Doyle Carlton

TAMPA BAY BUSINESS & WEALTH JANUARY 2020 | TBBWMAG.COM | $7.95

DOYLE CARLTON A FAMILY FRONTIER TBBW Magazine, please contact Bridgette Bello at 727-860-TBBW To inquire about advertising opportunities for To Dustin Johnson World #3

Cr edit M atth ew B eri na to

Brooks Koepka World #1

Chris Young

with special guests Big & Rich

Make it a day with Brooks & DJ! The world’s #1 and #3 ranked players — plus a few of country music’s ﬁnest — roll into Tampa Bay, March 16 – 22! New premium, on-course food experiences and drinks, activities, family fun and more that your clients, partners and co-workers are sure to enjoy. Visit ValsparChampionship.com for hospitality, suite, packages and ticket options.

INNISBROOK RESORT | MARCH 16 – 22

The Most Colorful PGA TOUR® Tournament in the World

Players subject to appear. 2 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com

val_41925_01_TBBW_January_8p375x10p875_M.indd 1 11/25/19 5:05 PM AMERICA’S FASTEST-RISING UNIVERSITY According to U.S. News & World Report TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 One Liners 24 Feature Florida Polytechnic University 26 Proﬁ le Artmeis Emslie Goes Red for Women 30 Gasparilla Fun and Philanthropy 32 THE PLAYERS preview 34 Travel COVER SeaDreamers From TBBW 36 Great Places and Spaces 6 Publisher’s Note STORY 42 The Good Life 54 Hispanic 18 Doyle Carlton, III Business Summit 46 Mansions on the Market 58 Women of Inﬂ uence: 47 20 Questions Leadership in Sports With … Jim Eisch 62 CEO Connect 50 On the Scene with Michael Lundy 66 Ask The Experts 10 18 34 50 54 58

4 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com TABLE OF CONTENTS

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 5 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER THE HR

CEO & Publisher Bridgette Bello Another Year, Another Adventure Awaits BY BRIDGETTE BELLO GAME Welcome to 2020 dear TBBW readers. As the holidays wind escape.” There is nothing I don’t love about that sentence! down, and the New Year takes off at full throttle, I hope we all take SeaDream Yacht Club offers small ships and was named a deep breath and think strategically about how we will grow our a Travel & Leisure magazine “World’s Best” winner offering a businesses this year. And as resolutions go, they typically don’t yachting adventure, rather than a cruise. last long, so make them matter! We’re big football fans here at TBBW and we know all too well If getting out to more events is on your resolution list, then the football withdrawal depression that sets in this time of year. read on! The seasons go by too fast for us fans! CHANGER Experiences are top of mind in this issue, and Tampa Bay has a But fear not, fans will be happy to know the Tampa Bay Vipers, lot of great ones coming up. From Gasparilla to golf, TBBW has Tampa’s new XFL team, starts their season in February. Be sure to it covered. We truly do live in an amazing community with no go out and support the new franchise as another beloved Tampa shortage of things to do. Bay team. Inspired by the legend of swashbuckling pirate Jose Gaspar, We had Julie Wyman, director of business operations from the a Spanish buccaneer who is said to have sailed the waters of Tampa Bay Vipers on a recent Women of Influence: Leadership in Southwest Florida in the early 1800s, Ye Mystic Krewe was Sports panel at AdventHealth Training Center at One Buc Place. founded in 1904 to promote the region’s trade and tourism She, along with our other amazing panelists, shared what it’s like IS HERE industries. to be a woman working in a largely male-dominated sports world. What you might not know is that the krewe quietly goes about Bringing it back home, as you make your plans to visit the helping the community all year. It founded a community fund in Florida State Fair, make sure to stop and see Cracker Country. Insperity has put down roots in Tampa, and our team is ready 1998 that since its inception has awarded over $890,000 in college Don’t know what that is? I didn’t either until I met Doyle scholarships to Tampa high school students. Carlton, III. to redefine everything you thought you knew about Looking ahead to upcoming golf tournaments, we asked the Talk about a story untold! His family goes back at least seven Valspar Championship to partner with us on this month’s Good generations in Florida, predominately known for cattle ranching HR outsourcing. Life section to share with readers some of the must-have items and and also their previous positions in politics. Carlton also is chair experiences to splurge on during the tournament at Innisbrook. for the Florida State Fair Authority which is gearing up for the If you’ve set your travel sites a little further from home, 2020 annual Florida State Fair. FULL-SERVICE HR | EMPLOYEE BENEFITS | HR TECHNOLOGY we’ve got a preview of all you need to know to prepare for THE Most people think of the fattening fried food offerings, or the PLAYERS Championship up in Ponte Vedra Beach. rides, but really it’s another major economic driver in the state and THE PLAYERS Championship officially kicks off golf’s 2020 our region. We love highlighting the untold stories that matter, insperity.com | 813.534.0642 Season of Championships in March. and this one does! Several new additions of note for the 2020 event include the We hope you enjoy reading his story as much as we did hearing installation of express lanes at the tournament entries to provide him tell it. a quicker, more seamless entry process for all fans, as well as Happy Roaring 2020 everyone! Here’s to making it the best the move to mobile-only for all tickets, including day-specific year ever! Stadium Pass tickets. Contributing Travel Writer Cindy Cockburn takes you on a Bridgette Bello yacht cruise through the Mediterranean and the French Riviera. CEO & Publisher She describes the trip as a “caviar and champagne, stress-free Tampa Bay Business & Wealth

6 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER THE HR

VICE-PRESIDENT/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jason Baker [email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR Jo-Lynn Brown [email protected]

MARKETING ASSOCIATE Charlsey Greiwe [email protected]

COPY EDITOR Jason Davis

Creative CREATIVE DIRECTOR Melanie Smit

ART DIRECTORS Alexander Hernandez, Frank Papandrea, Evelyn Suarez Writers Cindy Cockburn, Graham Colton, Amy Hammond, Jim Marshall, Sara Maudlin Feldman, Photographers Mike Dupre, Michael McCoy, Maya Mouis, Dorothy Smith with Mamarazzi Foto

CONTROLLER Dana F. Fahlbusch dfahlbusch@lmgﬂ .com

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CHAIRMAN Gary Press [email protected]

TBBW Magazine

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Manage Your TBBW Subscription Is TBBW arriving in your ofﬁ ce with an outdated subscription label? Contact Monica St. Omer at [email protected] to give us updated information, such as a new executive or someone no longer with your organization. Visit tbbwmag.com to see our digital content and sign up for our weekly newsletter ©2018 TBBW magazine is published by Lifestyle Media Group, all rights reserved. TBBW is a monthly advertising magazine. All contents are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without written consent from the publisher. The advertiser is solely responsible for ad content and holds publisher harmless from any error.

8 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com Advance Your Career in the New Year Our newest academic facility is designed to educate the future leaders in health care by providing innovative learning environments where our students will gain career-changing knowledge and apply this in ways that will serve the community.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Doctor of Physical Therapy Master of Athletic Training Master of Physician Assistant Science Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Science Occupational Therapy Doctorate Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate

FIND OUT MORE AND GROW WITH US GANNON.EDU/RUSKINFL www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 9 ►The Tampa Museum of Art received a $5 million endowment from the Vinik Family Foundation that will name and support the executive director’s leadership position, which will now be called the Penny and Jeff Vinik Roger Martin Gessie Lipscomb Carla Schoolfi eld Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art. ► Carla Schoolfi eld, Lipscomb, Roger Martin Centennial Financial Services, the wealth management and fi nancial services team of Centennial Bank, has added Roger Martin and Gessie Lipscomb as fi nancial advisers and Carla Schoolfi eld as business development offi cer to its Tampa offi ce.

►The University of Institute, which will allow ►ConnectWise, a South Florida has a collaborative efforts in software company ►Seminole►Seminole HardHard RockRock HotelHotel && CasinoCasino TampaTampa namednamed EvanEvan LeutwilerLeutwiler asas chefchef dede cuisinecuisine atat PoolPool BarBar && GrillGrill,, thethe newnew poolsidepoolside $1 million partnership innovative research, in Tampa, acquired diningdining destinationdestination affiaffi liatedliated withwith thethe recentrecent unveilingunveiling ofof thethe resort’sresort’s newestnewest hotel,hotel, diningdining andand gaminggaming expansion.expansion. with Jabil to launch the community engagement Continuum and ITBoost USF Jabil Innovation and talent development and entered into a with the College of strategic partnership with ►Rebekah Nault, an investment services fi rm Engineering and Muma Webinfi nity. account manager at with offi ces throughout College of Business. PBX-Change in Tampa, the United States and ►Vector Solutions, was appointed honorary Canada, facilitated the ►Mainsail Lodging & an online education, ►Sheila Kinman commander for MacDill sale of Hampton Terrace, Development named safety, compliance and joined the Community Air Force Base’s Sixth a 16-unit apartment Jill Lemaster as the performance-optimization Foundation of Tampa Air Mobility Wing’s property located in Tampa, company’s fi rst chief services company in Bay’s leadership team ONE LINERS hillsborough communications squadron. which sold for $1.79 fi nancial offi cer and Tom Tampa, named Scott as senior vice president million. Stoffo as director of Rosenberg as its chief of philanthropy. ►Tampa-based labor technology. fi nancial offi cer. and employment law fi rm ►Proof Network Johnson Jackson added Ventures, a technology lawyer Colby Ellis to its development and data team. services company serving ►MGT Consulting the global alcoholic Group, a public sector ►ReliaQuest, a beverage industry, has management consulting cybersecurity fi rm in rebranded with a new and technology services Tampa, made three name and website. company in Tampa, ►The Tampa appointments to its named Carla Luke chief Bay Economic executive leadership ►DOW Electronics, a fi nancial offi cer. Development Council, team: Ken Smith, as chief consumer electronics formerly the Tampa revenue offi cer, Kristy distributor based in Hillsborough Economic Ayala, as vice president Tampa, reached an compliance fi rm, opened its Development Corp., of demand generation, agreement with BDC fi rst international offi ce, in named Marie Chinnici- and Seth Goldhammer, as Distributors to acquire Sofi a, Bulgaria. Everitt, managing vice president of product certain assets of the director and chief marketing. Westbury, New York- ►Carlton Fields added marketing offi cer of The based distributor. white-collar crime attorney Depository Trust & ►Erika Zipfel Matscherz of the Dikman Co. represented a private investor in the purchase of Park ►Marcus & Millichap Simon Gaugush to its Clearing Corp., the new 6, a six-building, 184,500-square-foot fl ex industrial property at 11902 to 12402 Race Track Road, (NYSE: MMI), a ►A-lign, a Tampa-based Tampa offi ce, in an of board chair. Tampa, which sold for $16 million. commercial real estate cybersecurity and privacy counsel role. 10 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com ►The Tampa Museum of Art received a $5 million endowment from the Vinik Family Foundation that will name and support the executive director’s leadership position, which will now be called the Penny and Jeff Vinik Roger Martin Gessie Lipscomb Carla Schoolfi eld Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art. ► Carla Schoolfi eld, Lipscomb, Roger Martin Centennial Financial Services, the wealth management and fi nancial services team of Centennial Bank, has added Roger Martin and Gessie Lipscomb as fi nancial advisers and Carla Schoolfi eld as business development offi cer to its Tampa offi ce.

►The University of Institute, which will allow ►ConnectWise, a South Florida has a collaborative efforts in software company ►Seminole►Seminole HardHard RockRock HotelHotel && CasinoCasino TampaTampa namednamed EvanEvan LeutwilerLeutwiler asas chefchef dede cuisinecuisine atat PoolPool BarBar && GrillGrill,, thethe newnew poolsidepoolside $1 million partnership innovative research, in Tampa, acquired diningdining destinationdestination affiaffi liatedliated withwith thethe recentrecent unveilingunveiling ofof thethe resort’sresort’s newestnewest hotel,hotel, diningdining andand gaminggaming expansion.expansion. with Jabil to launch the community engagement Continuum and ITBoost USF Jabil Innovation and talent development and entered into a with the College of strategic partnership with ►Rebekah Nault, an investment services fi rm Engineering and Muma Webinfi nity. account manager at with offi ces throughout College of Business. PBX-Change in Tampa, the United States and ►Vector Solutions, was appointed honorary Canada, facilitated the ►Mainsail Lodging & an online education, ►Sheila Kinman commander for MacDill sale of Hampton Terrace, Development named safety, compliance and joined the Community Air Force Base’s Sixth a 16-unit apartment Jill Lemaster as the performance-optimization Foundation of Tampa Air Mobility Wing’s property located in Tampa, company’s fi rst chief services company in Bay’s leadership team ONE LINERS hillsborough communications squadron. which sold for $1.79 fi nancial offi cer and Tom Tampa, named Scott as senior vice president million. Stoffo as director of Rosenberg as its chief of philanthropy. ►Tampa-based labor technology. fi nancial offi cer. and employment law fi rm ►Proof Network Johnson Jackson added Ventures, a technology lawyer Colby Ellis to its development and data team. services company serving ►MGT Consulting the global alcoholic Group, a public sector ►ReliaQuest, a beverage industry, has management consulting cybersecurity fi rm in rebranded with a new and technology services Tampa, made three name and website. company in Tampa, ►The Tampa appointments to its named Carla Luke chief Bay Economic executive leadership ►DOW Electronics, a fi nancial offi cer. Development Council, team: Ken Smith, as chief consumer electronics formerly the Tampa revenue offi cer, Kristy distributor based in Hillsborough Economic Ayala, as vice president Tampa, reached an compliance fi rm, opened its Development Corp., of demand generation, agreement with BDC fi rst international offi ce, in named Marie Chinnici- and Seth Goldhammer, as Distributors to acquire Sofi a, Bulgaria. Everitt, managing vice president of product certain assets of the director and chief marketing. Westbury, New York- ►Carlton Fields added marketing offi cer of The based distributor. white-collar crime attorney Depository Trust & ►Erika Zipfel Matscherz of the Dikman Co. represented a private investor in the purchase of Park ►Marcus & Millichap Simon Gaugush to its Clearing Corp., the new 6, a six-building, 184,500-square-foot fl ex industrial property at 11902 to 12402 Race Track Road, (NYSE: MMI), a ►A-lign, a Tampa-based Tampa offi ce, in an of board chair. Tampa, which sold for $16 million. commercial real estate cybersecurity and privacy counsel role. www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 11 ►Leisa Erickson, license partner and broker of ►Children of the late, long-time Pinellas and Marion County E ngel & Völkers St. Pete, has been inducted into the developer Sidney Colen have established the Ina A. Colen luxury real estate company’s private offi ce network, Endowed Fund for Patient Care through the Suncoast successfully passing the company’s competitive vetting ►Gates►Gates ConstructionConstruction,, basedbased inin BonitaBonita Springs,Springs, waswas awardedawarded thethe contractcontract toto buildbuild DocDoc Ford’sFord’s RumRum BarBar && GrilleGrille atat thethe newnew Hospice Foundation in honor of their mother. and nomination process. St.St. PetePete PierPier,, setset toto openopen inin thethe spring.spring. ► Tampa Bay Watch, ident and credit manager, project at 4652 Miramar ► Barbara Karasek, CEO a nonprofi t organization Susan Doll as senior vice Drive in St. Petersburg for of Paradise Advertising, a ► Valley Bank is partnering tributing a $10,000 gift, which to 1754 Properties Group, dedicated to the protection president and commercial $85.14 million. full-service agency head- with the Pinellas Education will be matched one-to-one a Coral Gables-based hotel and restoration of the Tampa lender, Cheryl Holly as quartered in downtown St. Foundation to help fund by the Frances Stavros operator. Bay estuary, appointed two vice president and branch ► The Eckerd College Petersburg, was honored scholarships for students in Career Education Endow- new executive-level staff manager, and Renee Jones Board of Trustees voted as one of 30 executives to the Foundation’s “Youth ment Fund, bringing the total ► Johns Hopkins All members, including Dwayne as vice president of treasury unanimously on to elect receive 2019 Cynopsis

