Roundtable: Female leaders in the Bay

Female leaders in the Bay ® oundtable:

Tampa Bay’s female leaders present their views on the region’s advantages, encouraging sustainability and key projects that will help maintain growth and propel the area into the future.

Sandra Bradbury Mayor City of Pinellas Park Ann Kulig Executive Director Westshore Aliance

What e¡orts are being made to encourage environmental sustainability in the city? In a partnership with the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch, we just started development on a new park called Lurie Park. This park is going to be completely accessible for all handicapped people, from children to the elderly, and will be geared toward our veterans. We also just purchased a four-acre property that was a horse stable, which we are in the process of converting to a farm and is an extension of the existing Helen Howarth Park. Our goal is to work with the U.S.-based network of youth organizations 4-H and bring students to the farm to teach them how to sustainably raise and grow their own food.

How are you supporting the growth of local businesses? Businesses come to us all the time because we have a relatively large amount of commercial area that’s available for development. The city council and voter referendum created a package of incentives that we could use to retain businesses that want to grow and expand. These incentives allow businesses the flexibility to move o©ces or add square footage to their buildings. We are one of the few places that has this ability. It is within our ordinances to allow our economic development manager and her team to o™er incentives to local businesses, which revolves around how much they are growing and how many employees they will be hiring with the expansion. So far, the city council has provided seven packages to di™erent companies that have grown in Pinellas Park. What are the most significant developments for the Westshore’s future? Midtown Tampa, SkyCenter at Tampa International Airport and planned redevelopment at Westshore Plaza are important developments in the changing face of Westshore. The reconstruction of the Westshore Interchange is a catalyst investment that is a springboard to the next phase of Westshore’s growth. Access and location are critical factors in the success of any real estate development, so major changes to improve the transportation network will greenlight projects.

What can be done to ensure sustainable growth? Transportation is one piece of it, but a continued focus on quality of life issues is a top priority for employees, employers and residents. A lot of our work is focused on improving walkability, providing more greenspace and creating a more urban environment. These are all amenities that both the current and next generation of the workforce wants.

How do you balance the potentially contradictory interests of the corporations and the local community? I believe it is pretty easy because in the end people generally want many of the same things, whether you are a business person or a resident. Walkability, green spaces, those things are not new to us, and we have been leading the charge with the local government regarding changes to the city’s development codes, including design standards that place buildings closer to the street, creating street-front walkability, pedestrian activity, and a more urban environment.

Linda Olson President & CEO Tampa Bay Wave Jill St. Thomas CRO & Executive Director Tampa Bay Tech

What special characteristics of the Tampa Bay Area attract venture capital? They see that Tampa Bay is enjoying an economic boom, which makes it a very attractive place to start and grow a business. You can just look at all the real estate business happening, cranes are everywhere. People want to be in a place that has momentum. You hear projections that by 2027 there are going to be 30,000 people living in Downtown Tampa. When you are one of these early-stage tech companies, you like to be in those work-play environments that are attractive not just to companies but to the talent they want. Tampa Bay also has a lot of the talent that they are looking for, even with the tight job market we are experiencing. To induce investors and venture capital to come here to shop, we have to dangle a very attractive carrot. They have to believe that there is su©cient deal flow, quality companies and for out of state venture capitalists, probably companies that are slightly underpriced versus where they are located.

What should be done to help new small businesses and startups interconnect? We have one of the most collaborative environments for entrepreneurs anywhere. We already have a head start on that. Putting the burden on all those entrepreneurs, businesses and startups to create the connectivity is probably not a winning formula, since almost by definition they don’t have the spare time to do all the extra networking. That is why organizations like Synapse are so important to the overall growth of Tampa Bay’s startup and tech communities. How does Tampa Bay become the next Silicon Valley while also remaining a sustainable tech ecosystem? First of all, a person can a™ord a house here! Seriously though, in terms of attracting particularly, young talent, we have to remain economically viable for them to consider this market. Above all, we are promoting the incredible opportunities available in Tampa Bay. We have so many di™erent types of technology companies and we have a really unique landscape, from Ybor City to Clearwater to Downtown St. Pete.

What is the focus for the tech community in Tampa Bay over the next 12 months We want to build a tech community that feels radically connected. What I mean by that is, that whatever our people are looking for, we’re making it easy to find. If you are looking for talent, we’ll connect you to RNG Tampa Bay, our in-house corporate recruiter group. If you want opportunities for your team to give back, we’ll connect you with Think Big for Kids. We have a unique community that understands the benefits of working together and that seems to be really resonating with our members. Every year, we’re seeing how collaboration and connectedness is helping us grow, and that helps the entire market.

How can Tampa Bay attract more venture capital into the region? This is 100% a storytelling issue. When we share the stories of companies like AgileThought and KnowBe4 with the community outside of Tampa Bay, we position Tampa Bay as a market that is flourishing and thereby, attractive, to investors.

City of

Clearwater:

The city of Clearwater is making a strategic push to become a center for business development and investment attraction, while maintaining its top-rated position as a beach destination. Its efforts and overall lifestyle offerings create an environment that is welcoming and resonating with investors, residents and visitors.