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Always on the run

A husband and wife who run their own company are putting their drive into triathlon training.

By DEMORRIS LEE
Published June 10, 2005

TAMPA PALMS - At 5:30 a.m., Jennifer and Ken Bakunas are up and running. Or biking. Or swimming.

As the morning progresses, the Tampa Palms husband and wife are managing their Web development company Magnetic, located in New Tampa. Winding down the day, and still together, they're back at home tending to their 19-month-old. The day may end with them doing another exercise regimen together.

A lot of togetherness.

Was it mentioned that the two are training to compete in an upcoming Ironman competition? And yes, they will compete together.

All the we time doesn't bother the Bakunases. As a matter of fact, it has been a plus. The business, Magnetic - where Jennifer handles the sales and Ken the technical side - is going so well that the company is expanding to a 6,480-square-foot office space in the soon-to-be-built Tampa Palms Professional Center. Located on Commerce Park Boulevard, the Professional Center will allow businesses to purchase their space instead of leasing.

"I feel sorry for people who don't have the same situation," Jennifer Bakunas said of working with her husband of 51/2 years. "You have somebody to lean on. We really understand when there is a business problem and we can give emotional support. You have two people who can support each other."

Since starting Magnetic in 1997, Ken Bakunas has seen the company grow from four employees to nine. Magnetic helps businesses achieve greater profitability and sales through the Internet. The work includes strategic consulting, Web design, e-commerce, database integration, content management, Web marketing and Web hosting.

"Our growth has been crazy and we don't see it going down any time soon," Ken Bakunas said.

But moving into the Tampa Palms Professional Center, he said, "we are trying to make a long-term investment in the company."

The 38-acre site is at the early stages of development, with Phase 1 due to open in November. That phase will consist of 27 buildings and 140,000 square feet of space. The total project will be completed in three to four years.

The office spaces, which will look more like one- and two-story, high-end homes, are "fee simple," a type of ownership that allows one to own the business and the land, said Garrison Urette, one of the partners in the development of the Professional Center.

"It's a big plus," Urette said. "The fact that people own it, they get the appreciating in the real estate, the build-up in equity. There are a lot of benefits. Instead of perpetually paying rent, they get to have an asset."

Pending contracts would have a physical therapy group, a karate school and several small medical practices join Magnetic as neighbors.

"The amount of growth and development in New Tampa is staggering, but there is very little office space and people are having to commute to I-75 or 275," Urette said. "The idea is to bring businesses to the local community so people can have a better quality of life. We are finding the people who have contracts with us are people are who live in the area. It's all right there."

The Bakunases are no exception. To be able to work and live in the same community has been ideal for the two former IBM employees who plan to rent some of their new office space. In addition, they won't be far from where their son Colin spends the day.

"I will be able to practically look out the window and see his day care," Ken Bakunas said.

The Bakunases' current 2,400-square-foot office space is also in New Tampa, at 18302 Highwoods Preserve Parkway. And because they aren't stuck in traffic every day, they can use the extra time to train for an upcoming Ironman contest. Both Jennifer and Ken will compete June 26 in a triathlon in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The event includes a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

"It's a great way to stay fit and goal-oriented," said Jennifer Bakunas, 29, who started competing in triathlons five years ago after training to compete in a Leukemia Society event.

A 20-year runner, Ken didn't want to be left behind, so he too began training for the three-event competition. This will be his first Ironman contest.

"When Jennifer first started doing triathlons, I would go to support her," said Ken, 37. "But then I just couldn't just sit on the couch. I had to get out there and do it."

The training regimen is tough. Three days a week, they swim a mile and a half. There's a short run four to five days a week and a 16-mile run once a week. The couple bikes three days a week, and every Sunday they bike 100 miles. And then there's weight training twice a week.

To accommodate the grueling schedule, they hire a sitter for the early morning workouts. On weekends, grandparents care for Colin.

While the two train together and will start the triathlon together, they likely won't finish together. But for the Bakunases, that's okay.

"It's not about competing against my wife, it's the challenge of it all," Ken said. "If you do something like this, it makes everything else in life seem easy."

Times staff writer Demorris Lee can be reached at 813 269-8481 or dalee@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 9, 2005, 10:29:11]