ONE LINERS pinellas Connect” program by con- scholarship fund to $20,000. Children’s Hospital in St. Virgint, executive director management. Damian J. Fernandez as Digital “IT List” Award Petersburg and Golisa- of the Tampa Bay Watch the fi fth president of Eckerd recognition. ► Kathleen Walters, a no Children’s Hospital Discovery Center, and ► The Clearwater Marine College in St. Petersburg, retired executive at Geor- of Southwest Florida, in Leanna Jackson, director Aquarium named Richard effective July 1, 2020. gia-Pacifi c, was named Fort Myers, entered into of development for the orga- “Dick” Regan as chief to the board of directors an agreement that will give nization. fi nancial offi cer. ► Offi ce Pride Commer- of Jabil, a St. Peters- providers at both locations cial in Palm Harbor Clean- burg-based manufacturing access to medical privi- ► Freedom Bank, in St. ► General Services, based ing Services named Jeff services provider. leges to admit and treat Petersburg, named Jason in Richmond, Virginia ac- McMullen as chief fi nancial patients. Hatcher as senior vice pres- quired a 330-unit apartment offi cer. ► Marcus & Millichap (NYSE: MMI), a commercial ► John Harris, the ex- real estate investment ser- ecutive chef and food and vices fi rm, facilitated the sale beverage director at the of the Sunset Point Portfo- Sheraton Sand Key Re- lio, a 24-unit, four-property sort in Clearwater Beach, apartment portfolio located in is retiring after 30 years. Clearwater, which includes Alpine Road Apartments, ► RCS Pinellas’ board located at 2035 and 2045 Al- of directors voted in new pine Road and Spring Lane members, including Lonnie Apartments, located at 1426 Brewer, director of talent and 1428 Spring Lane. management for global functions at Tech Data; ► Our World Class Violin Lisa Johnson, senior vice shop has opened at 4155 president and chief nursing ►Pelican Bay Limited, a Fifth Ave N., St. Petersburg. offi cer of BayCare Health Dunedin-based mixing, recipe ►Melissa Rutland, owner and broker of commercial Systems; and Erik Smith, development and packaging real estate brokerage Rutland Florida Gulf Group, ► TradeWinds Island managing member of In- ►In collaboration with St. Petersburg College’s Workforce Institute, PowerTown secured company that serves the food was elected the 2020 St. Petersburg Development Resorts, a St. Pete Beach clusivity (formerly Carlton a $367,500 quick response training grant from CareerSource Florida, which will allow the industry, named Greg Kathan its Review Commission chair by the commission. group of properties, was sold Consulting). company to hire and train 100 new electrical workers over the next year. production manager.

12 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com ►Leisa Erickson, license partner and broker of ►Children of the late, long-time Pinellas and Marion County E ngel & Völkers St. Pete, has been inducted into the developer Sidney Colen have established the Ina A. Colen luxury real estate company’s private ofﬁ ce network, Endowed Fund for Patient Care through the Suncoast successfully passing the company’s competitive vetting ►Gates►Gates ConstructionConstruction,, basedbased inin BonitaBonita Springs,Springs, waswas awardedawarded thethe contractcontract toto buildbuild DocDoc Ford’sFord’s RumRum BarBar && GrilleGrille atat thethe newnew Hospice Foundation in honor of their mother. and nomination process. St.St. PetePete PierPier,, setset toto openopen inin thethe spring.spring. ► Tampa Bay Watch, ident and credit manager, project at 4652 Miramar ► Barbara Karasek, CEO a nonproﬁ t organization Susan Doll as senior vice Drive in St. Petersburg for of Paradise Advertising, a ► Valley Bank is partnering tributing a $10,000 gift, which to 1754 Properties Group, dedicated to the protection president and commercial $85.14 million. full-service agency head- with the Pinellas Education will be matched one-to-one a Coral Gables-based hotel and restoration of the Tampa lender, Cheryl Holly as quartered in downtown St. Foundation to help fund by the Frances Stavros operator. Bay estuary, appointed two vice president and branch ► The Eckerd College Petersburg, was honored scholarships for students in Career Education Endow- new executive-level staff manager, and Renee Jones Board of Trustees voted as one of 30 executives to the Foundation’s “Youth ment Fund, bringing the total ► Johns Hopkins All members, including Dwayne as vice president of treasury unanimously on to elect receive 2019 Cynopsis

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 13 French Mediterranean restaurant, Blasé Bistro & Martini Bar, at 1920 Hillview St. in Sarasota’s Southside Village.

►Craft beer and pizza restaurant Oak & Stone opened its downtown ►Michael Saunders & Co. was named the exclusive listing broker for Epoch, an Bradenton location 18-story condominium tower under construction in downtown Sarasota. at 1201 First Ave. W., in the SpringHill Suites hotel.

Pictured (left to right): National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward Jr., TREE Foundation Founder & ►Stratum Health System, ►Sarasota lawyer Ben support victims of human ►The Hermitage Artist Executive Director Margaret Lowman, incoming TREE Foundation Board Member Michael Dexter and in Sarasota, parent Sorrell, an associate with traffi cking. Retreat in Englewood incoming TREE Foundation President Elizabeth Moore. company of Tidewell the law fi rm of Syprett named Leslie Edwards Hospice and other health Meshad, has been ►iTNSunCoast, a president of its board of ► Sarasota conservationist and philanthropist Elizabeth Moore has been named president of the TREE care subsidiaries, named appointed to the Realtor- nonprofi t transportation trustees. Foundation, an international nonprofi t organization based in Sarasota dedicated to tree and forest research, Debbie Mason executive attorney joint committee of service serving Sarasota exploration, education and conservation across the globe. vice president/chief the Realtor Association of and Manatee counties, ►New College philanthropy offi cer. Sarasota and Manatee. named Bill Carter its Foundation in Sarasota executive director. named two new members ►Tableseide Restaurant ►Norman Love an outdoor patio, opposite ►Paradise Ventures ►JBCC Development to its board of directors, Group opened a Lakewood Confections will open the California Pizza Kitchen, purchased Cortez has purchased 1.75 acres ►Cindy Breslin and Monica Van Buskirk and Ranch location of Libby’s company’s sixth “chocolate along Cattlemen Road. West at 6310 Cortez of land on the northwest Kevin Skiest opened a Charles Raeburn. Neighborhood Brasserie salon” at University Town Road W., Bradenton, corner of Bradenton Road at 8445 Lorraine Road in Center in a 2,000-square- ►St. Petersburg-based a 27,278-square-foot and University Parkway in University Corner. foot end-cap space with W3 Insurance opened a neighborhood retail center Sarasota for $1.5 million. Sarasota location at 2000 anchored by Fifth Third Webber St., Suite 100. Bank and J.P. Morgan ►Galin McGowan, a Chase. graduate of the C.G. ►New College Jung Institute in Zurich Foundation, in Sarasota, ►Sarasota Manatee and a practicing Jungian

ONE LINERS sarasota/manatee named Kevin Hughes Association for Riding analyst in Sarasota, has its new associate vice Therapy received a $3,000 been named president of president of advancement. grant from the Lakewood the board of directors for Ranch Community the C.G. Jung Society of ►Realize Bradenton, a Fund of the Manatee Sarasota. nonprofi t that promotes Community Foundation, cultural and physical to be used to provide ►Congressman Vern development and partial and full scholarships Buchanan announced ►Sarasota lawyer ►Sarasota lawyer economic growth in for therapeutic riding, and that the Sarasota-based John D. Dumbaugh Amanda King, a downtown Bradenton, equine assisted learning nonprofi t organization, celebrated his 45th partner in the law fi rm of appointed Karen Corbin sessions, to children with Selah Freedom, has anniversary of Florida Syprett Meshad, has ►Jeremiah Robinson, a career development facilitator with Goodwill as the organization’s fi rst disabilities in the Lakewood been awarded more Bar membership and as been certifi ed by the Manasota’s veterans services program, was honored with the Hero of the development director. Ranch area. than $750,000 by the part of the law fi rm of Florida Supreme Court Month award, recognizing his extraordinary service on behalf of veterans. Department of Justice to Syprett Meshad. as a family mediator.

14 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com French Mediterranean restaurant, Blasé Bistro & Martini Bar, at 1920 Hillview St. in Sarasota’s Southside Village.

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 15 from Watson Clinic in Lakeland, were recognized as “surgeons of excellence” by the Surgical Review Corporation.

► The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce with fi ve- star accreditation for its policies, organizational procedures and impact on the community. ► The Southwest Florida Water Management ► Lakeland Linder District awarded $119,000 International Airport in grants, to 65 schools ► Hospitality veteran John ►Florida Polytechnic received an $8.5 million within the district, as part Loute was named general University in grant from the Federal of the Splash school grant manager of SpringHill Lakeland added Earl Aviation Administration, program, which provides Suites by Marriott in Sasser, a Harvard completing the pool of $27 up to $3,000 per school to Lakeland. professor emeritus, to million in combined funds enhance students grades ONE LINERS polk its board of trustees. needed to pay for fortifying K-12th, knowledge of ► Polk County Manager the airport’s main runway. freshwater resources. Bill Beasley appointed Chandra Frederick to the position of assistant county ►Amazon will occupy manager, overseeing the a 1.1 million-square- planning and development foot distribution center divisions. under development by Prologis on C. ► Board-certifi ed OB-GYN Fred Jones Boulevard, and female pelvic medicine south of Interstate 4, and reconstructive surgeon near the State Road Tarek G. Garas and board- 559 interchange in certifi ed general surgeon Auburndale. Anthony R. Zappia, both

► Access Church in Lakeland paid off $1.62-million worth of overdue medical bills for 1,315 families last week, in partnership with New York- based RIP Medical Debt.

► The City of Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency sold property in the Parker Street neighborhood to Green Mills Group, of Fort Lauderdale, for the construction of 80 ►Publix Supermarkets, based in Lakeland, announced that since 2009 it has donated more than $2 affordable apartments. billion in food to Feeding America-member food banks and has pledged to donate another $2 billion by 2030.

16 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com from Watson Clinic in Lakeland, were recognized as “surgeons of excellence” by the Surgical Review Corporation.

► The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded the * Lakeland Chamber of Meet Tampa Bay's Commerce with fi ve- Newest Tech Unicorn star accreditation for its policies, organizational and Top Workplace! procedures and impact on the community. ► The Southwest Florida KnowBe4 is one of the top-rated cybersecurity companies in the Tampa Bay area Water Management and is routinely voted top workplace, and best-in-class for its products and services. ► Lakeland Linder District awarded $119,000 International Airport in grants, to 65 schools AWARD-WINNING TOP WORKPLACE FOR 4 CONSECUTIVE YEARS ► Hospitality veteran John ►Florida Polytechnic received an $8.5 million within the district, as part Loute was named general University in grant from the Federal of the Splash school grant manager of SpringHill Lakeland added Earl Aviation Administration, program, which provides Suites by Marriott in Sasser, a Harvard completing the pool of $27 up to $3,000 per school to Lakeland. professor emeritus, to million in combined funds enhance students grades ONE LINERS polk its board of trustees. needed to pay for fortifying K-12th, knowledge of ► Polk County Manager the airport’s main runway. freshwater resources. Bill Beasley appointed 2016 2017 2018 2019 Chandra Frederick to the position of assistant county ►Amazon will occupy manager, overseeing the a 1.1 million-square- planning and development foot distribution center divisions. under development by Prologis on C. ► Board-certifi ed OB-GYN Fred Jones Boulevard, and female pelvic medicine south of Interstate 4, and reconstructive surgeon near the State Road Tarek G. Garas and board- 559 interchange in certifi ed general surgeon Auburndale. Anthony R. Zappia, both

► Access Church in Lakeland paid off $1.62-million worth of overdue medical bills for 1,315 families last week, in partnership with New York- based RIP Medical Debt. We've built a fun, proﬁtable company with an award-winning culture that continues to grow and shatter records. Check us out and see what you've been missing. ► The City of Lakeland Community Redevelopment Agency sold property in the Parker Visit: KnowBe4.com/yourbackyard Street neighborhood to Green Mills Group, of Fort Lauderdale, for the construction of 80 ►Publix Supermarkets, based in Lakeland, announced that since 2009 it has donated more than $2 affordable apartments. billion in food to Feeding America-member food banks and has pledged to donate another $2 billion by *A unicorn is a privately held startup company that is valued at $1 billion or more. 2030. © 2019 KnowBe4, Inc.

