Tampa Bay Developer

By Garrett GrecoSociety & Culture Documentary

Tampa Bay Developer episodes

June 23, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #20 - Rojo The Artist - Jorge Roland
Rojo The Artist is a visual artist living in Tampa, Florida. Jorge Roldan who uses the pseudonym “Rojotheartist,” is a 27 year old local artist from Tampa Bay. Rojo is known for his unique versatility of creation and is recognized for using all kinds of mediums to make artwork. He has painted multiple murals around Tampa, including a gigantic 8,000 sq. ft mural of Laker legend Kobe Bryant. He has also done art pieces for recognizable names such as: Shaquille O'Neal, Kat Stickler, Kenjon Barner, Chris Godwin, Tom Brady, Jane Castor, Nick Mercs, Jes B, Migos, Cardi B, Supreme Patty, and so many more.
One of his goals is to one day paint the worlds largest mural. Rojo hopes to inspire and influence the new creative generation, and leave the world a better place than he found it.
Instagram: Rojotheartist
Youtube: @rojotheartist.
https://www.rojotheartist.com
1 hr 12 min
June 16, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #19 - Former Tampa Mayor - Dick Greco
A very special episode sitting down with Garrett Greco's grandfather, Dick Attilio Greco (born September 14, 1933 in Seminole Heights, Tampa). Dick A. Greco is a politician, businessman, and civic activist from Tampa, Florida.
Dick Greco was born in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, where his Italian-American father owned a hardware store. He graduated from Hillsborough High School and the University of Tampa where he earned a degree in Education in 1956. After college, Greco took over his father's hardware store and became increasingly active in many civic programs and organizations.
In 1963, Greco decided to use his growing public profile to campaign for a seat on the Tampa city council. He won the election for District 4 and was sworn in on October 1, 1963, less than two weeks after his 30th birthday.
In 1967, Greco ran a successful campaign to be Tampa's youngest ever mayor at 34 years old. He was one of the youngest mayors of a major city in the United States when he was elected. He beat incumbent and fellow Ybor City native Nick Nuccio in an election that was seen as a transfer of power from one generation to the next
In his first term, Greco balanced issues such as simmering racial tensions, crime, and extremely limited tax revenue. In 1971, Greco again beat Nuccio in a mayoral election rematch, but resigned in 1974 to accept a job with Edward J. DeBartolo Corp., a mall development company, a career move which tripled his mayor's salary of $30,000.
Greco remained with the DeBartolo Corporation for 21 years, much of it spent away from Tampa. He returned to his hometown in the early 1990s and successfully re-entered Tampa politics in 1995 when he ran for and regained the mayor's office. Owing to his years in the commercial development industry, Greco pushed for many large projects, often joint ventures involving both private and public funding. Some (such as the Tampa Marriott Waterside) were widely praised, while others (such as the Centro Ybor shopping center and Raymond James Stadium) were more controversial and would cost the city budget millions of dollars over subsequent years. Despite some setbacks, Greco remained popular enough to win a second consecutive (and fourth overall) term as mayor with no opposition in 1999.
During his fourth term as mayor, Greco's administration was involved in controversy when the city's housing director, Steve LaBrake, was accused of improperly awarding city contracts and taking bribes. Despite mounting criticism, Greco refused to fire LaBrake until after the director was indicted in federal court. LaBrake eventually served time in prison for his actions. Greco was also criticized for continuing to back private redevelopment projects with city money, in several instances leaving the city with large debt repayments after developers defaulted. Due to term limits limiting Tampa mayors to two consecutive terms, he could not run again in 2003 and was succeeded by Pam Iorio.
Despite some controversy during his last years in office, Greco was still widely popular in Tampa and was the second former mayor (after Nick Nuccio) to be honored with a public statue. The statue depicts Greco sitting on a bench beside Dick Greco Plaza, a streetcar station named in his honor for his efforts to build the TECO Line Streetcar connecting Ybor City and downtown.
After leaving the mayor's office, Greco returned to the DeBartolo Corporation, which had moved its headquarters to Tampa in 1999 at his recommendation.
In 2010, Greco announced that he would try to win an unprecedented 5th term as mayor of Tampa in 2011 when Iorio's second term expired, potentially making him both the youngest and the oldest mayor in the city's history. But though seen by local political observers as the early favorite, Greco ran third in the general election, 384 votes behind Rose Ferlita, who lost in a subsequent runoff election to Bob Buckhorn.
