St. Pete X
by St. Petersburg Group
St Pete X features business and civic leaders in St. Petersburg Florida who share their insight, expertise and love of our special city. An initiative of the St. Petersburg Group, St Pete X strives to connect and elevate the city by sharing the voices of its citizens, and to bring awareness to the opportunities offered by the great St. Petersburg renaissance.
Episodes
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Ep. 113: Bridgette Bello - The Executive Collective
Bridgette Bello joins SPx for a candid conversation about the changing world of media, business leadership, and relationship-building in Tampa Bay. The former Tampa Bay Business Journal publisher and founder of Tampa Bay Business & Wealth talks about why authentic connections matter more than...
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Ep. 112: Gayle Guyardo - Journalist
After more than three decades as one of Tampa Bay's most recognizable news voices, Gayle Guyardo reflects on the moments that nearly ended her career—and the unexpected second act that followed. From losing her voice and rebuilding from scratch with nothing but a cell phone, to becoming a trusted...
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Ep. 111: Kevin Harrington - Entrepreneur
From sealing driveways at 15 to building one of the most powerful customer-acquisition machines in modern business, Kevin Harrington has seen the game from every angle. In this episode of SPX, the original Shark shares how he went from knocking on doors in Cincinnati to helping launch products…
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Ep. 111: Kevin Harrington - Entrepreneur
From sealing driveways at 15 to building one of the most powerful customer-acquisition machines in modern business, Kevin Harrington has seen the game from every angle. In this episode of SPX, the original Shark shares how he went from knocking on doors in Cincinnati to helping launch products…
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Ep. 110: Chip Webster
A veteran CEO peer-group leader and lifelong entrepreneur, Chip Webster shares how decades inside Vistage (and later Tiger 21) taught him that trust, accountability and curiosity are the real engines behind successful businesses and healthy communities. After COVID, he and his immunocompromised...
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Ep. 109: Bob Martinez - Former Governor and Mayor
Former Florida Governor Bob Martinez joins Joe Hamilton on SPx for a wide-ranging conversation on his journey from Tampa's mayor to the Governor's mansion to serving as the nation's drug czar. Martinez reflects on the contrasts between running a city, navigating state politics and shaping…
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Ep. 108: Rudy Webb - Paradise Advertising
In this episode of St. Pete X, Joe Hamilton talks with Rudy Webb, President of Paradise Advertising, about the evolution of destination marketing. Webb reflects on two decades in the industry, from faxes to AI, and how his agency helps cities define and promote their identity. He explains how...
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Ep. 107: Fred Forsley - Sea Dog Brewery & more
Fred Forsley's entrepreneurial reach is as wide as it is unexpected—real estate broker at 18, founder of Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing, maker of alt-THC beverages, vodka, rums, and even a mushroom energy drink. In this episode of SPX, Forsley shares his journey from hustling real estate in Maine…
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Ep.106: Carl Lavender - Philanthropy Leader
Join Joe Hamilton in a candid conversation with community leader Carl Lavender as he reflects on his life's journey—from his roots as a pastor's son in Cleveland, to navigating gang violence and fundraising in Chicago, and finally becoming a transformative force in St. Pete's nonprofit sector.…
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Ep. 105: Kelly McBride - Poynter Institute, NPR
In this episode, Joe Hamilton sits down with Kelly McBride—Senior VP at the Poynter Institute, NPR Public Editor, and Chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership—for a wide-ranging conversation on news diets, media trust, AI's role in journalism and the fading sense of local...
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Ep. 104: Eric Deggans - National Public Radio (NPR)
In this episode, Eric Deggans, NPR's TV critic and media analyst, delves into the complexities of modern media. The conversation explores the fractured media landscape, the rise of niche platforms and the responsibilities of media creators and consumers in combating misinformation. Joe and Eric...
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Ep. 103: Stan LIberatore - No Limit Technology
Stan Liberatore, founder of No Limit Technology, discusses his journey from a corporate background in software development and recruitment to entrepreneurship and founding his own company. He shares the early struggles of No Limit, including financial instability and the importance of...