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 17 COVERCOVER STORYSTORY

DOYLE CARLTON’S WAY OF LIFE RANCHING, THE FLORIDA STATE FAIR AND A STRONG FAMILY BOND

BY JO-LYNN BROWN PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MCCOY

18 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com COVERCOVER STORYSTORY

DOYLE CARLTON’S WAY OF LIFE RANCHING, THE FLORIDA STATE FAIR AND A STRONG FAMILY BOND

BY JO-LYNN BROWN PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MCCOY

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 19 COVER STORY

Cattle ranching in Florida started nearly looking for a place that they could move their 500 years ago, most historians agree. family, establish a better lifestyle and to cre- While the Carlton family’s history doesn’t ate opportunities for the family.” go back quite that far, the family’s most re- Carlton graduated from Hardee High cent six generations have been in the ranch- School and later, graduated from Texas ing business and the next generation is on the Christian University’s ranch management path to continuing the family’s way of life. program. Roman III Ranches ranks 12th among After coming home from Texas, he met cattle numbers, out of the approximate 5,000 Debbie Hansel. They’ve recently celebrated cattle ranches in the state of Florida, accord- their 49th wedding anniversary. ing to the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. Debbie was no stranger to the ranching For some perspective on just how large lifestyle. She comes from an old Florida pio- this industry is in Florida, there are 4 million neer ranching family, Parker Brothers. acres of pastureland, and another million Their two children also work in the acres of grazed woodland, involved in cattle family business. Their daughter, Millie production in the state. Bolin, is offi ce manager for the ranch and The total breeding herd value in Florida grove operations, while their son, Dale, is more than $847 million and the annual manages Horse Creek Ranch’s day-to-day calf “crop” value is more than $400 million. activities and has involvement in all things Source 1 Solutions team members at the Stephen Siller event in Clearwater. All told, Florida’s beef cattle herd is valued ranching, Carlton says. in excess of $1 billion, according the Flori- Three of Carlton’s grandsons work on da Department of Agriculture & Consumer the ranch, one is still in junior high school, Services. and his granddaughter and her husband also Beef cattle sales and sales of breeding work on the ranch. stock generate more than $900 million annu- Talk about a family affair. ally in Florida. One of the hidden gems of the Tampa Bay Doyle Carlton III is not only the patriarch area that you’ve undoubtedly driven past, or of the Carlton family, and Roman III Ranch- walked past to get to a concert or the Florida es, he’s also the chairman of the board at the State Fair, is Cracker Country. Florida State Fair Authority. Established by Carlton’s parents in 1978, Carlton, typically humble and soft spo- Cracker Country was created to preserve the ken, is tight-lipped on fi nancials of his fam- pioneer history of Florida. One of the build- ily business but according to a story by The ings you can tour there is the 1885 home of Herald-Advocate newspaper in Wauchula his Carlton’s great grandfather, Albert Carl- from 1987, his father had amassed 60,000 ton. acres at that time, and the family still has cat- Busloads of children visit Cracker Coun- tle grazing on some of the property that was try during the year, and it’s open to the public obtained more than 100 years ago. during the Florida State Fair. If you haven’t Doyle Carlton, III, at Cracker Country on the Florida State Fairgrounds. This year marks the 60th year that the experienced it, you should. Carlton family has had stewardship over Carlton lights up when he talks about his Stewardship is a pivotal part of the Carl- heartburn, is actually a major fundraiser to the Florida State Fairgrounds, he’s spend- a deep-rooted foundation of Florida and a their Horse Creek Ranch in DeSoto County. parents creating this space. “The kids really ton way of life—from the ranch business, to help support and promote the state’s agri- ing time with his family and enjoying the symbolic of a way of life, perhaps forgot- love it,” he says, joyfully. the family’s views on community and pres- cultural industry. great outdoors. ten by some. TURN OF THE CENTURY ervation of land. “There’s a tremendous amount of agricul- He loves to quail hunt at Horse Creek Whether it’s watching the sun rise while Carlton was born to Doyle Carlton Jr. and THE CARLTON CODE At Roman III Ranches, the cattle’s nature involved in the fair,” Carlton says. “We Ranch, which doubles as the Carlton fam- herding cattle out in the Florida pastures or Mildred Carlton in 1947 in Tampa, but his When speaking to Carlton, it’s clear that tional value is a priority and the ranchers use will have somewhere around 1,500 to 2,000 ily’s gathering spot for Thanksgiving and taking a walk through Cracker Country to family lived in Wauchula. A quick Google honor means a lot to him but he’s also a mod- techniques to reduce stress in the cattle. They children exhibiting some type of livestock Christmas celebrations. He and Dale host remember where our ancestors started, the search brings up a number of stories, Wiki- est man, concerned with sounding righteous do this by working quietly, in small crews. this year and there will be probably about large groups of 25-30 people to spend the Carlton family hasn’t lost touch with those pedia pages and more on the family and their or pompous. “They take care of us, so we take care of 4,000 animals.” fi rst weekend of hunting season at the ranch. deep-rooted foundations. long history in Florida, which dates back to “There’s so much of my father and them,” Carlton says. In 2018, paid attendance to the fair was Carlton has taught Sunday school for 34 “I am tremendously blessed by the grace the 1800s. grandfather, beyond legacy, that I respect In addition, a part of the Carlton’s ranch more than 300,000 unique visitors, gener- years. “Some of the children I’ve taught are of God, good planning by my ancestors and In fact, Carlton’s grandfather was elected and appreciate,” he says. “One of the property is distinguished as WRP Conserva- ating more than $152 million in economic grown up and bring their children now,” a continuing appreciation and love for the governor of Florida in 1928. most-noted mobsters, Al Capone, once tion easement, meaning the land is never to impact in Florida, according to an economic Carlton says. He also has coached football in business we are in and the lifestyle that ac- “I’m the seventh generation in my family. told my granddad that if he would sign a be commercially developed. impact study done by the Tampa Bay Re- Hardee County for 26 years. companies it,” Carlton says. “The fact that My ancestors migrated down from the Caro- certain legislation, for gambling, that his gional Planning Council in 2019. In 2019, the generations after me love, and have the linas, through Georgia and ended up in what signature would be worth $100,000. My THE FAIR FACTOR the State Fair had about 500,000 unique visi- REMEMBERING THE PAST same passion for our business as my gen- is now called Hardee County,” Carlton says. grandfather’s response was, ‘If it’s worth What’s also commonly overlooked is that tors, according to Carlton. With technology in our faces at all times eration and the ones that preceeded me is a “They were looking for the promised land. It that much to you, just think of how much the Florida State Fair, while it brings in rides When Carlton isn’t putting in time on and the world seemingly moving faster tremoundous blessing. Prayerfully, that will wasn’t a biblical promised land but they were it’s worth to me. I think I’ll keep it.’ ” to make your spin and food to give you the ranch, or involved with the business of around us as the years pass by, ranching is be sustained.” ♦

20 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com COVER STORY

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 21 SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION

RICK THOMAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THOMAS FINANCIAL ARE YOU AND YOUR MOST VALUABLE EMPLOYEES REALLY PROTECTED IF THEY BECOME DISABLED? MIND THE GAP INDIVIDUAL DISABILITY INSURANCE Insurance planning For many highly paid executives, there is a significant gap between Individual Disability Insurance (IDI) is designed to help offset the loss their total compensation and the benefit they receive from their company’s of income following a disabling accident or illness. It complements the Long Term Disability plan. There are at least three areas that could lead group LTD coverage and can be used to help bring the highly compensated to a significant income shortfall. executives back up to full income replacement. for all your worth Group LTD Benefits Are Capped Individual disability plans cover many types of compensation, Most group LTD Plans have a monthly cap on how much they will including bonuses, incentives, and commission. Because the executive pay out if the employee becomes disabled. That cap is typically $5,000 pays, the benefits are not taxable, and they are not offset by Workers’ to $10,000 per month. Compensation or Social Security Disability Insurance payments. And 44 years of legendary service Benefit is Calculated on Salary, Not Total Compensation unlike many LTD policies, most IDI policies do not exclude preexisting Most group LTD plans do not cover bonus or incentive compensation. conditions if the insured has been actively working for 180 days prior to It’s not unusual for salary to represent less than half of a senior executive’s applying for coverage. total compensation. Individual disability policies are owned by the individual. That means Legendary service—it’s who we are. For 44 years, our clients have entrusted us Employer Paid Benefits Are Taxable that once the policy is issued it cannot be cancelled, the rates are locked in with their most complex personal or corporate financial objectives. With our If the plan is employer-paid, the employer is paying for the premium, for the life of the policy and it follows the executive if they leave their job. years of experience, innovative products, and unique carrier relationships, you so the benefit becomes taxable. That means the percentage of income the executive thought would be replaced is actually a lot less. BE PREPARED can be confident your family or business needs are in good hands. Explore a A disability can occur at any time, the probability of which increases variety of solutions for your unique insurance needs at thomasfinancial.com. IT’S MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK with age. A disabling event often coincides with peak earning years The chances of becoming disabled during your career are three to five when individuals are funding their retirement goals. Disability income times greater than death, even though most Americans are better prepared insurance provides income replacement, protecting future earnings. • Life Insurance • Executive Benefits financially for death than becoming disabled. In fact, 40% of all 45-year olds will suffer a disability lasting longer Rick Thomas is Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Financial, a financial • Retirement Planning • Wealth Management than 90 days prior to age 65. Once disabled for at least 90 days, there is services agency that provides life insurance, retirement planning, wealth a 74% chance the disability will last two more years, and a 58% chance management, and employee benefits to high net worth individuals and businesses. • Individual Disability it will last five years or longer. 1 After graduating from the University of Tampa in 1972, Rick became a Top of According the Council for Disability Awareness, the five most common the Table member of the Million Dollar Round Table, an elite organization Insurance reasons for long term disability are very familiar to us all: recognized as the standard of excellence for financial services professionals. 1. Musculoskeletal – muscle, joint and back problems Rick is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the University of Tampa 2. Cardiovascular – circulatory disease, heart disease and heart attack and supports a variety of civic and charitable organizations. To contact Rick, 3. Mental disorders – depression, anxiety, OCD and substance abuse please call (813) 273-9416 or email [email protected]. Disclosure: 4. Cancer – including cancer treatment Securities and investment advisory services offered through M Holdings (813) 273-9416 | thomasfinancial.com 5. Injuries – resulting from accidents Securities, Inc., a registered Broker/Dealer and investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Thomas Financial is independently owned and operated. 1 Gen Re Disability Fact Book Securities and investment advisory services offered through M Holdings Securities, Inc. a registered broker/dealer and investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Thomas Financial is independently owned and operated. File #2442826.1 22 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION

RICK THOMAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THOMAS FINANCIAL ARE YOU AND YOUR MOST VALUABLE EMPLOYEES REALLY PROTECTED IF THEY BECOME DISABLED? MIND THE GAP INDIVIDUAL DISABILITY INSURANCE Insurance planning For many highly paid executives, there is a significant gap between Individual Disability Insurance (IDI) is designed to help offset the loss their total compensation and the benefit they receive from their company’s of income following a disabling accident or illness. It complements the Long Term Disability plan. There are at least three areas that could lead group LTD coverage and can be used to help bring the highly compensated to a significant income shortfall. executives back up to full income replacement. for all your worth Group LTD Benefits Are Capped Individual disability plans cover many types of compensation, Most group LTD Plans have a monthly cap on how much they will including bonuses, incentives, and commission. Because the executive pay out if the employee becomes disabled. That cap is typically $5,000 pays, the benefits are not taxable, and they are not offset by Workers’ to $10,000 per month. Compensation or Social Security Disability Insurance payments. And 44 years of legendary service Benefit is Calculated on Salary, Not Total Compensation unlike many LTD policies, most IDI policies do not exclude preexisting Most group LTD plans do not cover bonus or incentive compensation. conditions if the insured has been actively working for 180 days prior to It’s not unusual for salary to represent less than half of a senior executive’s applying for coverage. total compensation. Individual disability policies are owned by the individual. That means Legendary service—it’s who we are. For 44 years, our clients have entrusted us Employer Paid Benefits Are Taxable that once the policy is issued it cannot be cancelled, the rates are locked in with their most complex personal or corporate financial objectives. With our If the plan is employer-paid, the employer is paying for the premium, for the life of the policy and it follows the executive if they leave their job. years of experience, innovative products, and unique carrier relationships, you so the benefit becomes taxable. That means the percentage of income the executive thought would be replaced is actually a lot less. BE PREPARED can be confident your family or business needs are in good hands. Explore a A disability can occur at any time, the probability of which increases variety of solutions for your unique insurance needs at thomasfinancial.com. IT’S MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK with age. A disabling event often coincides with peak earning years The chances of becoming disabled during your career are three to five when individuals are funding their retirement goals. Disability income times greater than death, even though most Americans are better prepared insurance provides income replacement, protecting future earnings. • Life Insurance • Executive Benefits financially for death than becoming disabled. In fact, 40% of all 45-year olds will suffer a disability lasting longer Rick Thomas is Chief Executive Officer of Thomas Financial, a financial • Retirement Planning • Wealth Management than 90 days prior to age 65. Once disabled for at least 90 days, there is services agency that provides life insurance, retirement planning, wealth a 74% chance the disability will last two more years, and a 58% chance management, and employee benefits to high net worth individuals and businesses. • Individual Disability it will last five years or longer. 1 After graduating from the University of Tampa in 1972, Rick became a Top of According the Council for Disability Awareness, the five most common the Table member of the Million Dollar Round Table, an elite organization Insurance reasons for long term disability are very familiar to us all: recognized as the standard of excellence for financial services professionals. 1. Musculoskeletal – muscle, joint and back problems Rick is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the University of Tampa 2. Cardiovascular – circulatory disease, heart disease and heart attack and supports a variety of civic and charitable organizations. To contact Rick, 3. Mental disorders – depression, anxiety, OCD and substance abuse please call (813) 273-9416 or email [email protected]. Disclosure: 4. Cancer – including cancer treatment Securities and investment advisory services offered through M Holdings (813) 273-9416 | thomasfinancial.com 5. Injuries – resulting from accidents Securities, Inc., a registered Broker/Dealer and investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Thomas Financial is independently owned and operated. 1 Gen Re Disability Fact Book Securities and investment advisory services offered through M Holdings Securities, Inc. a registered broker/dealer and investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Thomas Financial is independently owned and operated. File #2442826.1 www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 23 TECHTECH UPDATEUPDATE STEM bears fruits at

