Big Book of Business 2022

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

This is the (Wise) Way The Big Book of Business is back — with an even bigger, and deeper, look at the data, companies and leaders driving the region.

MARK GORDON MANAGING EDITOR

T

he Business Observer’s team of editors, reporters and graphic designers have been especially excited to work on, and now finally deliver, the 2022 edition of the Big Book of Business.

Not just because it’s filled with 72 pages of must-have, easily organized and essential information to help you be better at business.

But because this is our second go-around with the Big Book of Business. In early 2021, when, you likely recall, some other things were happening in the world, we decided to slide away from our traditional Top 500 issue. That issue ranked the 500 largest companies by revenue in the region. Published for more than a decade, and a Top 250 before that, the Top 500 was a robust look at companies across the region.

The Big Book of Business was our answer to a glaring need we saw in the business community: a craving for more information, more data and more analysis of who is leading the region to new levels of success. Our goal? Help executives and business owners make better decisions, faster, at a time when making decisions, from whom to 4

BUSINESS OBSERVER

hire to when to fire, has taken on a heightened sense of purpose. With the 2021 Big Book, we feel confident we did that.

But, as good as we think last year’s issue was, the Business Observer believes in the business principle of constant improvement. So we aimed to enhance the Big Book and improve what we did last year. We kept some key components, such as the top 50 private companies; revenue of public companies; and the top 10 real estate brokerages.

We took out other charts and lists. Then we added new pieces of information, including 14 graphs comparing the nine counties of our region in myriad ways. (Hat tip to Florida TaxWatch for those.) We also added a section on what stubbornly seems to be the most painful — and far reaching — issue to solve in the region, and state: affordable housing.

Like the inaugural Big Book, this edition, after two sections of data and lists, delves into the people who are facilitating big changes in the region and with their respective organizations. This compilation of change makers is an all-star list of doers. It includes Wall Street investing superstar Cathie Wood, who is making a big investment in St. Petersburg; Johnny Crowder, a Tampa heavy metal band frontman whose company, Cope Notes, has become a nationally known mental health service; and Ben Siegel and Rick Piccolo, airport executives racing to keep up with postpandemic travel demand.

An aside: I had (a few) worrisome thoughts of a possible sophomore jinx or sophomore slump percolating around my head as we kicked off planning for the second Big Book issue in February. It doesn’t help that the Greek translation of sophomore, or second year, is, basically, a “wise

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DATA Jobs....................................... 6 Housing.................................. 8 Migration, banking...................10 Hospitals................................11 Business formation..................11 Commercial real estate.............12 Economic indicators.................13 Airports, seaports......................14 Bankruptcies..........................15 Counties................................16 Affordable housing...................24 THE LISTS Largest public companies.........28 Top 50 private companies.........32 Short-term rentals....................34 Top residential brokerages........39 Doc stamps............................39 Banks....................................40 Top employers by county..........42 Top 50 contractors..................44 THE CHANGE MAKERS Cathie Wood...........................48 Ben Siegel & Rick Piccolo........50 Johnny Crowder......................53 Phyllis LeFlore-Calloway...........54 Yvonne Fry.............................57 Melanie Griffin.........................58 Blair Bloomston.......................62 Mark Vengroff.........................64 Lakshmi Shenoy......................67 Samira Beckwith.....................68

fool.” Sophos means clever or wise in Greek, while moros means foolish. Yikes.

But like many other things in the pandemic era, it pays off, many businesses and organizations have learned, to find the good in what is a generally awful situation. It’s with that in mind Team Business Observer will gladly, and humbly, accept the wise part, while declining the fool part, for this year’s Big Book of Business. We hope you’ll agree.

We also sincerely hope the second edition of the Big Book of Business makes you and your team, part of our growing readership base, wiser, too. Thanks, as always, for reading. And please let us know what you liked, disliked and where you think we can improve for 2023 — when we will strive to produce a bigger and better Big Book of Business for year three.

Publisher and President Emily Walsh, EWalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor and COO Kat Hughes KHughes@BusinessObserverFL.com Managing Editor Mark Gordon MGordon@BusinessObserverFL.com Tampa Editor Brian Hartz Bhartz@BusinessObserverFL.com Commercial Real Estate Editor Louis Llovio LLlovio@BusinessObserverFL.com Sarasota-Manatee Writer Amanda Postma APostma@BusinessObserverFL.com Contributors / Beth Luberecki Editorial Design / Jess Eng, Nicole Thompson Associate Publishers / Kathleen O’Hara KOHara@BusinessObserverFL.com; Diane Schaefer, DSchaefer@BusinessObserverFL.com Director of Legal Advertising / Kristen Boothroyd KBoothroyd@BusinessObserverFL.com Director of Creative Services / Caleb Stanton, CStanton@YourObserver.com Chief Financial Officer / Laura Strickland, LStrickland@YourObserver.com Director of Distribution and Subscriptions Sales / Diana Ewing DEwing@BusinessObserverFL.com

POSTAL INFORMATION The Business Observer (ISSN#1539-9184) is published weekly on Fridays by the Gulf Coast Review Inc., 1970 Main St., Sarasota, FL 34236; 941362-4848. Periodicals postage paid at Sarasota, FL, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Please send changes of address to The Business Observer, P.O. Box 3169, Sarasota, FL 34230.

Special Section Published Aug. 26, 2022

To subscribe: Call 877-231-8834, or visit BusinessObserverFL.com.

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022 2021

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JOBS T

T HE DATA

he economic buzzword of the day is “inflation,” and surely that is putting a hurt on businesses and consumers alike. However from an employment perspective, the Gulf Coast looks to be close to a full recovery.

Unemployment is back down below 3% in each of the region’s major areas, after hitting double digits in spring 2020. And total jobs in the key industries of construction and

CONTINUED CLAIMS* 5/1/20: 1,062,593

1,000,000 hospitality are at all-time highs everywhere except Tampa Bay, which is only off by about 1,000 construction jobs.

If there’s bad news, it’s that job counts are only really back to where they were in spring 2020 — put another way, zero growth for two years.

But as an example, 296,000 hospitality jobs is better than 157,000, which is what the region had in April 2020.

—Alex Walsh

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

6/1/22: 35,586

6/1/17

6/1/18

6/1/19

6/1/20

6/1/21

6/1/22

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 15% KEY Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Punta Gorda Cape Coral-Fort Myers Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island

12%

9%

6%

3%

May 1, 2017

Nov. 1, 2017

May 1, 2018

Nov. 1, 2018

May 1, 2019

Nov. 1, 2019

May 1, 2020

Nov. 1, 2020

May 1, 2021

Nov. 1, 2021

CONSTRUCTION JOBS

LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY JOBS

100

200

80

May 1, 2022

150

60 100 40 50

20 **Punta Gorda reports construction jobs on an annual basis.

5/1/17

1/1/18

1/1/19

1/1/20

1/1/21

1/1/22

5/1/17

1/1/18

1/1/19

1/1/20

1/1/21

1/1/22

*Continued claims, also referred to as insured unemployment, is the number of people who have already filed an initial claim and who have experienced a week of unemployment and then filed a continued claim to claim benefits for that week of unemployment. Continued claims data are based on the week of unemployment, not the week when the initial claim was filed.

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BUSINESS OBSERVER

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HOUSING T HE DATA

B

reaking news: Home prices are up.

It began at the start of 2021, after years of zero growth in the median list price for housing in each of the Gulf Coast’s major metro areas. And since then, the growth has been tremendous: in Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, after spending three years at the $500,000 mark, the median list price in June was $825,000.

More news: prices went up because demand increased and supply decreased. At the start of 2019 in Naples, there were nearly 9,000 active listings; in June there were just over 2,500.

And don’t count on supply to relieve the pressure, at least according to permits data, which isn’t really showing a surge in activity for any of the region’s five metros.

—Alex Walsh

PERMITS ISSUED 3,000

KEY Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton Punta Gorda Cape Coral-Fort Myers Naples-ImmokaleeMarco Island

2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500

5/1/17

11/1/17

5/1/18

11/1/18

5/1/19

11/1/19

5/1/20

11/1/20

5/1/21

11/1/21

5/1/22

12/1/21

6/1/22

11/1/21

5/1/22

MEDIAN HOME PRICE INDEX 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000

6/1/17

12/1/17

6/1/18

12/1/18

6/1/19

12/1/19

6/1/20

12/1/20

6/1/21

INVENTORY 20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

5/1/17

8

BUSINESS OBSERVER

11/1/17

5/1/18

11/1/18

5/1/19

11/1/19

5/1/20

11/1/20

5/1/21

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MIGRATION T HE DATA

T

his data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows a clear trend, albeit one that is now slightly dated: Americans who kept moving to Florida’s Gulf Coast even before COVID-19 changed our nation’s demographics.

Each of the nine sets of bars below depicts the domestic migration trend for a Gulf Coast county between 2009 and 2019. In other words, it shows how many people moved to that county from other places in the U.S., net of anyone

that moved out for the same period.

The leader here is Lee County, which receives about 14,000 new residents a year on net. Next is Polk, which draws new residents from both Tampa and Orlando, followed

by Manatee.

This dataset should really start to look interesting in the next few years, once the record begins to account for everyone that moved to the Sunshine State during the pandemic.

—Alex Walsh

NET COUNTY-TO-COUNTY MIGRATION FLOW 18,000

Charlotte

16,000

KEY

14,000

2009

Collier

Hillsborough

Lee

Manatee

Pasco

Pinellas

Polk

Sarasota

’19

12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 -2,000 These are five-year estimates, so the 2018 data point is the estimate for 2014-2018.

-4,000 -6,000

BANKING O

n a statewide level, total assets for community banks continue rising — to nearly $275 billion through first quarter of 2022. But trouble is beginning to percolate in the

banking industry, which faces challenges in rising interest rates, inflation, the potential economic downturn and more.

One spot of trouble is in the slight decrease in net interest

TOTAL ASSETS

margin. That’s the amount of money a bank earns in interest on loans compared to what it pays in interest on deposits. Net interest margin is one sign of a bank’s profitability, so the decline,

NET INTEREST MARGIN

$300,000

$274,336

NET LOANS TO ASSETS

(MEDIAN %)

(MEDIAN %) 80

3.0

$250,000

2.58

2.5

70

63.35

60

$200,000

2.0

$150,000

50

1.5

$100,000

1.0

$50,000

0.5

2020 10

event slightly, isn’t a good sign. The median net loans to assets, another indictor of a bank’s strength, rose slight in the first quarter, a more positive development.

— Mark Gordon

BUSINESS OBSERVER

2021

Q1 2022

40 30 20 10 2020

2021

Q1 2022

2020

2021

Q1 2022

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

HOSPITAL BEDS PER BUSINESS COUNTY (RATE PER 100,000) FORMATION T

ondering why it’s getting harder to find employees? One reason may well be that more and more Floridians are trying their hands at owning their own businesses. The number of people creating LLCs skyrocketed in 2021, jumping by more than 130,000 from 2020 and more than doubling the number of LLCs created in 2017.

— Louis Llovio

DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COS.

Pinellas

399.3

Charlotte

385.7

Sarasota

600,000

532,137

500,000

354.6

Hillsborough

400,000

306.4

Lee

281.0

Pasco

276.6

Collier

274.0 255.4

Polk Manatee

W

THE DATA

he number of hospital beds per county, a metric health departments use to assess a region’s overall health, is counterintuitive to an extent in the region. One one side, it makes sense why highlypopulated Pinellas leads the way in the region. But one of the least populous counties, Charlotte is No 2, and Collier, the county with the highest incomes, is No. 7. — Mark Gordon

225.0

300,000 200,000 Statewide: 307.6 hospital beds per 100,000 residents

Source: Florida Department of Health

100,000 2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Source: Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations

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T HE DATA

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE T he prediction last year was that what went up surely must come down. Across the region, despite a year of robust sales post-pandemic, available square feet were down in 2021 from five years ago. That holds true in pretty much every sector and in

every county. There are a couple of exceptions, of course. In Hillsborough County, for instance, office is up 19% from where it was five years ago and industrial is up 5%. A less surprising find is in multifamily, especially considering the demand for housing and investors paying sky

OFFICE S.F. ON THE MARKET

high prices for communities. Only Pasco, Polk, Lee and Collier counties showed an uptick in available units. Available units in Lee were up 59%; in Pasco 50%; in Collier 2% and in Polk 1% “There has been quite a bit of multifamily building activity across Florida over the past couple

INDUSTRIAL S.F. ON THE MARKET

10,000,000

KEY 2016 2021

10,000,000

8,000,000

8,000,000

6,000,000

6,000,000

4,000,000

4,000,000

2,000,000

2,000,000

Hillsborough Pinellas Pasco

Polk

Manatee Sarasota Charlotte

of years, so if you expected a larger spread between 2016 and 2021 just keep in mind that in many cases thousands of units have been delivered during that time,” says CoStar.

“For that matter, a similar trend exists within the industrial sector.”

— Louis Llovio

Lee

Collier

Hillsborough Pinellas Pasco

Polk Manatee Sarasota Charlotte

Lee

RETAIL S.F. ON THE MARKET

MULTIFAMILY S.F. ON THE MARKET*

4,000,000

8,000

3,500,000

7,000

3,000,000

6,000

2,500,000

5,000

2,000,000

4,000

1,500,000

3,000

1,000,000

2,000

500,000

1,000

Hillsborough Pinellas Pasco

Polk

Manatee Sarasota Charlotte

Lee

Collier

Hillsborough Pinellas

Pasco

Polk

Manatee Sarasota Charlotte

Lee

Collier

Collier

*These units were physically vacant. Source: CoStar

12

BUSINESS OBSERVER

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

ECONOMIC INDICATORS T Florida trounces other states in key economic indicators, according to the 2022 edition of Rich States, Poor States. This report, from the American Legislative Exchange Council and economist Art Laffer, is in its 15th edition. (ALEC is a pro-free

STATE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT CUMULATIVE GROWTH, 2010-2020 48.08% RANK: 10 8%

KEY FL

markets organization that works with state legislators on policies and regulation.) Overall, Florida ranked No. 3 in economic performance, which looks at past data, and No. 8 in economic outlook, which is based on forecast and pro-

ABSOLUTE DOMESTIC MIGRATION

CUMULATIVE, 2011-2020 1,452,028 RANK: 1 250,000 200,000

4%

NON-FARM PAYROLL UNEMPLOYMENT CUMULATIVE, 2010-20120 17.825 RANK: 5

KEY FL

6% 4%

US

6%

jections. A lot of the state’s positive scores stem from tax policies. On the flip side, Florida lags many others in legal climate, ranking No. 46 in state liability in the 2022 ALECLaffer report.

— Mark Gordon

THE DATA

he signs of Florida’s No. 1 ranking in new residents — domestic migration — pop up in a multitude of places: In grocery stores, roads and highways and schools, to name a few. The ranking is one of several where

US

2% 2011 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20

150,000

-2%

2%

-4%

100,000

-6% -8%

50,000

-2%

-10% -4%

2011 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ai165849940710_11864 Big Book of Business.pdf

1

2011 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 7/22/22

-12%

10:16 AM

Source: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index

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AIRPORTS T HE DATA

T

he airport industry across the region has been on a post-pandemic tear. Many airports have been setting, then breaking, new traffic passengers records every month.

But the rebound comes with some growing pains. Taken in total, the five major airports on the west coast of Florida are investing nearly $1 billion in infrastructure improvements and adding new

DEPLANINGS

PASSENGERS

2020 2021

Southwest Florida International

amenities, from restaurants to parking spaces. (See page 50 for more on two of the region’s top airport officials, Ben Siegel at Southwest Florida International, and Rick Piccolo at Sarasota-

*Tampa International

Ç77.65%

Tampa International

Punta Gorda Airport

*Tampa International doesn't record passenger deplaning data, which is data that reflects the number of passengers disembarking from an aircraft. Instead the numbers above are recorded as inbound passengers which reflect the number of passengers who arrived in Tampa each year.

