'Trial by Fire' salutes a difficult tech year

By SCOTT BARANCIK

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 23, 2001

It's been a rough year for executives at Tampa Bay area technology companies. On Thursday, the survivors will be consoled with free mai tais and pupus.

"Trial by Fire" is a Hawaiian-themed party to be held at Jackson's Restaurant on Harbour Island in Tampa. Co-hosted by Foley & Lardner partner Marty Traber and Tampa Bay Technology Forum vice president Antoinette Rodriguez, the event is a salute to "all the hardy tech execs who are still going strong," according to the light-hearted invitation.

It's not the duo's first function at Jackson's, a local high-tech haunt. They host high-tech happy hours at the waterfront restaurant every couple of months.

But Traber, whose law firm represents Sykes Enterprises Inc., Mediacentric Group Inc., Unaxis and other local employers, said the guest list has been expanded from 100 to about 250 people. Invitees include chief executives of companies that survived the dot-com crash and some that didn't.

The only criteria: that the execs stuck around town and continued to be players, he said.

Fire dancers will be part of the entertainment at the invitation-only event. Traber and Rodriguez had to twist Jackson's arms to permit it.

Will the luau include a roasted pig, in honor of local techies who hoped to get fat on stock options but got burned instead?

"We think not," Traber said.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright