25 People to Watch

With his impeccable manners and soft British accent, Anand Pallegar, 29, the founder and president of atLarge, Inc., and interactive advertising agency, has irresistable charm. Pallegar moved to Sarasota in 2004 to be near family while recuperating from a near-fatal car accident, then decided he didn't want to return to Detroit, where he had a web business. He launched the region's first daily business e-newsletter and began designing marketing campaigns using new Web strategies. Pallegar's IT reputation leapfrogged this year when he won the big-deal International Davey Award out of 4,000 applicants for his Sarasota Film Festival online campaign and another international award for his work with the Sarasota Film Commission. His company has averaged 95 percent annual growth since 2004, and he added seven staff in 2007, for a total of 10. On his wish list? Medical school. "I see the convergence of technology and medicine as a frontier for developing future cures," he says.