Punta Gorda Airport

—Mark Gordon

FREIGHT

Southwest Florida International

Ç72.64%

Bradenton International, and how they are addressing the surge for more airport services — quickly.)

Southwest Florida International

Ç72.66% Ç76.94%

Ç13.07%

Tampa International È8.91%

Ç32.59%

St. PeteClearwater International

Ç46.04%

SarasotaBradenton International

Ç154.81%

Punta Gorda, St.Pete-Clearwater and SarasotaBradenton don’t handle freight cargo.

Ç31.95%

St. PeteClearwater International

Ç46.01%

SarasotaBradenton International

Ç155.75% Source: Individual Airports

SEAPORTS A

lot of different industries and businesses experienced growth in the year following the pandemic, and the two ports in the region were no exception.

SeaPort Manatee’s numbers jumped significantly, pulling off a 12% increase in cargo and a 53% jump in 20-foot equivalent containers. But when you look a little

CARGOS

closer at the data, you’ll notice Port Tampa Bay is handling over 30 million pounds of cargo, while its neighbor is handling a third of that.

The overall growth at both ports

TEUs

35,000,000

Ç1.66%

CRUISE PASSENGERS

200,000

Ç28.86%

30,000,000

600,000 500,000

150,000

25,000,000

Ç53.35%

400,000

20,000,000 100,000

300,000

15,000,000 Ç12.06%

10,000,000

200,000

50,000

500,0000

100,000 SeaPort Manatee

Source: Individual ports

14

is also representative of the rise in demand for supply that shot up after coming to a near standstill in March 2020.

— Amanda Postma

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Port Tampa Bay

SeaPort Manatee TEUS are 20-foot equivalent units

Port Tampa Bay

N/A N/A SeaPort Manatee

N/A Port Tampa Bay

NOTE: Cruises were shut down fiscal 2021 due to pandemic

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

BANKRUPTCIES S

KEY KEYChapter 7 Business Chapter 7 Business

On the business side, other than a blip in 2019, total bankruptcies have been falling for the past five years.

Between 2020 and 2021, they fell 19% with the majority of cases, 475, being Chapter 7 liquidations.

Personal bankruptcies, which had been rising until 2020 when court

Chapter 11 Business Chapter 11 Business

2017 2017 Source: The Administrative Office of the U.S. Court.

2018 2018

closings, forbearances and financial help from the federal government helped slow the pace, fell 16.5% to 16,654 in 2021. Again, the majority were Chapter 7 liquidations, 13,278, a 17% decrease from 2020.

With inflation still running high and the threat of recession — and

Chapter 7 Personal Chapter 7 Personal

Chapter 11 Personal Chapter 11 Personal

2019 2019

the job cuts that are likely to follow — looming, it will be interesting to see how many businesses and people turn to the federal court system for protection from debtors in the coming couple of years.

— Louis Llovio

Chapter 13 Personal Chapter 13 Personal

2020 2020

THE DATA

o much for the deluge of bankruptcies post-pandemic and post-stimulus.

The number of total bankruptcies, both business and personal, fell in 2021 despite the fears that after more than a year of disruptions finances would crumble.

2021 2021

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T HE DATA

TOTAL COUNTY POPULATION

COUNTY POPULATION DENSITY

H

P

illsborough County is the big leader among the nine counties in the region in population. It’s also No. 4 in Florida, according to a report from Florida TaxWatch, trailing Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. With Pinellas nearing 1 million people, and adding in Pasco and Polk, that section of the region — Greater Tampa Bay — is rapidly approaching 4 million people. That’s about 20% of the entire state population of 21. 89 million people.

1,490,374

Hillsborough Pinellas

964,490

Lee

Charlotte

Manatee

411,209

Collier

956.6 397.8 726.5

Sarasota

441,508

Manatee

3,595

Pasco

575,891

Sarasota

1,449.8 people per square mile

Pinellas

Polk

748,365

Pasco

Hillsborough

Lee

782,579

Polk

inellas County isn’t just No. 1 on the west coast of Florida in population density, it’s No. 1 in the state — and it’s not even close. The No. 2 county is Broward, with 1,597 people per square mile. Pinellas more than doubles that tally. Orange, Seminole and Miami-Dade follow Pinellas, making Hillsborough No. 6. Notably, Collier, growing significantly in new residents, is sparse compared to other counties, with less than 200 people per square mile.

382,680 190,570

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

789.4 536.4

Collier

193.9

Charlotte

276.2

Statewide: 402.8

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

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ith Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as ith Sanibel Captiva Community Bank as your lender, whether you’re looking for a your lender, whether you’re looking for a commercial commercialor orresidential residentialloan, loan,you youget get aa local local partner partner and advocate to guide you through the process. and advocate to guide you through the process. We We have haveloan loanofficers officersin inevery everybranch branchready ready to to work work with with you you––from fromstart startto tofinish, finish,every everystep step of of the the way. way.

Contact Kyle or David to get connected to the right Contact Kyle or David to get connected to the right loan officer for you. loan officer for you.

As all Asaalocally locallyowned ownedand andoperated operatedcommunity community bank, bank, all our ourloan loandecisions decisionsare aremade maderight right here here in in Southwest Southwest Florida.

Recognizing and valuing relationships Florida. Recognizing and valuing relationships with with our ourcustomers customersallows allowsus usto tofind findsolutions solutions where where other other banks banksfail. fail.

Kyle DeCicco Kyle DeCicco

President and President and Senior Loan Officer Senior Loan Officer 239-274-6225 239-274-6225 kdecicco@sancapbank.com kdecicco@sancapbank.com NMLS #1096738 NMLS #1096738

DavidWright Wright David

SeniorVice VicePresident Presidentofof Senior Residential Mortgage Lending Residential Mortgage Lending 239-210-2279 239-210-2279 dwright@sancapbank.com dwright@sancapbank.com NMLS#412536 #412536 NMLS

$1B+ $1B+ in in closed closed home loans loans since since 2003

11loan loanofficers officerslocated located 11 throughoutSWFL SWFL throughout

Quick, local local Quick, decision-making decision-making

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T HE DATA

POPULATION LIVING IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS G iven how densely populated Pinellas County is, it makes sense it’s the county with the lowest percentage of people who live in unincorporated areas. Pasco, Collier and Charlotte are all in the top 10 statewide of counties with the highest percentages.

100%

91.5%

90.7%

Tampa

81.2% 62.8%

60.9% 49.3%

Clearwater

117,800

Lakeland

116,421

40% 28.6%

20%

Co

lli er

ar Ch

e l ot t

na Ma

tee

ro s bo

ugh

H ill Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

a S ar

s ot

a

k Pol

L ee

91,554

Fort Myers Largo

co

201,554

Cape Coral

60%

Pa s

391,800 260,778

St. Petersburg 69.2%

P in

ell a

s

North Port

83,071 78,129

Bradenton

56,442

Sarasota

55,386

Bonita Springs

54,746

Pinellas Park Winter Haven

54,239 51,126

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

PER COUNTY PERSONAL INCOME

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY COUNTY

N

U

aples continues to squash nearly every other county in personal income, scoring more than $30,000 in per capita personal income over the No. 2 county, Sarasota. Only Monroe County, in the Florida Keys, beats out Collier, with $106,583 per capita. Polk, Charlotte and Pasco all rank in the bottom-third of Florida’s 67 counties.

$103,865

Collier Sarasota

$70,884

Pinellas

$59,178

Lee

$54,707

nemployment rates on a Florida statewide county-by-county glance, based on data from April 2022, shows that the region is on low end of the scale. Six counties are less than the statewide rate of 3.1%, and all those counties are in the top 25 statewide.

2.6%

Collier Manatee

2.8%

Sarasota

2.8%

Pinellas

2.8%

Manatee

$52,395

Lee

2.9%

Hillsborough

$51,848

Hillsborough

2.9%

Statewide: 3.1%

Charlotte

$45,606

Charlotte

3.2%

Pasco

$45,461

Pasco

3.2%

Polk

$39,760

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

18

ampa and St. Petersburg being on this list is little surprise, as both are top 10 cities in the state — No. 3 and No. 5 respectively.

Cape Coral, one of the fastest-growing cities in Florida, is now No. 8 in the state. Here’s how the cities in our region compare to one another.

Statewide: 49.7%

89.7%

80%

POPULATION OF FLORIDA’S 70 LARGEST CITIES T

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Statewide: $55,675

Polk

3.7%

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

PER CAPITA COUNTY MUNICIPAL BUILDING PERMIT FEES B

PER CAPITA COUNTY, MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL IMPACT FEES I

mpact fees, like building fees, also have a wide range. To wit: the gap between Collier, No. 2 in the state with $216.30 per capita, over Pinellas, No. 37 with $8.03 per capita, is $208.27. One-third of the counties — like with building fees, mostly rural ones — have no county, municipal or impact fees, Florida TaxWatch reports.

100

$250

80

$216.30

$81.79

60

$200

$180.92 $148.78

$150

$56.75 $41.53

40

Statewide: $77.33

Statewide: $37.87

$37.33 $31.09

$28.22

20

$22.26 $20.66 $18.50

$143.02

THE DATA

uilding fees vary widely in Florida. Consider Collier, which posts the highest building fees in the region by a wide margin.

Yet even at $81.79 per capita, Collier, at No. 2 statewide, pales in comparison to Monroe County, which has a rate of $151.96. Out of Florida’s 67 counties, 15, mostly rural, and none on the west coast, have per capita building fees under $10.

$133.31 $116.95

$100

$68.59 $64.90

$50 $8.03

Co

lli er

S ar

aso

ta

Ch

a r lo

t te

L ee

Ma

ee nat

P in

ell a

s sb H ill

oro

ugh

k Pol

Pa s

co

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

Co

lli er

Pa s

co

S ar

aso

ta

Ma

ee nat

k Pol

g L ee r ou s bo l l i H

h

Ch

a r lo

t te

P in

ell a

s

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

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BUSINESS OBSERVER

19

T HE DATA

PER CAPITA TOTAL TOTAL PROPERTY TAX PROPERTY TAX LEVIES LEVIES PER $1,000 OF PERSONAL INCOME C C ollier County, like in most other comparisons on tax levies, is one of the highest-taxed counties in Florida. On this dataset it ranks No. 3 in the state, behind Monroe, in the Florida Keys, and Walton, in the Panhandle. Polk County, at $989 per capita, is No. 43 statewide.

$3,081

Collier Sarasota

$2,208

Pinellas

$2,204

Lee

$1,930

Charlotte

Polk

Source: TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

$34.92

Pinellas

$33.77

Manatee

$33.73 $31.01 $30.06 $28.88

Polk

$1,025 $989

Lee

Collier

$1,567

Pasco

$40.09

Hillsborough

$1,767

Hillsborough

Charlotte

Sarasota

$1,868

Manatee

harlotte County, normally one of the lower-taxed counties in Florida, leads the region in this category. It’s No. 8 in Florida and one of six counties outside of major population centers among the top 10. The top three statewide are all on the Panhandle: Franklin, Walton and Gulf counties.

Statewide: $1,810

$25.00

Pasco

$22.77

Statewide: $32.77

Source: TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

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T HE DATA

GROWTH IN TOTAL PROPERTY TAX LEVIES 2012-2021 L

PER CAPITA SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY TAX LEVIES S

ee County residents have experienced an anomaly in the past decade: a decrease in property tax levies, one of eight counties in the state to enjoy such a drop. The changes, overall, according to Florida TaxWatch, stem from when statewide property tax levies reached their all-time high in the mid-2000s, prior to the recession.

35%

chool district taxes in the region, as a group, are on the high side compared to other counties in the state. The five counties that outpace the state mark, with Pinellas close behind, all rank among the top 20 in Florida. Collier is No. 2 and Sarasota is No. 4.

33.9%

30%

28.6%

Statewide: 27.8%

27.9% 25.1%

25%

20.5%

20%

14.0%

15%

13.7%

Sarasota

$1,132.91

Charlotte

$801.66

Manatee

$798.04

Lee

10%

$787.65

Pinellas

5%

Hillsborough -2.3%

-5% P

o asc

Co

lli er

Ma

ee nat

H ill

s bo

r

h oug

P in

s ell a

k Pol

Ch

a

te r l ot

S ar

a

a s ot

L ee

Pasco Polk

$696.95 $519.68 $395.83 Statewide: $698.11

$381.54

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

PER CAPITA TOTAL COUNTY & MUNICIPAL GOV’T REVENUE T

PER CAPITA IMPACT OF SAVE OUR HOMES IN TAXES T

aken in total, the counties in the region do well in providing services for less. The data here, for fiscal year 2019-2020, shows that six counties, on a per capita basis, collect less revenue than the statewide average. Charlotte, at $4,160, ranks No. 12 in state, while Pinellas is No. 13 and Sarasota is No. 14.

his dataset represents the amount of property taxes reduced or shifted to other taxpayers by Save Our Homes. Pinellas is No. 1 in the state, while Collier is No. 8. The data, for tax year 2021, is calculated using current average millage rates applied to Save Our Homes differential of homestead properties, according to TaxWatch.

Charlotte

$4,160

Pinellas

Pinellas

$4,154

Collier

Sarasota

$4,049

Hillsborough

Lee

$3,788

Collier

$3,590

Polk

$3,456

Hillsborough

$3,380

Manatee Pasco

$3,221 $2,248

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

22

$1,394.60

Collier 28.8%

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Statewide: $3,980

$492.14 $344.96 $293.57

Sarasota

$285.73

Charlotte

$282.47

Lee

$233.59

Manatee Pasco Polk

$218.70 $196.58 $157.95

Statewide: $285.39

Source: Florida TaxWatch: 2022 How Counties Compare

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING T HE DATA

T

FHC compiled the data through three parts: n The National Association of Home Builders’ Housing Opportunity Index. The index accounts for a 10% down payment and standard underwriting criteria to determine the homes for sale percentage within affordable communities.

It’s based on a family median income data. n The supply of homes for sale was taken into account as well, most notably low-income affordable housing. n Transportation costs were considered, for there’s a possibility of lower-cost homes for sale that are farther from workplaces.

Some data nuggets from the report include: n Nearly 2 million low-income

he Florida Housing Coalition, in its Home Matters report released in March 2021, states that before the pandemic, 875,259 households statewide spent more than 50% of their income on housing (The usual standard in housing costs is to spend no more than 30% of your gross monthly income on rent or a mortgage.)

Then, when COVID-19 came around, roughly 18% of renters and 12% of homeowners who had a mortgage fell behind on housing payments, the report found.

The data here looks at how the six metro areas in the Business Observer’s coverage area compares on a national level in the third quarter of 2020 in terms of affordability, the most recent data available. The

GROSS RENT AND AFFORDABLE RENT

Metro Area

Affordability Rank Nationally Q3 2020

Change in Rank since Q3 2019

Lakeland-Winter Haven

110

-1

Punta Gorda

147

-6

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater

147

16

Cape Coral-Fort Myers

149

14

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton

154

-1

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island

181

-2

households in Florida use over 30% of their income to pay for housing. n More than 1.13 million households in Florida use over 50% of the income for housing. These very low-income households are considered severely cost-burdened.

n Florida is home to more than 27,000 homeless individuals and families. In 2017-18, there were 96,028 K-12 students who experienced homelessness or housing instability.

