2023 Quarter 1 Report

Posted by: Tampa Bay Chamber on Friday, April 28, 2023

Catalyst

Policy & Advocacy

In January, the Chamber’s Policy Council hosted the Chairman of the Tampa City Council Joseph Citro for discussion on the upcoming City of Tampa charter amendments.

The Chamber published its 2023 legislative agenda, titled Key Issues.

Continuing its advocacy of the Ferry project, the Chamber worked with our MoU partners to publicize a new website that details the ongoing progress of the comprehensive Ferry Plan to bring year-round service.

Tampa Bay Rays

Jan. 31 – The Chamber issued a statement on social media platforms within minutes of St. Petersburg Mayor's State of the City Announcement, which included an updated on the Tampa Bay Rays and redevelopment of Tropicana Field, home to the Rays.

“The Tampa Bay Chamber congratulates St. Peterburg Mayor Ken Welch for his selection today. With his historic decision, we are one step closer to keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa Bay. We’ve long supported the process of keeping Rays baseball in our region.” – President & CEO Bob Rohrlack, Tampa Bay Chamber
“Since talks began in 2019, we’ve supported the process of keeping Rays baseball in our region. More than three years of community input and negotiations later, under two city of St. Pete administrations, it’s one step closer to becoming reality and we’re thrilled.” – Nicholas Glover, Vice President of Advocacy, Tampa Bay Chamber

Media pick up by TB Times: The Chamber has remained engaged in process with community partners (and the TB Rays) supporting multiple iterations to keep the major league baseball team in the TB region.

Florida’s Special Session in Tallahassee

The Chamber’s Policy Advisory Committee hosted Matt Blair of Corcoran Partners, who provided an update on Special Session 2023B. The special session featured issues related to Emergency Management, Illegal Immigration, Intercollegiate Athletics; as well as local bills related to the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Sunshine Water Control District, and Eastpoint Water and Sewer District. Additionally, we also have previewed the 2023 regular legislative session.

Legislative Preview

In advance of Florida's Legislative Session, the Ambassador Committee was briefed on prefixed legislation and bills that will likely impact their businesses and the Tampa Bay community.

Increasing Voter Awareness: Government 101

Leadership Tampa's Class of 2023 was also briefed on the Chamber’s advocacy efforts with a specific focus on the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County.

Furthering Regional Cooperation

The Chamber and MoU partners were well-represented at the 2023 Governor’s Luncheon at the Florida State Fair (pictured). In addition, Chamber members also attended key events in support of MoU partners at the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce (attending its Legislation Preview Luncheon) and the LGBT Chamber of Commerce (attending its Annual Meeting).

Candidate Interviews

Keeping our members and the Tampa community at-large informed, we produced the annual Candidate Interviews video series. Starting in February, these interviews with nearly 20 candidates on the March 7 ballot were recorded and posted to our Chamber website and social media platforms. The annual series continues to serve as a valuable resource for voters because of its extensive library of candidate interviews from District 1 – 7 of the Tampa City Council. In addition, Policy Advisory Council Co-chair Mickey Jacob and the Chamber's Vice President of Advocacy, Nicholas Glover, co-produced special video introductions to help raise community awareness of the video series across social media platforms.

Tampa City Council Runoff Debate

The Tampa City Council Runoff Debate was announced within one week of the Mar. 7 election which resulted in the need for a runoff between candidates in 4 districts. The Mar. 28th debate was hosted by the Chamber, in partnership with Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay, Leadership Tampa Alumni, Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber, South Tampa Chamber, Tampa Downtown Partnership, Westshore Alliance, and Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, North Tampa Bay Chamber, Temple Terrace Uptown Chamber of Commerce – reinforcing our regional approach with MoU partners. The debate at Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry Campus was free and open to the public – serving as the only runoff debate with all candidates participating. Strategic to the Chamber’s role as a catalyst and hub for business, the debate featured questions from Chamber members at large and members in various committees on high interest items to the local business community. Also in alignment with our branding efforts to elevate community awareness of the Chamber’s policy/advocacy work, President/CEO Dr. Bob Rohrlack served as the moderator.

