Tampa owes much of what it is today to families who first bet on the city. Generations ago, they poured themselves into their communities and passions to lay the groundwork for Tampa to prosper — and for all of us to enjoy the city as it has evolved.
Meet a few of Tampa’s next-generation leaders who are making the city brighter for generations to come.
Drew Newman, 44
J.C. Newman Cigar Company
As J.C. Newman Cigar Co. celebrates 130 years of rolling cigars in Tampa, Drew Newman reflects on the privilege of leading the last traditional cigar factory operating in the United States.
“Cigars are to Tampa what wine is to Napa Valley and cars are to Detroit,” says the fourth-generation owner of one of the city’s most famous family businesses. “I feel it’s very important to keep this tradition alive here in the cigar city of Tampa and preserve it for future generations.”
Drew’s great-grandfather, Julius Caeser Newman, immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary, rolled his first cigars in Ohio in 1895 and moved the business to Tampa in 1953.
Last year alone, 60,000 cigars were rolled each day in the company’s historic El Reloj factory in Ybor City’s National Historic Landmark District.
“My great-grandfather passed the business down to my grandfather, who passed it down to my father and uncle, who are in the process of passing it to my cousins and me,” Drew says.
And each generation has brought something different.
For Drew, an attorney by trade, that means opening the doors of the factory to the public with tours, cigar-rolling classes and events. Last year, more than 20,000 visitors came through the factory doors.
“I get to work every day with my father and uncle, and I sit in my grandfather’s office at his desk and chair, which I inherited. It’s just a real privilege,” he says. “It’s a wonderful reminder of the tradition I’m so fortunate to carry forward.”
Garrett Greco, 32
Greco Real Estate
The grandson of former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco — who became one of the nation’s youngest mayors in 1967 at age 33 — Garrett Greco was born with big shoes to fill.
His father, Dickie Greco, served as a Hillsborough County judge for two decades and also ran for mayor. A fifth-generation Tampanian whose family came from Sicily in the late 1800s, Garrett says those deep family ties sparked his passion for restoring a sense of community through his projects with Greco Real Estate, which he launched in 2017.
As a child, he remembers his grandmother’s stories about Ybor City, where she grew up surrounded by family businesses — a hardware store, a service station, butcher shops. “She used to tell me how connected people were back then,” he says. “Everybody had needs from one another.”
On his podcast, “Tampa Bay Developer,” Garrett covers history, culture, development and future growth. He also serves on the Tampa Code Update Advisory Team. Professionally, he’s focused on projects in Riverside Heights, a community he says is craving places to gather.
“That’s what I want to focus on in my career — neighborhood commercial developments that connect people in their community,” he says. “There’s a huge, huge desire for it.”
Andrea Gonzmart Williams, 45
1905 Family of Restaurants
Food and hospitality run deep in Andrea Gonzmart Williams’ family. A fifth-generation member of the Hernandez-Gonzmart family, her great-great-grandfather founded Ybor City’s Columbia Restaurant in 1905. Today, she works closely with her father, Richard Gonzmart, overseeing the 1905 Family of Restaurants, which includes Columbia locations across Florida and Tampa’s Ulele and Casa Santo Stefano.
Andrea started working for the company in 2001 after graduating from the University of South Florida, beginning in the kitchen before moving into management. Growing up, she admits she sometimes took the family business for granted.
“As I’ve gotten older, I realize it’s more than just a restaurant and we’re more than just a family,” she says. “We have 1,400 employees, and we consider them family as well. We’re responsible for their livelihoods and their families.”
Giving back to Tampa is a priority for Andrea, especially as Columbia celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. She serves on the boards of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce (where she is chair), Hillsborough County Tourist Development Council, Florida Aquarium and USF Foundation.
“This community has been supporting us for 120 years. We wouldn’t be here without the people who have been here and dining with us,” she says. “Tampa is the only place I’ll ever want to call home.”
Tina Pepin, 27
Pepin Family Foundation
As a child, Tina Pepin wanted to be part of her family’s legacy and business. Her grandfather founded Pepin Distributing, and her father purchased the business in 1981 — but they did far more than distribute beer.
“My grandfather would give money to at-risk populations, and when my father took over, it only expanded,” Tina says. “I owe a lot of who I am to them.”
After graduating from Belmont University, Tina worked in sales for the family business. After her family sold the company in 2021, she became executive director of the Pepin Family Foundation, with a special focus on mental health.
“I believe that our wellness, our well-being — mind, body, spirit — is the foundation of everything we do,” she says.
The foundation supports local initiatives, including Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association (providing resources and resiliency training for first responders), the Pepin Nursing Pathway Summer Program at USF (creating education opportunities for local high schoolers from less privileged backgrounds), Pepin Academies (tuition-free charter schools for students with learning disabilities) and AdventHealth Pepin Heart Institute.
Her family’s transition from beverages to philanthropy gives Tina a deep sense of purpose. “There are only exciting things to come,” she says.
Gabriella Accardi Wichman, 28 &
Gianna Accardi Griffith, 30
Growing up, sisters Gabriella (left) and Gianna (right) Accardi were surrounded by family businesses. Their father, Jason, and his twin brother, John, founded Seven One Seven Parking Enterprises and Accardi Real Estate Co., and while both sisters returned to their hometown after college, their paths diverged.
Since she was a little girl, fashion was always Gianna’s passion. “Even in pre-K, I had drawings of what I wanted my future store to look like,” she says. After earning a fashion merchandising degree, she and her mother, Danielle, opened The Cabana South in 2019, a bespoke swimwear boutique in a 1940s Bay-to-Bay bungalow designed by Gianna as an extension of herself.
“We wanted a comfortable place for women to come and try on swimwear,” she says. “I walk in every day super proud of what I created.”
Gabriella, meanwhile, gravitated toward real estate after graduating from Belmont University in 2020. After many summers interning at the family businesses, stepping into a marketing role was a natural fit. Today, she heads all of Accardi Real Estate Co.’s leasing and acquisitions.
“Tampa has the best community of people. Everyone works together to make the city the best it can be,” Gabriella says. “Being part of a business that’s been here for 35 years, we really take pride in being a part of Tampa and a part of that growth.”
Maximilian Chillura, 30
Chill Bros. Scoop Shop
Made-in-Tampa favorites like Guava Pastelito and Café con Leche are cult classics on a hot Florida day — but they almost didn’t come to be.
Chill Bros. founder Maximilian Chillura, grandson of a city councilman and son of a prominent banker, nearly moved to Denver after graduating from the University of Florida. A real estate job brought him back, but within a year, he set out on a different–and sweeter–path.
While Tampa’s craft food scene was underway, Max noticed a gap in artisanal, small-batch ice cream. He drew inspiration from his Italian heritage, spending afternoons baking with his grandmother and childhood visits to Ohio, his mother’s hometown and a place steeped in ice cream culture. He even traveled to Bologna, Italy, to learn about making great ice cream.
Quality ingredients are the key to Chill Bros.’ incredible flavors— from local Florida honey in each scoop of Bee’s Knees to Madagascar vanilla in the Orange Creamsicle, a nod to Florida citrus.
Even as the company plans to grow, Max says Chill Bros. will always stay true to its Tampa roots.
“No matter where we open in the future, we’ll make the product in Tampa,” he says.
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