It was created as a small school, and unlike the increment to state and local GDP, is driven by of technology growth is actually accelerating,” Florida Polytechnic University most other schools in the state (except for New the skills, credentials and increased he says. “If you just think of the innovations that College of Florida), it still is. Its size allows for earning capacity of the graduating students. we’ve seen over the last 10 years and over the last BY GRAHAM COLTON • PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY what Avent calls a high-touch teaching model • The average annual differential between the 30 years, and over the last 50 years, the pace of with project-based learning. Perhaps such an in- earnings of a Florida Poly graduate and a change is accelerating. And that’s due to computing o motorists driving east on Interstate 4, low supply of such professionals its mission of applied research. Consider Florida timate learning environment eases the rigor of worker in Florida with only a high school de- power getting cheaper and cheaper, whereas fringe from Tampa to Orlando, the looming “Eighty thousand STEM jobs go unfilled each Polytechnic in the proper contexts. The university the school’s STEM coursework. In the short time gree, at $45,913 per year (when measured at me- benefits that you pay to labor [are] getting more white structure to the right of the road, month in the state of Florida,” says Avent, citing a is thriving in an oversaturated market for higher since it was founded, students have developed a dian earnings per year by occupation across oc- and more expensive.” somewhere in Lakeland, is an object of Project Sunrise report from the Florida Council of education, in the state with (on average) the sec- strong work culture and pro-intellectual fervor. cupations typically requiring a degree As companies use technology that lowers cost both admiration and anonymity. Many a 100. “Because they’re in high demand, and there’s ond-lowest cost of public university education, One student, for example, designed and built a credential in a Florida Poly concentration ver- production, they will hire professionals Harper motorist has doubtlessly wondered about a low supply of graduates, that of course drives up according to Avent. With comparable admissions pingpong machine. Avent says he used a three-di- sus typically requiring a high school calls “masters of the new technologies” who can Tthis behemoth yet majestic building. It resembles the earnings. Our graduates are seeing much-high- standards, the university surely is taking business mensional printer to create all of the parts, assem- diploma), is the highest of any university in the deploy these technologies for their employers’ a white Pegasus, its louvered arms like the myth- er starting salaries than most other graduates, and away from older, prestigious institutions like the bled the machine, then built a circuit to drive the state system. benefit. Harper expects that wages for STEM pro- ical creature’s wings flapping and stretching sky- when you multiply that over the course of a 30- to University of Florida, Florida State University machine and a code to drive the circuit. Central Florida is taking notice of these im- fessionals will continue to grow as more low- (and ward, preparing to fly. 40-year career, the net present value of their earn- and the University of South Florida. In total, the Such technical ingenuity perfectly exemplifies pacts. even other high-) skilled jobs are imperiled by the “It is a work of art,” says Randy Avent, found- ings really adds up to a lot of money.” State University System of Florida has 12 public the STEM-driven economic gains that character- “The return on investment for those dedicated to trend of automation that hasn’t yet touched STEM. ing president of the university that calls this build- So much money, in fact, that, according to the universities. ize the university’s economic impact. Some of the university’s growth and success, as well as what All signs indicate that won’t happen anytime ing home. report, the jobs most highly associated with the In an increasingly less traditional higher edu- economist Rick Harper’s key findings from the is projected for graduates, once again confirms the soon. Now and in the foreseeable future, motor- Since its 2012 founding, Florida Polytechnic Florida Poly fields of study paid an average of cation environment, Florida Poly is innovating report include: tremendous value that Florida Polytechnic Univer- ists coasting along I-4 will know to whom the University—an upstart school focused on science, $82,524 on a statewide basis, compared to the av- not only through its academic offerings, but also • The current annual impact of the university to sity provides for Lakeland, Polk County and our striking white building on the side of the road technology, engineering and math education in erage Florida annual income of $46,155 in 2018. through its student life. the Florida economy is calculated to be region,” says Cory Skeates, president and CEO of belongs. In a fitting feat of engineering, the build- Lakeland—has strengthened into an academic and Besides STEM, Florida Poly’s other econom- “These are students who aren’t looking for the more than $161 million in gross domestic the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. “The highly ing’s 94 louvered arms rise and fall economic boon for the area. A recent report found ic engine is research. The school differentiates comprehensive, large university,” Avent says. product at the local and state level. skilled students the university is educating and its over the course of the day in that the school generates $289 million in annual itself from peer institutions through applied re- “[These] students aren’t interested in going to foot- • Of this annual economic impact, more than continued investment in research and technol- sync with the sun, setting economic impact. search, which seeks to solve previously unsolved ball games on the weekend; they’re not interest- $72 million per year of this GDP impact ogy will allow for a further diversification of its second-floor atrium Even Avent was somewhat surprised by that problems, Avent says. Once these problems are ed in joining fraternities and sororities. These are occurs in Polk County alone, assuming that our local economy and the creation of the aglow. In a time- number. solved, companies and whole industries con- those students [whose] idea of a good time is a about 10 percent of Florida Poly graduates go high-wage jobs we all desire.” lapse video, the uni- “To be honest, I didn’t know it was going to be gregate around the universities that solve them, hackathon. And they [didn’t] have that small, on to live and work in Polk. Harper envisions even more growth versity’s flagship, nearly that high,” he says. seeking to sell the products and services that these high-touch model, intimate engineering • About 61 percent of the economic im- for the university corresponding with un- Pegasus-like build- Florida Polytechnic is all about STEM. The solutions have become. Even government gets in college in the state of Florida until Flor- pact of the university, as measured by relenting growth in STEM fields. ing would—much university was created in response to and antic- on it, with Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise having ida Poly was created.” “The trend is more and more like the school it- ipation of the skyrocketing demand for STEM built an advanced test facility next to the univer- in this exact direction, self—appear about professionals. The school trains students for what sity. The school broke ground because the pace to take flight. ♦ Avent calls “high-demand, low-supply jobs.” on its Applied Research It’s basic economics: There is a high demand for Center last Septem- STEM professionals who can fill these jobs, but a ber to further

RandyRandy AventAvent 24 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com TECHTECH UPDATEUPDATE STEM bears fruits at

RandyRandy AventAvent www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 25 PROFILEPROFILE

rtemis Emslie Goes Red for Women BY SARA MAUDLIN-FELDMAN

Heart disease kills more women in the United States than any other cause. Yet, only about half of women recognize this leading killer. Fewer still know the risk factors and the steps they can take to lower the chances of getting heart disease. Artemis Emslie, a Tampa-based business executive, along with the executive cabinet of Tampa Bay’s American Heart Association Go Red for Women Initiative, is out to change that. Emslie is chairing this year’s Go Red for Women Luncheon. This is the cornerstone event of the movement, which aims to raise $1 million to help prevent heart disease and strokes among women in our region. With more than 25 years’ experience in the medical field and a passion for helping women succeed in life and in the workforce, Emslie is well-positioned to champion women’s heart health.

A new corporate focus While the Go Red for Women Initiative traditionally has been about empowering women to prioritize their own health, Emslie brought an additional focus this year. She got corporate business leaders involved. “Any successful business leader will say the most important resource is human capital,” Emslie says. “We all want to have a happy, healthy workforce.” Women make up 60 percent of the nation’s workforce. Emslie says it only makes sense that raising awareness about the leading killer of women should be a priority for every business leader. “We need to close the gap of knowledge about heart disease and that requires that we educate everyone,” she says. “If you increase awareness, the broader population benefits.” According to the American Heart Association, 90 percent of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease at some point in their lives. These risks include high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. With awareness and lifestyle changes, 80 percent of these diseases are preventable. “What struck me was that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, but so few people know that,” she says. “This population is driving our workforce. It’s really important to educate everyone about ArtemisArtemis EmslieEmslie the risk and what symptoms to look for.” 26 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com PROFILEPROFILE rtemis Emslie Goes Red for Women BY SARA MAUDLIN-FELDMAN

Raising awareness among the entire population—not just women—is a key driver for Emslie. “A lot of women are really busy and that leads us to ignore symptoms,” she says. “We can be our own worst enemy. That’s why we need a buddy system. We need the other people in our lives, our husbands, partners, friends and family to be aware of the symptoms, too.”

LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE Emslie’s business experience supports her passion for empowering women to get involved in the medical field as well as take control of their health. As an economics major at the University of South Florida, she thought she would go into the banking field. Instead, while working as a bartender to put herself through school, she served two men who couldn’t stop talking about how much they loved their jobs with a pharmaceutical company. Their enthusiasm led her to explore and eventually enter the field. Emslie went on to become CEO of my- Matrixx, a regional pharmacy benefit management company that she helped grow into a national player. From there, she founded ProspeRX Solutions, an auditing firm for worker compensation insurance providers. She is currently president of CadenceRX, a peer-to-peer prescription technology plat- form to manage prescription benefits. Artemis Emslie

MENTORING GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY back person who takes things day by day. I TOMORROW’S LEADERS Emslie also serves on the board of direc- don’t think about any of this as work. I think, Emslie’s interest in helping women enter tors for Paradigm Outcomes, a catastroph- ‘Wow. I get to do this really cool work.’ ” the medical field led her to create the Alli- ic-care management company, and Ametros, Chairing the Go Red for Women Lun- ance of Women in Workers’ Compensation. a company that aims to make health care cheon falls into the “cool work” category for She currently serves on the executive board easier for the injured and anyone paying out- Emslie. She’s passionate about closing the of the think tank, which shares ideas and of-pocket for medical needs. knowledge gap so that more people—men mentors future industry leaders. In addition, she’s a member of the adviso- and women—are aware of heart disease and “I realized that those of us in leadership ry boards for the Committee for Economic how to prevent it. have access to a ton of tools,” she says. “We Development in Washington, D.C., Business “We are so thankful for her passion and have coaching, and seminars and really cool Insurance magazine, WorkCompCentral’s her commitment to empowering women educational opportunities. What would it Comp Laude Awards, and Kids Chance, a around their health and to getting more men look like if we created an organization that nonprofit organization offering scholarships involved and supporting the cause,” said gives other women access to these tools?” to children who have been affected by a par- Amanda Palumbo, executive director of the In 2014, Emslie invited 20 female CEOs ent’s catastrophic injury or death. Tampa Bay chapter of the American Heart and business leaders to Boston to discuss the “I took some time off work to spend Association. “Artemis has a really fun vision idea. The Alliance was born and now holds more time with my sons and I started join- for the luncheon with a lot of tangible take- over 50 events a year with an average of 500 ing boards,” she says. “We can define suc- aways for the attendees. We appreciate that attendees for each event. cess when we have the time to give back she’s bringing some sparkle to this year’s “We offer two educational tracts: leader- personally.” event.” ships skills and emerging trends,” she says. When asked how she packs so much vol- To learn more about te Go Red for “The organization is five years old and we unteer work into an already-packed profes- omen Lunceon, eb , , at Arma have 5,000 members.” sional life, she says, “I’ve always been a laid- ture ors in Tampa, isit eartor ♦

28 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com PROFILE

LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE Emslie’s business experience supports her passion for empowering women to get involved in the medical field as well as take control of their health. As an economics major at the University We’re banking of South Florida, she thought she would go into the banking field. Instead, while work- experts. People ing as a bartender to put herself through school, she served two men who couldn’t experts, too. stop talking about how much they loved their jobs with a pharmaceutical company. Their enthusiasm led her to explore and eventually enter the field. Customized banking Emslie went on to become CEO of my- Matrixx, a regional pharmacy benefit man- solutions for every agement company that she helped grow into a national player. From there, she founded Customer. ProspeRX Solutions, an auditing firm for worker compensation insurance providers. She is currently president of CadenceRX, a peer-to-peer prescription technology plat- form to manage prescription benefits. Artemis Emslie

MENTORING GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY back person who takes things day by day. I TOMORROW’S LEADERS Emslie also serves on the board of direc- don’t think about any of this as work. I think, Emslie’s interest in helping women enter tors for Paradigm Outcomes, a catastroph- ‘Wow. I get to do this really cool work.’ ” the medical field led her to create the Alli- ic-care management company, and Ametros, Chairing the Go Red for Women Lun- ance of Women in Workers’ Compensation. a company that aims to make health care cheon falls into the “cool work” category for She currently serves on the executive board easier for the injured and anyone paying out- Emslie. She’s passionate about closing the of the think tank, which shares ideas and of-pocket for medical needs. knowledge gap so that more people—men mentors future industry leaders. In addition, she’s a member of the adviso- and women—are aware of heart disease and “I realized that those of us in leadership ry boards for the Committee for Economic how to prevent it. have access to a ton of tools,” she says. “We Development in Washington, D.C., Business “We are so thankful for her passion and have coaching, and seminars and really cool Insurance magazine, WorkCompCentral’s her commitment to empowering women educational opportunities. What would it Comp Laude Awards, and Kids Chance, a around their health and to getting more men We may be one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., but we never lose sight of the individual. Our look like if we created an organization that nonprofit organization offering scholarships involved and supporting the cause,” said Relationship Managers personally get to know your business, taking the time to understand your gives other women access to these tools?” to children who have been affected by a par- Amanda Palumbo, executive director of the In 2014, Emslie invited 20 female CEOs ent’s catastrophic injury or death. Tampa Bay chapter of the American Heart unique needs before offering their custom solutions. And with over 150 years of industry experience, and business leaders to Boston to discuss the “I took some time off work to spend Association. “Artemis has a really fun vision you won’t just like working with us. You’ll love it. idea. The Alliance was born and now holds more time with my sons and I started join- for the luncheon with a lot of tangible take- over 50 events a year with an average of 500 ing boards,” she says. “We can define suc- aways for the attendees. We appreciate that attendees for each event. cess when we have the time to give back she’s bringing some sparkle to this year’s tdbank.com/commercialbanking “We offer two educational tracts: leader- personally.” event.” ships skills and emerging trends,” she says. When asked how she packs so much vol- To learn more about te Go Red for “The organization is five years old and we unteer work into an already-packed profes- omen Lunceon, eb , , at Arma have 5,000 members.” sional life, she says, “I’ve always been a laid- ture ors in Tampa, isit eartor ♦ Member FDIC, TD Bank, N.A. GASPARILLAGASPARILLA

Pirates bring fun and philanthropy to the Tampa Bay region

BY SARA MAUDLIN-FELDMA

Avast, me hearties! Be prepared for great revelers are limited to two beers each. fun and high adventure when Ye Mystic Gaspar’s Grenadiers, Ye Mystic Krewe’s Krewe of Gasparilla kicks off its epic annu- outreach pirates, make as many as 45 char- al celebration on Jan. 18. You probably al- itable public appearances each year. Mem- ready know Gasparilla is the biggest festival bers visit hospitals, assisted living centers, in the region. What you might not know is children’s venues and schools, in full pirate how much time and effort the civic leaders attire to engage the community and spread and business professionals who make up the the fun of Gasparilla. During the holiday Krewe, dedicate to supporting philanthropic season, the krewe volunteers at Salvation efforts that promote the well being and wel- Army collection stands throughout Tampa. fare of the overall community. Perhaps most meaningful to the krewe Inspired by the legend of swashbuckling are the sailing adventures it arranges for pirate Jose Gaspar, a Spanish buccaneer who children fighting cancer. Working with the allegedly sailed the waters of Southwest National Pediatric Cancer Fund, a Tam- Florida in the early 1800s, Ye Mystic Krewe pa-based nonprofit organization dedicated was founded in 1904 to promote the region’s to finding more effective treatments for trade and tourism industries. The mock pi- childhood cancer, the krewe first arranged rate invasion that is the highlight of the fes- an adventure in 2014 for a 9-year-old with tival pits the pirates against the mayor for brain cancer and his family. the key to Tampa. The pirates’ victory kicks “He was the captain of the ship,” says off the main parade, where float participants Shamus Warren, chairman of Gaspar’s toss beads to screaming crowds. Grenadiers and the director of development The parade is a boon for the region. Ac- for the cancer fund. “We had a bunch of our cording to several studies, it has a local eco- guys dressed up and making a big deal out nomic impact of more than $22 million. The him. He got off and was smiling and wasn’t combined events bring in over $400 million. thinking about going through treatment. Behind this main event, the krewe quiet- That was really special.” ly goes about helping the community year Last year, seven kids battling cancer were ’round. It founded a community fund in given the opportunity to board the ship and 1998 that since its inception has awarded be pirates for a day. During the Gasparilla over $890,000 in college scholarships to celebration, Grenadiers also go to the chil- Tampa high school students. dren’s units of local hospitals to brighten During the parade, the krewe hosts a char- their days with a bit of piracy. ity beer garden with proceeds benefiting a ro- “We create a mini parade for those who tating roster of local nonprofit organizations. can’t go to the big parade,” Warren says. “Each year eight charities are given a “We’re in full pirate gear, and we bring booth to sell alcohol and they average about beads and stuffed animals. When you walk $15,000 for one day of sales,” says krewe in the room, they light up. They’re having Capt. Richard M. Chapman. He’s quick to fun, hanging out with pirates and not think- point out that this encourages responsible ing about cancer. It’s very meaningful for all consumption as every ID is checked and of us.” ♦