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Ep. 102: John Graydon Smith - MOSI
In this episode, Joe welcomes John Graydon Smith, the President and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa. John shares his fascinating journey as a turn around specialist in the museum world. They discuss the evolution of MOSI, its current challenges, and the innovative...
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Ep. 101: Lisa Speer Vickers - Realty ONE Group & Speer Dream Foundation
In this episode of the SPX, Joe Hamilton interviews Lisa Speer Vickers, daughter of the prolific entrepreneur Roy Speer. Lisa recounts her upbringing in a household driven by her father's diverse business ventures, which ranged from a utility company and real estate to oil and financial...
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Ep. 100: Neil Brown - Poynter Institute
On this special 100th episode of SPx, Neil Brown, President of the Poynter Institute, joins Joe for an in depth conversation about the current state of journalism. Brown believes that journalism is thriving despite challenges and highlights the need to move away from a negative narrative. They...
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Ep. 99: Eugenie Bondurant - Actor
In this episode of SPX, host Joe Hamilton chats with the multifaceted actress and teacher Eugenie Bondurant. Known for her roles in films like "Fear of Rain", "The Hunger Games" and her upcoming appearance in "Summer Camp," Bondurant takes us on a journey through her vibrant career. From her…
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Ep 98.: Sean Schrader, MBA
In this epside of SPx, Joe welcomes Sean Schrader, a young, dynamic community leader who recently completed his MBA from the University of South Florida. Schrader shares his journey from local neighborhood meetings to working with U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist, emphasizing the importance of…
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Ep. 97: Peter Golenbock, Author
In this episode we welcome renowned author, sports historian and St Petersburg resident Peter Golenbock. With a seasoned eye on the game and a pen that has chronicled baseball's most pivotal moments, Peter brings a unique perspective on how the sport has evolved amidst today's fast-paced,...
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Ep. 96: Mark Mahaffey - The Pathfinder
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a U.S. Naval officer veteran, Mark Mahaffey joined his father's business in 1969. Today, he is Chairman of the Board of The Mahaffey Companies, one of the largest family-owned real estate companies in Florida. St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater bears...
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Ep. 95: Ken LaRoe - Climate First Bank
Ken LaRoe is the founder of Climate First Bank, which is his third bank. After the very successful sale of Florida Choice Bank, his first, LaRoe and his wife Cindy rented a small RV to travel the country. For that trip LaRoe's brother gave him a copy of Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard's book…
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Ep. 94: Andreas Calabrese
After looking for every reason not to open a fund in Tampa Bay, the founders of TampaBay.Ventures found the value to compelling to deny. They stood up a fund and the man who runs the day to day operations, Andreas Calabrease, is our guest on this episode.
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Ep. 93: Karen DeYoung - Washington Post
Washington Post associate editor and senior national security correspondent Karen DeYoung is Joe's guest on today's SPX podcast. DeYoung, who has been with the Post for nearly 50 years, grew up in St. Petersburg, and wrote for the St. Petersburg Times in the early 1970s. The Pulitzer…
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Ep. 92: Marcus Brooks - Center for Health Equity
A fourth-generation St. Petersburg native, Marcus Brooks passionately believes in absolute equity on every level, and as the executive director of the Center for Health Equity, he is fully invested in what he calls the "collaboration and connectivity" needed to achieve both physical wellness,...
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Ep. 91: Jim Barnish - Orchid Black
Jim Barnish is the Founding Managing Partner of Orchid Black and the host of The Dirt podcast. Orchid Black is a consulting firm that focuses exclusively on revenue-positive start-ups looking to make an exit within three years. This conversation discusses the nuances of Orchid Black's unique...
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Ep. 90: Ray Roa - Creative Loafing
Ray Roa is the Editor-In-Chief at Creative Loafing Tampa, a weekly publication that focuses on city news, arts and culture, and more. Roa has held this position for nearly four years, building on a career writing for various publications in the Tampa Bay area. In this podcast, Hamilton and Roa...
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Ep. 89: Helen R Murray
Helen Murray is an award-winning playwright and director. Murray joined St. Pete's American Stage as Producing Artistic Director in October 2022. Previous to her current role, Murray has notably worked as Executive Producer for the Aurora Fox Arts Center in Denver and as Artistic Director of the...