— Amanda Postma

$1,300

PERCENTAGE OF COST-BURDENED HOUSEHOLDS BY MSA, 2019 EST

$1,100

(COST BURDEN THRESHOLD – 30%) 1

$900

2 3

$700 $500 KEY Median gross rent Rent affordable to median renter

$300 $100 2010

’11

’12

’13

’14

’15

’16

’17

’18

’19

Source: Shimberg Center 2020

4

7

5

KEY 34-38% 38.1-39% 39.1-40% 40.1-42% 42.1-44% 44.1-47%

8 6

9

10 11

13

14 12

COST-BURDENED HOUSEHOLDS IN FLORIDA

25%

of Floridians struggle to pay for housing

Not low-income Source: Shimberg Center for Housing Sudies 2020

24

BUSINESS OBSERVER

1,132,232 households 14% of all HHs

4,748,109 households 59% of all HHs

853,089 households 11% of all HHs 1,172,403 households 15% of all HHs

Low-income, Severely cost burdened

Low-income, Moderately cost burdened Low-income, Not cost burdened

1. Pensacola, Ferry Pass, Brent 2. Ft. Walton Beach, Crestview, Destin 15 17 3. Northwest Non-metropolitan 16 4. Tallahassee 5. Northeast Non-metropolitan 6. Central Non-metropolitan 18 7. Jacksonville 20 8. Gainesville 19 9. Ocala 10. Deltona, Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, and Palm Coast 11. Orlando, Kissimmee 12. Lakeland 13. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater 14. Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville 15. Sebastian, Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie, Stuart 16. South Non-metropolitan, Punta Gorda 17. Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice 18. Cape Coral, Fort Myers 19. Naples, Marco Island Source: Florida Housing Coalition 20. Miami-Dade BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING (CONTINUED) T HE DATA

INCOME NECESSARY TO AFFORD A MEDIAN HOME AND THE MEDIAN INCOMES OF ESSENTIAL WORKERS

FAIR MARKET RENT COMPARED TO MEDIAN WAGES BY OCCUPATION Retail salesperson

KEY Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater

Deltona - Daytona Beach - Ormond Beach

Ocala

Customer service reps Cashiers Waiters & waitresses

Customer service worker

Office clerks, general

Registered nurse Police and sheriffs officers

Laborers & freight, stock & materials moves

Firefighter

Stockers & order fillers

Teacher

General secretaries & administrative assistants

Annual income necessary to afford a median priced home

Janitors & cleaners*

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

Wage to afford 1BR home Wage to afford 2BR home

The assumptions for calculation “housing wages” for median-priced homes were as follows: 1) 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 4.5% interest, 2) FHA-insured with a 3.5% down payment, 3) Front-end ratio of 28% back-end ratio of 43%, 4) All other household debt service is 15% of annual income, 5) Assessed value is 85% of the purchase price, 6) Homestead exemption is $50,000, 7) Mill levy is $19 and, 8) Property insurance is 0.5% of the purchase price annually. Additionally, we assume that the homebuyer works 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year.

*Excepts maids and housekeepers

Source: Florida Housing Coalition

Source: DEO 2018, National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) 2019

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Text: 941-304-5443 Call: 941-752-5050 Email: Admissions@SCF.edu State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota does not discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, race, religion, age, national origin/ethnicity, color, marital status, disability, genetic information or sexual orientation in any of its educational programs, services and activities, including admission and employment. Direct inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies to: Equity Officer, 941-752-5323, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34207.

PUBLIC COMPANIES

THE LISTS

Company Address Phone Number; Website TD Synnex (SNX) 16202 Bay Vista Dr., Bay Vista Business Park, Clearwater 33760 510-656-3333; tdsynnex.com

Top Executive Rich Hume, CEO

2021 revenue 2020 revenue % growth Industry $31,614,169,000 Technology $19,977,150,000 58.25%

Jabil Inc. (JBL) 10560 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr St. N., St. Petersburg 33716 727-577-9749; jabil.com

Mark T. Mondello, CEO

$29,285,000,000

Manufacturing

global manufacturing, engineering and supply chain solutions provider

The Mosaic Co. (MOS) 101 E. Kennedy Blvd. #2500, Tampa 33602 800-918-8270; mosaicco.com

Joc O’Rourke, CEO, President and Director

$12,400,000,000

Agriculture

concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrient mining

Raymond James Financial Inc. (RJF) 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg 33716 407-451-3827; raymondjames.com

Paul C. Reilly, Chairman and CEO

$9,760,000,000 Banking/ $7,990,000,000 finance/invest22.15% ment

wealth management

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. (HTZ) 8501 Williams Road, Estero 33928 239-301-7000; hertz.com

Stephen M. Scherr, CEO

$7,336,000,000 Business/con$5,258,000,000 sumer services 39.52%

leases vehicles and equipment

Roper Technologies Inc. (ROP) 6901 Professional Parkway, Suite 200, Sarasota 34240 941-556-2601; ropertech.com

L. Neil Hunn, President and CEO

$5,777,800,000 Technology $4,854,200,000 19.03%

software and engineered products and solutions

Bloomin’ Brands Inc. (BLMN) 2202 N. West Shore Blvd., Suite 500, Tampa 33607 813-282-1225; bloominbrands.com

David Deno, CEO

$4,122,385,000 Hospitality/ $3,170,561,000 restaurant 30.02%

casual dining restaurant chain owner

Masonite International Corp. (DOOR) 1205 E. 5th Ave, Tampa 33605 813-877-2726; masonite.com

Howard C. Heckes, President, CEO and Director

$2,596,920,00 Manufacturing $2,257,075,000 15.06%

door manufacturer

Primo Water Corp. (PRMW) 4221 West Boy Scout Blvd., Suite 400, Tampa 33607 813-313-1732; primowater.com

Thomas Harrington, CEO

$2,073,300,000 Manufacturing $1,953,500,000 6.13%

beverage products, packages and distribution

Herc Holdings (HRI) 27500 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 100, Bonita Springs 34134 239-301-1000; hercrentals.com

Lawrence H. Silber, President, CEO and Director

$2,073,100,000 Business/con$1,781,300,000 sumer services 16.38%

equipment rental supplier

$27,266,438,000 7.4% $8,681,700,000 42.83%

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TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS

Company Address Phone Number; Website MarineMax Inc. (HZO) 2600 McCormick Drive, Clearwater 33759 727-531-1700; marinemax.com

Top Executive William Brett McGill, CEO, President and Director

2021 revenue 2020 revenue % growth Industry $2,063,257,000 Retailers $1,509,713,000 36.67%

Chico’s FAS Inc. (CHS) 11215 Metro Parkway, Fort Myers 33966 239-277-6200; chicos.com

Molly Langenstein, CEO, President and Director

$1,809,927,000 Retailers $1,324,051,000 36.70%

Kforce Inc. (KFRC) 1001 E. Palm Ave., Tampa 33605 877-453-6723; kforce.com

Joseph J. Liberatore, President and CEO

Welbilt Inc. (WBT) 2227 Welbilt Blvd., New Port Richey 34655 727-375-7010; welbilt.com

William C. Johnson, President and CEO

$1,546,900,000

Manufacturing

manufactures and supplies commercial foodservice equipment

Intertape Polymer Group (ITP.TO) (Dually headquartered in Montreal) 100 Paramount Drive, Suite 300, Sarasota 34232 877-318-5752; itape.com

Gregory A.C. Yull, President and CEO

$1,531,500,000 Manufacturing $1,213,500,000 26.26%

manufacturer and seller of paper- and film-based tapes, films, coated fabrics and packaging systems

ACI Worldwide Inc. (ACIW) 2811 Ponce de Leon Blvd., PH 1, Coral Gables 239-403-4660; aciworldwide.com

Odilon Almeida, President and CEO

$1,370,598,000 Technology $1,294,322,000 5.89%

payment software for banks and merchants

Lazydays (LAZY) 4042 Park Oaks Blvd., Suite 350, Tampa 33610 813-246-4999; lazydays.com

Robert DeVincenzi, Interim CEO

$1,235,048,000 Retailers $817,110,000 51.15%

RV sales, service, parts, accessories financing and insurance and RV campground

PGT Innovations (PGTO) 1070 Technology Drive, North Venice 34275 941-480-1600; pgtinnovations.com

Jeff Jackson, President and CEO

$1,161,464,000 Manufacturing $882,6214,000 31.59%

manufactures and supplies premium windows and doors

Helios Technologies (HLIO) 7456 16th St. E., Sarasota 34243 941-362-1200; heliostechnologies.com

Josef Matosevic, President, CEO and Director

$869,200,000 Manufacturing $523,040,000 66.18%

designer and manufacturer of hydraulic-cartridge valve

UPC Insurance (UIHC) 800 Second Ave. S., St. Petersburg 33701 727-895-7737; upcinsurance.com

R. Daniel Peed, Chairman and CEO

$634,527,000 Banking/ $846,656,000 finance/invest-25.05% ment

property and casualty insurance

$1,579,922,000 Business/con$1,297,7,000 sumer services 13.04% $1,153,400,000 34.12%

Line of Business boat retailer

specialty women’s clothing, accessories and gifts retailer professional staffing and solutions firm providing strategic partnership in technology and finance and accounting services

THE LISTS

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AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

377760-1

MECHANICAL ◆ ELECTRICAL ◆ PLUMBING ◆ SERVICE ◆ & MORE! BUSINESS OBSERVER

29

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS

Company Address Phone Number; Website Heritage Insurance Holdings Inc. (HRTG) 2600 McCormick Drive, Suite 300, Clearwater 33759 727-362-7200; heritagepci.com

2021 revenue 2020 revenue % growth $631,561,000 $593,385,000 6.43%

Top Executive Ernesto Garateix, CEO

First Watch (FWRG) 8725 Pendery Place, Suite 201, Bradenton 34201 941-907-9800; firstwatch.com

Christopher A. Tomasso, President, CEO and Director

HCI Group Inc. (HCI) 3802 Coconut Palm Drive, Tampa 33619 813- 849-9500; hcigroup.com

Paresh Patel, CEO and Chairman

$577,000,000 Business/con$415,918,000 sumer services 38.73%

InsurTech company with operations in insurance, software development and real estate

BRP Group Inc. (BRP) 4211 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Tampa 33607 813-984-3200; baldwinriskpartners.com

Trevor Baldwin, CEO

$567,290,000 Insurance $240,919,,000 135.47%

private risk management, personal insurance, Medicare, family office, commercial risk management, employee benefits, asset and income protection

Superior Group of Cos. (SGC) 10055 Seminole Blvd., Seminole 33772 727-397-9611; superioruniformgroup.com

Michael Benstock, CEO

$536,986,000 Manufacturing $526,697,000 1.95%

designs, manufactures and sells uniforms and apparel

NeoGenomics Inc. (NEO) 9490 NeoGenomics Way, Fort Myers 33912 239-768-0600; neogenomics.com

Chris Smith, CEO

$484,329,000 Health care $444,448,000 8.97%

cancer genetic testing laboratory

Digital Media Solutions, Inc. (DMS) 4800 140th Ave. N., Suite 101, Clearwater 33762 727-287-0426; digitalmediasolutions.com

Joe Marinucci, CEO

$427,935,000 Technology $332,856,000 28.56%

adtech company leveraging innovative, performance-driven brand and marketplace solutions to connect consumers and advertisers

Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (OSG) 302 Knights Run Ave., Suite 1200, Tampa 33602 813-209-0600; osg.com

Samuel H. Norton, President and CEO

$359,100,000 Shipping $418,692,000 -14.23%

energy transportation services company, delivering crude oil and petroleum products worldwide

KnowBe4 (KNBE) 33 N. Garden Ave., Clearwater 33755 855-566-9234; knowbe4.com

Sjoerd Sjouwerman, CEO

$246,298000 Technology $174,886,000 40.83%

data and IT security

Beasley Media Group Inc. (BBGI) 3033 Riviera Drive, Suite 200, Naples 34103 239-263-5000; bbgi.com

Caroline Beasley, CEO and Director

$241,426,308 Entertainment/ $206,143,861 media/publish17.12% ing

radio broadcasting group

Industry Banking/ finance/investment

$592,343,,000 Hospitality/ $337,433,000 restaurant 75.54%

Line of Business provides home, condominium, rental and commercial residential insurance daytime cafe serving breakfast and brunch

386635-1

THE LISTS

TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES

30

BUSINESS OBSERVER

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

TOP PUBLIC COMPANIES Company Address Phone Number; Website Alico (ALCO) 10070 Daniels Interstate Court, Suite 100, Fort Myers 33913 239-226-2000; alicoinc.com

Top Executive John E. Kiernan, President and CEO

2021 revenue 2020 revenue % growth Industry $108,564,000 Agriculture $92,597,000 17.36%

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS Line of Business land management, agriculture, mining and development

Howard Curd, Chairman and CEO

$71,704,995 Manufacturing $60,218,355 19.07%

manufactures and sells vinyl-coated fabrics and gate safety sensors

Innovative Food Holdings (IVFH) 28411 Race Track Road, Bonita Springs 34135 239-596-0204; ivfh.com

Sam Klepfish, Chairman and CEO

$62,212,148 Distributor/ $51,676,028 wholesalers 20.39%

wholesaler and retailer of perishables and specialty food products

Apyx Medical Corp. (APYX) 5115 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater 33760 727-384-2323; apyxmedical.com

Charles Goodwin, President, CEO

$48,517,000 Technology, $27,711,000 health care 68.96%

Helium plasma technology

Nicholas Financial Inc. (NICK) 2454 McMullen Booth Road, Bldg. C, Clearwater 33759 727-726-0763; nicholasfinancial.com

Doug Marohn, President and CEO

$48,231,000 Banking/ $53,580,000 finance/invest-9.98% ment

consumer loan provider and auto loan consolidator

Cryo-Cell International Inc. (CCEL) 700 Brooker Creek Road, Suite 1800, Oldsmar 34677 813-749-2100; cryo-cell.com

David Portnoy, Chairman and Co-CEO

$28,884,902 Health care $31,147,593 -7.26%

stem cell blood bank and related research

Naples Soap Co. (NASO) 17041 Alico Commerce Court, Suite 1, Fort Myers, 33967 239-325-8263; naplessoap.com

Deanna Wallin, founder and CEO

$10,884,000 Retailers $7,407,000 46.94%

producer of more than 300 bath, body and personal care products sold at the company’s 11 Florida retail locations

Procyon Corp. (PCYN) 164 Douglas Road, Oldsmar 34677 727-447-2998; procyoncorp.com

Justice W. Anderson, President and CEO

$4,719,672 Health care $4,334,088 8.90%

manufactures and markets skin and wound care supplies

Invo Bioscience (INVO) 5582 Broadcast Court, Sarasota 34240 978-878-9505; invobioscience.com

Steve Shum, CEO

$4,160,116 Health care $1,037,286 301.06%

medical device company focused on creating simplified, lower cost treatments for patients diagnosed with infertility

OriginClear (OCLN) 13575 58th St. N., Suite 200, Clearwater 33760 727-440-4603; originclear.com

Riggs Eckelberry, President, CEO and Chairman

$4,143,744 Technology, $4,101,131 water 1.04%

self-reliant water revolution, connecting investors with water projects

THE LISTS

Uniroyal Global Engineered Products LLC (UNIR) 1800 Second St., Suite 970, Sarasota 34236 941-906-8580; uniroyalglobal.com

SELL

LM Funding America had $1.26 million in revenue in 2021; ACI was based in Naples for some of 2021; Sykes Enterprises Inc. was acquired in 2021

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AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

386392-1

3400 S. Tamiami Tr. | Sarasota, FL 34239 | P: 941.366 .1300 | F: 941.366 .6973

BUSINESS OBSERVER

31

TOP PRIVATE COMPANIES 1 2 3

THE LISTS

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

32

Company Address Phone; Website Publix Super Markets Inc. 3300 Publix Corporate Pkwy., Lakeland 33802 863-688-7407; publix.com Morgan Automotive Group 3031 N. Rocky Point Dr., Ste. 770, Tampa 33607 813-434-1982; morganautogroup.com FrankCrum 100 S. Missouri Ave., Clearwater 33756 727-799-1229; frankcrum.com Beall’s Inc. 1806 38th Ave. E., Bradenton 34208 941-744-4309; beallsflorida.com Gettel Automotive Inc. 5959 E. SR 64, Bradenton 34208 941-417-5003; gettel.com Manhattan Construction Group 3705-1 Westview Dr., Naples 34104 239-435-3827; manhattanconstructiongroup.com Ferman Automotive Group 1306 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa 33606 813-251-2765; ferman.com Automated Petroleum & Energy Co. Inc. 1201 Oakfield Drive, Brandon 33511 813-681-4279; automatedpetroleum.com FCCI Insurance Group 6300 University Pkwy., Sarasota 34240 941-907-3224; fcci-group.com Power Design Inc. 11600 Ninth St. N., St. Petersburg 33716 727-210-0492; powerdesigninc.us Gulfeagle Supply Inc. 2900 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa 33605 813-636-9808; gulfeaglesupply.com BlueGrace Logistics LLC 2846 S. Falkenburg Road, Riverview 33578 800-697-4477; mybluegrace.com Stock Development 2639 Professional Cir., Suite 101, Naples 34119 239-292-2721; stockdevelopment.com Dental Care Alliance 6240 Lake Osprey Drive, Sarasota 34240 941-955-3150; dentalcarealliance.com Scotlynn USA Division 15671 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers 33908 239-210-3000; scotlynn.com PSCU 560 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg 33716 844-367-7728; pscu.com Bankers Financial Corp.

11101 Roosevelt Blvd. N., St. Petersburg 33716 727-823-4000; bankersfinancialcorp.com Sunz Holdings LLC 1301 Sixth Ave. W., Bradenton 34205 941-306-3077; sunzinsurance.com, nextleveladmin.com Neal Communities of Southwest Florida LLC 5800 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch 34240; 941-328-1111; nealcommunities.com Discovery Senior Living 3461 Bonita Bay Blvd., Ste. 100, Bonita Springs 34134; 239-908-2921; discoveryseniorliving.com HIT Promotional Products Inc. 7150 Bryan Dairy Road, Largo 33777 727-541-5561; hitpromo.net Homes by WestBay 4065 Crescent Park Drive, Riverview 33578 813-938-1250; homesbywestbay.com DeAngelis Diamond 6635 Willow Park Drive, Naples 34109 239-594-1994; deangelisdiamond.com Ripa & Associates LLC 1409 Tech Blvd., Suite 1, Tampa 33619 813-623-6777; ripatampa.com Medallion Home 1651 Whitfield Ave., Suite 200, Sarasota 34243 941-359-9000; medallionhome.com

BUSINESS OBSERVER

2021 Revenue 2020 Revenue % change $48,000,000,000

$44,900,000,000 6.90% $5,410,000,000 $3,220,000,000 68.00% $2,504,000,000 $2,160,000,000 5.92% $1,470,000,000 $1,240,000,000 18.54% $1,386,000,000 $1,025,000,000 35.21% $1,150,000,000 $1,410,000,000 -18.35% $1,102,000,000 $940,000,000 17.10% $1,041,000,000 $725,630,000 43.46% $961,000,000 $883,000,000 8.83% $875,000,000 $757,000,000 15.51% $826,530,000 $683,770,000 20.87% $749,000,000 $461,700,000 62.22% $736,050,000 $722,670,000 1.86%% $700,000,000 $653,000,000 7.19% $685,000,000 $342,000,000 100.29% $649,800,000 $582,500,000 11.50% $559,000,000 $505,000,000 10.69% $555,100,000 $451,500,000 22.94% $528,290,000 $432,700,000 22.10% $445,660,000 $351,000,000 26.61% $433,780,000 $450,950,000 -3.80% $391,000,000 $347,7000,000 12.45% $365,000,000 $297,000,000 22.90% $365,000,000 $292,200,000 24.92% $353,000,000 $230,000,000 53.47%

Staff

Year Founded

230,000

Top Executive

Industry

Line of Business

1930

Todd Jones CEO

Retailers

retail grocery

4,593

2005

Brett Morgan CEO

Retailers

automotive sales and service

405

1981

Frank Crum Founder and CEO

Business services

professional employer organization (PEO) that offers human re-sources services, including payroll, employee benefits, consulting services and workers’ compensation insurance

13,110

1915

Robert Matthews Beall III CEO

Retailers

retail apparel, home goods and gifts

1,154

1998

James Gettel president

Retailers

automotive dealer

1,375

1896

Larry Rooney president

Contractors

construction management, general building, design-build, preconstruction, concrete, road and bridge, specialty construction

1,370

1895

James Ferman president

Retailers

automobile and motorcycle dealerships

48

1981

Bill McKnight president

Retailers

petroleum distributor

807

1959

Christina “Cina” Welch president and CEO

Business/ consumer services

property and casualty insurance

2,548

1989

Frank Musolino CEO

Contractors

electrical contractor

998

1973

Brad Resch president

Distributor/ wholesalers

distributor of roofing and building material products

522

2009

Bobby Harris president and CEO

Shipping

third-party logistics provider

450

2001

Brian Stock CEO

Homebuilders

developer and homebuilder

4,882

1991

Jerry Rhodes CEO

Health care

dental support organization with more than 300 affiliated dental practices in 20 states

318

2010

Shipping

logistics

3,000

1977

450

1976

371

2013

Steven Herrig CEO

Banking/ finance/ investment Business/ consumer services Business/ consumer services

270

1970

Patrick Neal Chairman, founder

Homebuilders

land developer and homebuilder

6,900

1998

Richard Hutchinson CEO

Other

developer and operators of senior living communities across the country

3,103

1981

C.J. Schmidt president and CEO

170

2009

Willy Nunn president

Business/ consumer services Real estate/ mortgage brokers

185

1996

John DeAngelis president

Contractors

construction management

900

1998

Chris LaFace president and CEO

Contractors

civil and utility construction services in central Florida

75

1984

Carlos Beruff owner

Homebuilders

home builder with new communities in Manatee and Sarasota counties

Ryan Carter executive vice president Charles “Chuck” Fagan III president and CEO John Strong CEO and chiairman

credit union service organization private, diversified financial services company workers’ compensation insurance

promotional products wholesale supplier new home builder

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

TOP PRIVATE COMPANIES 26 27 28 29

31 32 33 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

2021 Revenue 2020 Revenue % change $319,000,000 $310,000,000 2.90% $315,460,000 $298,110,000 5.81% $308,300,000 $276,000,000 11.60% $293,9800,000 $185,300,000 50.52% $291,320,000 $177,930,000 63.72% $275,000,000 $211,000,000 30.33% $243,800,000 $210,600,000 15.76% $243,300,000 $205,460,000 18.40% $243,000,000 $131,000,000 85.49% $222,000,000 $206,000,000 7.76% $218,000,000 $220,000,000 -0.91% $217,1800,000 $235,000,000 -7.59% $215,720,000 $145,970,000 47.78% $215,600,000 $181,900,000 18.52% $205,300,000 $201,400,000 1.93% $177,950,000 $193,190,000 -7.80% $176,800,000 $146,800,000 20.43% $166,580,000 $141,230,000 17.95% $163,000,000 $163,330,000 -0.20% $160,800,000 $146,100,000 10.06% $155,000,000 $120,000,000 29.17% $147,00,000 $103,200,000 42.55% $135,310,000 $96,130,000 40.75% $113,050,000 $101,450,000 11.39% $108,550,000 $99,270,000 9.34%

Staff

Year Founded

Top Executive

Industry

Line of Business

171

1891

Matthew Zwack president

Contractors

construction management, general contracting and designbuild

1,819

1993

Joe Delatorre CEO

Health care

multispecialty physician group

44

1997

Jeffrey Miles president

139

1983

Budge Huskey president and CEO

Business/ consumer services Real estate/ mortgage brokers

14

1945

J. Hulon Williams III president

Retailers

petroleum management

310

1952

Eugene McNichols CEO

Distributor/ wholesalers

metal service centers supplying and fabricating perforated and expanded metal, wire mesh and gratings products

1,150

2000

Larry Sutton founder and CEO

Retailers

tire dealer franchisor

3,914

1958

Blake Casper chairman and CEO

Hospitality/ restaurant

quick-service restaurant chain

424

2009

Russ Hallenbeck CEO

Retailers

lumber and building materials

340

1996

John Saputo president and owner

Distributor/ wholesalers

beer distribution

53

2000

Richard Freund manager

Contractors

general contractor and construction management

190

1958

William Byrne president

Contractors

construction management

225

2005

Nick Friedman president

Business/ consumer services

franchisor of moving and junk removal services

52

2011

Rick Espino president and CEO

Business services

property and casualty insurance

380

1967

Greg McLeod President

Distributor/ wholesalers

beer and beverage distributor

1,467

1989

Ian MacKechnie CEO

Banking/ finance/ investment

financial services

192

1994

Ron Simkins president and CEO

Manufacturing

provides materials, equipment, technical support in the printing industry

749

1960

Gary Griffin president

Contractors

mechanical, plumbing and electrical contractors and service provider

95

1975

John McCaugherty president

Contractors

commercial construction

202

1982

Oscar Horton president and CEO

Business/ consumer services

commercial transportation equipment sales, service, parts

84

1974

Alan Bomstein CEO

Contractors

commercial construction

70

2010

Barry Connor CEO

Contractors

developer and general contractor

125

1976

Michael Saunders CEO/founder

Real estate

real estate brokerage

304

1984

Michael Cannon CEO/chairman

Construction

Interior/exterior construction, themed construction, specialty finishes, rockwork, lean construction, design-assist, BIM and prefabrication

229

2007

Joeseph Catti CEO/Chairman

Banking

banking, investment and trust offerings

insurance, payroll, human resources and staffing services real estate brokerage

BUSINESS OBSERVER

THE LISTS

30

Company Address Phone; Website Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. 11941 Fairway Lakes Dr., Fort Myers 33913 239-561-4141; owen-ames-kimball.com Florida Medical Clinic PA 38135 Market Square, Zephyrhills 33542 813-780-8440; floridamedicalclinic.com OMS Group Inc. 26 Lake Wire Drive, Lakeland 33815 863-688-1751; omsgroup.com Premier Sotheby’s International Realty 4001 Tamiami Trail, Ste. 350, Naples 34103 239-262-4242; premiersothebysrealty.com J.H. Williams Oil Co. Inc. 423 S. Hyde Park Ave., Tampa 33606 813-228-7776; jhwoil.com McNichols Co. 2502 N. Rocky Point Dr., Ste. 750, Tampa 33607 813-282-3828; mcnichols.com RNR Tire Express 13922 Monroes Business Park. Tampa 33635 813-977-9800; rnrtires.com Caspers Co. (McDonald’s restaurants) 4908 W. Nassau St., Tampa 33607 813-287-2231; casperscompany.com Tibbetts Lumber Co. LLC 3300 Fairfield Ave. S., St. Petersburg 33712 727-322-1403; tibbettslumber.com Gold Coast Eagle Distributing 7051 Wireless Court, Sarasota 34240 941-650-3139; gceagle.com Brooks and Freund LLC 5661 Independence Cir., Ste. 1, Fort Myers 33912; 239-939-5251; brooksandfreund.com Ajax Building Corp.

425 Commercial Court, Suite J, Venice 34292 813-792-3900; ajaxbuilding.com College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving 4411 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa 33614 813-523-9003; collegehunkshaulingjunk.com Centauri Insurance 4081 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Ste. 200, Sarasota 34240; 941-870-0204; centauriinsurance.com Pepin Distributing Co. 4121 N. 50th St., Tampa 33610 813-626-6176; pepindistributing.com Amscot Financial Inc. 600 N. Westshore Blvd., Suite 1200, Tampa 33609; 813-637-6205; amscot.com S-One Holdings Corp.

1605 Main St., Suite 300, Sarasota 34236 800-453-9538; sone.com B&I Contractors Inc. 2701 Prince St., Fort Myers 33916 239-332-4646; bandiflorida.com Hawkins Construction Inc. 1430 L&R Industrial Blvd., Tarpon Springs 34689; 727-938-9719; hawkinsnet.com Sun State International Trucks LLC 6020 E. Adamo Drive, Tampa 33619 813-621-1331; sunstateintl.com Creative Contractors Inc. 620 Drew St., Clearwater 33755 727-461-5522; creativecontractors.com Connor & Gaskins Unlimited 1998 Trade Center Way, Suite 2, Naples 34109 239-260-5068; cgunlimited.com Michael Saunders & Co. 100 S. Washington Blvd. 34236 941-953-7900; michaelsaunders.com KHS&S Contractors 5422 Bay Center Drive, Suite 200, Tampa 33609 813-628-9330; KHSS.com FineMark National Bank & Trust 8695 College Parkway, Suite 100, Fort Myers 33919;239-323-5515; finemarkbank.com

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS

33

SHORT-TERM RENTALS

THE LISTS

T

he demand for short-term rentals that spiked during spring break hasn’t slowed down. Since April, for example, the Sarasota market has added over 1,000 active rental listings, as determined by AirDNA, a vacation rental research firm. Comparably, Tampa added over 800 active rentals.

The data collected from AirDNA reflects markets ranging from ones with a large focus on short-term rentals to areas like Parrish, in north Manatee County, which only had 14 active rentals when the data was collected in early July 2022. Per the AirDNA website, rentals are considered active if there was at least one reserved or available day in the last month.

Occupancy rates reflect the number of days booked divided by how many days were available to rent over the past 12 months. Rates are representative of the median of that time frame.

Owners of short-term rentals generally make more in monthly revenue, which takes into account nightly rate and cleaning fees. The revenue data doesn’t include taxes, service fees or additional guest fees, but like the occupancy rate, is the median over the past 12 months.

City Sarasota Naples Seminole Cape Coral Largo St. Petersburg Bradenton Clearwater Port Charlotte Palmetto Fort Myers Venice Tampa Punta Gorda Pinellas Park Parrish North Fort Myers North Port

Active rentals (through July 2022) 6,023 4,224 327 4,586 632 7,007 1,675 1,001 628 108 1,579 792 5,330 519 95 14 138 280

Occupancy rate (through July 2022) 80% 74% 77% 77% 80% 80% 75% 80% 77% 80% 75% 80% 74% 71% 76% 80% 73% 78%

Revenue (Monthly median over 12 months) $3,830 $3,750 $3,700 $3,582 $3,317 $3,197 $3,174 $2,709 $2,660 $2,650 $2,461 $2,435 $2,383 $2,326 $2,254 $2,235 $1,885 $1,721 Source: AirDna airdna.co

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BUSINESS OBSERVER

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BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

2002

2003

2004

2005

GRAPEVINE IS FOUNDED

2007

2006

20 NEW OFFICE IS BUILT IN LAKEWOOD RANCH

2008

2009

NAMED AMONG “TOP 500 COMPANIES ON THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA” - 3RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

2010

2011

WINS SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD (SARASOTA CHAMBER)

Grapevine Goes Platinum 2013

REACHED $1.2 MILLION IN SERVICES DONATED TO LOCAL NONPROFITS

2017

2014

2015

WINS SMALL BUSINESS AWARD (MANATEE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

2018

2019

2020

2016

2021

FINALIST FOR GROWFL TOP COMPANIES TO WATCH LIST

ALLISON IMRE BEGINS ROLE AS OWNER/PRESIDENT

2022

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RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGES 2021 Closed Sales Volume $10,174,453,903 $5,564,298,390 $4,630,979,588 $4,020,792,247 $3,790,342,372 $3,140,536,000 $2,581,164,506 $2,400,839,269 $2,201,262,758 $2,109,560,755

Company name and headquarters Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Naples John R. Wood Properties, Naples Michael Saunders & Co., Sarasota Premiere Plus Realty, Naples Keller Williams Impact Group, St. Petersburg Charles Rutenberg Realty, Clearwater Re/Max Alliance Group, Sarasota Downing-Frye Realty, Naples Keller Williams Realty of Central Florida, Lakeland Keller Williams Realty Ubaldini Group, Palm Harbor

Gain/(Loss) vs. 2020 48% 63.70% 35.30% 61% 21.60% 33% 59.50% 36% 28.30% 23%

Total Number of Sides 2021 10,608 7.080 6,993 8,846 9,421 9,806 6,496 3,750 7,246 6,051

