Orlando biz columnist to become local columnist

Beth Kassab, the Orlando Sentinel business columnist, is becoming the paper’s local columnist.

Kassab become the Sentinel’s business columnist in July 2007 after the sudden death of her predecessor, Susan Strother Clarke. It’s unclear who will replace her.

Her column focused on sectors important to Central Florida such as real estate, tourism, retail and that quintessential intersection of government and business: economic development. Kassab’s column ran every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

She is an Orlando native and University of Florida graduate who was a business reporter for seven years before becoming a columnist.

In an interview with Talking Biz News in 2008, Kassab said that her work as a columnist was helped by the fact that she was a native.

“I’ve built relationships with people here over time and that’s really important,” she said. “I also have a certain amount of context and history that others may not have. I know my way around. And when it comes to writing commentary, no one can argue that I’m not invested in this community. It’s my home and I truly care about the place that I live, especially as I begin to raise my own family here.”