Owner George Tsetsenis purchased about an acre at 802 N Pinellas Ave. and built a 2,200-square-foot, free-standing building that can accommodate 100 customers.

When the lease was about to run out at the old place on Dodecanese Boulevard, Tsetsenis said he began looking for a new location. The owner of the property on Pinellas Avenue wanted to sell, and Tsetsenis said he was ready to build his own place.

"The opportunity and timing was perfect for us," he said. He paid $190,000 for the property, he said. The restaurant has 12 employees who went with the move. Tsetsenis said he will hire additional help.

Mr. Souvlaki is a family business. Tsetsenis' wife, Rania, is the cashier; and the couple's two sons, Sam and Jimmy, work in the restaurant.

A native of Argos, Greece, Tsetsenis, 45, grew up in Toronto, Canada, and began working in the food business when he was 17. He moved his family here in 1992 from Toronto when he bought Mr. Souvlaki.

Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, the restaurant's menu includes appetizer salads, cheese plates, homemade soup, pickled octopus, sandwiches, side dishes, traditional Greek dinners, steamed shrimp, fish and chips, a special Greek chow mein and desserts. Prices range from $2 for a cup of soup to $13.95 for a pound of steamed shrimp served with a Mr. Souvlaki sauce and Greek bread.

Dockside Imports opens store at Crossroads Mall

Dockside Imports has opened a 12,000-square-foot store at Crossroads Mall, 15579 U.S. 19 N, near Largo. The store features bedroom, seating and patio furniture, wall decor, silk florals and other home accessories. In its 12th year, Dockside has 20 stores in Florida.

New name for Harborside Healthcare of Palm Harbor

Effective Sept. 1, Harborside Healthcare of Palm Harbor will be known as Bay Tree Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. The facility at 2600 Highland Blvd. N provides a full range of rehabilitative programs, skilled nursing, respite and vacation stays, as well as extended care services. The center has scheduled a public open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 5.

Avid Engineering hired for office park projects

Avid Engineering, 2300 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor and Orlando, has been hired to provide planning, engineering design and permitting for Harbor 19 Office Park, a 51,000-square-foot office park. The park will have eight office buildings ranging from 5,400 to 7,500 square feet and a 3,000 square foot storage facility. The 4.25-acre project is at Tampa Road and U.S. 19.

The firm also has been hired to provide engineering design and permitting services for East Bay Drive Office Park, a 19,750-square-foot office park. This park will have five buildings ranging from 3,000 to 4,900 square feet. The project is on Roosevelt Boulevard, a quarter-mile east of U.S. 19.

Other projects include planning, engineering design and permitting services for a 14,000-square-foot retail building across from International Mall in Tampa and a free-standing 3,000-square-foot Wendy's Restaurant at Sheldon Road and Waters Avenue in Tampa.

Five travel businesses combine operations

Five adventure and specialty tour businesses have combined their operations and moved into one location under the name Direct International Tours in downtown Clearwater at 41 N Fort Harrison Ave.

The businesses are: SaharaTrek, which offers adventure and sightseeing tours of Morocco; G-Day Mate, which lets clients create tours of Australia; Central Europe Direct, which offers trips to central and eastern European countries; Paddle Adventures, which plans sea kayaking and whitewater trips to exotic destinations; and budget Go Direct Tours.

Northwestern Mutual honors local sales leaders

Robert J. Burnside, William H. Mathews and Jim Atnip -- financial representatives with Northwestern Mutual -- were recognized for their sales achievements at the recent annual company meeting in Milwaukee. The men work in the company's Clearwater office at 111 Belcher Road N.

In addition to life insurance, Northwestern and its subsidiaries provide annuities, mutual funds, long-term care insurance and disability income insurance.

Jiffy Reprographics receives printing award

Jiffy Reprographics at 411 S Garden Ave., Clearwater, has received an Award of Excellence in the "impossible job" category in the Printing Association of Florida's annual Florida Print Awards. The winning submission was a 74- by 7-foot digital color wall mural for Dick Norris Buick designed by Lyle Fisher, who has been with Reprographics for a year.

The company, headed by Robert and Mary Dianne Roperti, has been producing digital graphics for more than 15 years. Its clients include architects, engineers, builders, ad agencies, law firms and government agencies nationwide.

Genesis Direct gains two new clients

Genesis Direct at 391 Roberts Road, Oldsmar, has been hired by ALT Communications in Atlanta to design and produce a direct mail campaign geared to businesses in Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Tenn., and the Tampa Bay area. The mailings will encourage businesses to use ALT's multiple services. Genesis also has been hired by World Net, an insurance claims processing business based in Orlando, to update its clients regarding data privacy issues.

Genesis Direct is a direct marketing and direct mail company that provides creative design, data processing, mailing lists, direct mail production, campaign management and response analysis.

-- News of businesses and business people can be faxed to the Business Digest at 445-4119 or mailed to Business Digest, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. We are interested in new and unusual businesses, promotions, expansions and major new contracts. Photos can be sent, but not all will be used and they cannot be returned.

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