Bay Area Entities Launch Innisbrook Leadership Institute

Top Executives Gather for Inaugural CEO Roundtable

Innisbrook, FL (PRWEB) June 24, 2009 -- With the goal of providing solutions to the challenges and concerns of corporate America, three Bay Area entities have collaborated resources to create the Innisbrook Leadership Institute (www.thinkinnisbrook.com).

Under the umbrella of the Institute, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club (www.innisbrookgolfresort.com), the University of South Florida (www.CTI-USF.com) and ActionCOACH (www.actioncoachpinellas.com) will assist organizations in maximizing performance, optimizing growth, and meeting the demands of today's challenging economic environment.

Based on the 900-acre campus of Innisbrook, The Leadership Institute offers an exciting new series of customized leadership development programs based on the strategic needs of each respective organization. An award-winning team of business coaches and educators assist organizations in developing a theme, creating an agenda based on the company's unique goals, arranging speakers, facilitating the event and even creating post-meeting follow-up. Planners can focus on building content and dynamic leadership training, and leave arrangements of meeting space and accommodations to the dedicated conference liaison.

Innisbrook Owner and Salamander Hospitality Chairman Sheila C. Johnson, a firm believer in collaborative training and development, said "Organizations and businesses must continue to meet, as well as educate their employees. Otherwise, the marketplace will leave them behind."

To formally launch the Institute, an inaugural CEO Roundtable Forum was held at Innisbrook on June 12 with the support of the 2,800-member St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce. The forum was designed to give the Bay Area's top executives the opportunity to learn about this new initiative and to provide input on the types of programs they would find most useful to help their businesses thrive in tougher times. Speakers included USF President Judy L. Genshaft, PhD, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman and Tech Data Chairman Steven A. Raymund, and Johnson. A white paper derived from the roundtable discussions is available at http://na1.ipressroom.com/pr/sh/irgc/document/ILI_White_Paper_06-16-09.pdf. It will soon be made available on the Institute's and the St. Petersburg Chamber's websites.

"From experience, I understand that transformational leadership accelerates success, reduces cost, and enables organizations to thrive in tough times," said Raymund.

Raymund's sentiments were echoed by Genshaft, whose staff of PhDs from USF's Center for Transformation and Innovation will provide some of the stellar instruction available to Institute clients.

"The latest financial and economic challenges have brought forth the need for serious change: true organizational and leadership transformation. The bottom line is that our community is depending on all of us to lead them to an economy based on innovation, knowledge, and creativity. We need to be competitive. We need to be efficient. We need to continue to invest in our leaders to be the drivers of the new economy."

To learn more about the Innisbrook Leadership Institute, visit www.thinkinnisbrook.com or call Institute CEO John Lankford directly at 727-942-5205.

About Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club

Situated on 900 wooded acres of rolling hills and 70 acres of lakes in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area on Florida's Gulf Coast, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is located just 25 minutes from Tampa International Airport. Recently and completely renovated by Owner and Management Company Salamander Hospitality, Innisbrook features 72 holes of championship golf, 608 spacious guest suites and rooms, four restaurants and three bars, the Innisbrook Golf Institute, 11 tennis courts, the new full-service Indaba Spa with 12 treatment rooms and fitness center, six heated swimming pool complexes, a nature preserve, and three conference halls with 65,000 square feet of meeting space. Innisbrook is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Preferred Golf programs. For additional information call (727) 942-2000 or visit www.innisbrookgolfresort.com.

About Salamander Hospitality

Salamander Hospitality is a privately owned and operated company based in Middleburg, VA, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded by entrepreneur Sheila C. Johnson in 2005, the company manages and develops hotels, resorts and inns that reflect the authenticity and character of their surrounding environment. The portfolio includes the recently renovated Innisbrook Golf Resort and Club near Tampa, Fla., host to a PGA TOUR stop every March; Woodlands Inn near Charleston, SC, which is one of only four properties in North America to hold Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings for both accommodations and dining; and the under-construction Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg. Salamander Hospitality also operates a division of gourmet prepared food markets called Market Salamander with locations in Middleburg and Innisbrook, FL, and Salamander Touch, a fine goods and linen store in Middleburg for the luxury resort lifestyle. For additional information, call (540) 687-3710 or visit www.salamanderhospitality.com.

About University of South Florida's Center for Transformation and Innovation

The Center for Transformation and Innovation (CTI) is an entrepreneurial, not-for-profit center founded in 2005 by the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. CTI is staffed with a team of experienced professionals who have received training from the best-in-class industry leaders, and who accelerate the success of client-partners by providing leadership, strategy, and process improvement services. It integrates local talent and resources with our global network of experts to provide organizations with the most innovative, cost-effective solutions, while helping organizations explore new opportunities, manage and sustain growth, maximize productivity, and transform leaders and their culture. CTI offers comprehensive, yet, practical, actionable, and simple solutions to organizations aimed at both the operational and cultural levels. It serves small, mid, and large scale businesses in various markets such as academia, energy, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and service organizations. In addition to USF, some client-partners include: BayCare Health Systems, Columbia University, Creighton University, Florida Department of Health, Florida Hospital, Healthy Together, Home Depot Supply, Palm Healthcare, TECO Energy, Inc., and University Community Hospital. CTI has and continues to successfully help leaders and organizations improve their revenue, productivity, and organizational culture, thereby increasing their competitive advantage. For more information, visit www.CTI-USF.com

About ActionCOACH

Ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as the #1 Business Services Franchise in the World Six years in a row, ActionCOACH has more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. Relying on proven tactics and existing strategies to maximize individual potential, ActionCOACH uses a combination of business coaching and executive coaching to create a multifaceted framework for improving efficiency and profit. By fusing powerful marketing, business and team building strategies ActionCOACH clients have had dramatic improvements in revenue and profitability. Business coaching and executive coaching is an organic process that involves using proven techniques combined with personal commitment and accountability for business owners and executives to address their current and future situations. The ActionCOACH Pinellas team is comprised of an award winning group of coaches with extensive experience as corporate executives and entrepreneurs and a proven track record of results for clients. To learn more, go to www.actioncoachpinellas.com.

###