Many people refer to St. Petersburg as a "big, small town." Forget six degrees of separation (aka Kevin Bacon)… St. Pete is probably three degrees of separation. I can point to numerous situations where this is in evidence. One of my most memorable was my first meeting back in St. Pete after 15 years away, I found myself at a Chamber of Commerce meeting sitting next to a high school classmate I hadn't seen since graduation.
The size and scale of St. Pete fuels collaboration. The image above is one of my favorite to show locals and visitors. Its hard to imagine another place where this amazing collection of innovators are sitting side-by-side from NOAA to Poynter Institute to the hospitals to the Dali... and everything in between. Our proximity and "big, small town" attitude builds strong bonds of trust. We are open to newcomers and appreciative of the wisdom of longtime locals. This creates opportunities for partnerships that bridge traditional silos and a willingness to experiment. We gravitate to big ideas and people who back those up with action. Together we flourish.
(This article was first featured in our June/July newsletter - to subscribe to our monthly newsletter click here)
Join us for a Trolley Tour of the District on Friday, April 18th from 1:30pm-4:30pm. This popular event is offered 2-3 times a year. It begins at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. You will board a trolley with other Innovation District partners and community members. As we travel throughout the District, you will learn about the history and future plans for the area. We will make several stops for an insider view of the research and collaborations underway. The tour will conclude back at Hub with a networking happy hour.
The Innovation District hosts a quarterly breakfast series called Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change. At each session we explore emerging technologies, invite District partners to share their current related efforts, and engage in thoughtful (and hopefully spirited) discussions that will spark future innovation.
Each month our team confers about what to include in the District newsletter. We lament how to share all the amazing stories while not creating an encyclopedia (yes, I am showing by age with an old school reference). We are fortunate to have so many things going on in the District.