Ensuring the broadest access possible for local voters, we partnered with Chamber member WTSP – the local CBS station – to livestream the Mar. 28 runoff debate across WTSP streaming platforms. Our Candidate Interviews webpage was updated with all runoff candidates included. After the Mar. 28 debate, the 1-hour 40-minute event was posted, in its entirety, to our Chamber’s social media platforms and website for easy access to voters in advance of Apr. 17 early voting and Apr. 25 election day. Media Coverage of Runoff Debate by Chamber and MoU Partners included WTSP, Telemundo Tampa and Univision Tampa.

Legislative Kickoff

The Chamber held its 2023 Legislative Kickoff Reception at The Tampa Club, where attendees were able to network with members of the Tampa Bay Area’s State Legislative Delegation. Participants discussed the upcoming Legislative session and priorities important to the Tampa Bay business community.

Federal & State Legislature

Chamber leaders and board members met with Tampa Bay legislative delegation members to advocate for the Chamber’s state legislative priorities, including the return and deployment of the already-collected Hillsborough County Transportation Sales Surtax dollars.

The Chamber’s Policy Council hosted Sean Heather, Senior Vice President of International Regulatory Affairs and Antitrust, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for an update on the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed rule to ban noncompete agreements for all employees and independent contractors.

Transportation

The Chamber’s Transportation Council meeting in January featured Fred Mannering, Ph.D., Executive Director, USF’s Center for Urban Transportation Research as the guest speaker.

Regional Approach to Public Dialogue on Transportation

During the Tampa Bay visit of North Carolina’s Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, subject experts from our Chamber staff participated in their transportation panel. The panel held during the Charlotte delegation’s “Peer City” trip to Tampa also included the co-founder of “All for Transportation” – which is a citizen-led effort in Hillsborough County advocating to fund transportation initiatives to mitigate unsafe roads, relieve traffic congestion and expand public transportation options in the region.

2018 voter approved 1% sales tax for transportation in Hillsborough County

Also in February, advocacy work continued for the return of funds already collected from the 1% sales tax “All for Transportation” referendum. Members joined the efforts led by President/CEO Bob Rohrlack, including discussions with State Representative Lawrence McClure, who is the Chairman of the State Affairs Committee & Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee. Speaking on behalf of the local business committee, the Executive leadership team reiterated our position that said funds be used for shovel-ready transportation projects.

Transportation Innovation

The Chamber’s Transportation Council hosted the City of Tampa’s Chief Mobility Planner, Alana Brasier, for an update on recent grant opportunities that the Chamber has helped advocate for.

Workforce Development

The Workforce Development Committee held its first meeting of the year with a focus on how members can get involved with academic advisory councils. The engagement contributes to the talent pipeline in the region. Dr. Simone Jenkins from Hillsborough Community College shared its importance from a university’s standpoint, while Chuck Tiernan from LEAP Tampa Bay provided Chamber members provided perspective from the standpoint of a non-profit organization.

Our Chamber held the first Work Redefined event for the year on Mar. 7 with subject matter experts on the future of the labor force locally, regionally, and statewide. The dynamic panel shared the positions regarding economics, employment, and the continued advancement of technology in the workforce and education that inspired meaningful conversations and connections.

Inclusive Organization

Collegiate Leadership Tampa Bay

Mar. 3 – Collegiate Leadership Class of 2023 scholars visited the headquarters of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plus Straz Center for the Performing Arts, ZooTampa and Busch Gardens. Program day included a panel discussion with Janie Malson, Assistant Vice President & Program Manager at Citi, and panelists Rowdies’ Head of Soccer Operations Nico Castillo, the Lightning’s Senior VP of Ticket Sales and Service Travis Pelleymounter, and Buc’s Director of Ticket Operations Amy Weber. Program Day provided students with a greater understanding of the impact the arts, entertainment, and sports industries in the region and showcasing career opportunities within each sector.

The University of Tampa showcased Chamber’s Collegiate Leadership Program as a model of excellence.

Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay

The 2023 Mentor Protégé Program kicked off Feb. 21 with 78 pairings. Throughout the next 9 months the pairings will meet once a month to work on skills building, leadership development, and career advancement plans.