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Ep. 88: Waveney Ann Moore - Journalist
Waveney Ann Moore's first St. Pete Catalyst byline appeared just over two years ago, on Nov. 25, 2020, and her weekly columns have enriched and elevated our journalistic output a thousandfold. The Guyana-born Moore began writing for us following her retirement from the Tampa Bay Times, where…
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Ep. 87: Judy Genshaft - University of South Florida
Judy Genshaft was President of the University of South Florida for nearly two decades, from 2000 to 2019, overseeing the most transformative change in the university's history. Enrollment grew by 40 percent; the four-year graduation rate tripled. USF's endowment jumped from $254 million to $480...
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Ep. 86: Christian Hardigree - University of South Florida, St Petersburg
Regional chancellor Christian Hardigree joined the University of South Florida St. Petersburg administration in July, and she hit the ground running. In this wide-ranging conversation, Hardigree – who came to USF from Denver, Colorado, where she'd served as the Dean of Metropolitan State's School...
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Ep. 85: Freddy Williams - Boys and Girls Club
There's a line Freddy Williams, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast, likes to drop into conversations: "We're not your grandfather's Boys and Girls Club." Williams, a Florida native who's been in the position since 2016 (after serving in the top spot for the Boys & Girls...
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Ep. 84: Peter Belmont - Preserve the Burg
Peter Belmont see cities through a special lens. It reveals to him the elements - the buildings, districts, and neighborhoods - that comprise the DNA of a place. From this DNA comes character, the character that shapes a community that in turn shapes our individual lives. Experience has shown…
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Ep. 83: Katie Krimitsos - Creator - Women's Meditation Network
Katie Krimitsos started walking the line that most women walk. On one side, cultural and societal norms, family and even biology. On the other, exploration, self actualization and going deep into a passion. All genders walk the line in their own ways, and all genders suffer cultural expectations....
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Ep. 82: Monica Eaton-Cardone - Entrepreneur, Founder, Trailblazer
Monica Eaton-Cardone has a rage to master. As a child she helped her father run his businesses until she was old enough to begin her own. Upon leaving high school she began the iterative process of creating her own business masterpiece with a DNA level drive to solve problems, work hard and grow...
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Ep. 81: Charles B Dew - Author & Professor Emeritus, Williams College
Charles B Dew had an experience not everyone gets to have - he had the reality built during his upbringing challenged in an accessible way. While most have their belief systems challenged at some point in their life, those challenges often inspire defense and hardening of the system. There needs…
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Ep. 80: Kane's Furniture CEO Irwin Novack
Irwin Novack has done what very few CEOs manage to do - last. That speaks to the qualities that drove Kane's Founder Maurice Rothman to pursue a young Novack years after spending only a couple days together. Rothman convinced Novak to move his family down from North Carolina to St. Petersburg…
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Ep. 79: Entrepreneur & Philanthropist Frank Morsani
It's the 1940s in Oklahoma. With his dad away for months on a welding job, 14 year old Frank Morsani is running a full bailing crew on his family's 400 acre farm. With no plumbing, electricity or even a tractor, the eldest son simply did what it took to get the job done. Though such a scene is...
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Ep. 78: Journalist Margie Manning
Master journalist Margie Manning sits down for a special episode of SPx. After 3 years transforming the St Pete Catalyst from a startup with a dream, into a respected news outlet, Margie retired to take on a top leadership role with her church. In her many years covering Tampa Bay, she has told…
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Ep. 77: Helen Levine - USF Regional Vice Chancellor
Politics can be...political. And universities have their own unique kind of politics that can make government politics seem 101. It takes a deft touch to navigate either world successfully. Few have mastered both. Helen Levine is one of those few. Her recipe isn't complicated. Know who your…
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Ep. 76: Writer Dave Seminara
Dave Seminara usually writes about tennis or travel. When he does, he does so for the likes of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Association of Tennis Professionals, British Broadcasting Corporation and more. And there are tennis and travel books too - two of which were released earlier…
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Ep. 75: Architect Yann Weymouth
Because he worked closely with the legendary I.M. Pei, and was Chief of Design on Pei's Grand Louvre Project in Paris, Yann Weymouth in the upper echelon of American architects. He was also Pei's associate on the East Wing of Washington's National Gallery of Art. There are many other famous...
