Why we built THE 772: the Treasure Coast has more business stories to tell

Spend enough time on social media around the Treasure Coast and you’ll learn pretty quickly where to get brunch, which restaurant just opened and where to spend Saturday afternoon.

That’s useful.

But it’s only a small part of what’s happening here.

Behind the restaurants, beaches and new developments is a business community that’s much larger, and much more interesting, than most people realize.

There are manufacturers making products in Fort Pierce. Contractors building companies from the ground up in Port St. Lucie. Marine businesses serving customers far beyond Florida. Family businesses that have operated here for generations. Healthcare companies, technology firms, trades, professional services, startups and entrepreneurs building businesses most of their neighbors have never heard of.

Those are the stories we want to tell.

Welcome to THE 772

THE 772 is a digital business publication dedicated to the people, companies and ideas shaping Florida’s Treasure Coast.

Our focus is intentionally local: Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Jensen Beach, Vero Beach and the communities that make up the broader 772.

We’re not trying to cover all of Florida. We want to understand what’s happening here.

Business is more interesting than people think

Business coverage doesn’t have to mean earnings reports, stock prices and corporate press releases. Sometimes the better story is much closer to home.

• Who owns the company with 40 trucks you see around town?
• What happens inside that industrial building you’ve passed for years?
• How did a local contractor go from working alone to employing dozens of people?
• What’s actually being manufactured on the Treasure Coast?
• Why is a national company opening a facility here?
• Who are the entrepreneurs betting on this region?
• And what will all the construction happening around us eventually become?

Those are business stories too. And they’re the stories THE 772 was created to find.

What we’ll cover

Inside the 772 takes you behind the scenes of local companies.

Meet the Owner introduces the people behind Treasure Coast businesses.

Built in the 772 highlights companies manufacturing, building and creating things here.

How They Built It explores how local businesses grew.

New to the 772 follows companies, employers and developments entering the market.

The 772 Report covers business news, construction, expansion, jobs and economic activity affecting the region.

And sometimes we’ll simply find a company you’ve probably passed dozens of times and answer one question: what do they actually do in there?

This isn’t a pay-to-play directory

We want to establish something early. Businesses do not have to pay THE 772 to be interesting.

Some companies we cover may advertise or sponsor content. When something is sponsored, we’ll label it as sponsored. Our editorial coverage will also include businesses simply because we think their stories deserve to be told.

That distinction matters. We want readers to discover companies they didn’t know existed, not just companies that bought an advertisement. You can read our full editorial standards here.

We want your help finding them

We’re starting with our own research, but some of the best business stories on the Treasure Coast probably aren’t sitting in a press release.

They’re known by employees. Customers. Neighbors. Other business owners.

Maybe it’s the family business that’s been quietly operating for 35 years. Maybe someone started a company in their garage and now employs 20 people. Maybe there’s a manufacturer producing something you’d never expect to be made in Fort Pierce. Maybe there’s an entrepreneur building something nobody around here has tried before.

We want to know about them. If there’s a business, entrepreneur or company in the 772 that you think deserves a closer look, send it our way or message @the772fl.

THE 772 is just getting started. But the businesses we’re here to cover have been building the Treasure Coast for a long time.

It’s time more people knew their stories. Get them every week in The 772 Business Brief.