When we tell people we've moved the office to downtown St. Pete, responses typically fall under one of two general categories:
- Awesome
- St. Pete? (Half-grimace). Really?
Some perceive Tampa and St. Petersburg as different galaxies. But we promise there are no asteroid belts or even customs checks between the two. And besides being not-that-far, it’s probably one of the more scenic commutes in the country.
Others believe that St. Pete can’t possibly offer a comparable caliber of sophistication, style, or successful business as Tampa. But those that spend time in St. Pete – living, working, visiting – know the ‘God’s-waiting-room’ stigma is, well, dead: these days, the median age in the ‘Burg is younger than 40.
St. Pete’s art and culture already get national attention, and now we’ve got the new Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Gallery, expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, and the upcoming opening of the new Dalí museum. It’s not all high-brow entertainment either – St. Pete nightlife offers fist-pumping good times, whatever you’re looking for, PUSH Ultra Lounge, World of Beer, Jannus Live – and hey the Rays are going to the playoffs.
And as home of such major businesses as HSN, Jabil, Catalina Marketing, Dermazone Solutions, Draper Laboratory, SRI International, Plasma-Therm, Raymond James, and the St. Petersburg Times, to name a few, Florida’s fourth-largest city (yup, fourth largest) boasts some notable economic activity.
Don’t believe us? Come on over, we’ll head out to Beach Drive, The Garden, Central Ave Oyster Bar, Ringside Café, Three Birds Tavern, or Kahuna’s, among hundreds of other options, to show you more of what St. Pete has to offer.
St. Pete and Tampa, along with the rest of the Tampa Bay area, are strongest as a team, with each individual area bringing unique and valuable attributes to the table. The best way for our region to continue to compete alongside other leading areas of the country is to be allied, to be connected, and be supportive.
We’ll miss clocking in at our old Tampa digs, but we’ll still be visiting our friends there often. And we’ll enjoy sharing our new home with those friends (along with the ones we haven’t met yet). Remember, that blue bay between Tampa and St. Pete doesn’t divide us, it connects us.