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Ep. 74: Shilen Patel Founder & CEO of HealthAxis
Shilen Patel lives at the entrepreneurial crossroads of passion, talent and capital. It's a nice place for an entrepreneur to hang out and he gets to enjoy it on 'both sides of the transaction'. His startup HealthAxis is already successful and on the road to even bigger wins. His role with the...
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Ep. 073: Joel Momberg - USF Foundation CEO, ACH Foundation VP, novelist
Joel Momberg is a people person, and it has served him well. Momberg spent 30 years with All Children's Hospital, in a range of fundraising roles including Executive Vice President of the ACH Foundation, and 10 more as Chief Executive Officer for the University of South Florida Foundation, before...
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Ep. 072: Ron Tarro, VP @ New World Angels
Veteran technology executive Ron Tarro, now a leading investor in early-stage businesses, has a good handle on what it takes for a startup to become a success and generate big returns for investors. As vice president of New World Angels, Tarro keeps an eye out for companies with unique products…
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Ep. 071: Lucy Morgan, Pulitzer Prize-winning Florida journalist
In 1985, longtime Tampa Bay Times journalist Lucy Morgan was awarded the Pulitzer Prize (with Jack Reed) for uncovering corruption in the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the first woman to be so honored for investigative reporting (she was a Pulitzer finalist, for another story three years…
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Ep. 070: Herb Snitzer, photographer, on images with impact
On this episode of SPX, Joe visits with legendary photographer Herb Snitzer, a longtime resident of St. Petersburg. In a non-stop career than spanned more than 50 years, Snitzer - as a professional on assignment for Life and Look magazines, the New York Times and other publications - created…
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Ep. 069: Dr. Sandra Braham, CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services
On this episode of SPX, Joe is joined by Dr. Sandra Braham, CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services. Dr. Braham discusses her extensive career in higher education, before moving into the non-profit world. They talk about her transition to Florida, and about her deeply-held spiritual...
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Ep. 068: Serious business: Bill Edwards on success, soccer, St. Pete and the secrets to creating a brighter future
On this episode of SPx, Joe is joined by Bill Edwards, CEO of the Edwards Group and the Bill Edwards Foundation, and a well-known businessman and philanthropist. Edwards, who arrived in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s, discusses the run away success of his Mortgage Investors Corporation, his...
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Ep. 067: Miracle: Jim Craig tells the story of his success in business and on ice
On this episode of SPx, Joe is joined via Zoom by Jim Craig, founder of Gold Medal Strategies. Craig was the celebrated goalkeeper of the 1980 Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team, known as the Miracle team. Craig shares the story of his success in professional hockey, what it taught him about...
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Ep. 066: On returning: Arnie Bellini talks building ConnectWise, the effort to create 77,000 jobs in Tampa Bay and his passion for saving wild Florida
On this episode of SPx, unicorn entrepreneur Arnie Bellini joins the podcast to tell the story of ConnectWise. He shares how the managed IT services provider went from its founding in 1982 in his parents' house to the area's first company with a billion dollar valuation. Then, he shares his…
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Ep. 065: St. Pete pioneer: Fred Bullard shares stories of entrepreneurship and talks about building some of St. Pete's most iconic places
On this episode of SPx, Joe is joined in the studio by Fred Bullard, veteran developer and entrepreneur. Bullard, the man behind some of St. Pete's most iconic places, including Feather Sound/Carillon and BayWalk, shares his storied history of entrepreneurial endeavors, lessons learned over the...
About this show
St Pete X features business and civic leaders in St. Petersburg Florida who share their insight, expertise and love of our special city. An initiative of the St. Petersburg Group, St Pete X strives to connect and elevate the city by sharing the voices of its citizens, and to bring awareness to the opportunities offered by the great St. Petersburg renaissance.
Hosted by
St. Petersburg Group