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Plenty of bay area influence stands off center stage

By ROBERT TRIGAUX
Published December 12, 2005

Sure, it's easy to spotlight 10 Big Kahunas, like those profiled who played influential or high-profile roles this year in the Tampa Bay business scene. But there are so many more folks further away from the klieg lights whose efforts in 2005 - good or bad - helped shape this region's economy, business culture and expectations.

Consider the positive and powerful force called Emerge Tampa that continued to prosper this year under the wiser-than-their-years team of co-chairs Mike Griffin of Vertical Integration and Jessica Muroff, now of Raymond James Financial. This youthful group, a surprising part of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, has attracted a membership of more than 500 engaged business people ages 21 to 35 to network, socialize and learn how to make their voices heard on area economic directions.

Emerge Tampa's quick effect (are you reading this in St. Petersburg and Clearwater?) inspired one of its creators, Deanne Roberts of Roberts Communications (now part of Ybor City's growing niche of creative businesses) and others to expend blood, sweat and tears to try and replicate the success of Emerge Tampa as a statewide Emerge Florida. That effort will take time.

Empowering young, smart business people in shaping the future of the state? What a concept! All of these tasks are driven by one great fear: a regional brain drain. If the Tampa Bay area cannot attract or keep young, successful workers, what kind of economy will emerge here in the next decade or two?

Another slice of our worker community here that deserves a standing ovation this year are the utility workers of Progress Energy Florida and Tampa Electric. After four rough hurricanes in 2004, these employees rebounded in 2005 to help with the huge electrical mess left by Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.

What goes well with windy subjects? Condo building, of course. The Tampa Bay area is no Miami, where Mark Zilbert of Zilbert Realty Group of Miami Beach launched www.condoflip.com in July to facilitate quick buys and sells of empty condominiums. But we may not be too far behind. In downtown Tampa, aside from Donald Trump's proposed namesake tower, we recently saw Daytona Beach developer Felix Amon float the idea of two 625-foot-tall towers, connected by sky bridges. Amon last week shut down a Web site devoted to his Tampa project after media inquiries.

Murray Klauber said in 2001 he wanted to bring the world's biggest corporations to Tampa to beam conferences and exhibitions around the globe from a high-tech building and an adjoining hotel in Tampa's Channel District. Approaching 2006, he's asking for more time. And across the bay, Frank Maggio of First Dartmouth Development LLC this summer proposed three huge St. Petersburg projects that would add 740 condos to the city's widening skyline.

Not that Florida should ignore the housing slowdown. Richard DeKaser, chief economist at National City, last week warned in a quarterly update of his Global Insights/National City Housing Valuation Analysis that 65 of the nation's top 299 metro housing markets are "extremely overvalued." Naples was the most overvalued nationwide. It and Port St. Lucie ranked in DeKaser's top 10 overheated markets. Forty-one of the 65 significantly overvalued markets were in California and Florida. Yes, the Tampa Bay market is one of them, and Orlando and Pensacola joined the list this quarter.

We can be sure that Aj Jemison did not flee Tampa Bay for cheaper housing in Beverly Hills (California, not Florida), but we will miss her positive community effect here. The general manager of International Plaza was lured away by another opportunity with mall employer Taubman Centers Inc.

Let's also give some credit to the corporate turnaround successes here. TECO Energy CEO Sherrill Hudson offered the leadership to help the power company and parent of Tampa Electric claw its way back from bad times brought on by national overexpansion. At the call center firm Sykes Enterprises in Tampa, CEO Chuck Sykes is emerging from the shadow of father-founder John Sykes with a good year for shareholders. And Tampa CEO Jonathan Whitworth of tug-and-tanker fleet owner Maritrans deserves attention for a sharp runup in the company's shares.

Let's not finish without a nod to Gus Boulis, the one-time SunCruz Casino operator and Miami Subs founder, who was murdered in 2001. The ongoing investigation of his demise has snared big-time Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff who, with a partner, was indicted in August on charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud for allegedly faking a $23-million wire transfer in a deal to buy the SunCruz business.

So many stories to tell. So little space.

This last spot goes to Mike Mahoney, TECO Energy's former spokesman. Years ago, Mike invited me to lunch at CK's, the revolving restaurant atop the Tampa Airport Marriott. I thought it an odd place to meet, but it happened to be a favorite spot of Mike's. He had worked as a bartender there as a young man when he was more than a little responsible for helping out his family.

Mike was 54 when he passed away this month. His picture ran in this paper showing him after the effects of Pick's disease. I prefer to remember Mike as you see him here, in his prime at TECO.

Robert Trigaux can be reached at trigaux@sptimes.com or 727 893-8405.

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 21:59:02]