Ad Pitches Raise Business Community's Suspicions

For a nominal fee, local businesses were recently offered an ad spot that would be flashed on a big flat screen in front of hundreds of patrons at .

Several Dunedin merchants grew suspicious after receiving persistent emails and phone calls from a business called Creative Indoor Marketing, which represented the popular Bayshore Boulevard restaurant and bar. Keith Lawrence, marketing manager at Creative Indoor Marketing, began calling and emailing merchants late last week offering special deals to Dunedin Chamber of Commerce members.

Chamber President Lynn Wargo issued this statement in a Nov. 16 email blast to members:

“Our Chamber is not affiliated in any way with Creative Indoor Marketing (or any similar name) nor have we endorsed any advertising sales or opportunities.”

New owner Chris Pravetz said he had been working with Keith Muchler from Creative Indoor Marketing. He did not recognize the name Keith Lawrence, he said.

“We didn’t authorize anyone to harass other businesses,” Pravetz said.

Muchler said he is honoring a contract he has with Pravetz and his wife, Pam, who co-owns the business, and that two TVs will be installed at Eddie's on Saturday. He said ads for 12 local businesses are scheduled to air on a 20-minute loop. The former owner, Muchler said, had a contract for two TVs, but the new owners did not wish to honor it, so he issued a new one.

"It ain't a scam if I have a contract," Muchler said. "I don't want Eddie's stuck in the middle of this ... because of what one person says.

"We're helping out small businesses, too," Muchler said.

When reached by phone, Keith Lawrence said he is an appointment setter for Keith Muchler's business.

"I had sent a bunch of emails to several businesses," Lawrence said. "We've been open about a year, and it's been working out quite well for some people."

Lawrence said Creative Indoor Marketing has done advertising for many area businesses, including and Midtown Sundries in St. Petersburg, the in Clearwater and Anytime Fitness in Palm Harbor.

Muchler's St. Petersburg-based business is registered with the state as Creative Indoor Advertising LLC.

Dunedin Patch contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office regarding past or pending investigations involving any of those names, but the information was not readily available. The business did not turn up in online searches of complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau in West Florida or the Pinellas County Department of Consumer Services.

Muchler was sued by a former employer last year for starting a competing business, according to a Nov. 7, 2010, report in the St. Petersburg Times. Muchler told the Times that he quit his former job at Advantage Indoor Advertising and went on his own selling ads for placement in restrooms at Tropicana Field.

"He said he thought this was not a violation of the noncompete agreement with Advantage because he didn't try to sell ad space at restaurants and bars, which is Advantage's main focus," the Times reported. He later started "selling ad space at Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill and the Green Iguana Bar & Grill, which had been Advantage customers," according to the Times.

Eddie's will celebrate its grand reopening Friday, Saturday and Sunday.