1 hr 28 min
June 11, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #18 - J.C. Newman Cigar Company - Drew Newman
Today we sit down with Drew Newman, fourth generation cigar maker and lawyer. Drew explains the history of his family's cigar manufacturing and distributing business, J.C. Newman Cigar Company.
On this special episode, we smoke "The American" cigar and witness them being hand rolled IN the factory. The American is 100% American made, from the tobacco, to the ink on the label and the outside wrapper.
J.C. Newman Cigar Company: A new generation continues the Newman family tradition under brothers Eric Newman, president, and Bobby Newman, executive vice president. In 2017, Eric’s son, Drew, became the first member of the fourth generation to join the business full-time as the company’s General Counsel.
The business that young J.C. founded more than a century ago is stronger than ever. Diamond Crown is a highly prized cigar as well as a bestselling brand of humidors and cigar accessories. Cuesta-Rey is one of the most popular premium cigars in the world, enjoyed by cigar smokers in 61 countries on six continents. The Brick House launch exceeded all expectations and has been named one of the Top 25 cigars in the world by Cigar Aficionado. Quorum is the world’s most popular handmade cigar sold in bundles.
From our humble beginnings as a one-man cigar factory, we have survived and prospered through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, two world wars, the Cuban embargo, excessive taxes, smoking bans and the rapid consolidation of the cigar industry.
In 1895, there were 40,000 federally licensed cigar manufacturers in the United States. Four generations and nearly 125 years later, J.C. Newman is the only one that is still owned and operated by the founding family. As J.C. Newman Cigar Company continues in the 21st century, the Newman family is committed to upholding the family tradition of quality and innovation and hand-crafting some of the world’s finest cigars.
1 hr 9 min
June 04, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #17 - Studio HB - Frank Di Giacomo
Frank Di Giacomo, owner of Studio HB, sits down and discusses his company. Studio HB is a design studio located in Tampa, Florida that focuses on curating commercial real estate marketing and renderings. The company has created a comprehensive rendering of all the new developments in Tampa's urban core! This is the second iteration of the Tampa Comprehensive Rendering! This tie including many more Tampa developments and projects around the urban core. There is also a few different vantage points to check out.
Frank is also a lender for i Fund Cities. This lender is a national lender direct to investor. They specialize in fix and flips, multifamily, new construction and more!
1 hr 7 min
May 30, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #16 - Elevate Health - Dr. Connor Oliveri
Dr. Connor Oliveri, a chiropractor, health and wellness advocate, and coach. He founded Elevate Health in Tampa, FL. Most know him by “Dr. O”. Elevate Health Facilities include physical therapy, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chambers, chiropractic therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and more.
Dr. O grew up in Clearwater, FL as an athlete, playing baseball most of his life up through college. After graduating with a Biomedical Sciences degree from USF, exploring careers within healthcare was in his best interest. Ever since he was young, Dr. O wanted to make a difference in the world. He has always loved helping people. That’s when he decided to pursue a doctorate and became a Chiropractic Physician.
From his website ElevateHealthFacilities.com: “I have always been a huge advocate of engaging in a healthy lifestyle so a career that focused on preventing disease was the perfect field for me.”
“When school ended, I was thrilled to start a life in the Tampa Bay Area. Tampa is one of the fastest growing cities with tons of opportunities, especially for young professionals.”
“My purpose for creating Elevate Health is to form a community of like-minded individuals and local businesses that prioritize a healthy body and mind. My goal is to create something that lasts beyond myself.”
“Here at Elevate Health, we want to make everyone feel like they are family. Check out all the services we offer so you can spend time at the most elite health and wellness facility in Tampa, with the most caring staff. We look forward to meeting and treating you!”
1 hr
May 23, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #15 - Gold's Gym - Gas Worx, Kimberlee Curtis
Kimberlee Curtis is a Tampa real estate broker and owner of the new Gold's Gym being built in the new Gas Worx District.
From the Tampa Bay Business Journal: "The future home of Gold's Gym Gas Worx is still a barren warehouse, but Tampa real estate broker Kimberlee Curtis has already mapped out every detail, from where the squat racks will be to a loading dock with skyline views that will be transformed into a functional training turf."
"Curtis and her business partners have leased a 25,000-square-foot warehouse at 802 N. 12th St., just south of Four Green Fields. The Gold's warehouse is owned by Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw and was included in the 50-plus acre rezoning approval to make way for the Gas Worx district."
"In April, Curtis traveled to Berlin to visit RSG Group's headquarters. RSG bought Gold's out of bankruptcy in 2020 when the chain voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 after Covid-19 shutdowns upended its business model. She's bought $1 million in gym equipment and will invest another $1 million on construction; she said she's waiting on permits to begin."