Gain/(Loss) vs. 2020 27.20% 34.80% 13.30% 66% 0.20% 5.20% 31.80% 25.60% 10.30% 3.85%

Sides are transactions

Source: RealTrends

County Collier Charlotte Polk Sarasota Manatee Lee Pasco State of Florida Pinellas Hillsborough

2016-2017 $65,870,400 $14,233,960 $27,838,985 $47,322,721 $32,959,633 $68,397,149 $29,809,016 $1,497,427,834 $71,065,208

2017-2018 $65,886,924 $14,756,013 $31,796,334 $51,890,716 $38,553,416 $71,414,773 $33,420,872 $1,579,600,602 $70,299,205

2018-2019 $71,626,005 $16,437,947 $38,708,843 $50,190,666 $38,575,436 $77,362,792 $33,546,938 $1,714,821,832 $88,372,574

2019-2020 $73,122,674.80 $16,361,587.12 $41,899,885.85 $54,475,772.90 $39,095,157.00 $75,408,548.60 $36,744,859.20 $1,679,140,145 $79,046,613.70

2020-2021 $133,546,880.10 $28,355,489.40 $55,324,856.88 $89,153,332.40 $61,205,987.50 $126,666,170.40 $53,642,234.81 $2,444,726,007 $108,431,674.20

five-year growth 102.74% 99.22% 98.73% 88.39% 85.70% 85.19% 79.95% 63.25% 52.58%

$93,322,222

$93,019,161

$114,929,926

$106,542,266.60

$134,046,489.85

43.63%

THE LISTS

DOC STAMPS BY COUNTY

386372-1

Source: Florida Department of Revenue

AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

BUSINESS OBSERVER

39

LARGEST BANKS Rank

Top Executive

2021 revenue

2020 revenue

Change

Steve Raney, CEO

$728,791,000

$765,707,000

-4.82%

Anthony N. Leo, CEO

$165,096,000

$141,426,000

16.74%

Joseph R. Catti, Chairman and CEO

$108,557,000

$99,265,000

9.36%

T. Corey Neil, President and CEO

$90,166,000

$82,174,000

9.73%

Damon Moorer, President and CEO

$51,700,000

$48,326,000

6.98%

Greg Littleton, President and CEO

$40,671,000

$36,419,000

11.68%

Craig Albert, President and CEO

$30,767,000

$28,252,000

8.90%

John M. Largent, President and CEO

$28,559,000

$24,920,000

14.60%

John M. Barrett, President and CEO

$26,957,000

$22,027,000

22.38%

Paul J. Noris, Chairman and CEO

$23,545,000

$23,003,000

2.36%

Jake Crews, CEO

$21,818,000

$21,927,000

-0.50%

Jake Crews, CEO

$14,924,000

$14,667,000

1.75%

John Thompson, President and CEO

$13,859,000

$12,713,000

9.01%

Robert B. McGivney, CEO and Vice Chairman

$12,982,000

$9,400,000

38.11%

Steven D. Hickman, President and CEO

$11,378,000

$9,801,000

16.09%

David DuVall, Chairman

$10,697,000

$11,443,000

-6.52%

Dennis B. Murphy Jr., President and CEO

$5,737,000

$4,723,000

21.47%

Jose Vivero, Chairman and CEO

$4,064,000

$4,010,000

1.35%

Raymond James Bank, National Association

1

710 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716 727-567-8000 raymondjamesbank.com

BayFirst National Bank (formerly First Home Bank)

2

700 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-440-6848 firsthomebank.com FineMark National Bank & Trust

THE LISTS

3

8695 College Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33919 877-461-5901 finemarkbank.com The Bank of Tampa

4

601 Bayshore Blvd., Suite 100, Tampa, FL 33606 813-872-1200 bankoftampa.com TCM Bank, National Association

5

3501 E. Frontage Road, Tampa, FL 33607 800-242-4770 icbabancard.org Citizens Bank and Trust

6

2 E. Wall St., Frostproof, FL 33843 863-635-2244 citizens-bank.com Sanibel Captiva Community Bank

7

2406 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL 33957 239-472-6100 sancapbank.com Members Trust Co.

8

14055 Riveredge Drive, Suite 525, Tampa, FL 33637 888-727-9191 memberstrust.com First Citrus Bank

9

10824 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33618 813-926-2848 firstcitrus.com Bank of Central Florida

10

5015 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL 33813 863-701-2685 bankofcentralflorida.com Charlotte State Bank & Trust

11

1100 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33953 888-624-5454 charlottestatebankandtrust.com Englewood Bank & Trust

12

1111 South McCall Road, Englewood, FL 34223 941-475-6771 englewoodbankandtrust.com Central Bank

13

20701 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33647 813-929-4477 centralbankfl.com Flagship Bank

14

29750 US Highway 19 N., Clearwater, FL 33761 727-451-2020 FlagshipBank.com First National Bank of Pasco

15

13315 US Highway 301 S., Dade City, FL 33525 352-521-0141 fnbpasco.com Edison National Bank

16

13000 South Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33907 239-466-1800 edisonnationalbank.com Gulfside Bank

17

333 North Orange Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236 941-303-4200 gulfsidebank.com Century Bank of Florida

18

716 West Fletcher Ave., Tampa, FL 33612 813-961-3300 centurybk.com

First Florida Integrity Bank, Pilot Bank, Sabal Palm and Hillsboro Bank were acquired in 2021.

40

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

HONORING HOPE HEALTHCARE PRESIDENT AND CEO SAMIRA K. BECKWITH

Congratulations to

Samira K. Beckwith on being named a

Top Changemaker for 2022

This comprehensive model of care, including many innovative programs and community services, has garnered the attention of health care agencies and policy makers throughout the country. For more than forty

years, Hope’s unique style of comfort and compassion has touched hundreds of thousands of people in Southwest Florida, providing a vital safety net for the most frail and vulnerable members of the community.

9470 HealthPark Circle, Fort Myers FL 33908 239.482.4673 | 800.835.1673 | HopeHCS.org 386371-1

Under the leadership of President and CEO Samira K. Beckwith, Hope evolved from a small volunteer-based hospice program to a continuum of care serving people of all ages and their families as they navigate the challenges of aging, serious illness, and grief.

TOP EMPLOYERS BY COUNTY CHARLOTTE COUNTY

THE LISTS

Employer

COLLIER COUNTY Employer

Employees

Employer

Employees

Employees

1

Charlotte County School Board

2,227

1

Collier County Public Schools

5,785

1

Hillsborough County School Board

24,866

2

Walmart

1,395

2

NCH Health Care System

4,315

2

University of South Florida

15,678

3

Publix

1,321

3

Publix

3,041

3

MacDill Air Force Base

15,000

4

Charlotte County Government

1,301

4

Arthrex Inc.

2,856

4

Tampa International Airport

10,500

5

Fawcett Memorial Hospital

1,000

5

Collier County Government (excluding Sheriff)

2,477

5

Hillsborough County Government

10,394

6

Bayfront Health Port Charlotte

900

6

Collier County Sheriff

1,440

6

Publix

8,909

7

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office

688

7

Ritz-Carlton

1,100

7

Tampa General Hospital

8,047

8

Home Depot

600

8

Seminole Casino

900

8

Baycare Health System

8,025

9

Cheney Brothers

590

9

JW Marriot

862

9

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center

8,000

10

Bayfront Health Punta Gorda

450

10

City of Naples

488

10

James A. Haley VA Hospital

4,700

Source: Charlotte County Clerk of Courts

LEE COUNTY

Source: Collier County Clerk of Courts

MANATEE COUNTY

Employer

Employer

Employees

Source: Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts

PASCO COUNTY Employees

Employer

Employees

1

Lee Health

14,028

1

Manatee County School Board

5,632

1

Pasco County School District

2

Lee County School District

11,003

2

Publix

3,200

2

Pasco County Government

3,220

3

Publix

4,624

3

Beall’s

2,336

3

HCA Healthcare (five locations)

2,952

4

Walmart

3,467

4

Manatee County Government

2,032

4

State of Florida

1,916

5

Lee County Government

2,696

5

Manatee Memorial Hospital

1,651

5

Advent Health Dade City & Zephyrhills

1,413

6

City of Cape Coral

1,858

6

Blake Medical Center

1,471

6

Pasco County Sheriff

1,362

7

Gartner Inc.

1,819

7

Manatee County Sheriff’s Department

1,237

7

Advent Health Wesley Chapel

1,325

8

Lee County Sheriff’s Office

1,564

8

Tropicana Products

1,000

8

Medical Center of Trinity

1,296

9

Chico’s FAS Inc.

1,532

9

IMG Academies

1,000

9

Morton Plant North Bay Hospital/Recovery Center

1,260

10

McDonald’s

1,522

10

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota

10

Florida Medical Clinic (22 locations)

1,176

Source: Lee County Clerk of Courts

42

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

BUSINESS OBSERVER

900

Source: Manatee County Clerk of Courts

10,075

Source: Pasco County Clerk of Courts

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

TOP EMPLOYERS Employer

POLK COUNTY Employees

1

Pinellas County School District

2

SARASOTA COUNTY

Employer

Employer

Employees

Employees

1

Publix

13,701

1

Sarasota Memorial Hospital

7,704

Pinellas County Government

6,200

2

Polk County School Board

13,363

2

School Board of Sarasota County

5,811

3

Publix

6,000

3

Lakeland Regional Medical Center

5,888

3

Publix

3,999

4

Bay Pines VA Medical Center

4,500

4

Walmart

5,523

4

Sarasota County Government

3,583

5

Raymond James

3,800

5

Amazon

5,000

5

PGT Innovations

2,228

6

City of St. Petersburg

3,500

6

Polk County Government

4,638

6

Venice Regional Bayfront Health

1,305

7

John Hopkins All Children’s

3,000

7

Geico

3,700

7

City of Sarasota

785

8

Walmart

3,000

8

City of Lakeland

2,800

8

Helios Technologies Inc.

678

9

Morton Plant Hospital

2,900

9

Baycare

2,614

9

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota

589

10

St. Petersburg College

2,500

10

Advent Health

2,466

10

FCCI Insurance Group

403

Source: Pinellas County Clerk of Courts

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Source: Polk County Clerk of Courts

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THE LISTS

13,000

DESIGN

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MAIL

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372626-1

PINELLAS COUNTY

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS

43

TOP 50 CONTRACTORS 1 2 3 4 5

THE LISTS

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

44

Company, headquarters Manhattan Construction Group Naples Power Design St. Petersburg DeAngelis Diamond Naples Ripa & Associates Tampa O-A-K/Florida Inc. DBA Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. Fort Myers Brooks & Freund LLC Fort Myers Ajax Building Co. LLC Oldsmar B&I Contractors Inc. Fort Myers Hawkins Construction Inc. Tarpon Springs Creative Contractors Inc. Clearwater Connor & Gaskins Unlimited LLC Naples KHS&S Contractors Tampa Willis A. Smith Construction Sarasota APG Clearwater iConstructors LLC Tampa Bay to Bay Properties LLC Safety Harbor McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors Inc. Sarasota TDS Construction Inc. Bradenton Bandes Construction Co. Dunedin Stevens Construction Inc. Fort Myers Crowther Roofing & Sheet Metal Fort Myers Woodruff & Sons Inc. Bradenton Conditioned Air Naples Envirostruct LLC Bonita Springs Park & Eleazer Construction LLC Clearwater Precise Construction Tampa Sutter Roofing Sarasota Superior Pools Port Charlotte Burgess Civil LLC Tampa TLC Diversified Palmetto Jon F. Swift Construction Sarasota R.E. Crawford Construction LLC Sarasota Matcon Construction Services Tampa Roofing by Curry Sarasota Gator Grading & Paving LLC Palmetto

BUSINESS OBSERVER

Top executives

2021 revenue

2020 revenue

Change

$1.15 billion

$1.41 billion

-18.35%

Mitch Permuy; Dana Permuy; Frank Musolino

$8.75 million

$757.5 million

15.51%

John DeAngelis, David Diamond, Reggie Morgan, Brett Diamond, Robert Lewis

$365 million

$297 million

22.90%

Chris LaFace

$365 million

$292.2 million

24.92%

Matthew Zwack; Jan Conrad; Abel Natali; John LaBarge; Frank Stanek

$319 million

$310 million

2.90%

Richard Freund

$218 million

$220 million

-0.91%

William Byrne

$217.18 million

$235 million

-7.59%

Gary Griffin; Jason Grabowski; Brian Kelly

$166.58 million

$141.23 million

17.95%

Miguel Leyva; Michael Beausir; Josh Spooner; Aaron Leech; Todd Mullins Alan Bomstein; Joshua Bomstein; Alan Holderith; Jerry Siminski; Jim Cacini

$163 million

$163.33 million

-0.20%

$155 million

$120 million

29.17%

Barry Connor; Craig Gaskins

$147 million

$103.12 million

42.55%

Michael Cannon; Erik Santiago; Jess Robinson

$113 million

$101.45 million

11.39%

David Sessions; F. John LaCivita

$101 million

$94 million

7.45%

$89.02 million

$97.15 million

-8.36%

Robert Healy; Michael Montecalvo; Kevin Murphy; Edward Smith; Tracy Pritchard; David Smith

$85 million

$64.12 million

32.55%

Joe Faw; Jerome Ciliento

$85 million

$55 million

54.55%

John McIntyre, Mark Freeman, Ryan McIntyre, Rich Fredd, Josh Tomlinson, Greg Elwell, Frederick Strammer Jr.

$82 million

$59 million

38.98%

$78.5 million

$41.5 million

89.16%

$75 million

$70 million

7.14%

$73.5 million

$54.6 million

34.62%

Lee J. Crowther; Lee S. Crowther; Kevin Callans

$73 million

$82.2 million

-10.95%

Donald Woodruff; Bruce Woodruff; Linda Wakeman

$69 million

$67.4 million

2.37%

$58.53 million

$55.33 million

5.80%

$53 million

$60 million

-11.67%

$52.77 million

$40.53 million

30.20%

$51 million

$55 million

-7.27%

Doug Sutter; Brad Sutter

$44.7 million

$43.8 million

2.05%

Jon Krawczyk

$42.8 million

$29.88 million

43.25%

Ben Burgess

$41.44 million

$27.07 million

53.12%

DalasLamberson

$39 million

$43 million

-9.30%

Jason Swift; Jon Swift; Ross Russo; Justin Williams

$38 million

$40 million

-5.00%

$36.96 million

$26 million

42.14%

$34 million

$21.3 million

59.62%

Gary Curry; Jesse Curry

$33.5 million

$33.5 million

0.00%

Kevin Hicks

$32.2 million

$35.3 million

-8.78%

Larry Rooney

Michael Henley; Chris Johnson

Christina Scherer Bock; Terri Scherer; Chris Paynter Robert Bandes Mark Stevens; Dan Adams; Terri Sobeck

Greg Johnson; Diane Matty Neil Simon; Stephen McKenna Jr. Andrew Park; Forrest Eleazer Donnie Holland, Greg Johnson, Scott Johnson

Jeffrey Smith; Utahna Smith Derek Mateos

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

385715-1

TOP CONTRACTORS 36 37 38 39 40

THE LISTS

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Company, headquarters Heatherwood Construction Co. Bonita Springs Florida Asphalt & Concrete Tampa Diaz Fritz Group General Contractors Temple Terrace Frederick Derr & Co. Sarasota J2 Solutions Inc. Venice CFS Roofing Services Fort Myers Franklin Development Corp.

