Boca Grande magazine makes debut on island

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - The newest publication to hit P.O. boxes in Boca Grande this year is called Boca Grande Magazine, which will be published quarterly by a North Port advertising company, ROI Media.

An acronym for “Return On Investment,” the advertising company is owned by Danette and Adam Bartolotta. They also publish North Port Magazine and several other periodicals, such as a local Parade of Homes Showcase and some chamber of commerce directories.

The advertising agency also does some radio, television and web site work.

Adam said he has been in the off-island area for more than 25 years, and has been doing graphic design and marketing for the past two decades. He started his first advertising company in 2001.

Danette is a fifth-generation Floridian, whose family originally comes from Jacksonville. Her grandparents, she said, lived in the Sarasota area for more than 40 years and she moved to North Port in 1983.

“I have spent a lot of time in Boca Grande with my family, we created a lot of good memories,” she said. “We want to bring awareness of the unique environment and the comfort people have when they live and vacation there.”

The first issue of the magazine came out on February 12, and the next will be out in the second week of March. It will feature tidbits on the history of the island and more.

According to the owners, the magazine will focus on the lifestyle of Boca Grande, thereby giving it a longer shelf life. It will be on newsstands in the Charlotte County area and parts of Sarasota County.

Matt Mativi, the agency’s director of sales and marketing, said they are here to support the businesses and residents of the island.

“We work with a lot of non-profits, and we know that Boca Grande has a big heart,” he said.