Tampa Bay Business Leaders: Recent Episodes
Steve Triplett
Robert Blankenship started Bayonet Plumbing in 1977. Today the organization has grown to nearly 1000 employees and hundreds of service trucks on the road. The business is still run by the Blankenship family including Robert's son and daughter-in-law Kris. In this episode, Kris shares the principles that have enabled Bayonet to scale far beyond what most small businesses achieve. She talks about the risks they've taken and the not always easy or obvious choices they made to differentiate Bayonet in the crowded home services vertical. These lessons can be applied to almost any business, large or small.
Freddy's first job was cleaning locker rooms at the Boys and Girls Club. "The club saw potential in me when others saw a challenge." Today, Freddy is the CEO of The Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast, leading and growing the nonprofit to keep up with the needs of our rapidly growing community. In this episode we discuss the challenges facing our youth in a post-pandemic world. Freddy provides his perspective on social media and the potential benefits and risks for young people. He also shares details on some of the innovative new programs his organization is implementing to prepare kids for promising careers in our tech-forward economy.
Asif Hakeem and his family have been involved in Tampa real estate since the 1960's. Today, he oversees a portfolio of over 100 properties and is the principal developer of the Reverb Hotel by Hard Rock currently being built adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. In this interview, Asif shares his thoughts on how and where Tampa will experience the most rapid expansion in the coming decade. We also discuss the issue of housing affordability and if Tampa Bay is destined to become California-like in terms of housing prices. If you are wondering just how much potential the Tampa Bay Area has for additional growth and where it's going to occur, this is the episode for you.
Justin Bushko is founder of Concise Engineering, a medical device engineering firm he started in 2015. In this episode, Justin talks about what it's like to transition from an employee within a larger firm to starting a running a small business. We discuss the technologies driving innovation in the medical device space and how he's thinking about scaling his business. I even made him talk about Elon Musk and Neuralink because I'm fascinated by the concept of brain-to-computer interfaces.
Nick Scarsella and his partner Brian Hill started an IT services company selling networking equipment out of Nick's garage in 2018. Today they have grown to nearly $25MM in revenue and have a laser focus on getting to $100MM. In this interview Nick shares his story of transitioning from a consultant at a big 4 accounting firm to a technology entrepreneur. We discuss how Imperium recruits and scales their sales team, marketing strategy, and how they are carving out a unique position in the crowded world of IT and technology services.
Brian Stamey is VP of Marketing for International Diamond Center. IDC is one of the largest jewelry retailers in Tampa Bay and is expanding with new locations opening throughout Florida. We talk about the power of influencer marketing and how leveraging the origin story of a founder can help differentiate in a crowded marketplace. We also dive into the dynamics of the jewelry business and how fashion trends, economic conditions, and product mix influence sales. Brian shares a wealth of knowledge applicable to any business leader operating in highly-competitive B2C verticals.
Ashley Dietz is the CEO of Florida Philanthropic Network, a statewide membership network of philanthropic organizations committed to building a better Florida. We talk about everything from running a virtual WFH team to what laptop she's currently obsessing over. Ashley also provides thoughts on dealing with imposter syndrome, managing energy levels, and coping with burnout. There's also a shout-out to Freedom Boat Club if you're curious.
Aakash Patel is the founder and President of Elevate, a business consulting firm helping Tampa Bay businesses raise their profile and establish valuable strategic connections. Aakash is a master networker and shares a ton of best practices for making the most of in-person events. We also talk about his system for managing follow-up, building a personal "board of directors", and what he learned from running for Hillsborough County Commissioner.
Jane Floyd is the Tampa Branch Manager for NFM Lending and is among the top 1% of mortgage originators in the US. We talk about the skills, habits, and mindset it takes to reach the top 1% in a given field as well as how to build and lead the teams that keep a business running at peak performance. We also discuss effective time management, delegation, and leveraging support personnel to create more time for high-value tasks and strategic planning.
In this episode we catch up with Bailey Floyd, founder of Bais Creative and Public Relations, as she celebrates the one year anniversary of her firm. Bailey talks about her journey as a new business owner and how she's thinking about scaling and building a team. We also discuss how the field of Public Relations has changed and how Tampa Bay Business Leaders should think about the role of PR and social media in growing a modern business.
Jackie McIntosh is the EVP, Market President for Cogent Bank in Pinellas County. In this episode we discuss how Blockchain and other new technology platforms are transforming banking as well as her thoughts on the local economy and why the Tampa Bay area has a bright future ahead.
Jake Kurtz is Founder and CEO of Brick Media Group and Business in Tampa, a modern, digital-first news source covering the Tampa Bay business community. Jake's social media agency helps SMBs stay relevant in a fast-moving digital world. In this episode, Jake shares his journey from corporate digital marketer to agency founder and entrepreneur. He talks about what's working now in social media and how he built his business from a part-time side hustle into a rapidly growing firm with a steady stream of inbound customer interest and impressive client retention.
Jay Mulligan is a sales manager for Beasley Media Group Tampa. He leads a team of account executives who work with hundreds of local businesses to attract new customers and drive sales. Jay shares his unique approach to team leadership and the secrets to running advertising campaigns that generate positive ROI.