Tampa, Fla. – Troy Manthey, President/CEO at Yacht StarShip & Pirate Water Taxi, received the 2021 Parke Wright III Award from Leadership Tampa Alumni at the group’s 2021 Annual Meeting on February 17th. Established in 2002, the award is presented annually to a member of Leadership Tampa Alumni who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and made a significant difference in the Tampa Bay community. Troy Manthey was in the 2003 Class of Leadership Tampa.
Captain Troy Manthey is a 5th generation New Orleans riverboat captain who began working on paddle wheel steamboats plying the brown waters of the mighty Mississippi River at an early age. Troy took the helm of the 180-foot, $8-million luxury dining vessel, Yacht Starship, shortly after its construction in 2000 in Biloxi, Mississippi. He discovered Tampa in January 2001 when Yacht StarShip was chartered for the world-class annual Gasparilla Invasion/Celebration for Superbowl weekend. Shortly thereafter, he permanently relocated the Yacht StarShip to Tampa Bay’s emerging Channelside entertainment district in Downtown Tampa. Since 2001, Captain Manthey has developed deep roots in Tampa Bay’s civic and business communities. Serving as recent Chairman of the Board of Directors for Visit Tampa Bay, Immediate Past Chair of Friends of the Riverwalk (Board), Hillsborough County Hotel Motel Association (Board), Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association -Pinellas Chapter (Board), Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association (Board) and S.S. American Victory Ship (Board). On a national level, Manthey served as President of the Passenger Vessel Association, Arlington VA., in 2005.
Through perseverance, determination, and an unending love for Tampa, Troy’s dream of an active waterfront has become a reality with dining yachts, The Riverwalk, the creation of Pirate Water Taxi, and most recently the Lost Pearl Pirate Ship.