Biz941
"There are more opportunities today than there are in a thriving economy. You've just got to be a little more strategic," says Pallegar, 30, who moved here from Michigan in 2004 to recuperate at his parents' home in Bradenton, after a car accident. He liked the area and stayed partly because of the business community's support for his idea.
That support has translated into numerous awards. AtLarge won the Sarasota Economic Development Corporation's top award of excellence in 2008, and Pallegar was recognized as a Biz941 2008 Person to Watch, and named Tampa Bay CEO magazines's "Emerging CEO" of 2008. AtLarge also won two International Davey Awards for its Internet campaigns last year.
Pallegar is optimistic about his speciality. Clients are spending as much or more on internet marketing than last year, he says.
Those customers, among them the Sarasota Film Festival, Ford Motor Company, Ringling College of Art and Design, Hoveround, Michaels on East and the Detroit Regional Chamber, have grown from 21 in 2006 to 73 in 2008. AtLarge has expanded his staff as a result, reaching 11 employees by the end of 2008, and it plans to hire more with the opening of Tampa office this year. "Our goal is to become a statewide leader in our industry," Pallegar says.
The company's revenues do not rely on a particular industry or geography, and that diversity allows it to be based in Sarasota, while buffering it from local economic conditions.
The company isn't immune to what it sees as a lackluster labor pool here of programmers and creative professionals. Pallegar says staff recruitment and retention continue to be a challenge. The company is trying to help put the spotlight on the region from a technology perspective by hosting conferences and being involved in area schools so it can snap up prospective employees. But the beaches and arts still can't compete with cities such as San Francisco for young professionals seeking a vibrant city, Pallegar says.
"We're not known as a hotbed for tech geeks," he admits.