Emerging Leaders are looking to expand the reach the organization has in the Tampa area. The team launched a Recruitment Challenge to run Mar. 1 – Apr. 30 to target new members. Fit4 and Partner Chamber members receive 2-3 Emerging Leaders memberships as part of their Chamber benefits. Of the 110 Fit4/Partner level Chamber members, 44 of them are utilizing the Emerging Leaders membership for the 2023 program year. The program is catered to young professionals between the ages of 21-35.

Over 70 young professionals gathered at DPR Construction on Mar. 16th for the Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay Engage Series. Engage Series happen once a month and are hosted by local businesses. With so many new young professionals now calling Tampa home, Engage Series are a great way to build relationships and get exposure to companies that are making an impact on the Tampa Business Community. A few Emerging Leaders members brought their Collegiate Leadership Mentees to the event as well to practice networking skills.

Military

In January, members of the Military Advisory Committee met with Eric Sherman, the State Liaison for the Department of Defense, to discuss their 2023 Legislative Priorities and how Florida compares to other states in terms of legislative support for military families.

The Military Advisory Committee met with Terry McCaffrey with Enterprise Florida to discuss the report, “Affordable Housing Solutions for Florida Military Installations” prepared by Matrix Design Group. This report provides creative and feasible solutions to the housing availability and affordability crisis facing Florida’s defense communities.

Members of the Military Advisory Committee met with Kishima Garcia, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the 6th Air Refueling Wing.

Military Bay, USA™

Feb. 27 – Chamber office hosted a meet & greet with Johnny Crowder, Founder, COPE Notes – who is among the first Chamber members to sign up to use the recently launched trademark. The Tampa resident, national speaker on mental health awareness and Ted Talk speaker said input from military members helped him build Cope Notes – which uses daily text messages to train the brain to think healthier thoughts. To date, more than 3 million “cope notes” have been distributed to subscribers around the world.

“My original plan was to make an app. That’s what everyone says, ‘If you’re going to go digital, make it an app.’ I was sharing my original idea with a friend of the family who was in the armed forces and he basically said ‘I’m gonna stop you right there. That’s going to fail.’ He pointed out that using any app requires personal information and that would likely keep many military service members from using Cope Notes. There’s so much information you must share on your device before you’re allowed to download an app and he’s the one who made me realize this privacy aspect was way more important than I had realized.” – Johnny Crowder, Founder of Cope Notes, explaining how perspective from a military service member helped him create the model of daily text messages helping 28K individual subscribers in 97 countries.

Meeting with the Chamber team, he explained how the military perspective helped him create Cope Notes. That sense of gratitude is what made him want to support the Chamber’s Military Bay, USA.

“Living in Tampa you’re not surprised that there are a lot of veterans living here and have served here. But one thing that’s lost in translation is the human piece. These are real human beings with life experiences. Putting a face to a people group is important because you start to connect on a different level. That is what’s so exciting about what you all are doing with Military Bay, USA. I’ve never served, never been in the military, but this is helping, even me, have a better understanding of who they are in our community, what their needs are and how I can support them.”

During the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Hiring Our Heroes, “A Call to Lead: Empowering Tampa’s Employers in the Search for Top Military - Connected Talent”, Tampa Bay Chamber members shared how public and private sector organizations are working together to find innovative solutions to meet workforce challenges and identify both local and national resources that support leveraging military-connected talent.

MacDill Air Force Base

The US Patent and Trade Office hosted an entrepreneurship event on MacDill Air Force Base and the following Chamber members participated as panelists: Brian Butler – Vistra Communications, Kelly Douglas - KDR Communications, Linda Olsen – Tampa Bay Wave, Yanina Rosario – USF Small Business Development Center, and Russ Barnes – Action Zone. Our members shared with over 50 service members and military spouses their entrepreneurship journey and local resources.

Military Appreciation

Promotion for 2023 Military Appreciation began in March with messaging by Military Advisory Committee Chair and former Marine Leo Damiron. In alignment with our Chamber strategy of strategic storytelling, the content of the video filmed on Mar. 23 centered around the importance of community demonstrations of support for local military and the perspective of military veterans receiving it. Communications Department supported MAE efforts with production of 2 videos, a robust schedule for social media posts on MA event, and digital and print ads for Tampa Bay Times for distribution starting in April.

