issue, because they budgeted for the plant less money than what the actual plant costs. 

Opportunity 3: A New 50-Story Condo Building Seems A Bit Much 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0121%21January%2B21&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/1711E290CEB75580

Story: A new 50-story condo is going to be built in downtown St. Petersburg 

Problem: There's already alot of luxury residences in downtown St. Petersburg, and it's stripping away from the original vibe of the town

Who has the problem?: Residents of the city of St. Petersburg. They would rather have structures built that are relevant to the town's overall vibe, not more luxury residences that are already taking over the entire downtown. 

Opportunity 4: Sweetwater Paddles Downstream: From Gandy to the Old Southwest 

Story: The local company Sweetwater Kayaks is moving to a new location after conducting business from the same place for many years 

Problem: The state opened an elevated portion of Gandy Boulevard two years ago, which really affected the Sweetwater Paddles business. 

Who has the problem?: Sweetwater Kayaks owner Russell Farrow is going to miss the shop, especially the "eclectic layout and ample space for dozens of kayaks and stand-up paddle boards." However, the store at the new location has lower rent and east access to the water which could help his business recover from before, by running guided kayak tours from the new shop. 

Opportunity 5: Sprouts is Sprouting New Stores 

https://infoweb-newsbank-com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&t=pubname%3ASPTB%21Tampa%2BBay%2BTimes%2B%2528FL%2529/year%3A2019%212019/mody%3A0110%21January%2B10&f=advanced&action=browse&format=text&docref=news/170DEE1551F73A58

Story: Sprouts Farmers market is opening three new stores, Two in Tampa and One in Clearwater 

Problem: Since these new stores will be the chain's fifth location, it will create a more competitive market in that area. 

Who has the problem?: The company because they may not make as much profit as the other stores due to the other speciality and organic food stores that also exist within the same area range. 

1 comment:

  1. This is a really good post and you posted articles that could affect Floridians in the near future. Like the article about drinking water being on hold, it is sad that the construction of the wastewater plant has been put to a stop. Hopefully Clearwater finds the funding to continue the building the plant.

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