Tampa The Sinclair Group Tampa MY Shower Door/D3 Glass Fort Myers ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design Venice Westfall Roofing Sarasota Adams Group North Port Stellar Development Inc. Sarasota Springer Construction Lakeland Masonry Builders Inc. Tampa

BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS Top executive

2021 revenue

2020 revenue

Change

$31.9 million

$18.8 million

69.68%

Chris LaFace

$31 million

$17.07 million

81.61%

Delvis (Del) Diaz

$31 million

$38 million

-18.42%

Frederick Derr; Keith Ravazzoli

$31 million

$20.87 million

48.50%

$30.74 million

$29.43 million

4.45%

David Crowther

$30 million

$23 million

30.43%

Ken Franklin

$29 million

$11 million

163.64%

Burk Clark; Graham Clark; Cameron Clark

$27 million

$20 million

35.00%

Bill Daubmann

$25.76 million

$18.82 million

36.90%

Joseph Gonzalez; Frank Fistner

$25.11 million

$22.83 million

10.02%

Kirk Westfall

$24.28 million

$18.93 million

28.25%

$22.6 million

$20.9 million

8.13%

$22 million

$22 million

0.00%

$20.9 million

$11.9 million

75.56%

$20 million

$20.3 million

-1.48%

Walter Crawford

Jess Fronckowiak; David Fouche

Ethan Adams Maurice Opstal; Brian Ellis; Trey Arias Jeremy Voss, Cole Springer Thomas Bradley

46

386377-1

361787-1

Source: Individual companies

BUSINESS OBSERVER

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

WILL CROOK

CATHIE WOOD has brought her tech investment clout and influence to St. Pete.

Cathie Wood CEO, ARK INVEST

BRIAN HARTZ TAMPA BAY EDITOR

T

ampa has Jeff Vinik.

Now St. Petersburg has Cathie Wood.

The national profile of the Tampa Bay area’s twin cities has risen dramatically over the past decade thanks to Vinik, the Tampa Bay Lightning ow ner who has also spearheaded the $3.5 billion Water Street Tampa development that’s transforming downtown Tampa. Wood, the widely admired and influential tech investor who moved her company, ARK Investment Management, from Manhattan to St. Pete last year, is now set to become one of the Sunshine City’s most prominent champions.

“Cathie is just one of those very smart individuals who know what they want and

48

BUSINESS OBSERVER

how to get things done,” says Tonya Elmore, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a St. Pete-based business accelerator and coworking space. “Very innovative, as you would gather, very forward thinking, future thinking.”

Elmore would know. She and her TBIC team have been working with Wood and ARK on a major project — the construction of a $15.8 million innovation center — that will bring much-needed jobs and economic development to South St. Petersburg.

ARK contributed $2 million to what will be called the ARK Innovation Center when the 45,000-square-foot facility opens next summer at the intersection of Fourth Street South and 11th Avenue South.

That’s in an area of the city dubbed the Innovation District because of the growing presence of science, tech and

health companies and organizations, including USF St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the U.S. Coastal and Marine Science Center, to name a few.

“We didn’t k now much about the Tampa Bay Innovation Center when we chose St. Pete,” Wood said at the facility’s groundbreaking ceremony in February. “We’d heard of it and thought, ‘That’s interesting.’ I see here an openness to the idea of convergence, not silos, but working together.

We’re talking about publicprivate partnerships.”

The ARK Innovation Center will provide space for the

BE THE CHANGE

Wood turned heads when she moved her investment firm from Manhattan to St. Pete last year.

Her clout and influence will be key to the success of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s new headquarters, which, thanks to a $2 million donation, will be called ARK Innovation Center.

companies that take part in TBIC’s accelerator programs, as well as local startups and firms that are new to the area and need a temporary place to call home. Wood sees it as a potential epicenter of “explosive growth” in the region’s tech sector and all the industries tech touches.

“You have to have collaboration between and among disciplines,” Wood says. “In talking to community leaders, talking to companies, I feel that collaboration is part of [St. Pete’s] DNA — and I feel that even more so than I do about Silicon Valley.”

The partnership is about more than money and naming rights, though: Elmore says Wood has joined TBIC’s board and she might bring her annual Big Ideas Summit and other high-profile events to St. Pete. “That will bring even more economic impact to our region,” Elmore says, “and we’re working on several other projects with ARK. One is a project in the metaverse.”

Not to mention Wood herself is high-profile: She’s developed something of a cultlike following on Wall Street, growing a fund that at one point had some $60 billion in assets under management.

She uses Twitter and social media v ideos to send out her investment philosophy to the masses, mainly that Wall Street has been too slow to embrace companies with innovative technologies in areas such as genomics and autonomous vehicles. Wood is also widely known as one of the biggest backers of Tesla, predicting the electric vehicle giant will eventually hit a $3 trillion valuation.

Wood, No. 53 on Forbes magazine’s 2021 list of the world’s most powerful women, studied economics at USC under famed economist See WOOD page 52

BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

372134-1

Ben Siegel, Rick Piccolo LEE COUNTY PORT AUTHORITY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; SARASOTA-BRADENTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PRESIDENT & CEO

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

AMANDA POSTMA SARASOTA-MANATEE WRITER

A

irport executives from Tampa south to Fort Myers are well-aware of the big changes in their industry post-pandemic, from a dearth of workers to rapidly increasing passenger numbers — a shortage and a surge that’s upended many airlines’ operating models. These officials, individually, are approaching the changes with vigor.

BEN SIEGEL, RSW Air passenger traffic through June at Southwest Florida International Airport, under the call letters RSW, is up 17.6% year to date over last year.

To handle this growth, the airport announced an update to its master plan, along with

LORI SAX

RICK PICCOLO expects SRQ will be able to handle the rush of passengers better in two years, once construction on a $72 million project is complete.

several new improvement projects. The biggest chunk is a new 16-lane layout of Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. The project will also include extra seating, concession spaces and a business lounge. Overall, the $331 million project is expected to remodel 164,000 square feet of existing space and add 117,000 square feet for walkways and concession space. Construction started last October.

It’s expected to “improve the efficiency of the overall operations of the airport,” Lee County Port Authority Executive Director Ben Siegel says.

While COVID-19 delayed the project, Siegel says the airport never considered canceling it.

And with the current passenger numbers the airport is see-

BE THE CHANGE Pair of top airport officials proceed in uncharted territory, with higher-thanaverage passenger volume and a big demand for more amenities and services.

They are tackling those challenges at Southwest Florida International Airport and Sarasota Bradenton International Airport aggressively.

A MUST-HAVE 2022 BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS The Business Observer’s Big Book of Business is filled with even more valuable information in 2022, including: 1. The Data: Economic information to help business owners keep up with changing trends in our region and forecast what’s next.

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BUSINESS OBSERVER

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BusinessObserverFL.com ■ AUGUST 2022

sights on the port authority, being named deputy executive director of administration in 1992. He then led the finance team for more than 27 years.

That stint eventually led to a big win for the RSW Midfield Terminal Complex — $327 million worth of a win. That turned out to be one of the biggest financing issuances in the county’s history. Now Siegel’s overseeing more seismic changes. “These projects, from an economic standpoint, create thousands of jobs,” he says. “These are game changers for us. Those three primary projects are going to drive the future of SWFL airport and demand to come.”

RICK PICCOLO, SRQ R S W i sn’t t he on ly one that can’t fit in its facilities anymore.

There doesn’t seem to be a month that goes by where the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, SRQ, isn’t breaking a passenger record.

REAGAN RULE

The month of May alone was up 15.21% over last year in passenger traffic, while yearto-date the airport is up 57.3%.

SRQ reported 1.8 million passengers this year through May. Enter a $72 million project expected to provide enough stretch to support about 5 million annual passengers.

The project will add a ground-

based boarding facility capable of serving upward of 2.5 million passengers a year through five new gates being built behind the current airline ticketing area.

“We’re about three times as big as we were in 2018,” SRQ

Amid construction at RSW, BEN SIEGEL says the toughest challenge has been navigating rising material costs and a shortage of workers.

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

ing, it’s a good thing the project, expected to be completed in 2024, remains ongoing.

“We’ve recovered so quickly,” he says. “Expectations in travel and growth are unpredictable. We’ve definitely seen a spike during the pandemic.

“I don’t think the double digit grow th we’re seeing now is sustainable,” he adds.

“Things will normalize, but I think it will be a new normal.”

Siegel was named executive director of the organization in January 2021, after being interim leader for a little over a year. He is in charge of administration, operations and development at Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field, the regional reliever airport in Fort Myers.

But Siegel isn’t a newcomer with the port authority. He’s been there since 1992.

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

President and CEO Rick Piccolo says, “and two times as big as we were in 2019.”

Piccolo says there’s a number of parking lot improvements coming, as well as more restaurant spaces.

Despite feeling the pressure of a growing number of passengers, Piccolo says, “we’re in good shape. Those capital improvement projects are a big part of how we’ll handle that growth.”

The biggest cha llenge, much like at RSW, is the time it takes to construct these projects and a worker shortage. Piccolo says the airport added 60 positions to take care of operations, including traffic control to help ease the burden of construction.

“It’s certainly not the old SRQ where you could show

up 30 minutes before your flight,” he says. “I think we’re well-positioned, but it takes a while to build. We cannot build fast enough.

“Once (we’re through the) next two years, we’ll be in very good shape for the next five years.”

Piccolo, 70, has been with SRQ since 1995, when he was hired for his current position.

At the time, SRQ’s terminal was only 6 years old, but, thanks to renovations, was $115 million in debt. Under Piccolo’s leadership, the airport paid off that debt in 2014 to become one of few debt-free airports in the U.S. It remains debt-free today.

Before his nearly 50-year career could takeoff, Piccolo had a humble start as a janitor in 1970 at what is now the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. But the grind didn’t stop for Pic-

colo, who attended school at night. With a bachelor’s in business administration, he moved through the ranks as the building superintendent, property manager, assistant to the airport manager and assistant director of operations.

Piccolo later held leadership posts at both Tampa International and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. He’s won multiple industry awards, and has become a leading voice in Sarasota-Bradenton tourism and education circles.

But even w it hout t he awards and notoriety, Piccolo would still get up and choose to lead the airport every day. “I enjoy the work I do,” he says. Being able to offer service and opportunities, while keeping the facility clean and updated, is his everyday motivation.

WOOD from 48 Art Laffer. While her main ARK Investment Fund has shed some gains recently, partially due to the market slide, and the firm, in late July, shuttered one fund, she remains a big draw at investment events and a noted voice in picking stocks.

Having Wood as a champion and evangelist for St. Pete, the way Vinik is for Tampa, meanwhile, w ill create a ripple effect for the city, Elmore says, in terms of talent and capital — the two most critical ingredients for the success of startups. The presence of Wood and the ARK team, she says, “will build on our ability to attract talent and capital and bring best-of-breed startups to the region, and put

a global spotlight on what we’re doing.”

Elmore is quick to point out Wood’s decision to put down roots in St. Pete involved much more than just throwing a dart at a map.

It’s the culmination of “decades” of work to rev up the city’s tech heartbeat.

“We’ve been at this for a long time,” she says. “I’ve been at it a long time, almost two decades, setting the groundwork and the grassroots, having people believe this community can be bigger and more innovative.

It’s been a long time coming. With Cathie Wood and ARK putting their stamp of approval on that, and what Vinik has done across the bridge, it makes it more of a reality for people to say, ‘Oh, this vision has come true.’

Yeah, it’s happened.”

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Johnny Crowder FOUNDER AND CEO, COPE NOTES

M

ental health has shed its stigma over the past few years, as high-profile athletes and performers have come forward w ith honest y and candor about struggles with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, addiction and other emotional and psychological difficulties.

American g ymnast Simone Biles and Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, in particular, were upfront about their mental health problems, and their vulnerability was an inspiration for millions of people — 52.9 million in the United States alone, according to the National Institutes of Health— who’ve suffered in silence, afraid of being labeled weak, lazy, antisocial, etc.

With his tech company Cope Notes and heavy metal band Prison, Tampa entrepreneur Johnny Crowder, who

BE THE CHANGE Johnny Crowder, 30, has fronted the heavy metal band Prison since he was too young to buy booze in the clubs the band would play. Struggles with mental health, however, prompted him to launch Cope Notes, a service that sends supportive SMS text messages to subscribers in an attempt to “rewire” the brain, eliminating negative thought patterns through positive stimulus.

describes himself as a “suicide and abuse survivor,” has become a leading advocate and voice for people worldwide who need to know they’re not alone in their mental health journey. Cope Notes, in particular, has turned into a significant success story, leading Crowder, 30, to become an in-demand public speaker, delivering TED Talks with titles such as, “How to Grow as a Person (and Why It Sucks)” and “Why I Don’t Want to Die Anymore.”

Crowder was a rocker first and still thinks of himself that way — “I call myself an accidental entrepreneur,” he says — but his work as the ultraintense, gravelly voiced frontman of Prison nicely complements Cope Notes, which delivers positive, supportive thoughts in the form of SMS text messages.

“I was attracted to heavy metal because of the honesty, which I still value today,” he says. The metal bands he was into were “talking about loss, frustration and self-doubt, and I’m like, ‘Yo, this is real; I can absolutely relate to this.’”

To date, Cope Notes, which has just four full-time employees, has sent more than 1.5 million messages to nearly 25,000 customers in 97 countries. The service costs about $8.99 per month — a fraction of traditional talk therapy pricing — but it’s not intended to completely supplant other mental health services.

“It’s an easier and more appropriate first step, especially for people who aren’t diagnosed with anything,” Crowder says. “There’s a big group of people who either don’t have the money or don’t

AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

BRIAN HARTZ TAMPA BAY EDITOR

MARK WEMPLE

have the time or other resources, or, quite frankly, don’t see themselves as having severe enough depression or anxiety to use something like therapy.”

With Prison, Crowder sings — or screams, in some cases — about mental health topics. Featuring songs such as “I Don’t Want to be Afraid Anymore,” “Mental Illness,” “Hurt” and “Losing My Mind,” the band has released a studio album, a live album and an EP, and it’s gearing up for its first tour since the pandemic made live shows impossible.

“It w a s d e v a s t a t i n g ,”

Crowder says of the shutdown.

“I grew up touring, even before I was old enough to get into the venues we were playing. I didn’t realize how much of a cornerstone of my personality and identity it had become until it was stripped from me.”

The loss of his creative outlet plunged Crowder into despair, but he did right by himself by going back into therapy. “I was not going to try to power through it on my own,” he says.

“I was talking to my guitarist,

JOHNNY CROWDER is the founder and CEO of health tech company Cope Notes and lead singer of heavy metal band Prison.

See CROWDER page 56

BUSINESS OBSERVER

53

Phyllis LeFlore-Calloway DIRECTOR, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ENTERPRISE CENTER BETH LUBERECKI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

P

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

hyllis LeFlore-Calloway had been holding down a dual role since October 2021, splitting her time between being assistant director of the Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and director of the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center.

But when she realized the arrangement wasn’t ideal, she wasn’t afraid to speak up.

Bot h were dema nd i ng, full-time positions, and she felt she couldn’t give her all to either role. So she presented her concerns to the CRA commissioners and was recently promoted to full-time direc-

tor of the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center.

LeFlore-Calloway, 63, now looks forward to focusing on the light industrial business incubator that works with startup and early-stage businesses. The center offers programs, workshops and seminars for entrepreneurs and business owners to educate them on a variety of topics and provides a physical location from which young businesses can work.

“My future goals are to continue to assist business owners to master their specific industries and achieve the skills that they need to grow and develop strong professional networking opportunities,” she says.

She began working for the city of Fort Myers in 2018, as the legal administrator and advisor in the city attorney’s office. She then took on the role of interim city manager in April 2021. Throughout her career, she’s often served as a sounding board for coworkers and business associates.

“I think I’ve created a reputation of being a good listener,” she says. “They know I’m going to be honest first and foremost. I never have an ulterior motive.”

During her time working for the city, she’s taken on tasks related to issues like efficiency and restructuring, initiatives that required people to get OK with changes — both big and small.

“I am someone who tries to make a difference in the environment I’m in, whether it be professionally or personally,” she says. “I identity myself as a nurturer; I identify myself as a communicator. I love to network and get new ideas from other folks. I’m not a resister. I want to do whatever it is I possibly can.”