"If their projections hold true, Gas Worx will open by year's end — well ahead of the district's first phase of residential units, which are under construction on the former Tampa Park apartments site. Gas Worx will bring thousands of new residents and office workers to a part of downtown Tampa that's currently a no man's land between the Channel district and Ybor City. But even before Gas Worx opens, Curtis sees huge potential for Gold's — she lives in the Channel district and works out at Crunch Fitness in Grand Central at Kennedy, which she says has 10,000 members."
"She is also chairwoman of the Channel district Community Redevelopment Area's Community Advisory Committee. (CRAs have a state designation that allows them to use locally generated money to fund projects within the CRA.)"
Follow Gold's Gym Gas Wrote Tampa for more info!
1 hr 10 min
May 12, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #14 - Rios Architecture, Alex Rios
Alex Rios is the owner and architect behind his Tampa based interior design and architecture firm, Rios Architecture. Rios has worked on Many projects around Tampa in both Commercial and Residential developments.
From riosarchitecture.com: Our team is driven to transform the way you experience design. We leverage the latest technology and a team of self-driven experts to provide creative thinking to enhance the design delivery process. We are a minority business enterprise providing architectural services for single family, multifamily, commercial office, hospitality, retail, and educational market sectors. We are recognized as a top architect for fostering long term relationships, embracing challenge, and going above and beyond to achieve success for our clients.
1 hr 35 min
May 05, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #13 - NüMī Living, Bobby Soroory
Bobby Soroory is a real estate investor and developer from Tampa, Florida.
After graduating The University of Tampa, Bobby invested in Real Estate heavily in the Tampa Bay Area. He worked on developing the Aloft in Downtown Tampa and various other projects around the city. Bobby's group has bought and sold hundreds of multifamily units around the Tampa Bay Metro.
His latest project, NüMī Living, is a student housing project located directly across Kennedy Blvd from The University of Tampa. NüMī Living is a sophisticated student housing experience with boho chic vibes. The unrivaled proximity to campus provides students with a unique ability to truly live, study, and play without the worries of transportation to and from campus. Visit their website at www.numitampa.com
1 hr 35 min
April 28, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #12 - Bay to Bay Properties, Joe Faw
Joe Faw is the co-founder of Bay to Bay Properties, a construction management firm headquartered in Safety Harbour, Florida. When Joe started the company with his partner, they made $7,800 their first year. This year they will approach $100 Million in revenue. Joe explains how this was possible in his 20-year journey with Bay to Bay Properties.
Bay to Bay's clientele consists of a wide-range of developers, retailers, and managers within the commercial and healthcare industries. Their services include General Contracting and Construction Management with a vast experience in Fueling Stations, Multi-Tenant Retail Centers, Quick Service Restaurants, Self-Storage, Car Washes, Health Care, Grocery Stores, and Auto Stores.
From baytobayproperties.com:
Founded in 2003, Bay to Bay has been building on your trust and we continue to do so by providing superior quality commercial construction on time and within budget. We are not your typical construction management firm. We are young, hungry and hard-driven to provide an unparalleled construction experience for our clients, no matter what it takes. We keep up with the latest in industry technology, tools, and safety practices to stay in the forefront of innovation, development, and productivity. Every member of our team brings unbridled energy and passion to even the smallest details of each project.
Put simply, we love this industry, and we offer our clients unprecedented service that delivers amazing results . We understand the importance of working with a partner you can count on -peace of mind is everything!
We are changing the construction experience.
1 hr 42 min
April 23, 2023 TAMPA BAY DEVELOPER PODCAST - Episode #11 - Cigar City Mafia, Scott Deitche
Scott M. Deitche is an author specializing in organized crime and the Mafia. Scott has written numerous books and over 50 articles on organized crime for local and national magazines and newspapers. He has been featured on History Channel, A&E, Discovery Channel, AHC, C-Span, and Oxygen Network. In addition, he has also appeared on dozens of local and national news shows, as well as over 40 radio programs. He is a member of the Mob Museum's advisory council.
Check out Scott's book Cigar City Mafia: A Complete History of the Tampa Underworld! Available anywhere you buy books.
Charlie Wall, one of Tampa's most notorious gangsters, is murdered by a rival gang. We discuss his rise and fall into the Tampa Mafia scene on the pod. The Tampa Mafia was fueled by the illegal gambling game, Bolita. Bolita was popular with Ybor City's latin culture.
1 hr 1 min