30 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com GASPARILLAGASPARILLA

Pirates bring fun and philanthropy to the Tampa Bay region

BY SARA MAUDLIN-FELDMA

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 31 THETHE PLAYERSPLAYERS

WHAT TO DO Take some time out of the golf festivities Preparing for to check out the local area. Right on property at The Marriott Resort Sawgrass is The Sawgrass Spa. Indulge in a massage or a facial. It’s an amazing way to start the day before heading out to watch the tournament. In addition, it’s a short drive to the beach THE PLAYERS and St. Augustine, where you can tour some BY JO-LYNN BROWN of Florida’s early historical landmarks.

ment entries and throughout the course to MASTER GOLF MEMBERSHIP: Master Golf members enjoy complimentary green fees on both ensure optimum connection, an enhanced courses at TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley) plus priority starting video wall experience on the practice tee time reservations. In addition to guest privileges and dining specials, members receive access grounds with Top Tracer technology and to over 100 courses worldwide with the TPC Passport Program. a reconfigured “Welcome Experience” – which includes an open-air bar and a CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP: The Corporate Membership allows access to play and entertain replica of the 17th hole for fans to attempt guests at TPC Sawgrass, TPC Network facilities and partner properties in addition to the beneﬁ t of their own shot at the world-famous island accessing TPC Sawgrass’ 77,000 square foot Clubhouse. green. Also new in 2020, THE PLAYERS has DYE’S VALLEY MEMBERSHIP: This membership allows members to play the Dye’s Valley collaborated with Grammy award-win- course year-round for a cart fee. Dye’s Valley members also receive a 20 percent discount on full ning artist The Chainsmokers for the Mil- retail merchandise and in the NINETEEN and traditions dining spaces within the clubhouse. There itary Appreciation Day Concert on Tues- are no monthly dues or food & beverage minimums. day, March 10. A Tuesday ticket to THE PLAYERS SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Social Club members receive a $150 credit towards food and will allow fans to attend that day’s practice beverage purchases as well as members-only pricing on a la carte dining, wine by the bottle and rounds as well as the concert that evening, Golf Shop purchases.

32 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com THETHE PLAYERSPLAYERS

SPLURGE ON THE PLAYERS CLUB The PGA TOUR’s THE PLAYERS which begins at 5 p.m. Fans interested in Sip champagne, feast on lobster and Championship officially kicks off golf’s attending the concert are encouraged to ar- watch the tournament in a luxurious setting, 2020 Season of Championships, six rive at the course by early afternoon. away from the crowds and the heat. months of the most significant tourna- For people planning to attend, here are The TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse was re- ments on the PGA TOUR schedule. some other last minute travel tips: imagined as THE PLAYERS Club to offer Reigning 2019 FedExCup champion an ultra-VIP experience to appeal to a select and PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Rory WHERE TO STAY group who share a passion for the sport and McIlroy, will return to THE PLAYERS Of course there are hotels available but an appreciation for the most elite hospitali- Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to de- depending on your travel party, renting a ty setting, unlike any other in the world of fend his title in Ponte Vedra Beach, just a home right on property might be worth the sports and entertainment. short drive from Tampa. splurge. Many of the homes surrounding Weekly access to THE PLAYERS CLUB After winning his 82nd PGA TOUR TPC Sawgrass are available to rent. The provides a private viewing space on the victory at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in home TBBW stayed in had every imagin- #17 Tee and #18 Green, Tuesday through October – which tied the late Sam Snead’s able amenity available, including a fire pit Sunday, valet parking and exclusive access all-time wins record – Tiger Woods will and a pool. The best part is the proximi- to the TPC Sawgrass Pro Shop, featuring be at THE PLAYERS 2020, in search of ty, with the entrance to the tournament in premium brands and unique items available his 83rd victory as well as his third PLAY- walking distance from many of the homes. only in this location, and only during tour- ERS title (currently Jack Nicklaus is the Even if you are a little farther away than nament week. A $500 VIP shopping experi- only player with three PLAYERS titles). you’d want to walk, you’ll notice a lot of ence is provided, per ticket, within the TPC Several new additions of note for the bikes and golf carts parked at the entrance, Sawgrass Pro Shop. 2020 event include the installation of another way people get around the prop- Access to te club ill run you about express lanes at the tournament entries erty. If possible, bring your bikes. It’s a , Get more information at teplay to provide a quicker entry process for all beautiful property to explore. erscom ♦ fans, as well as the move to mobile-only for all tickets, including day-specific Sta- dium Pass tickets. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP Types of Memberships include the following. For pricing information, please call Jennifer Belisario, Notable improvements from the 2019 TPC Sawgrass Membership Director, at 904-280-2412. event include amplified WIFI at tournament entries and throughout the course to MASTER GOLF MEMBERSHIP: Master Golf members enjoy complimentary green fees on both ensure optimum connection, an enhanced courses at TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course and Dye’s Valley) plus priority starting video wall experience on the practice tee time reservations. In addition to guest privileges and dining specials, members receive access grounds with Top Tracer technology and to over 100 courses worldwide with the TPC Passport Program. a reconfigured “Welcome Experience” – which includes an open-air bar and a CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP: The Corporate Membership allows access to play and entertain replica of the 17th hole for fans to attempt guests at TPC Sawgrass, TPC Network facilities and partner properties in addition to the beneﬁ t of their own shot at the world-famous island accessing TPC Sawgrass’ 77,000 square foot Clubhouse. green. Also new in 2020, THE PLAYERS has DYE’S VALLEY MEMBERSHIP: This membership allows members to play the Dye’s Valley collaborated with Grammy award-win- course year-round for a cart fee. Dye’s Valley members also receive a 20 percent discount on full ning artist The Chainsmokers for the Mil- retail merchandise and in the NINETEEN and traditions dining spaces within the clubhouse. There itary Appreciation Day Concert on Tues- are no monthly dues or food & beverage minimums. day, March 10. A Tuesday ticket to THE PLAYERS SOCIAL CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Social Club members receive a $150 credit towards food and will allow fans to attend that day’s practice beverage purchases as well as members-only pricing on a la carte dining, wine by the bottle and rounds as well as the concert that evening, Golf Shop purchases.

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 33 TRAVELTRAVEL

While looking ahead at the 2020 calen- million travelers enjoy this kind of travel, Sommelier Frank Kis has been with the ney through Rome in a private car (arranged dar, consider carving out quality “me time.” according to the Cruise Lines International company for more than 20 years and nev- through the SeaDream) to the port of Civita- Join Jan. 28 is “National Plan for Vacation Day,” Association, but we wanted a smaller ves- er disappoints with his wine selections. On vecchia. We had an effortless check-in and so, get your calendar and plan something sel that docks closer to the port with VIP our trip, he arranged a Taittinger Winemak- were greeted by Activity Manager Anna special this year, maybe even a splurge-wor- land tour options, organized with a personal er’s Dinner. We gathered with fans, and Fell. On board we were offered a glass of thy yachting experience. touch. new friends, for a bubbly education from Champagne on the deck and our sunglass- SeaDreamers As a travel writer for about 20 years, I SeaDream Yacht Club offers small ships Taittinger’s Mikael Falkman, during an af- es were cleaned so we could enjoy our first have always dreamed of a taking a trip with and was named a Travel & Leisure mag- ternoon tasting. We also sampled the wines sunset and wave goodbye to Rome. for a my son to revisit my favorite European des- azine “World’s Best” winner, offering a of Argentina with a guest appearance by the Every day was a new adventure: hiking tinations. yachting adventure, rather than a cruise. Nordic sommelier champion and president up the tiny villages of Cinque Terre, a taste Barcelona was on his travel list, while SeaDream’s award-winning five-star of the Norwegian Sommelier Association, of fresh pesto in an outdoor dining setting Rome was on mine. We both love France service is the definition of “bucket list” Liora Levi. perched atop Portofino’s infamous Belmond ‘bucket list’ and, as a family, we know that any adventure travel. With only 112 travelers and 95 crew Hotel Splendido. We had planned to stay an in, near or on the water is a win for everyone. members aboard, we were treated like roy- BON VOYAGE extra night in Barcelona, because exploring Our solution was to cruise through the alty. SeaDream’s 56-stateroom yachts are Our selection of the Hotel Splendide the Picasso Museum was on our itinerary. experience of Mediterranean and explore the French Riv- elegant yet informal, with an open bar and Royal in Rome did not disappoint. The sev- Turns out booking the Hotel Arts Barce- iera. I wanted to find a grown-up, caviar ‘round-the-clock room service. The state- enth floor of the hotel is home to Mirabelle, lona, a Ritz-Carlton property, was the best and Champagne, stress-free escape that was rooms offer specious windows to the world. a restaurant where the view runs from the choice. We had Champagne upon arrival a lifetime effortless, with minimal international trans- I think of SeaDream as the ultimate trav- grand palazzos to the very heart of Rome, and a private car to and from the airport. portation headaches. A cruise aboard SeaD- el club for grownups. from Villa Medici to the Trinità dei Monti, Our last night of vacation, we overlooked BY CINDY COCKBURN • PHOTOS BY MIKE DUPRE ream was the answer. Ship passengers are guaranteed gourmet the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and the the harbor at sunset with music playing until The Bubbles cuisine, an award-winning wine list and im- Gianicolo. dawn because that’s what you do on a buck- Finding a cruise ship is easy. Some 30 peccable service in the formal dining room. The next day, we had a 45-minute jour- et list journey. ♦

Italian Riviera city of Portofino

34 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com TRAVELTRAVEL

Italian Riviera city of Portofino www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 35 GREAT PLACES AND SPACES

The Royal Salt Palm Deelopment, based in St. Petersburg, is planning to begin its next project, called Te Royal. Its ﬁ rst project, The Sabal, began in 2018 and was completed in early 2019. This new project will be located at 545 Fourth Ave. S. It will have 13 units that will range between 1,800 and 3,100 square feet with prices starting at $500,000 and going up to $1.2 million. Te proect is expected to be complete in

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Clearwater Gas System’s new building Clearater Gas System moved into a new facility, at 777 Maple St., near downtown Clearwater. The new facility includes 45,000 suare feet of operations, administration, sales and warehousing space, complete with a showroom to display technologies to new customers. The former facility, at 400 . Myrtle Ave., was home to the company for more than 80 years.

38 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com GREAT PLACES AND SPACES CenterStateBank.com

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Construction begins on Tampa deepwater marina Real estate development and land investment ﬁ rm BTI Partners started construction of a 150-slip full-service marina able to accommodate large vessels. The marina will be part of the 52-acre estsore Marina District, a mixed-use development on West Shore and Gandy boulevards, in Tampa. The marina is located at Marina Pointe, a luxury condominium development under construction in the Westshore Marina District. The marina will serve vessels from 40 to more than 100 feet long and provide owners with concierge boat services, a full-time dockmaster and other amenities. Westshore Marina District also will be home to restaurant and specialty retailers including Sand Surf Co, Cru Cellars, Crae Spa, Salon Color Bar, Duceed Urban Maret, Drn coffee and tea and enc juice bar. Galati Yact Sales will also open a new showroom on the ground ﬂ oor of Marina Pointe.

40 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 41 LEU PARNER I ALPAR Lexus has partnered with the alsar Chamioshi to provide a fleet SPECIAL GOLF EDITION of vehicles for the GETTING READY FOR THE entire player field. VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP All vehicles driven by competitors are available for purchase following the tournament from any of the four Bay area Lexus dealers. Prices vary.

42 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com LEU PARNER I ALPAR Lexus has partnered with the alsar Chamioshi to provide a fleet SPECIAL GOLF EDITION of vehicles for the GETTING READY FOR THE entire player field. VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP All vehicles driven by competitors are available for purchase following the tournament from any of the four Bay area Lexus dealers. Prices vary.

Experience. Results. Guaranteed. At Taylor White, we have a proven track record of providing our National clients with high-caliber interim CFO and consulting services. Whether you need someone to provide strategic insight to optimize your business, or someone who AY A E ACION ALL EEKEND isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty, we have the right resource for you. What could be better than having a PGA Tour venue practically in your own backyard? Innisbrook Resort offers four championship golf courses to experience, including the Copperhead Course, home to the nationally televised alsar Learn more at TaylorWhite.com Chamioshi each March. The resort also just completed renovations of their condo-style accommodations. The resort offers a variety of golf packages to choose from, but if playing 36 holes a day sounds like fun, ask about the Platinum Golf Package, which includes unlimited golf, a spacious suite, breakfast and lunch daily, golf clinics to improve your game, access to the fitness center and more. Grous of 12 or more ca as for a Persoal Golf Cocierge to hadle everythig you eed. Golf acages rage from 289 449 er erso er ight based o double occuacy. iisbroogolfresort.com www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 43 PAUL CAEY CUOM EADCOER 2018 ad 2019 alsar chamio Paul Casey works with Dormie orsho, a premium supplier of leatherwoods from Halifax, Nova Scotia, for his leather accessory needs. Dormie Workshop was founded by two PGA members, Jeff and odd Bisho, in 2014. Their aim since inception has been to create “works of art” for golfers to express their personality on the golf course. This uniquely designed cover was a collaboration between Casey and the Valspar Championship to celebrate his victories. It’s made from Italian embossed gator leather, combined with a smooth elegant leather to create a subtle yet premium look and feel. he cover will be available i the merchadise tet at the 2020 alsar Chamioshi for a retail SPECIAL GOLF EDITION rice of 140. GETTING READY FOR THE VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

DE IMAGING CAMPION CLUB The premier piece of real estate at any PGA Tour event is the 18th green, where the champion is decided on Sunday. At the alsar Chamioshi, the best view of the ultimate hole is the DE Imagig Chamios Club, which offers an enclosed air-conditioned suite with open air stadium seating just steps away from the green. Patrons have access to the tournament’s finest food offerings—a full buffet lunch, hors d’oeuvres and desserts—as well as a complimentary full-service premium bar. Packages, good for all four days of tournament play, and including nearby valet parking and extra grounds access tickets, are available for between $2,500 and $10,000. valsarchamioshi.com or call the touramet sales staff at 727.942.5566

44 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com Your Plans. Your Progress. Our Priority.

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46 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com 20 QUESTIONS WITH...

Jim Eisch Pinch A Penny Executive vice president and chief operating officer College alma mater? 1 Uniersity of Minnesota What is your cellphone 12 wallpaper image? Last book you read? My family, biin in Noa 2 ere te Cradads Scotia Sin by Delia Oens What do you listen to in the car? Last place you vacationed? 13 M ’s on 3 Smoey Mountains, Tennessee What is your go-to drink order? 14 Stella Artois PC or Mac? 4 PC Favorite snack? 15 White cheese fl avored Gold Guilty-pleasure food? is 5 Ben and erry’s Cerry Garcia Do you suffer from Primenesia James joined Pinch A Penny in 1992 as chief 16 (the act of ordering from fi nancial offi cer and executive vice president. In We’ll fi nd you on the Amazon and forgetting about 2001, he became chief operating offi cer. 6 weekend doing? it.)? He is a certifi ed public accountant and a Golfi ng or biking. Nope, I ery rarely order graduate from the University of Minnesota. from Amaon Prior to working with Pinch A Penny, Eisch Biggest fear? worked for KPMG Peat Marwick as an audit 7 Heits Pool or beach? senior manager. He is also general chairman of 17 Beac Copperhead Charities. Proudest moment? 8 All of my ids Charity you support? 18 Special Operations Dream dinner companion? arrior oundation 9 My ife Favorite childhood memory? Any pets? 19 Playin baseball 10 A cocer spaniel named Bode Words of advice? 20 Do unto oters as you Who did you last text? ould ae tem do unto 11 My ids in a family you cat

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 47 SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION

are you

CASEY BRYAN really CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER offering IS YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE “AMAZON EASY”? your Many companies use customer service as a benchmark to determine simple as acknowledging the pain point in a humorous or sympathetic how well they perform. While many would agree this is a critical way or doing a happy dance to celebrate alongside them. It is important component of a business, we should strive to be better than average. to show the customer that you understand the emotion they are feeling at The level of kindness exhibited by staff, demonstrations of going the the time and that you can empathize with their feelings. As a leading Real employees extra mile, professionalism and a courteous nature are all customer Estate Company, there are both areas of high stress and pure excitement service standards most businesses strive to meet. However, these basic laced throughout every transaction we have the privilege of assisting a standards are no longer differentiators. I challenge all business owners to customer with. For a buyer, this could be when they make the decision start thinking differently. With changing consumer demands, we should to purchase a home, finding The One, making an offer and anxiously all be striving to identify milestones, minimize and manage pain points waiting for a response, Inspections, Appraisals, the loan process and all you can? and initiate periodic celebrations throughout the process that will create closing on their new home. Just offering great customer service through a memorable customer ‘experience’. Creating an experience as opposed each of these steps is no longer enough for us. We want to have a bigger to servicing a transaction will ensure a relationship with your customer impact, leave a better impression and truly walk alongside our customer that results in loyalty and retention. during each stage, each emotion, each milestone and each celebration.

AGE OF AMAZON, CHICK-FIL-A AND PUBLIX THE SOLUTION CALL 727-484-6496 | VISIT WWW.BHHSFLORIDAPROPERTIES.COM One of the single largest influencers in consumer buying habits this Journey mapping each step in the process is a perfect start to determine past decade is Amazon. It serves consumers through its retail websites where you can most impact the consumer experience within your with a focus on selection, price and convenience. Let’s face it … we organization. Mapping the impact steps will prepare you in knowing all return to things that are easy and convenient. So much so that I find when to recognize the emotion a customer may be feeling and can help MELANIE BRUSH | myself asking my staff regularly “Is what we are doing Amazon easy?” determine how you support the customer through that emotion. It will Another iconic influencer in the past decade would be Chick-Fil-A who be your decision to address it, celebrate it or offer positive reassurance WE GOT YOU. is dominating the concept of positive consumer experience. Their staff to relieve stress. Simple examples would be offering a bottle of water, a is trained to use the term “my pleasure” when speaking to a customer. personalized notecard or a stress ball at certain milestones. Let us customize a FREE employee As a result of these simple, yet positive, words there are few people who That being said, journey mapping and identification of impact points is

walk {or drive} away from Chick-Fil-A unhappy. To the business, it’s the easy part. The most difficult challenge with this consumer relationship offering package to help you love Corporate Services Manager bigger than good customer service, it is about mastering the consumer management strategy is execution. Success is dependent upon consistent experience. execution throughout your organization. Chick-Fil-A has mastered this your employees, hard. on every level by training their staff how to deliver a positive customer Relocation Consultants | Household Goods | Move Management THINK LIKE YOUR CLIENT experience prior to being trained on how to perform the functions of Personal Area Tours | Temporary Housing | Home Finding Assistance Many successful leaders pride themselves on being great at customer their job. Mortgage Services | Rental Assistance | Employee Bene it Program service but we need to elevate our thinking in order to reach new levels of customer engagement. The Executive Leadership teams and staff In this world of convenience, winning customers for life is bigger than responsible for implementation should collaboratively determine each just being great at service. Customers today have multiple choices when ©2019 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of point in the process that could be celebrated or areas that could be a selecting any product or service. Whether we realize it or not, our clients America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. potential stumbling block or pain point. From that point, your team can are subconsciously comparing us to those services that are easy and determine how each point will be addressed. Sometimes, it may be as convenient and those that dominate in delivering a positive experience. 48 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION

are you

walk {or drive} away from Chick-Fil-A unhappy. To the business, it’s the easy part. The most difficult challenge with this consumer relationship offering package to help you love Corporate Services Manager bigger than good customer service, it is about mastering the consumer management strategy is execution. Success is dependent upon consistent experience. execution throughout your organization. Chick-Fil-A has mastered this your employees, hard. on every level by training their staff how to deliver a positive customer Relocation Consultants | Household Goods | Move Management THINK LIKE YOUR CLIENT experience prior to being trained on how to perform the functions of Personal Area Tours | Temporary Housing | Home Finding Assistance Many successful leaders pride themselves on being great at customer their job. Mortgage Services | Rental Assistance | Employee Bene it Program service but we need to elevate our thinking in order to reach new levels of customer engagement. The Executive Leadership teams and staff In this world of convenience, winning customers for life is bigger than responsible for implementation should collaboratively determine each just being great at service. Customers today have multiple choices when ©2019 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of point in the process that could be celebrated or areas that could be a selecting any product or service. Whether we realize it or not, our clients America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. potential stumbling block or pain point. From that point, your team can are subconsciously comparing us to those services that are easy and determine how each point will be addressed. Sometimes, it may be as convenient and those that dominate in delivering a positive experience. www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 49 ON THE SCENE ON THE SCENE HOLLYWOOF FUR BALL PARIS FASHION WEEK ‘WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A CATWALK IN THE RITZ?’

PCA Tampa Bay hosted its Hooray Maya Mouis, a St. Petersburg photographer and For Hollywoof Fur Ball at the St. makeup artist, was invited to one of the events Petersburg Coliseum. The event, during Paris Fashion Week held in the Hotel Ritz chaired by Rhonda Shear, took Paris in the fall. guests back in time to the days of Designer Odalys Marino, from Tampa, invited old Hollywood glamour. Mouis to take photos of her most recent fashion collection. Guests enjoyed auction items, adoptable pets and dancing. The “She messaged me and asked, ‘Would you like to event raised more than $100,000 see a catwalk in the Ritz?’ and that’s how the for SPCA Tampa Bay. whole event started,” Mouis says. “I arrived at the Ritz with an Uber, like all Parisians do, and Photos by Barry Lively immediately I saw all the fashion preparations in Ritz garden.”

All shows for the week were sold out, Mouis says.

Mouis shared these photos from that show.

Photos by Maya Mouis

50 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com ON THE SCENE PARIS FASHION WEEK ‘WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A CATWALK IN THE RITZ?’

Maya Mouis, a St. Petersburg photographer and makeup artist, was invited to one of the events during Paris Fashion Week held in the Hotel Ritz Paris in the fall. Designer Odalys Marino, from Tampa, invited Mouis to take photos of her most recent fashion collection.

“She messaged me and asked, ‘Would you like to see a catwalk in the Ritz?’ and that’s how the whole event started,” Mouis says. “I arrived at the Ritz with an Uber, like all Parisians do, and immediately I saw all the fashion preparations in Ritz garden.”

All shows for the week were sold out, Mouis says.

Mouis shared these photos from that show.

Photos by Maya Mouis

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 51 ON THE SCENE EMBRACING LIFE WELLNESS CENTER CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY

Embracing Life Wellness Center, a local mental health treatment facility, celebrated ﬁ ve years of supporting and strengthening the mental health of the community and spotlighted its new transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment for patients with major depressive disorder.

The center expanded in 2019 to include NeuroStar Advanced Therapy TMS, a noninvasive, nondrug option that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that are underactive in depression and since has provided more than 1,000 treatments to local residents.

The facility is located at 6332 U.S. Highway 301 in Riverview.

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in his 30s and he left a very cushioned life Monica Hernande: Definitely my in Cuba. Due to the government changing, mom. For Hispanics, our families are just my dad thought that it would be a good really important and have a very signifi- idea to uproot his family and come to the cant impact. My mom is the typical strong U.S., which to this day has been one of the Latina. She’s very hardworking and I defi- best decisions he could have made for us. nitely took a lot from her in my career and Ironic that I’m in construction now, but in my professional journey. I’ll also say GTE Financial was a sponsor of the event he got his builder’s license and he built there is an executive at Cisco, he’s a senior the home that I grew up in. I’m just re- vice president and CIO. Cisco is a very ally proud of him and everything that he large, well respected corporation. And instilled in me and in my sister. he’s the chairman of an organization that Carlos Yepes: I’m going to be on the I belong to called HITEC, the Hispanic IT same side. My dad, for sure. My dad only Executive Council. He is a leader that I had a fourth-grade education, because admire. He’s very approachable, he’s very my grandfather would not let him go to humble and he’s always talking about be- Julio Esquivel, Pedro Diaz, Monica Hernandez, Yurina Rojas, Carlos Yepes and Jorge Brea school. He wanted him to work with him. ing an example. I really like that because, Therefore, he became a businessman and not only in our Hispanic community, but he learned all that he learned on his own every one of us needs to be an example in by taking classes, learning disciplines our own business setting, making sure that The importance of diversity and going to school on the side when my we have an inclusive environment where grandfather wasn’t looking. He developed everyone’s ideas are welcome. this desire to do business. Back in 1976, it became very difficult to live in Colombia. I want to move the discussion to runs down to the bottom line I left when I was 17 and came to the U.S. inclusion and diversity programs. I A group of Hispanic business leaders, over to you all. as an exchange student, and as a seed of want to ask if any of you have had in various industries, gathered to discuss ore Brea For me, it’s also my mom. the family to see how we could go about experiences with them. What are their professional experiences and what I think everyone’s going to answer with moving here. the pros and cons, challenges or Kacey Roth and Gwynn Davey drives them. their mom. I’ll give another one as well. When we finally came over a year later, maybe some negative consequenc- The event was held at Five Labs in I moved to the U.S. from the Domini- we had never really been in the real es- es you weren’t anticipating? Tampa and was moderated by Julio Es- can Republic when I was 7 years old in tate business but we started buying little Hernande I’m very familiar with quivel, a partner with Shumaker. 1992. My father was still working in the properties and I was really the front of the diversity and inclusion. Mas Global Con- Below is a segment of that discussion, Dominican Republic, so my mom was family because, see, my dad didn’t speak sulting is a certified women- and minori- which has been edited for brevity and raising four children by herself and also English. My dad did something really in- ty-owned business. When I started my clarity. providing for us by working for Polymer teresting when we all turned 18. He gave business, I had left Oracle Consulting. Shapes, a company that was then later each child $100,000 and said, “I don’t I had built my network and my credibil- Can you share with the group acquired by GE. Definitely she’s one of want to give you money when I die. I want ity. And when I Oracle and decided to be- some Latinos that have had an in- those influences but also in terms of my to see what you do with it. In a year from come an entrepreneur, someone at Oracle fluence on you? I’ll share to start profession, there’s an individual by the now, we’ll check to see where you are.” helped me get my first customer. That was THE PANELISTS this off, that for me, it’s probably my name of Thomas Cookman, who is a Los A year goes by. and I had started playing the result of good work ethics and seeing • MONICA HERNANDEZ, Founder and CEO, Mas mom. She was born in a little town Angeles-based record executive and busi- with commercial real estate. At 19, I gave what I was able, and capable, of doing. It Global Consulting in Mexico. She went on to come to ness owner that founded a pretty popular the $100,000 back to him and said, “Thank was someone taking that chance on you • JORGE BREA, CEO, Symphonic Distribution the United States and became a pe- Latino-focused record label. So, he is defi- you, Dad.” That was the beginning. Going and basically telling someone else, a large • PEDRO DIAZ, senior vice president and chief diatrician. She ended up managing nitely another influence for me. back to the question of what influences corporation: “You can trust her. She’s go- experience ofﬁ cer, GTE Financial and owning her own practice for Yurina Roas: I’m going to switch it my father instilled in me, it was this sense ing to do a good job for you.” So, let’s all • YURINA ROJAS, chief revenue ofﬁ cer, LEMA 20 years and employing a bunch of up. I’m going to say my dad. I came to the of: You’re not entitled. You have to earn try to do more of that for each other. Construction other Latinos and Latinas as nurs- country when I was 2 years old. My par- it, work for it. And if you don’t work for When I was already working with • CARLOS YEPES, owner, Belleair Development es, receptionists, etc. So, I’ll turn it ents pretty much started over. My dad was it,you’re not going to get it. one of the Fortune 500 customers that Christina Jaramills and Pedro Diaz

