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 to be several variables that align to resolve the equation of change. The information must come in an observable, non-confrontational way. The receiver must be of the right temperament and even in the right mood. The receiver must be in that small window of moral adventure that occurs sparingly throughout our lives, but most often in our late teens or early twenties. Those stars aligned for Dew and it revealed to him how deeply racist his St. Petersburg upbringing made him. Over the course of his life and career, Dew has studied the intricacies of the southern upbringing and the fear so deeply infused in it. He has unmade himself as a racist and documented that journey for us in his books, lectures and this episode of St Pete X.

St. Pete X

Ep. 81: Charles B Dew - Author & Professor Emeritus, Williams College

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, and took him under his wing. Once working for Kane's, Novack's role expanded steadily until he eventually took the top spot as C.E.O. But we start our conversation earlier than that...when student Irwin Novack received the call we all dread.

Ep. 80: Kane's Furniture CEO Irwin Novack

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 unlikely in this century, it catalyzed a work ethic for the ages. In this episode we linger in the first half of Frank's life to better understand the experiences that built the man that has given so much to our community.

Ep. 79: Entrepreneur & Philanthropist Frank Morsani

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 the stories that shaped the narrative of our lives, and we are a better community because of her voice. In this episode we hear her story and celebrate her successful career.

Ep. 78: Journalist Margie Manning

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 client is. Be devoutly pragmatic. And listen. She leveraged these ingredients for decades to win the respect of those in power and a seat the table where the future was forged.

Ep. 77: Helen Levine - USF Regional Vice Chancellor

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 this year: Mad Travelers and Footsteps of Federer. In this episode Dave and I dig into the nuances of.....wait for it....tennis and travel. We contrast Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, as well as their fans. We attempt to decipher the enigma of William Baekeland, the faux billionaire that intrigued, and sometimes ripped off, the elite travel community. We also consider why we travel at all. With hopes that you care about either tennis or travel, enjoy the conversation.

Ep. 76: Writer Dave Seminara

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 creations in his portfolio. But Weymouth lives in St. Petersburg, and we're fortunate to see his brilliant, creative work all around us - from the Hazel Hough Wing in the Museum of Fine Arts to the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, and - perhaps most notable of all - the world-renowned Salvador Dali Museum.

Ep. 75: Architect Yann Weymouth

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 Patel family office means he's seeing and investing in, well, pretty much anything he wants to. In densely packed episode, Shilen shares his insight on the health care industry and the path he sees to transforming it through HealthAxis. We also hear what he looks for before consider investing in a startup and his thoughts on the Tampa Bay brand.

Ep. 74: Shilen Patel Founder & CEO of HealthAxis

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 retiring in 2019. “The key is," he explains, "if you’re a good fundraiser you rarely really ask for money." Momberg recently published his third novel, "For Those Who Can."

Ep. 073: Joel Momberg - USF Foundation CEO, ACH Foundation VP, novelist

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 and founders who can execute on their ideas and who think big about how they plan to use investment funding. In this interview, he also describes the syndicate process used by New World Angels and what it means for investors and for startups.

Ep. 072: Ron Tarro, VP @ New World Angels

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 earlier). In this interview, she discusses her feelings on the role of a reporter in keeping government honest and the community safe, and the current state of journalism, vis a vis social media, the decline of physical newspapers and the attendant culture of politicians crying "fake news." Morgan, who retired in 2013, is considered a pioneer - and a hero - in southern journalism.

Ep. 071: Lucy Morgan, Pulitzer Prize-winning Florida journalist

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 dozens of now-iconic images of the great jazz musicians of the 1950s and beyond. He discusses his self-described job as a "visual historian," his thoughts on photography as an art form, and why he prefers to work in a darkroom, perfecting his prints, rather than shooting things digitally. Other topics include the business of selling limited-edition prints and Snitzer's important role as a chronicler of the civil rights movement in America.

Ep. 070: Herb Snitzer, photographer, on images with impact

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 belief that God had a plan for her. She explores balancing the quantitative and qualitative value of each of her organization's individual programs, and the wrap-around nature of those programs and how they work in tandem with one another to provide help for families in diverse and meaningful ways. With more than 10,000 non-profits in Pinellas County alone, Dr. Braham ponders whether or not the available funds are being split too many ways, and talks about Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services' plans for growth in the non-profit sector in the coming years.

Ep. 069: Dr. Sandra Braham

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 contributions to downtown including the renovations of SunDial, Al Lang Stadium and the Mahaffey Theater, his strong work ethic and his unwavering dedication to helping his community.

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 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 business and how he has shared those lessons with clients through his books and renowned consulting practice.

Ep. 067: Miracle: Jim Craig tells the story of his success in business and on ice

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.

hubhopper

St. Pete X

hubhopper