CHATROOM
The verdict is in: Everything 'e' is hot
Last week, the Free Trade Area of the Americas ministerial meeting in Miami brought in trade ministers from 34 nations to hammer out a hemispheric trade pact.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 11/24/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Experience gives IT staffer an edge
When it comes to filling job positions in the world of information technology, more than just bits and bytes matter. Deborah Vazquez, who runs ProTech, an IT staffing company in Miami, believes her firm has managed to thrive even after the Internet bust of recent years because she comes from the IT world herself. Vazquez, 39, started out as a programmer.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 11/17/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
County uses Web to woo location crews
BMW did it. Now Miami-Dade County has taken to the Internet to promote itself as a location for movies and ads. Florida Shorts, which are now showing on the Web at www.floridashorts.com, are three three-minute-long vignettes that take an edgy, humorous look at the trials and tribulations of an advertising production company on location.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 11/10/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
TodoBebe expands from Web and radio to TV
Not too many online ventures introduced during the height of the Internet boom managed to survive, much less expand. But TodoBebe.com, a Hallandale Beach-based company that provides online information for Hispanic parents on everything from nursing to how to pick the best stroller and crib, as well as retailing links, is still here and growing.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 11/03/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Firm masters the business of e-puzzles
Early last year, Shane Samole was toying with the idea of creating a hand-held electronic crossword puzzle. Knowing The New York Times has a big following among puzzle fans, Samole asked the newspaper if it would license its puzzle content.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 10/27/2003 03:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Amazon.com features local outfitters
SportsLine.com isn't the only South Florida company to have its merchandise featured on Amazon.com. BikeSomeWhere.com, a Coconut Grove-based com pany that sells a variety of bicycle components, accessories and clothing, is one of the merchants featured on Amazon's new Sporting Goods section.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 10/20/2003 02:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Diversifying interest in technology
Ana Ondina de Martinez usually spends her days dealing with IBM's Latin American online operations, which she supervises from the company's Coral Gables offices.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 10/13/2003 02:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
This guy's a techie on and off the air
Dave Graveline likes his gadgets. His window blinds work via remote control. His home has a keyless entry system. There are Web cams surrounding his Northwest Miami-Dade home stead, so that he can check up on the place while traveling.
( 10/06/2003 02:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Site brings the gym home, literally
Doug Levine knows a thing or two about tapping into fitness trends. In 1989, he founded Crunch Fitness in Manhattan's East Village. The funky gym, which appealed to a young, edgy urban crowd -- it invented karaoke cycling, the firefighter workout, gospel aerobics (yes, that means a gospel choir in full regalia providing the tempo for a Sunday morning workout) and one of the initial instructors was a drag queen in full makeup -- was sold in late 2001 for $90 million to Bally Total Fitness.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 09/29/2003 02:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Miami firm helps kids cope with kidney problems
Dealing with the issues and consequences of kidney disease is a daunting task for all victims, but more so for kids. Makinita, a Miami company, has developed a web-based game designed to help kids understand dialysis, nutri tion, red blood-cell counts, and the various challenges they face.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 09/22/2003 02:01 AM EST)

CHATROOM
Terminal will offer prepaid cards for 100 products
Blackstone Communications Group is once again fine-tuning how prepaid pro ducts -- from calling cards to towing service -- are sold.
( BEA GARCIA, bgarcia@herald.com, 09/15/2003 02:01 AM EST)