The Bank of Tampa has entered into an agreement to acquire Plant City-based Hillsboro Bank. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals but is expected to close later in the year. In a press release, Bank of Tampa CEO Bill West said his institution was planning to open a banking office in Plant City but a meeting with Hillsboro Bank executives Mike Ward and Gary Boothe led to merger talks. “We were attracted to this opportunity in large part because of the strong culture and community focus of Hillsboro Bank,” West stated in the release. “The Bank of Tampa and Hillsboro Bank are similar in many ways and we believe we will be stronger together.” According to terms of the deal, Ward will remain with The Bank of Tampa as its Plant City market president and will serve on the bank’s executive committee.
WWE fans will be able to watch their favorite wrestling stars live and in person next month when WrestleMania comes to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Scheduled for April 10 and 11, the event was supposed to be held in Tampa last year but the coronavirus pandemic forced WWE to move it to a closed set at the company’s training facility in Orlando. Tickets are set to go on sale Friday, starting at 10 a.m., but fans can register for an exclusive presale event today.
Florida Funders, a Tampa-based venture capital firm and angel investor network, is set to expand to Miami, opening an office that will be headed up by Maria Russo, who’s been named director of community. Russo, according to a news release, has served for five years as the executive director of Refresh Miami, a South Florida tech and startup community, and will continue to hold that role in addition to her position with Florida Funders. The firm has been highly active in South Florida in recent years, investing in several Miami-based startups, including HealthSnap, Secberus, Lula, ClassWallet, Bambino, Simplenight, Cast.ai, TempMee and Aerosens.
M2Gen, a Tampa company that runs one the world's largest observational research studies in cancer, has new majority ownership. Clayton Dubilier & Rice funds, the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and McKesson Ventures invested an undisclosed amount to recapitalize M2Gen, a news release said. Existing shareholders Moffitt Cancer Center, Hearst Healthcare and The Ohio State University Foundation continue to hold a significant minority interest M2Gen, according to the release. In conjunction with the recapitalization, Sandra Peterson, operating partner at Clayton Dubilier & Rice, was named chair of the M2Gen board. M2Gen separately announced a new five-year agreement with Merck. Under the terms of the agreement, M2Gen will provide patient-consented, de-identified, linked clinical and genomic data in support of Merck’s oncology efforts.
More than 1,500 people have died in Pinellas County as a result of Covid-19. As of Wednesday, there have been 1,522 Covid deaths in Pinellas County since March 2020, according to the Florida Department of Health. A cumulative total of 69,468 people have had positive PCR or antigen test results. On Wednesday, the county extended its state of local emergency through March 26. The extension keeps in effect a county ordinance requiring face coverings within public places and requiring restaurants and bars to serve only patrons who are seated. State officials also announced a new permanent, Covid-19 vaccination site located at The Centre in Palm Harbor in Pinellas County. The site will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and provide both the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to eligible Floridians.
The St. Pete Catalyst will launch My Mayor, a new one-on-one interview series with the city's mayoral candidates. The format is designed so that Catalyst readers can get to know the person behind the policy. Recording will take place every other Wednesday, with the videos published the next day. Each conversation begins with a general check-in with the candidate and the campaign, followed by a single question or topic. The candidate will be given ample time to dig into the top and answer several follow-up questions.
The Impact Council is a collection of carefully selected thought leaders who are pushing the boundaries of local community impact. As a member of the Impact Council SVP Tampa Bay will connect with fellow community leaders to drive awareness of, and engagement in, the issues covered by local charities and community projects. The Impact Council serves as a think tank to work together to develop thanking that it can share with the community. SVP Tampa Bay's partnership will provide a unique voice and professional acumen from engaged philanthropists.
Three-day reserved grandstand and general admission tickets for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg go on sale to the public starting Thursday, March 18 at 2 p.m. The 17th annual event is set for April 23-25 in downtown St. Petersburg. Tickets are available online at gpstpete.com with prices starting at $115 for 3-day reserved grandstand seats and $60 for 3-day general admission tickets. Junior pricing is available for fans ages 12 and under. A limited number of single-day tickets will be released for sale on Thursday, April 1, based on remaining availability in order to maintain social distancing measures on site, a news release said.
Palazzo Pizza, a new pizzeria in Tampa, will donate 85 pizzas on Friday to Trinity Café, Feeding Tampa Bay’s full-service restaurant for people who are struggling to afford food. The pizzas will be served starting at 11:30 a.m. Palazzo Pizza is co-owned by Joe Gomez, a former professional wrestler, who will provide Trinity Café with a matching cash donation. Trinity Café is located at 2801 N. Nebraska Ave. in Tampa.
David Kaminsky, executive vice president and chief financial officer and administrative officer at iQor, is resigning effective June 30. iQor is a customer support and business solutions company headquartered in St. Petersburg. iQor recently emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Kaminsky played a key role in the restructuring, Gary Praznik, president and CEO, said in a news release. iQor has hired an executive search firm to help look for a new CFO.
The Tampa Bay Rays will open sales for single-game tickets for the team’s first month of home games on March 26. The team also announced new health and safety protocols at Tropicana Field. The measures include installation of UV lights and electronic devices inside the stadium’s air conditioning units that eliminate harmful contaminants. The team has also added more robust air filters throughout the stadium. Fans will be required to wear face coverings at all times within the stadium, except while actively eating or drinking in their seats. Single-game tickets will be available in socially distant seating pods of up to six seats. Overall capacity will be limited to 9,000 fans.
Andrew Davies has been appointed CEO of Syniverse, a Tampa technology company, effective immediately. Davies has served as Syniverse’s chief financial and administrative officer since June 2020. Prior to joining Syniverse, he was CFO of Sprint Corp. Simeon Irvine will succeed Davies as CFO. Davies has been chief transformation officer at Syniverse. In a news release, Syniverse also said that James Attwood will relinquish his executive responsibilities and will resume his prior role as chairman of the board of directors. The executive changes follow the announcement of a potential new investment in Syniverse by Twilio (NYSE: TWLO), a cloud communications platform. Syniverse, one of the larger technology companies in the area, provides mobile and wireless technology solutions to connect mobile network operators and businesses.
