What does an industrial designer who creates products for companies all over the world have in common with an attorney who's strengthening the local community through his work with the Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce? They're both among our 25 People to Watch-a bright crop of entrepreneurial visionaries whose bold, and sometimes controversial, civic energy is fueling our humming economy. If you don't recognize their names and faces, we guarantee you will in the months and years to come.

As this is our inaugural People to Watch story, we were delighted at the overwhelming number of responses we received from the ballot in our March issue, and from numerous e-mails and phone calls from a variety of business leaders. An editorial panel met to deliberate and argue over each name until, at long last, these 25 emerged as the folks you should add to your address book if you want to stay in the loop.

Rob Brady

Rob Brady's industrial designs are futuristic-check out Vectrix, an electric scooter marketed in Italy-and so is his company, RoBrady Designs, which has headquarters in Manatee. RoBrady's engineers and designers work around the clock in China, England, Italy, Poland and all over the United States to design everything from boats to medical therapy devices and fishing accessories. Now the workaholic Brady, 42, is launching a new venture, Armorit, to design products for the military and government. "I feel so fortunate to be alive and active in industrial design in 2006," he says. "I can't imagine it being any more exciting."

Jim Delgado

One of Jim Delgado's ancestors came to this country in 1598 from Puerto Rico, and his family tree has long included successful professionals, so he's somewhat bemused when people say, "Your family must be so proud that you went to school." President of the Gulf Coast Latin Chamber of Commerce and METV (Manatee Educational Television), Delgado, 39, often speaks to young immigrants about hard work and assimilation into America. "These kids turn on the TV and hear that they are criminals and their parents should be deported. They need to see someone successful who shares their culture and their last name," he says.

Cherie DiNoia

Cherie DiNoia, 33, says her idea of light reading is "empowerment stuff," but her belly laugh reveals her joyful, industrious approach to all her ventures-Sarasota Green Connection, Shelby Financial Group, which specializes in socially responsible investing, Green Homes Now, Orion Technology and UNIFEM. "It's all about sustainability. It's about empowering people to do for themselves and make a society where nobody gets left out." In her spare time, DiNoia is opening Thyme for Dinner, a franchise where busy families can pick up the fixings for a home-cooked dinner. That's important to DiNoia, whose one-year-old son, Rafaele, recently accompanied her on her project-related travels to five countries.

Frank DiGiovanni

Ten months after launching Boat-Chek.com, Frank DiGiovanni, 32, already likens his Web site to those of Internet titans CARFAX and Google. Based in Sarasota, Boat-Chek hires certified marine surveyors-who cannot work for buyers or sellers directly-to inspect and rate new and used boats as far away as England. "It's like MLS with truth serum," says DiGiovanni of the site, which now draws 40,000 unique visitors every month. The former financial adviser believes that, like Google, Boat-Chek is innovative enough to thrive without a marketing budget. "By this time next year, word will be out nationwide," he says.

Keith Dubose

Sarasota native Keith Dubose, 34, returned home in 1996 and immediately emerged as a leader. The only black partner in a major area law firm, the Matthews, Eastmoore, Hardy, Crauwels and Garcia attorney spearheads the Sarasota County Bar Association's diversity committee and volunteers for SCOPE, United Way and public schools. A graduate of Duke University and the University of Florida School of Law, Dubose is often mentioned as a possible candidate for public office. "I won't say it's not a possibility," says the husband and father of two young children. "I like to give back and I don't know how to say no."

Meghan and Andrew Foley

Meghan and Andrew Foley were raised in downtown Sarasota, where their father, the late Jay Foley, renovated several historic buildings, which probably helped spur their recent purchase of Sarasota News & Books, a popular downtown landmark. Organized and low-key, Meghan, 27, manages the shop. Andrew, 24, the extrovert and idea man, is a board member of the Young Professionals Group, active in the Downtown Partnership and lives across the street from the bookstore, in the Orange Blossom building his father restored. He's also a passionate spokesperson for workforce housing. "We definitely want to continue being a big part of the community," says Meghan.