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Hernande Right now, we’re going into this fourth industrial revolution, right? And every single business needs to be innovative, otherwise you’re going to die. Because it’s all using digital technologies so, being innovative, not just with technology, but with how to improve processes, how to save costs, all of that requires not only diverse backgrounds, but also diversity of thought, right? It is a business imperative really, for companies to think about the teams that are creating the next generation of technology. If there’s going to be machine learning and artificial intelligence, don’t you want that technology to reach an en- Attendees from GTE Financial tire market? Your market, all of a sudden, Joey Ferrante becomes not only larger but your product we still have. We were growing and we various different cultures. That’s actually has to be more appealing to them. The in- have decided to set diversity goals. nority. [GTE Financial] treats everybody were doing really well, but when we got brought a lot more clients into the company clusion part is really important to get to There’s also government programs the same. We look at each company and to scalability, to really earn those multi- just because in music, and in the arts, there that innovation that every company wants that are mandated. I would like you see, well, what is the track record with this million-dollar projects that we all really is definitely a lot of inclusion. So just be- to get to. to share your thoughts on that ex- guy because we’re putting a lot of money wanted, it was a challenge in procurement cause we’ve marketed ourselves as a very perience. at risk with a contract that goes belly up because we were not an approved partner diverse company, it has really helped. Let’s talk about minority con- Yepes Even if you’re going to take on us? It has happened, and we ended up and they were like, we can’t work with When I left my full time job in 2008, tracting programs and opportuni- bids from different contractors, wheth- paying for the bills twice. Looking at the small companies, we have the Accentures right in the middle of a really positive time ties. The question for the group is, er they’re a minority-owned company integrity of the person is very, very im- of the world and so forth. One of the di- of the financial crisis, it was just had my- have you been involved with any or not, always look at the qualifications, portant to us. ♦ rectors of this company asked me, “Have self and a few team members at the time, of these? I’m talking about volun- obviously. In some government contracts, you thought about being a women-owned and we honestly supported each other and tary programs where corporations they give them an edge for being a mi- - Transcribed by Amy Hammond certified company?” I didn’t even know I was able to be a mentor to them. But what it was. what’s been really interesting is that my This didn’t even come from the His- employees have been great mentors to me panic community. It was just someone that and they’ve actually helped me implement was thoughtful enough to bring that up. I a very positive culture in the workplace. Thomas Grandoff and Carlos Yepes started the journey and I became certified. Dia What I’ve witnessed at GTE Fi- Fast forward to this week, I just came nancial is our chief talent officer has made from Atlanta and I was part of the National it a goal to make sure that we hire more Minority Supplier Development Council Latinos for the right reason. First of all, conference, where thousands of minori- we have to be able to represent and serve ty-owned businesses meet large corpora- our client base, which we call members tions. So, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, auto- since we’re a cooperative nonprofit. I say motive companies are all there. And it’s a that because it starts there, right? First great opportunity for companies like ours you have to be able to be willing to re- to meet executives of supplier diversity cruit those people, based on their talent, and have a chance to have a conversation. of course. Just being open to the fact that Because we need to get out there and talk in order to be able to serve your current about the value that we bring to the table. membership or your current clients, you Brea In our company we haven’t im- have to be cognizant of the fact that you plemented a program but what’s been in- want to not only seek top talent, but also teresting is because I founded it and I’m of think about top talent that maybe can com- Hispanic descent, also, we have many team municate well with those that you’re will- members that are African-American and of ing and wanting to serve. Yurina Rojas and Jason Baker Panelists pose with CEO & Publisher Bridgette Bello

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for the job. On the business side, there are that’s one of the best things that you can currently four of our eight vice presidents do is really just network your way into the that are female. Of the nine direct reports position that you want to be in. that I have, seven are currently female and I have great pride in being able to say that Good advice. Claire, you were all of those were selected because they the first of what is now six women were deserving. on the sports commission. I’m sure that was interesting. A room full of I’m going to stay with you for a boys. Can you talk about that and minute. Fifteen years in sports, how it’s changed over the years? that’s a long time for a woman in a Claire Lessiner I don’t think we Anthony Brooks and Jose Bello male dominated industry. Can you lacked diversity intentionally. I think the be our expert on what the changes team was small but mighty, but it was are that you have seen over the last all white males. They were doing an in- 15 years, particularly as it relates to credible job driving sports events to this women getting into the sports in- community. I was given the opportunity dustry and then maybe some words to onboard at the Sports Commission be- of advice if there’s ladies in the au- cause Rob Higgins [executive director of dience that are interested? the Tampa Bay Sports Commission] and I Taylor It has definitely changed. My worked together at the University of South very first job in sports over 15 years ago Florida during my former life as a volley- was with the Orlando Magic and I was a ball coach. He truly took a risk on me. I small town girl from Tahlequah, Oklaho- had no real experience with the Sports ma who had zero background in sports. Commission but what he knew, and what I had no clue what I was doing. And at I think is important for people to under- the time, I think we had one female who stand, is that a sports background trans- was in a leadership position and very few, lates to success in a lot of ways. He saw Claire Lessinger, Julia Wyman, Amy Taylor, Lizzie Seedhouse and Bridgette Bello especially in group sales, throughout the something in me that I didn’t even see in league at that time. myself. And that was a transferrable skill It’s a true testament to the will and the set that came from coaching, playing ,and power of a woman. And if you put your allowed me to truly grow as a professional Karl Strauch mind to it, and you really want to go for in a unique space. Women of Influence something, there’s nothing that can stop you. The key is to get out there and network Let’s talk about men as mentors and know what you want to go for. It’s very and sponsors of women. And you rare that you’re just going to get picked out kind of touched on that talking Leadership in Sports of a resume on a stack. Now it’s all about about Rob and your relationship who you know and what you’re doing. with him, but can you talk about When I read that the Tampa Bay A lot of people also don’t know that in Figure out what that position is, wheth- how that changed your trajectory Buccaneers were the only NFL addition to the two coaches on the field, er it’s in sales or marketing or broadcast and why that can be so important? team to have two women coaches, we also have a female who’s a scouting journalism, and do your research. Figure Lessiner Mentoring is a passion of it made me really proud. Can you coordinator. We also have a female who out what it takes to get into one of those mine. I think it’s important that you be THE PANELISTS talk about the dynamics of that as is our director of team nutrition on the positions. Who is somebody in a position a mentor, and a mentee, and you learn • CLAIRE LESSINGER, Director of Special Events, far as how that plays out through football side, which typically is very male to help you? Not necessarily the hiring equally as much from both of those roles. Tampa Bay Sports Commission the rest of the office and everything dominated. manager. Again, we get a thousand re- I would probably call a lot of coaches in • JULIA WYMAN, Director of Business Operations, that you guys do? I think it just shows how far we’ve sumes potentially. Find out who’s in a my life mentors. I had the opportunity to Tampa Bay Vipers Amy Taylor It is something that we’re advanced. In just the 15 years since I’ve position that is in that actual position that be an assistant coach and I would call the • AMY TAYLOR, Vice President Group Sales, all very proud of. I think we always are worked in sports where there used to be you’re looking for and ask them to coffee, coaches that I worked for mentors. But Tampa Bay Buccaneers trying to be the first and the forerunner in very few females in leadership roles. ask about what are they doing and how having the opportunity to work for Rob • LIZZIE SEEDHOUSE, Senior Vice President, different aspects, whether it be on the field We really take pride in our diversity they got into it and what’s been really im- has truly been a godsend. Some great ad- Digital & Content, United Soccer League or off the field. and inclusion and hiring the best person portant to them along the way. And I think vice I received was, to go out and get a Jacqueline Darna

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Heather Cameron, Scott Daigle and Melina Wong

is headquartered here. I think it’s leased on Tuesday and tickets went on sale five home games, just five, and get to be Scott Daigle welcoming attendees. very cool that you are leading their to the public today, which was really ex- with my kids and let them be a part of it. content and digital strategy. That’s citing because we’re going to have a game But it is definitely a struggle and a juggle. not normally a woman’s job either, in February. But if you really love it, then you make it right? work. ♦ ABOUT WOMEN Liie Seedouse No, I’m pretty much Are you expecting women to be Kathleen Scoval and Cyrena Duncan OF INFLUENCE on my own in the data content space. a big part of the audience for the TBBW’s Women of Inﬂ uence series is an exclusive, I’m probably the newbie in sports here. XFL? invitation-only, monthly event that brings together I’ve only worked in sports for three and a yman We’re trying to create a fam- some of the Tampa Bay area’s top business leaders Skylar Whitman and Jordan Bender half years and before that I spent five years ily-fun atmosphere with the XFL. “Fans to meet and mingle. at a startup technology content marketing Above All” is our mantra. The Women of the Inﬂ uence series was sponsored company where it was 90 percent women. by TD Bank and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. DCE Looking back, I realize it was probably 90 All of these teams play at night Productions is our event partner. percent women because I hired the whole and on the weekends. And all of The event begins with a cocktail reception for about staff there. When I went to interview at the these teams require you guys to be 120 guests, followed by a live interview of Bay United Soccer League, I walked into the at every game. What’s that like as a area C-level executives who provide insight into 30 person company and I was like, where woman, as a mom, as a wife or as a their personal lives, careers and views on issues are all the women? Are they on vacation? single mom? affecting the business community. The interview is Since then we’ve grown and now, we’re yman I worked about six seasons conducted by Bridgette Bello, TBBW’s CEO and at 65 people and about 17 or 18 of those for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and three publisher. are females. seasons for the Lightning, and as my chil- Partnering with TBBW on this event provides an dren were growing up, it was tough. It opportunity to network with the area’s business One of the things that’s so amaz- was difficult going from football to hock- elite, generate new business opportunities, and ing about this community is we ey, think about the number of games that increase brand awareness. have Major League Baseball, we you’re playing. And I was a single mom For information about event sponsorship have the United Soccer League, we during that entire time. I used to look at opportunities, email Jason Baker at jbaker@ have the NFL and we have the NHL. some of the guys that are working all day Jo-Lynn Brown, Brian Ford and Bridgette Bello Laura Schaffer, Rita Lowman, Renae Vannatta and Monica Angel tbbwmag.com..

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Heather Cameron, Scott Daigle and Melina Wong

Cyrena Duncan, Kathleen Scoval, Bridgette Bello and Dean Akers and their wives were bringing the kids to the game and I was a little jealous. It’s mentor, make sure they look different than We have the Women’s Tennis asso- tough because you’re working so hard you, act different than you and that their ciation and we now have XFL. So, and your kids are at home or they’re at the skill set is different than yours. congratulations Julia. Today tickets game, which is awesome, but it’s difficult. went on sale to the public and the I actually stepped away for a couple Lizzie, a lot of people don’t even schedule was released I believe… of years and then I saw this opportunity know that the United Soccer League ulia yman The schedule was re- with the Tampa Bay Vipers that I can play is headquartered here. I think it’s leased on Tuesday and tickets went on sale five home games, just five, and get to be Scott Daigle welcoming attendees. very cool that you are leading their to the public today, which was really ex- with my kids and let them be a part of it. content and digital strategy. That’s citing because we’re going to have a game But it is definitely a struggle and a juggle. not normally a woman’s job either, in February. But if you really love it, then you make it right? work. ♦ ABOUT WOMEN Liie Seedouse No, I’m pretty much Are you expecting women to be Kathleen Scoval and Cyrena Duncan OF INFLUENCE on my own in the data content space. a big part of the audience for the TBBW’s Women of Inﬂ uence series is an exclusive, I’m probably the newbie in sports here. XFL? invitation-only, monthly event that brings together I’ve only worked in sports for three and a yman We’re trying to create a fam- some of the Tampa Bay area’s top business leaders Skylar Whitman and Jordan Bender half years and before that I spent five years ily-fun atmosphere with the XFL. “Fans to meet and mingle. at a startup technology content marketing Above All” is our mantra. The Women of the Inﬂ uence series was sponsored company where it was 90 percent women. by TD Bank and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. DCE Looking back, I realize it was probably 90 All of these teams play at night Productions is our event partner. percent women because I hired the whole and on the weekends. And all of The event begins with a cocktail reception for about staff there. When I went to interview at the these teams require you guys to be 120 guests, followed by a live interview of Bay United Soccer League, I walked into the at every game. What’s that like as a area C-level executives who provide insight into 30 person company and I was like, where woman, as a mom, as a wife or as a their personal lives, careers and views on issues are all the women? Are they on vacation? single mom? affecting the business community. The interview is Since then we’ve grown and now, we’re yman I worked about six seasons conducted by Bridgette Bello, TBBW’s CEO and at 65 people and about 17 or 18 of those for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and three publisher. are females. seasons for the Lightning, and as my chil- Partnering with TBBW on this event provides an dren were growing up, it was tough. It opportunity to network with the area’s business One of the things that’s so amaz- was difficult going from football to hock- elite, generate new business opportunities, and ing about this community is we ey, think about the number of games that increase brand awareness. have Major League Baseball, we you’re playing. And I was a single mom For information about event sponsorship have the United Soccer League, we during that entire time. I used to look at opportunities, email Jason Baker at jbaker@ have the NFL and we have the NHL. some of the guys that are working all day Jo-Lynn Brown, Brian Ford and Bridgette Bello Laura Schaffer, Rita Lowman, Renae Vannatta and Monica Angel tbbwmag.com..

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other litigation needs, your personal injury type issues … any type of legal advice, we find it in family law cases.

When we interviewed you spoke about how the system needs re- form. I want to know what the system looks like when Michael Lundy waves his magic wand and fixes it all. We approach a lot of things in a way that a lot of people would say is counterintuitive. I’ll be the first one to tell you that the family law court system is about the worst way to resolve a problem. And that sounds Calvin Mitchell, George Zwierko and Jose Bello counterintuitive, obviously, because we get paid by the hour to fight inside of that system. But what we have found is that by that the idea of letting a judge decide how trying to keep people out of the system and you and your soon to be ex are going to par- by getting our cases resolved without a lot ent your children is about the worst idea I of litigation-style, conflict-style resolution, can think of. that actually has helped us to grow. I’m not ready to disclose all the secrets We get more referrals because our cli- yet, but I’ve been working with a couple of ents tell their friends, “They’re going to people to formulate some ideas, maybe an give you straight advice.” Now, of course online approach that really is a holistic ap- 90-95 percent of our cases are resolved to- proach to addressing family law problems. tally outside of the court system. The other Something that’s got a huge educational 5 percent are the stories we spend 100 per- component that primes people. Before they cent of our time talking about, because the have to run in and start making big deci- Michael Lundy and Bridgette Bello stories are insane. sions and thinking through these complex So really over the last few years I’ve had problems, they start with an educational a major philosophical shift. It’s probably process. Right now what happens is the not a coincidence that I have a 5 year-old education you get is from a person who is Michael Lundy shares his views on family law, and a 4 year-old and have thought of some paid to fight on your behalf – and I do not Michael Lundy and Debbie Moore ways to get some conflict resolution pro- think that is working. And the other prob- domestic violence and one crazy divorce story cesses that are totally divorced from the di- lem that we’re having, more prevalent than vorce system. I haven’t figured it out – I’m any other – is that they are putting judges Michael Lundy is co-founder and managing partner at the Older when it comes to that. pretty sure it’s a billion dollar idea – but I on the bench who have never practiced Lundy & Alvarez law firm in Tampa, which was established 15 One of the things that is interesting about our world is that peo- do know that the idea of some very signifi- family law. They don’t know anything years ago. ple only talk about the cases that are complicated and difficult cant training for our judiciary system is an about family law. They’re not psycholo- The firm now has 12 full-time family lawyers and several more and heavily litigated. No one ever sits around and talks about the absolute starting point. gists, they’re not doctors. They don’t have lawyers practicing in other areas. There isn’t an area of law some- last great compromise they made, or the last great deal that they I think if there was a lot more predict- financial expertise. And these people get one at the firm can’t handle. The firm is on track to exceed $10 made, or how they encouraged somebody to keep a cooler mind ability and if we knew that our judges had elected or appointed to the bench, the first million in revenue in 2019 and is expanding. in a stressful situation, and I think what’s really separated us since a much greater understanding of the issues, place they usually go is to the family law Bridgette Bello interviewed Lundy in front of a live audience at day one from all the others is to always find a solution, even if that the psychological issues, the financial is- division. Where they have, what I think, is the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. The transcript below solution doesn’t feel good or requires a lot of compromise. sues, child development issues, people more power as a judge than any other seat has been edited for brevity and clarity. I think because we have given that kind of honest advice to peo- would not want to go to court. I think one inside the courthouse. And something has ple, we built an amazing team. And we’ve grown very rapidly and of the reasons you have unfortunately, a lot to be done about that. And so I think before One of the reasons I believe you are the best divorce greatly in a fairly short period of time. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t of lawyers push their clients to go to court, a judge takes a family law seat, they need attorney in town is because, well, I spent thousands on mention that you say I’m the best divorce lawyer in Tampa Bay and it’s not just because it’s lucrative for them to go through a very extensive training pro- mine, and all they wanted to do was litigate and fight and that’s an amazing compliment, but we really have the best team and to do that, but also because they know that cess to understand what they’re going to drag me and him and our child through the mud ... and it’s not just divorce. It’s all aspects of peoples’ lives. What we real- it’s like a gamble. be looking at, and how they’re going to be that’s not your philosophy. So, I’d really like for you to ized pretty early on is that family law touches almost every aspect I probably have this conversation twelve decisive and then be measured on how they talk about how you differ from most divorce attorneys of a person’s life. Whether it’s your property, estate planning, your times a week with people where I tell them make these decisions. Jennifer Garbowicz and Jack Heiss

