Danielle Conte
FOUNDER, CONSCIOUS COCONUT HOMETOWN: Tampa ALMA MATER: University of Florida AT THE OFFICE: After her “dream job” in investment banking turned out to be less than idyllic, Conte booked a one-way ticket to Bali. There, she was introduced to coconut oil, used both as an ingred... Read More
Ed Buckley III, Ph.D.
FOUNDER & CEO, PEERFIT HOMETOWN: Growing up, my dad was in the military, so we moved everywhere. Now I would consider it to be Tampa. ALMA MATER: University of Florida, bachelor’s, master’s & Ph.D. AT THE OFFICE: While working on his master’s degree focused on health... Read More
Lalka Morales
FOUNDER & CO-OWNER, SOHO HOUND HOMETOWN: Brooklyn, New York ALMA MATER: Florida State University AT THE OFFICE: After leaving her New York City event production job in 2013, Morales found herself visiting friends in South Tampa and contemplating her next career move. “I ... Read More
Roman Cowan
BRAND PRESIDENT, COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK & MOVING HOMETOWN: Kingston, Jamaica ALMA MATER: University of Tampa, bachelor’s, MBA and master’s in accounting AT THE OFFICE: Cowan was recently promoted to brand president after leading College HUNKS’ executive leadership te... Read More
Samyr Qureshi
CO-FOUNDER & CEO, KNACK HOMETOWN: Palm Harbor, Florida ALMA MATER: University of Florida AT THE OFFICE: Qureshi is the co-founder of Knack, a technology platform that partners with colleges and universities to power and scale peer-to-peer tutoring programs, making it eas... Read More
Belinthia Berry
DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE COLLEGE, ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE HOMETOWN: Tampa ALMA MATER: Florida A&M University AT THE OFFICE: Berry oversees St. Petersburg College’s contract training programs with companies and municipalities, as well as programs like Kids’ College, recreatio... Read More
Gio Cruz
HOMETOWN: Downey, California AT THE OFFICE: Cruz moved to Tampa to become the business manager of then-Tampa Bay Rays superstar (and his longtime best friend) Evan Longoria. But his interest in the restaurant industry was piqued when a popular South Tampa bar was put up for s... Read More
Genevieve King-Orebaugh
HOMETOWN: Tampa ALMA MATER: Florida State University + University of South Florida AT THE OFFICE: In 2019, King-Orebaugh founded Brand House Promotions, which creates large-scale custom apparel and promotional items for brands and companies. She had previously designed the cl... Read More
Alison Avery
CONSULTANT, NFL FOUNDATION HOMETOWN: Tampa ALMA MATER: Elon University; currently pursuing a MBA at the University of Tampa AT THE OFFICE: Avery helps manage the NFL Foundation’s 40-plus grant programs, all of which help support the health, safety and wellness of athletes of... Read More
Chris Whitney
FOUNDER & CEO, WHITNEY LOGISTICS HOMETOWN: Tampa ALMA MATER: University of Tampa AT THE OFFICE: Formerly Whitney Transport, Whitney Logistics recently expanded its services beyond just trucking and hauling to include technology consulting and implementation support servi... Read More