The Business Voices Reshaping Tampa Bay's Economy for More than 45 Years

For 45 years, Tampa Bay's LGBTQ business community has been building something extraordinary — and in this special supercut, you'll hear it in their own words. Recorded live at the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber's 45th Anniversary Membership Luncheon, Shirley Jump of Building Success Productions sat down with business owners, advocates, nonprofit leaders, and community pioneers to capture the stories, moments of resilience, and hard-won wins that define this remarkable network. From a small meeting in a gay bar in 1996 to 300+ members today. From a laundromat in 1992 to a thriving community health organization celebrating 35 years. From St. Pete Pride's $67 million economic impact to Winter Pride growing from 57,000 to 85,000 attendees in just two years. This is what 45 years of LGBTQ business in Tampa Bay actually looks like. Featured voices: Asa Harris, Marketing Director for Hotel Flor (Tampa Bay's oldest hotel, turning 100 in 2027!) Nicole Waters– Founder, Amplify Women Tampa Bay & Executive Director, Edge District St. Pete Don Kiciena, Jr. – Tampa Bay Business Guild veteran, media & advertising John Harris Maurer – General Counsel, Equality Florida Maureen Cacioppo – Natural Sea Salt Business Owner Ryan Williams-Jent – Editor-in-Chief, Watermark Out News Sarah Peacock – Candidate for Hillsborough County Judge Along with presentatives from CAN Community Health, Enterprise Mobility, Bay First Bank, Winter Pride St. Pete, and more 🏳️‍🌈 Join or follow the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber and connect with 300+ LGBTQ business leaders: https://www.tampabaylgbtchamber.org/ 🎙️ Follow Building Success Productions for more interviews with Tampa Bay's business community: https://BuildingSuccessProductions.com This episode is a collaboration between Tommy's Toolbox and Building Success Productions. #LGBTChamber #TampaBay #LGBTQBusiness #TommysToolbox #BuildingSuccessProductions #TampaBayBusiness #LGBTQEntrepreneurs 🔨 Welcome to Tommy’s Toolbox! 🎙️ Tommy's Toolbox is your front-row seat to the stories, strategies, and ideas shaping Tampa Bay.Every episode, we sit down with the fascinating people who make this region tick — entrepreneurs, innovators, community builders, and the voices you don't always hear from but absolutely should. These are real conversations about real life: the wins, the failures, the pivots, and the lessons that actually matter. Hosted by Tommy Whitehead, CEO of TomCo Solutions, Tommy's Toolbox delves into a wide variety of issues facing businesses and business leaders in today's world. 🎙️ Tommy's Toolbox (the Original) From the chefs and artists to the activists and risk-takers — if they're doing something interesting in Tampa Bay, we want to know their story. ⭐ Leadership Edition — New Playlist Tampa Bay is home to some of the most driven, unconventional leaders you've never heard of. The Leadership Edition goes deep with the executives, founders, and public figures who've built something significant — and asks the question most people never ask: what actually makes you different? These aren't surface-level interviews. This is where leadership gets real. Subscribe and never miss a conversation worth having. Tampa Bay's stories. Told right.