Tampa-based Cirkul, a beverage platform known for its reusable water bottles and flavor cartridges, has closed a Series C funding round of $70 million, which now values the company at $1 billion. The round was led by SC Holdings, according to the company's announcement. Cirkul was founded in 2018 by Waggoner and Andy Gay, who developed the product while studying at Dartmouth College. The goal was to combine the benefits of both bottled beverages and concentrated powders/liquids while eliminating the downsides of each. Today, the company has over 500 employees and is wildly popular on social media with over 1 billion TikTok video views.
Following a year-long search, the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business appointed Gary Patterson to serve as dean of the Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance on the St. Petersburg campus. Patterson has filled the role of interim three times in his long career at the school, although he did not seek the permanent position. Patterson, one of USF’s longest-serving educators, began his tenure with the school in 2000. He will officially assume his leadership role on July 1. The school recently received $14 million in donations from philanthropists Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton to strengthen financial technology education and create a Fintech Center.
St. Petersburg police announced Monday that they recovered the body of a missing 70-year-old woman from Boca Ciega Bay, near the Pinellas Bayway. A family member reported that Arlete Desousa was missing Sunday. Shortly after 10 a.m. Monday morning, a passerby spotted a body in the water near Osprey Drive South and called 911. Police confirmed it was the missing woman, and said preliminary evidence shows no signs of foul play.
Following Saturday night’s 2-1 win against the New York Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the first team to make three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances since the Edmonton Oilers accomplished the feat from 1983-85. A victory in the best-of-seven finale against the Colorado Avalanche would make Tampa Bay the first NHL team to win three straight championships since the New York Islanders claimed four in a row from 1980-83. The Lightning dropped the first two games of the Eastern Conference final in Madison Square Garden before winning two at home and another in New York. The Rangers, down 3-2 for the third straight round, were 5-0 in elimination games this postseason. The Bolts, behind two goals from Steven Stamkos and Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy’s 20 saves, sent the Rangers home from the playoffs in front of a raucous crowd at Amalie Arena Saturday night. Game 1 against the well-rested Colorado Avalanche is Wednesday night in Denver.
The cross-country tour by Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band - which was to include a June 26 stop at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall - has been canceled, just a few days after it began. Band members Edgar Winter and Steve Lukather have been diagnosed with Covid-19, Starr announced via social media, and the canceled dates will be rescheduled for later in the year. The Beatles legend turns 82 on July 7.
Saltaire, a 35-story condominium building under construction at 300 1st St. South, has topped out. The South Florida-based Kolter Group is developing the 192-unit luxury condo tower in partnership with Kast Construction. All of the condo units, priced from the low $800,000s, are sold out. When the tower opens in June 2023, it will be the second tallest tower in St. Petersburg.
The Bringe Music Center in St. Petersburg is shutting its doors after serving the community for 66 years. The center, founded in 1956 by its original owner, German violin maker Walter Bringe, will have a liquidation sale of its instruments and more through June 25, the store’s last day. The owners are retiring. The St. Pete Catalyst first reported on the store closure in late May as a townhome development is slated to rise in its place.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest inflation report Friday, and the results are disheartening for those that call Tampa Bay home. Tampa again paced the country, with consumer prices surging by over 11% in May compared to last year. The national rate, the highest level since 1981, is 8.6%. While prices continue soaring, Redfin reported that luxury home sales in the region dropped by 20% from February to April. That marks the steepest three-month decline since May of 2020. However, sales for non-luxury homes only fell by 5.4% during the same period.
ARK Invest CEO and founder Cathie Wood is introducing The Bitcoin Monthly, an “earnings report” that details relevant on-chain activity and showcases the openness, transparency, and accessibility of blockchain data, according to her firm's announcement. "Bitcoin’s inability to fit neatly within the framework associated with traditional asset classes has dissuaded investors from adopting it. We believe that instead of considering its unique attributes, skeptics have concluded that Bitcoin cannot be analyzed fundamentally," ARK Invest's website states. "In our view, investors increasingly will appreciate Bitcoin’s merits through the lens of its own framework."
The Parc Center for Disabilities’ Caregiver Relief program has been recognized as an Innovative and Exemplary Respite Service for 2022 by the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. The program was one of only five services from across the country awarded. The St. Petersburg-based Parc provides programs and services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
After losing the first two games of the NHL’s Eastern Conference on the New York Rangers’ home ice, the Tampa Bay Lighting have reeled off three straight wins, including a 3-1 victory Thursday night in Madison Square Garden. The Bolts now own a 3-2 series lead and return home for Game 6. Defender Mikhail Sergachev played the hero for Tampa Bay, netting his first two goals of the playoffs. After falling behind 1-0 to the Rangers, Sergachev scored the equalizer at 17:34 in the second period. In the third, he slapped a shot through traffic before Ondrej Palat got a piece of the puck and credit for the goal. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy continued his brilliant play for Tampa Bay, and Brand Hagel scored an empty-netter to seal the game for the Lighting. The Bolts can wrap up the series in Amalie Arena on Saturday at 8 p.m.
After 50 years of serving up cheap drinks and good times to St. Petersburg residents, Wilson’s Sports Lounge has closed for good. Opened in 1972 by John Wilson, the bar was also famous as a set piece in the movie “Magic Mike.” The sign in front of the distinct, semicircular building at 3030 4th St. N. called it the “end of an era” and thanked customers for years of support. The Bellair Development Group now owns the property, and future plans remain unclear.
