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)
There are many quotes about innovation and how it is fostered. I have several hanging in my office. We recently looked to these as we were deciding the name for our new breakfast series. Our brainstorming kept coming back to the concept that ideas are the beginning - they create the "spark" that fuels innovation.
Congratulations to Sarah Gilbert, Chief Operating Officer of Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital for being named a 2024 BusinessWoman of the Year honoree. We are also thrilled that Sarah has recently joined the Board of Directors for the Innovation District.
Even with an extra day in the month, I am running late with the February newsletter. Its been a busy and exciting time. Last Tuesday we announced a new project - Catching the Blue Wave: Accelerating America’s Ocean Economy.