Minority Business Accelerator (MBA)

Avril Stinson – Senior Director, Minority Business Accelerator & Economic Inclusion - participated in TBBJ’s 10th Annual Mentoring Monday event. The event provided participants with the opportunity to choose from some of Tampa Bay's most influential women in the business community.  During intervals of only 7 minutes, participants benefited from for one-on-one coaching sessions.

MBA Cohort ‘24

The 2023 MBA Kickoff Reception celebrating MBA Cohort ’24 was Jan. 31 at Jackson’s Waterfront Room. MBA 2024 Cohort participants welcomed to the program:

  • Courtney Jackson, Paragon Cyber Solutions
  • Pam Washington, CWJ Universal Enterprises
  • Carl Chaisson, United One Communications
  • Dr. Tammy Foster-Knight, Optional Solution
  • Raoul Thomas, Milena International
  • Edward Reyes, The Reyes Firm
  • Paula Hopkins, Chakra Zulu Crystals
  • Juan-Carlos Libreros, PezCo Aquafarming
  • Monica Hernandez, MAS Global Consulting
  • Sherrel Sampson, Canviiy

MBA 2024 Cohort member named a finalist by the Tampa Bay Business Journal for annual Businesswoman of the Year!

Courtney Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Paragon Cyber Solutions. Read the article.

Canviiy on ABC Action News

This month, ABC Action News profiled Sherrel Sampson, MBA Cohort 2024. The founder of Canviiy was interviewed on February 22 at two locations: First, was My Shade & Texture Beauty Supply in East Tampa, a black, woman-owned beauty supply store that was the first to carry Sherrel’s the scalp serum in-store. Second, was Moffit Cancer Center, which has been using Canviiy at the on-site Hair Salon for patients since 2018. This aspect of the story demonstrates the entrepreneur’s journey to create a product to help all genders and races. Watch the video.

MBA Cohort '24 gathered for their second session focusing on SBA Lending & Finance. Meeting was led by Florida Business Development Corporation and Customers Bank.

Two MBA Cohort participants were spotlighted in local newscasts:

MBA Cohort ‘23

MBA Cohort ’23 Kicked Off year two of their program with a session on Profitability & Growth, led by Ralph Garcia, RGA Advisory.

MBA Cohort ‘22

Chamber served as a bridge for Habitat for Humanity, connecting Hillsborough County Tax Collector Nancy Millan’s Office with MBA 2022 Cohort Graduate Tony Selvaggio, CEO of eSmart Recycling. Tax Collector Office donated workstations for new homeowners in Habitat for Humanity program. MBA program graduate’s business, eSmart Recycling, made the necessary refurbishments/changes to the workstations prior to donation. The company’s specialty is recycling computers, with its collection points and logistic partners to save electronics from landfills.

Minority Empowerment Program (MEP)

In January 19 new companies were selected for the 2023 Minority Empowerment Program (MEP). They are:

  • Wing Boy Deli
  • z SofTech Solutions
  • 100 Black Men of Tampa Bay, Inc.
  • MB Strategies
  • We Think Marketing Group, Inc.
  • Vikings Junk Removal
  • Halo Solutions, LLC
  • Spanish Consultants Inc.
  • Rhonda S McDuffie CPA
  • Kidney Care Coaches
  • MRRN Global LLC
  • The Mainframe
  • Edward Jones Advisor
  • CC Creativities, LLC dba Creamy Crack Body Cream
  • Creative Growth Services
  • The Management Suite
  • M & R Café Southern Cuisine
  • Imperial Cabinets & Millwork LLC
  • The Spa by Folashade

The Minority Empowerment Program Kicked Off with their Q1 Session – Financial Literacy for Business Owners Presented by: New York Life. The session was informative and dynamic with our subject matter expert from NY Life Insurance Company. Conversations were robust and valuable as we strengthen and empower emerging business leaders and businesses!

National Black History Month

Communications’ social media campaign commemorating Black History Month featured weekly posts showcasing members.

  • Chamber commitment to diversity and inclusion w/BHM campaign logo
  • Spotlight on Chamber member Lennise Germany (MBA 2022 Cohort)
  • Spotlight on Chamber member Ashley Butler (MBA 2021 Cohort)
  • Brian Butler (2023 Board Chairman & President of Vistra Communications)

Women’s Programming

Women of Influence Luncheon

New record was set by the 2023 Women of Influence Luncheon! Six weeks out, this signature event was sold out. The earliest in the history of the 17-year event.