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other litigation needs, your personal injury type issues … any type of legal advice, we find it in family law cases.

www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 63 CEO CONNECT

Let’s talk about the firm a little bit. ney named Amy Stoll, and shortly thereaf- Ultimately, we figured out that there was You’re growing and adding attor- ter she helped us recruit Jennifer Murphy something on the underwear and we sent neys. We talked about when it was and so we’re just kind of off to the races someone out to find a chemist and to ana- you and Ben in a little office and with that. lyze the underwear immediately. shopping at Staples. There’s a lot of We will probably open a Clearwater We figured out that the husband, in that business owners and CEOs in this office in the first quarter of next year. We case, had been growing habanero peppers room. What advice do you have for opened a Dade City office this year. I think in his backyard and rubbing them in his them as they start to grow or try to a downtown St. Petersburg office makes a wife’s underwear. We literally took haba- grow? lot of sense for us, and then after that, prob- nero peppers and the underwear out to this We are growing pretty fast. We’ve gone ably Sarasota, where we’re already doing a chemist’s lab and he did an analysis. from two employees to about 50 employees significant amount of work. So just to give you a sense of the ter- in the last fifteen years. I feel like people don’t really look at a rible psychopathology that we sometimes Our plans are to continue to grow, and law firm as a traditional business, it’s just a see in people. pretty aggressively – but that comes with service business, but we’ve always run ours some challenges. We really only want to re- from a very business-minded perspective. The Spring luncheon was today. cruit people who fit into our culture, which If I was going to give advice to an entre- Tonjua Williams was our keynote – has become increasingly important to us as preneurial person who was opening a new the president of St. Petersburg Col- time goes on. I feel like we have the best business, it would be: Get creative. lege – and she was amazing. Even team assembled that we’ve ever had right after eight years on that board, I now. And it’s interesting because as you Tell us about the 5 percenters. Tell had no idea that you dedicate a tre- add new people, it kind of begets or attracts us about the “crazy” divorce brings mendous amount of space in your more great people. We just added an attor- out. I always say you never really building to the attorneys that are the know someone until you divorce ones who go to court with those of them. us who are domestic violence survi- I went through some cases in my mind. vors. So I think that’s pretty amazing But my partner will know which story I’m and I want you to talk about where going to tell because we always tell this story. So this was early on. It was the initial test to see if we really were going to stom- ABOUT CEO CONNECT ach this. Ben and I were working in that lit- TBBW’s “CEO Connect” series is an exclusive, tle office. And we had a client come in and invitation-only, monthly event that brings she was complaining about a burning sen- together many of the Tampa Bay area’s sation in her private area. And we’re like, top business leaders to meet and mingle. ‘We’re divorce lawyers, not gynecologists, Presenting sponsors were Insperity and so there’s limited amount of help we’re go- BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Gold ing to be able to give to you about this.’ sponsor was CBIZ MHM. Event sponsor was We finally told her look, you should DCE Productions and host sponsor was the Michael and Andrea Lundy probably see a medical professional about Museum of Fine Arts. this if it’s continuing. I’m sure there’s a commercial that offers some medication or The evening begins with a cocktail reception ask your doctor about it. So she went to the for about 120 guests, followed by a live doctor. She went several times. She tried interview of well-known C-level executives who changing soap, she tried changing deodor- provide insight into their personal lives, careers ant. I don’t know why she had to change and views on issues affecting the business her deodorant. She tried changing her de- community. tergent. One day she came in and said she decid- Partnering with TBBW on this event provides ed she would try not wearing underwear an opportunity to network with the area’s one day, and the burning stopped. So the business elite, generate new business next thing I know my partner comes into opportunities and increase brand awareness. my office with a bag full of her underwear and says, ‘Smell these.’ And I said, ‘Uh, For information about event sponsorship just tell me what they smell like – that’s opportunities, email Jason Baker at good enough for me.’ Bridgette Bello and Tonjua Williams [email protected].

64 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com CEO CONNECT

Let’s talk about the firm a little bit. ney named Amy Stoll, and shortly thereaf- Ultimately, we figured out that there was that passion came from and how that differentiates you You’re growing and adding attor- ter she helped us recruit Jennifer Murphy something on the underwear and we sent and the decisions you make and the 5 percenters that neys. We talked about when it was and so we’re just kind of off to the races someone out to find a chemist and to ana- you have to deal with. you and Ben in a little office and with that. lyze the underwear immediately. I think early on in my life – I can’t tie it to a specific moment or shopping at Staples. There’s a lot of We will probably open a Clearwater We figured out that the husband, in that event – but I think early on in my life I came to have very strong business owners and CEOs in this office in the first quarter of next year. We case, had been growing habanero peppers feelings about when one person has a lot of power and another room. What advice do you have for opened a Dade City office this year. I think in his backyard and rubbing them in his doesn’t and the power is used abusingly to inflict wrong after them as they start to grow or try to a downtown St. Petersburg office makes a wife’s underwear. We literally took haba- wrong after wrong. I think this is probably why I gravitated from grow? lot of sense for us, and then after that, prob- nero peppers and the underwear out to this what I was doing early in my career into family law because I want- Finest Real Estate Worldwide We are growing pretty fast. We’ve gone ably Sarasota, where we’re already doing a chemist’s lab and he did an analysis. ed to right the wrongs. from two employees to about 50 employees significant amount of work. So just to give you a sense of the ter- Domestic violence is far more prevalent than people know. It’s Yachting in the last fifteen years. I feel like people don’t really look at a rible psychopathology that we sometimes something we see very often in family law cases. And it goes on Our plans are to continue to grow, and law firm as a traditional business, it’s just a see in people. for far longer than people understand. They do not understand the Aviation pretty aggressively – but that comes with service business, but we’ve always run ours psychological dynamics of an abusive relationship. About 35-40 some challenges. We really only want to re- from a very business-minded perspective. The Spring luncheon was today. days ago, I was hired by somebody who, and I’ll tie this into The Opening the door to the life you aspire. cruit people who fit into our culture, which If I was going to give advice to an entre- Tonjua Williams was our keynote – Spring, was in an abusive relationship. It was a very affluent family has become increasingly important to us as preneurial person who was opening a new the president of St. Petersburg Col- and the manner in which she would describe her husband would time goes on. I feel like we have the best business, it would be: Get creative. lege – and she was amazing. Even make your eyes roll back in your head. At Engel & Völkers, we believe that luxury team assembled that we’ve ever had right after eight years on that board, I I joined the board of The Spring five or six years ago – mainly is the fullness of life that begins and ends now. And it’s interesting because as you Tell us about the 5 percenters. Tell had no idea that you dedicate a tre- because I had a connection to Mindy Murphy, who was at that point the day in the most important place: home. add new people, it kind of begets or attracts us about the “crazy” divorce brings mendous amount of space in your the interim CEO, and is an incredible, incredible human being and From dream homes, to yachts, to planes - more great people. We just added an attor- out. I always say you never really building to the attorneys that are the has done an amazing job there. But I contacted her and got her in know someone until you divorce ones who go to court with those of touch with this woman. And the speed in which they got involved including charters and sales of each, Engel them. us who are domestic violence survi- I believe saved this woman’s life. I believe this woman was on a & Völkers advisors help our clients achieve I went through some cases in my mind. vors. So I think that’s pretty amazing crash course toward being killed. I don’t think people realize what what luxury means to them. But my partner will know which story I’m and I want you to talk about where a problem this really is. Not only is it a serious problem for the per- going to tell because we always tell this sto- son who is being abused, but think about children who are around Engel & Völkers evokes a real estate ry. So this was early on. It was the initial it, who are watching it, who are learning it. Every single one of you experience with the utmost competence, test to see if we really were going to stom- ABOUT CEO CONNECT was screwed up by something that one or more of your parents did, ach this. Ben and I were working in that lit- just like me and all other adults. If that’s the thing you were observ- exclusive expertise and passion for all that TBBW’s “CEO Connect” series is an exclusive, tle office. And we had a client come in and ing, you’ve got a lot of work to do to heal yourself from that. So I invitation-only, monthly event that brings we do. Handcrafted attention to every detail she was complaining about a burning sen- joined the board of The Spring because I think it’s one of the most together many of the Tampa Bay area’s and meticulous white-glove service is what sation in her private area. And we’re like, incredible charitable organizations in Tampa Bay. I have personally top business leaders to meet and mingle. ‘We’re divorce lawyers, not gynecologists, seen them do so much charitable work in Tampa Bay. Helping peo- each and every one of our clients deserves. Presenting sponsors were Insperity and so there’s limited amount of help we’re go- ple turn their lives around and give them a sense of empowerment. BNY Mellon Wealth Management. Gold It’s our standard of service that truly sets ing to be able to give to you about this.’ It’s something that we all strive to say we’d like to go to zero. The sponsor was CBIZ MHM. Event sponsor was We finally told her look, you should goal is not to reduce domestic violence – the goal is to eliminate Engel & Völkers apart. DCE Productions and host sponsor was the Michael and Andrea Lundy probably see a medical professional about domestic violence. And it is hard work. So we remain as passionate Museum of Fine Arts. this if it’s continuing. I’m sure there’s a about that today as ever. Contact us for a personalized commercial that offers some medication or The evening begins with a cocktail reception ask your doctor about it. So she went to the Transcribed by Amy Hammond strategic market update. for about 120 guests, followed by a live doctor. She went several times. She tried interview of well-known C-level executives who changing soap, she tried changing deodor- provide insight into their personal lives, careers Engel & Völkers St. Pete ant. I don’t know why she had to change and views on issues affecting the business nd her deodorant. She tried changing her de- 102 2 Ave NE · St. Petersburg · FL 33701 community. tergent. +1 727-295-0000 · stpete.evrealestate.com One day she came in and said she decid- Partnering with TBBW on this event provides ed she would try not wearing underwear an opportunity to network with the area’s one day, and the burning stopped. So the business elite, generate new business next thing I know my partner comes into opportunities and increase brand awareness. my office with a bag full of her underwear and says, ‘Smell these.’ And I said, ‘Uh, For information about event sponsorship just tell me what they smell like – that’s opportunities, email Jason Baker at ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is good enough for me.’ deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners Bridgette Bello and Tonjua Williams [email protected]. Jason Baker, Vera Anderson, Rob Hessel, Jennifer Lopez, Jodi McLean and are Equal Oppor- tunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act Michael McCoy www.tbbwmag.com • JANUARY 2020 65 ASK THE EXPERTS

SALES Leaders: Do Some Reﬂ ecting on 2019 BY JIM MARSHALL

You already know the importance of setting date personal metric he or she can track—one goals for the New Year—certainly, you’ve that connects to daily, weekly and quarterly completed yours—but does it make sense to also performance totals?” Look closely at what refl ect on the successes and setbacks from 2019? happened in 2019 and identify a Key Performance Here are four suggestions on how you, as a leader, Indicator (KPI) that individual employees can can use insights and learnings from the year that just execute independently and keep track of in 2020. An ended to shape your organizational growth plan for 2020. example of a great KPI for a salesperson might be actual voice- Loo for underlyin trends. Let’s say your organization hit to-voice conversations with new prospective buyers. Notice budget for the year—congratulations! But take the time to ask: that this is both quantifi able and something that the individual What trends made that possible? How did you hit your budget? employee has total control over. It’s not dependent on someone Very often we celebrate success but we don’t devote enough time else’s decisions or actions. It’s part of the individual salesperson’s to analyzing it, so we can fi gure out what happened and replicate job. Use such KPIs to build daily, weekly and quarterly behavior it. Of course, we also want to analyze the situations where we targets, as part of the employee’s “cookbook.” didn’t succeed at the level we’d hoped. Ask yourself, and your key ocus on te intanibles, not ust te tanibles As you people, what major trends made things diffi cult for you to hit the review all the signifi cant events of 2019—the good, the bad and goals you missed so you don’t face the same problems in 2020. the ugly—be sure to look for both tangible and intangible areas As an example, look for underlying patterns affecting your sales of potential improvement. Tangibles are things you can count process. What causes deals to speed up? Where are deals getting or document, like the strategies above. Intangibles tend to be stuck in the pipeline? Why? Are there any common patterns that based on your own personal sense of what should happen next. are showing up, within your team, that you should be examining? Typically, they are the personal obstacles you face as a leader— Do a process cec This is not about micromanagement or the lessons you know intuitively you must master. Take time to looking over people’s shoulders and checking for minute errors. identify at least a couple of events in 2019 that pointed you toward It’s more about capturing best practices and making sure your a specifi c area where you have room to grow in terms of your people have the tools they need to follow them: prospecting, own leadership potential. For instance, “I should be doing a better qualifying, presenting, closing, as examples. Are you up to speed job of celebrating victories whenever teams achieve an important as an organization in terms of updating and sharing the most short-term goal” or “I need to coach my people more effectively.” important processes you used in 2019? If you can’t think of any intangible areas Have you updated your business where you could improve as development playbooks for a leader, you may not be 2020? Are you replicating looking hard enough. ♦ what you know for certain works, or does im Marshall is owner everybody still have and president of Sandler their own individual Training of Tampa way of going to Bay, which provides market? sales, corporate ocus on and management personal metrics training to high- Leaders should look achieving companies back on 2019 and ask, and individuals. Contact “Does every one of my him at 813.287.1 or direct reports have an up-to- [email protected].

66 JANUARY 2020 • www.tbbwmag.com 45 5 N

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