Meet the man leading the fight for construction inclusivity

Tommy Whitehead grew up poor – in capital letters, he said – in rural Polk County. St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch recently invited him to participate in a private LGBTQ business owner’s roundtable.

Whitehead’s recently published book, Building Success, A Toolbox for Coming Out on Top, begins with recollections of his earliest days. The roundtable is just one of myriad highlights from an uber-eventful Pride Month, and a whirlwind year.

Whitehead founded TomCo Solutions, one of about 50 LGBTE-certified construction companies nationwide. In June 2023, he established Florida’s first Pride Construction Coalition (PCC) to mitigate frequent stories of employers telling colleagues not to let anyone know they are gay.

While Whitehead’s local advocacy and reach has grown exponentially over the past year, much work remains. “I would like to say I’m making small differences by just being seen,” he said.

“I’m not an interior designer. I don’t do pink colors, I’m bad at dressing. I don’t do ‘stereotypical gay’ stuff,” Whitehead elaborated. “Is it improving? I hope so. I just, in the past week, had something similar happen to a colleague who felt uncomfortable going with the PCC because they transferred jobs and didn’t want to be outed at work.

“I’d love to say that life is so much better, but it’s still a work in progress. And it’s going to be, for a while.”

Whitehead is doing his part. He embarked on a public relations campaign over the past year to promote inclusivity in the construction industry and highlight the need for more tradespeople.

He also wrote, and self-published, Building Success. Whitehead said it is “not a ChatGPT crap book.” It reached the top of Amazon’s pre-sale list, he explained.

A reviewer called Building Success a “lighthearted and serious story about overcoming adversity to build the framework of a successful life, while never forgetting where you came from.” Whitehead considers himself a storyteller who finally listened to those who urged him to help people move past similar childhoods and failures.

“I didn’t think it was going to be good; I didn’t think it was going to be interesting,” he added. “And all of a sudden, it is. It’s for anybody that wants to have a perspective on an entrepreneurial journey, and how they might build their own success.”

The past never disappears; it also doesn’t define a person’s future. That’s the book’s overarching message, and Whitehead wants people to realize that while he has accomplished “some really cool stuff,” it was despite rather than the result of his upbringing.

Tommy Whitehead’s company, TomCo Solutions, was one of the few representing the construction industry at the 2024 St. Pete Pride festivities. Photo: Facebook.

Whitehead began Pride Month by hosting the three-night Building Success Summit at St. Petersburg’s Coastal Creative. It combined a formal book launch, a pitch and networking event, a charity fundraiser and a grandiose 40^th birthday party, complete with yacht rides and a live performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Over 350 attendees heard from 16 speakers, and Whitehead said he is planning a second, fall summit in Arizona. It will return to Tampa Bay in 2025.

“My success is tied around other people’s success,” he said. “It’s not just me doing this … and if you don’t consistently give back, it’s not going to keep coming back to you.”

TomCo Solutions is awaiting approval for an affordable housing project in Tampa. The company has significantly expanded, and Whitehead said he plans to acquire an architectural firm.

PCC recently celebrated its first anniversary and has held numerous meetings on both sides of the bay. Whitehead hopes to expand its reach and noted the importance of contractors networking with other industry leaders, regardless of their sexual orientation.

He said he is “almost always the only trade professional” at those functions. Whitehead also stressed the importance of ensuring the construction industry is “inclusive for everyone.”

“If you think housing is expensive now, imagine in six years when our staff is cut in half,” he said of an impending workforce shortage. “We need every hand. We got to make changes now.”

Tommy Whitehead, second from right, continues growing the Pride Construction Coalition he launched in June 2023. Photo provided.

Whitehead announced plans at the summit to launch a tuition-free charter school for trade students. He pledged to do that within three years, as part of his mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding “getting your hands dirty.”

Whitehead and his groups participated in all recent Tampa and St. Pete Pride events. He noticed two trade organizations among the sea of vendors at the latter city’s Grand Central Street Fair.

St. Petersburg’s $6.5 billion Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment mandates disadvantaged worker and minority-owned business participation. Whitehead said the region’s two largest cities include the LGBTQ community among those groups.

However, the state, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties codify no such distinction. Whitehead credited Mayor Jane Castor and former and current St. Petersburg mayors Rick Kriseman and Ken Welch for their “incredible” support.

“They’re both incredibly welcoming communities,” Whitehead added. “The City of St. Pete is doing everything – they’re fighting the battle in Florida.”