She plans to embrace her inquisitive and open-minded nature as she works to expand the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center and keep up with the ever-changing Fort Myers area. “We have all types of businesses out there looking to grow and graduate out of our two-year program, so they can become successful businesses in the community and provide more future growth,” says LeFlore-Calloway. “The

BE THE CHANGE Phyllis LeFloreCalloway hasn’t been afraid to make changes in her own career to help others in the community achieve success.

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If you want to get from A to C, you’ve got to either go past B, over B, or around B to get there. But change puts people in a fearful mindset. incubator program right now is just what this city needs, and I’m trying to do collaborations with some other existing programs so we can reach more people and broaden our scope of resources and information we can provide.”

She k nows cha nge ca n sometimes be hard — and some resista nce is to be expected.

“People want better, but they don’t want to change to make things better,” she says.

“I’ve found that most change efforts fail because of a lack

pleased at the outcome of any given situation by going into it with no expectations.”

Affecting change, she says, also requires taking things one step at a time and never being afraid to fail. “If you come to that obstacle in the

road or that person or whatever it may be, don’t be afraid of failure,” says LeFlore-Calloway. “You won’t know unless you try…And you can’t

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

Phyllis LeFlore-Calloway

of understanding of the need for the immediate change.

Providing good information is the only way to get the buyin from the people the change will include.”

“I can’t spend a lot of time focusing on what people think as long as I know my why,” adds LeFlore-Calloway.

“I’m the fixer. I must be able to identify the tasks required to implement change and estimate the effort needed to complete those tasks. If you want to get from A to C, you’ve got to either go past B, over B, or around B to get there. But change puts people in a fearful mindset.”

She considers herself a people person, but she’s also learned to trust her own instincts and abilities. “I feel I’m very resourceful in the way I approach people,” she says.

“And I approach everything I do now in my late life with no expectations. I find that after doing that I’m not disappointed. Sometimes I’m very

REAGAN RULE

PHYLLIS LEFLORECALLOWAY was named and director of the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center in October.

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

CROWDER from 53 and he was like, ‘You know what the weirdest part of being home all the time is?’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he goes, ‘Nobody ever claps for you.’

Yes, it’s silly to frame it that way, but you get to used to that sense of community — hundreds of people in one room, all there for one purpose. And a new city every day.”

He adds, “To go from that to waking up in the same room every day, spending all day in the same room, in silence, that’s why I started going to therapy again.”

Financially, the pandemic was also nearly catastrophic for Crowder and Cope Notes.

“Our business slowed to almost a halt,” he says. “You would think that when that happened, everyone would focus on their mental health.

But, in fact, everyone was focused on saving money.”

Several of the company’s enterprise clients put their Cope Notes account on hold because of spending freezes.

“Cope Notes got caught up in that initial panic,” Crowder recalls. “We very well could have gone out of business.”

But in a counterintuitive move, Crowder started offering free subscriptions to friends and family of current Cope Notes subscribers.

“So many people found out about Cope Notes through that initiative that we started getting more paid subscribers,” he says, “and then our enterprise clients came back and brought their friends once they realized that behavioral health was something that they should be doubling down on instead of pulling back from.”

Crowder declines to disclose

Cope Notes’ revenue but says sales can vary wildly because of the company’s deals with enterprise and government clients. “Their budgets are absolutely massive,” he says.

“So, it’s not unreasonable for us to have one month that has more revenue than the entire year combined. I will say that our revenue has increased year-over-year, every year. The chart is moving up and to the right.”

With Prison back up and r unning a nd Cope Notes transitioned to a fully remote company, Crowder says he can run the firm while he’s on tour with the band — a “blessing,” he says. “I only have to turn on the ‘band version’ of myself after the venue doors open. I’ll work all day in the van or at the venue if we get there early. It’s not much of a stretch for me to work on tour.”

CALLOWAY from 55

There’s a big group of people who either don’t have the money or don’t have the time or other resources, or, quite frankly, don’t see themselves as having severe enough depression or anxiety to use something like therapy.

Johnny Crowder, Cope Notes

be afraid of ‘no.’ You’re going to get a lot of ‘no’s. I get ‘no’s every day.”

Another key to her success?

Leading by example. “I don’t care about the accolades or the pats on the back as long as the work gets done,” she says.

“My motivation comes from overcoming challenges, leading a team, and being part of a team.”

So it’s not surprising she advises aspiring change makers to stay humble. “No matter how successful you become, you’re only as good as the last person you’ve helped,” she says. “You always have to have an open mind of integrity and honesty and speak up for what’s right. You never go along with wrong just to get along with people. Sometimes you’ve got to stand alone.”

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Yvonne Fry FOUNDER, FRYED EGG PRODUCTIONS BRIAN HARTZ TAMPA BAY EDITOR

BE THE CHANGE A 1989 graduate of Plant City High School, Fry saw little future in her hometown and left as quickly as she could.

Now, she’s Plant City’s ‘head cheerleader’ and is creating bright futures for its young people. One big goal? Expand her workforce development program, Future Career Academy, beyond Hillsborough County.

AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

I

f cities and towns could hand out MVP awards for economic development, Yvonne Fr y would have a strong case to receive such an honor from Plant City.

The founder of Fryed Egg Productions — she uses the title “chief fry cook” — Fry is a jack-of-all trades when it comes to branding, marketing, public relations, event management and many other business development functions. And, in addition to being a single mom, the 50-year-old is an unabashed evangelist for Plant City, where she was born and raised.

“I’m in a fierce competition, but I want to be the head cheerleader for my community,” she says. “I love it. I am so grateful for a place to call home, a special place that has a sense of community, where people care about each other and care about our place.”

That sense of caring is evident in Future Career Academy, a workforce development initiative Fry helped devel-

op in her role as CEO of Workforce Development Partners, a nonprofit that also created the Best Florida Jobs program for adults. Now in its seventh year, FCA has been a big hit with non-college-bound high school students in Plant City, East Tampa and southern Hillsborough County, who, prior to graduation, receive classroom instruction on topics that will set them up for success, such as resume writing, how to dress for work, interpersonal communication and other soft skills they’ll need to not only interview for and land a job, but set themselves up for a productive career.

Then, as the students prepare to matriculate, they take part in a “Future Fair” — designed to be much more than just a standard job fair, it features food, fun and energetic talks from local leaders such as Plant City Mayor Rick Lott — that connects them with dozens of local employers.

Future Fairs are followed by signing days — celebrations of FCA participants who’ve been hired by local companies or are entering training and apprenticeship programs.

During the 2021-22 school year, FCA reached some 7,000 students, and it partnered with employers such as TECO, Mosaic Co., Publix, BayCare, Coca-Cola, Stingray Chevrolet, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Ace Hardware and others. Several sponsoring companies paid for career training opportunities for students, ensuring the graduates will enter the workforce as debt-free as possible.

Next year, Fry says, FCA will expand to all high schools in Hillsborough County, and it could quickly grow even further. “We’ve had queries from counties all over the state,” Fry

MARK WEMPLE

YVONNE FRY, 50, was born and raised in Plant City. says, adding that businesses, too, want to help the program branch out to more communities. “The demand on both sides is there.”

Fry further describes FCA as a synthesis, maybe even the culmination, of the many facets of her professional life.

In her marketing work, she frequently deals with business owners and CEOs and has found that, invariably, “the No. 1 thing that keeps them up at night is workforce,” she says. “Having a broad spectrum of understanding of different types of businesses, and being able to feel their ‘heart-

beat,’ has helped me prepare for what I’m doing with this nonprofit.”

Even as a busy professional and single parent, Fry has made time over the year to volunteer in her kids’ schools.

That experience led her to question how students are being prepared for successful, productive careers and lives, even if they don’t plan to pursue higher education.

“What’s their pathway forward once they graduate, if they’re not going to college?”

See FRY page 60

You put the right people at the table with the right process, meaning you’re building relationships and opening dialogue, and magic will happen.

Yvonne Fry

BUSINESS OBSERVER

57

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

Melanie Griffin

58

SECRETARY, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION LOUIS LLOVIO COMMERCIAL R.E. EDITOR

M

elanie Griffin knew she wanted to be an attorney when she was 8 years old.

It wasn’t one moment of inspiration or a mentor who guided her. It was just something that happened, that even at that early age felt right. She has a picture from a career day project at that time and a drawing where she talks about her briefcase.

“I am not quite sure other than I dressed up as a lawyer for Halloween. That year I literally wore fake glasses, had a briefcase, the whole nine,” says Griffin, now 41.

“I don’t know what got into my head at such an early age, but I was sure set on it.”

The decision has served her well.

Today, she is a corporate lawyer at Shumaker in Tampa and is also Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation — a position Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to in late 2021. Griffin also owns the company Spread Your Sunshine, which offers speakers and training and sells inspirational gifts and products. The company was born out of her fear of failure and of not being good enough, a common fear she helps others overcome.

Griffin, with her powerhouse career in the making, has proved her own fears to be unfounded.

In Griffin’s state role, her main priority now, she is the face of one of the most integral, BUSINESS OBSERVER

yet unheralded departments in state government. The department of professional regulation oversees licensing and regulating of businesses and professionals statewide. If you order a beer at a bar, go to a barbershop or call your Realtor, the department had a hand in making that happen.

Because of that, Griffin feels responsible to businesses in Florida and the customers those businesses take care of.

She doesn’t use the word obligation. But she feels a duty to make sure those business owners, already facing daily obstacles that threaten their survival, can do what they need to do without the government getting in their way or not solving problems.

The reality, she says, is most businesses in Florida are small and often run paycheck to paycheck. If the department is unable to license efficiently, and solve problems or answer questions quickly, “that affects their ability to actually transact business and make payroll.”

BE THE CHANGE Thanks to her mother’s influence, Melanie Griffin has focused her life on doing good and helping others. A corporate lawyer by trade, she now heads Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation. That job, she says, allows her to make a difference in the daily lives of business owners and their employees and customers.

MARK WEMPLE

MELANIE GRIFFIN, balances a law career with a state-level post overseeing licensing and regulations.

“Which means that people can’t pay for rent or food or gas,” Griffin says. “And, so, you really see that daily impact and get the satisfaction of not only helping people in their day-to-day lives, and how they multiply that and impact others through their businesses.”

But here’s the thing. Remember how Griffin wasn’t sure what led her to the law? Well, if she had thought about it way back then, none of this may have happened. She wouldn’t be a lawyer at a prestigious firm. She wouldn’t be running a state agency. And who knows what else would be different.

So that part of her story is as important as the one about her choice of profession because it’s this part that shows how

I had so many people who invested in me and made a significant difference. So that certainly is one reason that I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been afforded to pay it back.

Melanie Griffin

innately important it is for her to give back and why her interest in business is so ingrained.

“Looking back, I think if I had really critically done an analysis on where my skill set would best be used in terms of possibly impacting the world, I don’t know that I would have picked (the law). I can almost guarantee you I would not have picked that profession.”

Griffin says when she was growing up there were no centers for entrepreneurship or mentorships. These weren’t topics that were discussed.

Most of the time, you got an undergraduate degree and went to graduate school. Some See GRIFFIN page 60

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people decided to become doctors, others lawyers without questioning their purpose in life or if they’d leave a legacy.

“A lot of the buzzwords, and I mean that in a positive way, that you hear today, and I see a lot of our younger generation talking about, which is awesome.”

But even with that, business has played a big role in her life. She graduated from Florida State University in 2003 with a degree in business and finance and then earned an MBA and a law degree in 2006. As an attorney, her focus has been corporate law.

But Griffin, whose mother was a social worker, says what drives her is helping others.

Whether that’s working with a client who’s facing difficul-

ties, helping an entrepreneur whose license has expired and may not be able to open for business the next morning or talking with someone whose fears of not being good enough is impeding their growth, it’s all about giving back.

“I had so many people who invested in me and made a significant difference. So that certainly is one reason that I am so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been afforded to pay it back,” she says.

“It brings me a lot of joy. I know a lot of people say that, and that it sounds cliché, but it’s not, you get more joy out of giving than receiving. It really is just a great feeling when you know that you have empowered someone else.”

And, really, when that is your motivation, does it matter what you wanted to be when you grew up?

FRY from 57 she says. “How are we truly preparing them for that next step? I look at what I’m doing with this nonprofit, and I tell people, ‘No matter where you find yourself, everything in your life has uniquely prepared you for today.’”

That statement could easily apply to Fry’s personal journey. Graduating from high school in 1989, she was determined to leave small-town life behind and enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“I followed a boy there,” she says. “Obviously, that didn’t work out. But being in that place, the poorest state in the union, was one of the greatest gifts.”

It didn’t take long for Fry

to make friends at Southern Miss. One of them invited Fry to her family’s home for the weekend — a memory that has stuck with her decades later.

“I get there, and her house has dirt floors,” she recalls.

“The whole weekend, we ate red beans and rice because it’s a nutritious meal that’s cheap to fix. Those things were just the realities of what people around me were dealing with.”

That experience, so early on in her college years, awakened Fry, who spent some of her childhood years on the family farm but didn’t struggle with dirt floors and lack of food. After graduating from Southern Miss, she returned to Plant City.

“It’s ironic that I came back pretty quickly,” she says. “At the time, a lot of us

wanted to get out of (Plant City)— we thought there’s nothing here; there’s no opportunity.”

With FCA and Best Florida Jobs, Fry has created an abundance of opportunities for subsequent generations of Plant City and Tampa residents. But there’s work yet to be done. She’s looking for more companies to join FCA’s business advisor y boards, which meet a few times per year to assess needs and plan events in the communities the organization serves and plans to serve.

“You put the right people at the table with the right process, meaning you’re bu i ld i ng relat ionsh ips and opening dialogue,” she says, “and magic will happen.”

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS BLAIR BLOOMSTON was named CEO of Bradenton-based Game On Nation in September 2021.

Blair Bloomston CEO, GAME ON MARK GORDON MANAGING EDITOR

S

teve Shenbaum and Blair Bloomston were having coffee in the kitchen of the Game On Nation office last summer when Shenbaum blurted out a substantial suggestion: The founder of the leadership, communication and teamwork consulting firm, Shenbaum asked Bloomston, “Hey, you want to be CEO?” Bloomston had been working side-by-side with Shenbaum since 2004, starting as an intern. By that day in the office kitchen, she’d worked her way up to partner and senior vice president. While not there from day one, in 1997, she’d been involved in nearly every big decision at the company.

“Yes,” Bloomston responded simply to the want-to-be CEO query. “That sounds good.”

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Bloomston, 41, took over as CEO of Game On in September 2021. Nearly a year later, it’s clear job title isn’t the only thing Bloomston plans to change. While the core of what Bradenton-based Game On does will remain the same, one of her big goals as CEO of the 12-employee firm is to offer its services to smaller and mid-size businesses.

That core is an innovative training technique and cur-

BE THE CHANGE Named CEO in September 2021, Blair Bloomston is leading a major change at Game On Nation in business strategy and the sizes and types of clients it seeks to attract.

The Game On curriculum, focusing on teamwork and communication, also helps companies and organizations facilitate internal change.

MARK WEMPLE

riculum based on something Bloomston and Shenbaum created called the MILE process: Mystery, Incentive, Laughter and Empowerment. The firm guides clients on how to “harnesses the power of MILE to create immediate improvement that businesses can see, feel and measure,” according to its website.

Shenbaum and Bloomston, both with acting backgrounds — Shenbaum has more than a dozen credits to his name, mostly 1990s and early 2000s movies and TV shows — built a star-studded client list. Together and individually they’ve worked with pro athletes from every major sport; the U.S. House of Representatives; all branches of the military; Nascar; NASA; and more. Corporations include Deloitte and Hilton.

Bloomston now seeks to bring the Game On curriculum to both smaller entities and or-

ganizations in and around the Bradenton-Sarasota area. “If you’re Deloitte, this could really work, if you’re Lloyds of London, if you’re Hilton this could really work,” Bloomston says.

“But small businesses want to be able to build communication skills. They want to be able to learn these skills, too.”

