St. Pete X

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 relationships. We also learn about the rise of Save the Kids, a nonprofit he co-founded, which has raised significant funds for pediatric cancer research and is now establishing a new lab at USF. Liberatore explains the importance of community involvement and his hope for the potential for Tampa Bay's tech scene to grow further.

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 strategies being implemented to ensure its future success. Get ready for an insightful conversation about the intersection of innovation and business in a facility with world class potential that's right here in Tampa Bay. 

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 institutions. She shares her early memories of her father's entrepreneurial spirit and the dynamic between her parents that fueled their family’s success. Lisa delves into her involvement with Home Shopping Network (HSN), remembering how the business evolved from local radio sales to forging a whole new business vertical.

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 discuss objectivity in journalism, the impact of the internet on information dissemination and the importance of transparency and neutrality. Brown also details the acquisition of PolitiFact by Poynter, the purchase of the Tampa Tribune and the ownership structure of the Tampa Bay Times. The conversation underscores the evolving landscape of journalism and the role of innovative approaches in serving communities.

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 unique upbringing in New Orleans to her foray into the world of fashion and finance, Eugenie shares personal anecdotes that highlight her passion for creativity. We look at the evolution of her acting career, her experiences with character development on set, and her dedication to fostering a community of actors through her Station 12 Studio. Throughout the conversation we overlay the business of acting - from branding to the Screen Actors Guild, and Eugenie shares her rules of engagement for aspring actors. 

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 local advocacy, community involvement, and civil discourse. He discusses his future ambitions, including a potential stint abroad to gain global experience and his aspiration to become a JAG officer, aiming to continue his service to the community and the country.

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, technologically driven world. We also dig into the current debate around the pending Rays stadium deal and more. 

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 his family’s name. In this edition of SPx, Mahaffey discusses his amazing life journey, as chronicled in his 2023 memoir “The Pathfinder.” In the book, subtitled “Finding the Right Path,” Mahaffey recognizes the defining moments that were the tailwinds to his considerable success.

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, Let My People Go Surfing. It proved to be a transformational read. In this episode of SPx we explore that transition into values based banking as well as entrepreneurial banking as a whole.   

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. 

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 Prize-winning journalist discusses her many years as a foreign correspondent, her encounters with global heads of state and her love of travel – along with her thoughts on the role of the journalist in today’s society, objectivity vs. subjectivity, and what it’s like to have Jeff Bezos for a boss (Bezos purchased the Post in 2013). 

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, racial balance, empathy and understanding in the city (and county) he loves. His daily affirmation: “Whatever gifts you are believed to have, are not yours. They were gifted to you for a finite amount of time, to be passed on and used in service of others.” 

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 business model, the hurdles and opportunities facing companies looking to scale, and how to balance working with multiple start-ups.    You can learn more about Orchid Black at orchid.black, and The Dirt podcast is streaming on all podcast platforms. 

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 cover the evolution of local news, and the alt-weekly in particular. They discuss the role of reporters in the local community, including how journalists strive for objectivity, what is worth reporting on, and what grace, civility, and good faith debate looks like in a world where much of our activity and perspective lives online for all to see.

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 Hub Theatre in Virginia, which she also co-founded. She has authored over seven plays, and has directed over 19 productions. She has received multiple awards for her work.

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 she’d been a well-known reporter and columnist for 24 years. “My husband’s been telling everybody, for the past couple of years since I retired from the Times, that I failed retirement,” she says with a laugh in this SPX interview with Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton. This month, however, Moore is taking another shot at slowing down. After more than 100 Catalyst columns - about community, about equity and about the abundance of positivity amongst the people of St. Petersburg – she is now officially, no-turning-back retired.

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 million. And most significantly, USF's research activity has tripled to more than $568 million in expenditures, it’s now one of the top 25 public universities for research. Today, USF ranks as the country's fifth leading public university in generating new U.S. utility patents. It is also the state's third preeminent university. Recently, the Board of Trustees voted to re-name the Student Life Building, on the campus of USF St. Petersburg, in honor of the former president.

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 of Hospitality – talks about the university’s forward momentum, and not only how to sustain it but grow it. She also touches on the future of education, bureaucracy and putting her stamp on St. Pete. The podcast concludes with some personal stories about her family and her almost becoming an FBI agent. 

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 Clubs of Lake and Sumter counties) emphasizes that today’s clubs are so much more than the warm, caring, safe place for young people – with caring adults – offering recreational and other after-school activities. That, of course, is still the case but among other things they’ve added grade-level reading programs, expanded food service (hot catered meals at all locations) and workforce readiness, to ensure kids have job skills. Williams is also dedicated to deepening partnerships with other bay area nonprofits. He is a board member at the Pinellas Community Foundation, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and others.

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 Peter that not everyone can see the connection between the elements and the outcome. Newer, bigger, more profitable projects are enticing. There's a lot of money and political gain to be had from such 'progress'. But those short term gains can lead to long term losses for a city if they mutate its DNA too much. Peter has dedicated much of his life to preserving a healthy civic DNA. As a lawyer, an advocate and a historian Peter has been a multi-faceted champion for St Petersburg. He is willing to go toe to toe in the court room and step by step on walking tours.  His impact on St Petersburg is immense and worth celebrating, and that's what we do in we do in episode 84 of St Pete X.