On Mar. 24 the 17th Annual Women of Influence Luncheon presented by Tampa General Hospital took place at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. Over 600 attendees joined together to hear from keynote speaker, Dr. Shirley Davis, Global Workforce & DEI Expert, and Best-Selling Author. The 2023 Dottie Berger MacKinnon Woman of Influence Award was presented to Marie Chinnici-Everitt, Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation. Based on the success of the WOI event, Dr. Davis announced on stage that she will be hosting a complimentary follow-up webinar on May 9 exclusively for guests of the luncheon.

Pearls of Experience

Pearls of Experience: “Powered Up” series showcased women in traditionally male dominated Automotive and Construction industries. Chamber members speakers included Ashley Butler, of Ice Cold Air, Anya Ruby of Nissan North America, Doreen Caudell, D-Mar General Contracting & Development, Robin Erwin of Erwin Electric and Marynes Mateos of Matcon.

Feb. 16 – Women in Automotive – HCC

Feb. 23 – Women in Construction – HCC

In Their Own Words

New in 2023, WOI promotional materials included a strategic focus on storytelling beyond the annual news release and event reminders counting down to Mar. 24. The storytelling series called “In Their Own Words”, was shared across Chamber media platforms:

Hub For Business

Membership

In Q1, the Chamber welcomed 115 new members and five upgrades, including our newest Partner level upgrade: Tucker Hall. Welcome!

Ambassador Committee & Ribbon Cuttings

In Q1, the Ambassador Committee participated in 12 Ribbon Cuttings for members celebrating special occasions. In addition to calling new members, Ambassadors delivered “Thank you for your membership!” gifts to members reaching 1st year and 5-year anniversaries with the TB Chamber!

Community Outreach

20 Chamber and Emerge volunteers were on site at the Calhoun and La Paloma Head Start Centers for morning story time Feb. 10. In addition to an animated book reading, 100 books were distributed with each child receiving a personal copy. BookWorks is a program of Goodwill Industries and promotes literacy so children can succeed in tomorrow’s workforce.

Chamber members helped support the Blue Star Families “Nourish the Service” event on MacDill Air Force Base Mar. 24. Volunteers helped assemble over 1,200 bags of food, hygiene kits, and household products. In total they helped over 400 service members and their families by distributing nearly $250,000 worth of items.

Events

After 5

Leveraging the power of networking in January to grow members’ circle of influence and support: After 5 hosted 55 top tier members on location at Workscapes.

Get Connected

Get Connected – facilitated speed networking – on Jan. 12 was attended by 42 members.

Coffee Connection

New members attended our ambassador-led networking event Mar. 8 at the Chamber Office.

Insight Leadership

Jan. 10 – Insight Leadership kicked off with an opening reception. The team continued prep work for the 5 program sessions planned monthly for participating members of Insight 2023. Sessions planned are: Military and Community; Transportation and Infrastructure; Education, Talent Supply, and the Workforce; Government and Economic Development; and Quality of Life and Places.

By end of January, all prep work was finalized for Insight Leadership’s first program day of 2023 at MacDill Air Force Base: "Military and Community Day" (Feb. 3), which involved logistics of base access, and securing the guided base tour from the 6th Air Refueling Wing.

On Mar. 3 the 2023 Insight Leadership participants attended their second program day, "Transportation and Infrastructure". The day began at Tampa International Airport with an overview and update from Chris Minner, EVP of Marketing and Communications, followed by a private bus tour of the airside, runways, and associated support facilities. The group finished the day with a private waterside tour of Port Tampa Bay, Florida’s largest port, with remarks from Karl Strauch, VP of Marketing.

Leadership Tampa

Applications for Leadership Tampa Class of 2024 are now active, and the legacy program was also spotlighted in Power 100 edition of the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Read the LT 2024 Recruitment News Alert. The deadline to apply is May 8.

Leadership Tampa Class of 2023 had a busy month with focused days on First Responders, Government + Economics, and Healthcare.

LT’23 Tallahassee Trip

There were 50 classmates that attended with the Chair and Vice Chair of the class. The objective for the Tallahassee Retreat is to provide class members with a better understanding of our state government, with access to local leaders.