Internal budgets for those two segments of clients are vastly different, Bloomston recognizes. That’s why finding new ways of delivering the Game On curriculum is one of her main change objectives as CEO. One way she will do that is through streamlining the curriculum to play to Game On’s strengths, prioritizing teamwork and communication for clients. Going directto-consumer also requires a mindset shift and different marketing and messaging. “I’m excited to simplify our focus and then scale the hell out of it,” Bloomston says.

Another aspect of change Bloomston puts a lot of time into is getting prospective, and sometimes even current, clients to be willing to change.

That goes from approaches to project management to shifts in a business model to understanding and embracing diversity in the workplace.

That, Bloomston says, often comes down to communication — or lack thereof. “When companies fail to do well with change it’s because they don’t communicate it well,” Bloomston says, further lamenting how the work-fromhome era has made face-toface communication that much more challenging. “It’s amazing how radical an idea communicating with others has become.”

Game On specifically addresses change through the mystery side of MILE — making change an engaging part of work, not a drag. “When we incorporate play, like hide and seek, the unknown actually See BLOOMSTON 66

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Mark Vengroff

BE THE CHANGE While working at a dream job in California, Vengroff got a call from his father that would change his trajectory and lead him to Florida with a passion to provide affordable housing for an underserved community.

MANAGING PARTNER, ONE STOP HOUSING

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

AMANDA POSTMA SARASOTA-MANATEE WRITER

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bout eight years ago, Ma rk Veng rof f, 56, found himself as CEO of his dream job.

At the time, he was working with the founder of Clearlight Partners, an advisory private equity firm that had recently purchased Walker Advertising. Soon enough, Vengroff was named CEO of the agency.

But two years into that job, his father, the late Harvey Vengroff, a prominent Sarasota businessman known partially for his battles with local officials over zoning and housing regulations, called with some news. The elder Vengroff had acquired a third hotel property and shortly after was diagnosed with cancer. Given a year to live, Harvey asked his son to take over managing the properties. Resisting at first, the younger Vengroff asked his father to “just sell them. I was happy doing what I was doing.”

“He said, ‘I can’t sell it. Thousands of families will be without a place to live,’” Vengroff says. Harvey had purchased the first hotel building 20 years ago in Sarasota and rented it out to families. When he made the call to Mark, he had a second hotel property in Sarasota and one in Bradenton that was under construction.

So, two years into his time at Walker Advertising, Mark Vengroff flew from California to Florida to get a sense of the situation. After seeing the communities the residents had formed, he knew he couldn’t let them, or his father, down.

Not wanting to leave Walker Advertising without a CEO, he stayed for six months, until a new leader was in place. Then he spent the last six months of his father’s life working “side by side” with him to grow the

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MARK WEMPLE

MARK VENGROFF never imagined himself working at One Stop Housing, but now he can’t imagine doing anything different. company his father created: One Stop Housing. The Sarasota-based company specializes in buying and converting hotels, offices, schools and other property types into apartment buildings whose units are priced below market rates. It operates in Bradenton, Kissimmee, Orlando, Sarasota and Memphis, Tennessee. (Harvey Vengroff died Oct. 11, 2018. He was 77.)

“We’re for-profit, but have a philanthropic approach,” Mark Vengroff says. “Everyone deserves a place to live.”

Five years later, the business has grown substantially. Currently, there are 800 units in the queue to be built this year.

That’s in addition to the 3,000 units already built, plus the eight hotels it has converted to workforce housing.

The company keeps rates

within the 60-80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) range, but to live within a One Stop Housing community, prospective residents must have a job.

That’s the only requirement.

The average cost to live in a One Stop Housing community is $750-$800 a month, all-inclusive with utilities. The goal?

For workers to live close to their jobs without spending their entire paycheck on housing .

Vengroff can charge more, especially in today’s lava-hot apartment rental environment.

“We’re 40% below market,” Vengroff adds. “My father said, ‘greed kills everything good.’

If we’re making enough, we don’t have to take it out on the tenant.”

When looking for a property to build a community, One Stop Housing has few limits.

Vengroff says the company has acquired everything from schools to commercial and industrial spaces. As long as the structure, or land, is near public transportation, it can work.

After One Stop Housing acquires a property, it’s time to either renovate or build. Vengroff says the company does so without cutting corners, even though construction and material costs have recently “gone through the roof.” The company cuts down on a lot of those costs by using its inhouse construction team.

Since the layouts for the apartments are similar, One Stop Housing can purchase in bulk. So even though the cabinets are custom-made, the See VENGROFF 66

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becomes attractive and magnetic,” she says. “When companies don’t communicate well, that’s when the unknown goes bad.”

A Bradenton native who moved to New York City for six years to attend college and chase an acting and dancing career, linking up with Game On was Bloomston’s real dream come true. “I was really lucky to get connected to this kind of unicorn: actors working with athletes,” Bloomston says. “Everyone can learn through these techniques. It doesn’t matter what your job title or role is.”

Bloom ston eyes ot her changes on the horizon, including a return to more live events and conferences. She’s also watchful of the economy, remembering in the last

downturn, in 2008-2009, “people-centric programs were the first line item to be cut” from organization’s budgets.

With the Great Resignation and other workplace trends, Bloomston says companies have opened up leadership development budgets. “It boomeranged back in a rapid way” after the pandemic she says, believing executives see the value.

Shenbaum remains with Game On as president, overseeing culture, team development and the vision for the curriculum.

Coming on one year of being CEO, Bloomston says she was growing more comfortable in the position, which includes steering the business strategy, operations and partnerships/ growth. “Business strategy is one of my passions,” she says.

“I’m enjoying the CEO role.”

VENGROFF from 64 company could purchase 800 at a time to reduce cost.

The four apartment layouts include a studio, one bedroom, two bedroom with one bathroom and two bedroom with two bathrooms.

The biggest motivator for the team and Vengroff to this day remains Harvey.

“My father was always my hero. His spirit lives very loud and clear here,” he says, noting especially of Harvey’s philanthropic focus.

“We keep that in the back of our heads.”

“His final words to me were, ‘grow this thing to a billion,’” which was a nod to earlier in Vengroff’s career.

As CEO of Vengroff, Williams and Associates, a debt collection agency started by Harvey, Vengroff grew the

company into 19 countries with 1,100 employees and took it from managing $10 million to over $32 billion in assets.

Of his own passion for providing workforce housing, that’s an easy question for Mark Vengroff to answer. The tenants and their stories.

“It always seems when I have a bad day, I’ll get a phone call or letter from a tenant,” he says.

One story Vengroff tells is particularly moving.

A woman, who left a bad situation in Texas, moved in with her friend in Florida. Not long after, she found herself kicked out of the temporary housing. She was widowed, had no credit and was living on the street, even though she had a job, Vengroff says.

Every housing place she

tried denied her application. Following a particular rough day of being turned away, she devised a plan.

There was one more place on her list to apply for housing.

If that place rejected her, she planned to go to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans Tampa Bay between Hillsborough and Manatee counties to jump, and kill herself. That last place was One Stop Housing.

After a brief interview, she was handed an application to get her set up for an apartment. In disbelief, tears started streaming down her face. Vengroff says when asked why she was crying, she says, “You just saved my life.”

“This,” Vengroff says, “is exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

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Lakshmi Shenoy CEO, EMBARC COLLECTIVE

LOUIS LLOVIO COMMERCIAL R.E. EDITOR

Y

ou probably shouldn’t say that entrepreneurship came naturally to Lakshmi Shenoy, but it kind of did.

Growing up, Shenoy was the kind of kid who was always coming up with ideas and executing them. Once, she created a program to save the rainforests, soliciting donations for the initiative and putting out a conservation newsletter to donors, whether they had any idea it was coming or not.

That was when she was 8 AUGUST 2022 ■ BusinessObserverFL.com

years old.

“That was sort of the start of it,” she says. “Building new ventures has always been something that I am just inclined to do. And I’ve also just always been a pretty creative person.”

Shenoy is now the CEO of

BE THE CHANGE As CEO of the innovation hub Embarc Collective, Lakshmi Shenoy is taking a natural talent for creativity and using it to help the next generation of entrepreneurs grow their companies.

FILE PHOTO

Embarc Collective, the innovation hub in Tampa. In her position, she helps entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses, making sure they get the training and help they need to raise money and thrive. This while learning the skills necessary to optimize the value of their company and run it long term.

In the years since she came to Tampa, Shenoy’s role has expanded beyond the doors of Embarc and, in a way, she’s become the voice and face of entrepreneurship in the city, winning awards and becoming the go-to source on the top-

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

LAKSHMI SHENOY, CEO of Embarc Collective in Tampa, joined the organization in 2019.

ic. She’s also become a force for helping women and working on conservation issues.

Of the “things that are really important to me, one is supporting other women and ensuring that we’re creating as many opportunities for women, especially women that are changemakers in the community, and in the country and the world,” she says.

Shenoy says the nonprofit, which operates out of a 32,000-square-foot center in the city, was created to spur innovation and to help grow future business leaders. Each entrepreneur working with Embarc gets an individual account manager to work with them as well as coaches, all designed to provide individualized support. There are currently 125 companies in Embarc.

Shenoy, tasked with overseeing all aspects of the organization and who dedicates a considerable amount of time to outside causes, manages to spend 20% of her week working directly with the startups.

She does this because of a love for solving problems with startups and helping them overcome barriers they may have. Her philosophy is not to give a company founder an answer, but to ask questions.

Embarc doesn’t take an equity position in any of the businesses it works with, so the work is to help the entrepreneur think through the challenges and create the right frameworks for them to reason through challenges on their own, she says.

“Entrepreneurship is incredibly difficult. It’s incredibly lonely. And if you try to do it alone, and in a silo, you’re not setting yourself up for success,” she says, adding that “It’s really about how do we create a really effective support infrastructure so that we can better the chances of a startup’s success.”

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Samira Beckwith PRESIDENT AND CEO, HOPE HEALTHCARE

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

BETH LUBERECKI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

ver the 30-plus years Samira Beckwith has been leading Fort Myers-based Hope Healthcare, the nonprofit has expanded from a hospice serving fewer than 100 patients to an organization offering a full spectrum of health care services.

Hope Healthcare now cares for some 3,000 people a day, providing hospice, palliative, cardiac and senior care; a Parkinson’s program; care for children with complex medical conditions; and grief counseling for all ages plus complementary therapies.

But Beckwith, who has been in the hospice sector for 40

years, shows no signs of stopping or slowing the expansion of services. “We have to continue to be relevant for people and for the communities we serve,” she says. “Even with all the effort we’ve put in, we can’t let up in our quest to really assure quality of life for people. People can live better or to their potential while they have a serious illness or advancing illness.”

Beckwith is also on the forefront of many advances and changes in the hospice industry, both in Florida and nationally. In Florida, Hope Healthcare is one of a handful of end-of-life care organizations that have significantly expanded services in recent years. Others in the region to

have done that include Empath Health, parent of Tidewell Hospice, and Chapters Health System.

Even so, Beck w it h says she’s humbled to be considered a change maker. “Making changes means really focusing on what needs to be done, not just what’s easy,” she says.

“And looking at the greater good. You look at what people need and then how to achieve that for the greater good of the person, their family, their friends, the community and also our entire society. That’s what I’ve dedicated my professional career to, trying to make this difference for people in what is the most difficult time of their life — the closing chapter of life.”

She knows many people don’t want to dwell on this

BE THE CHANGE

Samira Beckwith has spent three decades at Fort Myers-based Hope Healthcare working to inspire people to think about life’s final chapter in a different way. She’s also helped lead an industry-wide movement for end-of-life care organizations to offer more services. portion of life; it’s easier and more appealing to celebrate births and other joyful milestones. But she’s passionate about “tr ying to convince people that we have to be as dedicated to the closing of life,” she says.

While it can be a painful time for the individual and their loved ones, respecting and honoring this moment can also provide benefits for the family. Yet trying to shift

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Making changes means really focusing on what needs to be done, not just what’s easy.

the societal mindset around the last chapter of life, Beckwith has learned, requires a constant dedication to improvement and an unwillingness to be satisfied with the status quo. It also takes continual evaluation of the needs of the community and whether they’re still being met, plus an understanding of the challenges of the current health care system and the potential new technology brings.

“We have to be sure we’re

yond the organization. She’s served on the board and public policy and education committees for the National PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) Association and as chair of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and National Hospice Foundation.

This kind of work with a broader scope can lead to beneficial changes for everyone.

“It’s knowing we can come together and make a difference,” she says.

Beckwith leans into the idea of using a team approach to help make change happen.

“It’s little things like that that are always in my mind, like the saying that there’s no ‘I’ in the word team,” she says. “As difficult as things might be at times, I think for the most part

THE CHANGE-MAKERS

Samira Beckwith, Hope Hospice

being innovators and striving to improve,” Beckwith says. “We have to constantly be looking at that, because people’s needs change. As our society evolves, ever y day is different. Technology is changing the world, so we have to be a part of that.”

She’s a l so c ont i nua l l y working to make sure people know about what’s available through Hope. “The services we offer are not the services people necessarily want to think about, so that just adds to challenge,” she says. “How do we relate to the community so people know about us and can access us? How do we relate to the rest of the health care system so they can help provide the access people need? That is an ongoing question.”

The desire to make a difference and the gratitude of the families who have been helped by Hope Healthcare inspires Beckwith’s continued work at both Hope and be-

COURTESY PHOTO

SAMIRA BECKWITH has been with Fort Myers-based Hope Healthcare since 1991.

See BECKWITH 70

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BIG BOOK OF BUSINESS SHENOY from 67

In 2014 she joined 1871, a Chicago innovation hub as business development director. That position and other roles there got her name in front of change makers like Vinik, and since arriving in Tampa, Shenoy’s helped build Embarc from the ground up, creating the brand and designing the $10 million hub space. That work building the nonprofit gives her a firsthand understanding of what entrepreneurs face and allows her to share what’s worked and what hasn’t as they brainstorm ideas.

And she learns from them as she continues to grow Embarc.

“I think that’s the beauty of the community that we have.

There’s no ego at all, it’s just sort of, like, ‘I see the dream that you’re pursuing. You see the dream that I’m pursuing, how do we help each other get there?’”

How About a Lift to work.

There’s no ego at all, it’s just sort of, like, ‘I see the dream that you’re pursuing.

You see the dream that I’m pursuing, how do we help each other get there?

Lakshmi Shenoy

I find people to be good and to want the best for people, no matter what the product or service or change is.”

She feels it’s vital to understand your motivations, goals and mission when aspiring to innovate and bring about change. “I believe we’ve grown because we have focused on the unmet needs in the communities we serve and because of our dedication and commitment to our mission,” Beckwith says. “We have stayed true to our mission and wanted to provide the best care for people and the right care at the right time for people. Many other organizations focus more on maybe what’s best for them.

We maintain that commitment to the people.”

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THE CHANGE-MAKERS

Embarc launched in 2019 with Shenoy at the helm. She moved to Tampa from Chicago for the job, after being recruited by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. As of Aug. 1, Embarc businesses — including Ideal Agent, BlockSpaces and TrustLayer — have raised $173.8 million in capital.

Shenoy came to Tampa after working early in her career on building brands and working on “the visual and the copywriting side of building new entities.”

That early portion of her career included a stint with Leo Burnett, the legendary Chicago advertising agency. But she was too impatient for advertising. She wanted to continue advancing, to find opportunities. She considered getting a master’s in Fine Arts, but

instead went to Harvard Business School to get her MBA. That began a progression that eventually led her to the world of innovation and startups.

Her MBA studies began in 2008 just as the economy was beginning to crumble and the world was entering a recession.

Seeing the instability in the world, particularly in the financial services sector where many of the class wanted to go, brought a “collective realization” that a degree, even from Harvard, “wasn’t necessarily a sure thing.”

“You felt this entrepreneurial bug. It was like everyone caught it. It was a good type of virus to get,” Shenoy says. “So that was that. Coupled with the fact that I had a natural aptitude toward building new things, that was the start of me really starting to hone that skill around startups.”

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