Leadership Tampa Alumni

Jan. 24 at LTA Annual Meeting the 2022 Parke Wright III Leadership Award was presented to Mike Griffin, (LT'04) Market Leader and Senior Vice President of Savills. Griffin was overseas on a business trip (Morocco). Florida Secretary of the Department of Business & Professional Regulation, Melanie Griffin (Mike’s wife) accepted the award on his behalf. Comms deliverables: Press release on Chamber blog and posts on social media platforms. Media pick up: Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine story.

The team began outreach for LTA recruitment.

JOIN LTA

LT ’22 Community Service

Mar. 29, LT Class of 2022 made history becoming the first LT Class since COVID-19 to complete community service project. LT 2022 logged more than 160 volunteer hours renovating 12 apartment units at Metropolitan Ministries’ Hope Village.

Organizational Excellence

At a Glance: Social Media Analytics

In Q1 we have gained a significant number of new followers on Chamber social media platforms. We have seen an increase across the board for Facebook interaction and LinkedIn continued to be where the most significant interaction with our members and the public occurred Jan. 1 – Apr. 30, 2023.

LinkedIn: 18,415 Reach

  • New Followers: 3.7% increase (845+)
  • Interactions
    • Reactions: 35.4% increase (4,120+)
    • Comments: 20.2% increase (196+)
    • Reposts: 13.9% increase (238+)

Facebook: 24,473 Reach

  • Page Likes: 34.7% increase
  • Page Visits: 38.1% Increase
  • Page Reach: 57.7% increase

Instagram: 2,424 Reach

  • New Followers: 8.6% increase
  • Reach: 27.2% increase

5 Stars!

News Release on the 5-star rating of the Tampa Bay Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It’s not the first time the Chamber has received this top honor - 2018-2022 was the first 5-year span. The reaccreditation means a 5-star rated Chamber 2023 – 2027. With an estimated 7,000 chambers of commerce in the nation (source: US Chamber of Commerce), only 2% of Chambers are 5 – star rated. Content was pushed out on Chamber’s social platforms including photos.

International

The World Chambers Competition is organized by the ICC World Chambers Federation. Our Chamber submitted the Minority Business Accelerator Program under the Best Chamber Model Innovation Project. The ICC competition is the only global awards program recognizing innovative projects undertaken by chambers of commerce and industry professionals around the world. Showcasing results from our MBA program spanning mid 2021 – end of 2022. The deadline to enter was Feb. 27 and winners will be announced during the 13th Annual World Chambers Congress in Geneva.

National

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) – hosts its annual Awards for Communications Excellence in August, and this month was the deadline for Chambers to submit items for consideration. Our Chamber submitted two entries: our 2021 Annual Report published in the first quarter of 2022 and our 2022 Candidate Interviews Video Series produced in advance of municipal elections. The Publication entry gives us the opportunity to showcase the depth and breadth of our Chamber’s programming and community impact. The Video series allows us to showcase the relevance of our work in Public Policy & Advocacy. It increases voter engagement, connects elected officials with constituents on specific policy issues, and it serves as a resource to local media outlets who use our online video series to deepen news coverage of political candidates. Interview content/quotes are not edited, thus serving as a reliable source of information and quotes from each candidate. The winning entries in Communications Excellence will be announced in May 2023, ahead of this summer's ACCE Annual Convention and awards ceremony in Salt Lake City.

Rockstar Moment for Chamber Member

For fans of “the boss”, this last item is for you! Feb. 1 in Tampa marked the launch of Bruce Springsteen’s world tour and their choice of partners for community outreach was Feeding Tampa Bay, a Chamber Member since 2018. Gently strumming the chords of his guitar, Springsteen told the crowd of 20,000 fans, “Feeding Tampa Bay provides healthy food and critical services to struggling families in West Central Florida. You’ll see them on your way out. We’re partnering with them tonight. Give ‘em a hand!”

Watching from the stands in awe, FTB President/CEO and Chamber Board Member, Thomas Mantz, captured the moment on his iPhone and tweeted out “Just when I thought my week couldn’t get any better…” Watch the Video Clip to hear Springsteen on stage.

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