Rene Cantu has more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and marketing. He spent six years as a business outreach manager at Equality Florida and has served at five different chambers of commerce. He is a recent graduate of Leadership Florida’s Cornerstone Class.
In his current role, he manages all aspects of the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber of Commerce including recruiting new members and retaining current ones, from the small business sector to larger employers in the Tampa Bay area. He coordinates with the board of directors to ensure that programs, services and events are delivered with the highest quality, and effectiveness, for chamber members and their guests.
Before moving to Florida, Cantu lived in Houston, Texas where he served as executive director of Leadership Houston and vice president of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
1. College alma mater? Yale University.
2. Favorite TV show of all time? Schitt’s Creek.
3. Preferred place for a business meeting?
Any coffee shop that serves flavored coffee and carries Splenda.
4. Most used phone app? Facebook – Soon to be Bluesky.
5. What time do you wake up on workdays? 6 a.m.
6. What’s a life hack you swear by? Wrap scotch tape around my fingers, sticky side out, to collect lint and cat hair.
7. First album/cassette tape/CD you remember buying? Michael Jackson, Off the Wall.
8. Favorite local restaurant? Red Mesa, in downtown St. Pete.
9. Last book you read? A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith (reading assignment for Leadership Florida).
10. Biggest business failure? The “new” Coke.
11. What was your first cell phone? The Brick!
12. Something you cook really well? Arroz con Pollo (tex-mex style).
13. Most famous person you’ve ever met? Deborah Cox.
14. What is the last thing that made you laugh really hard? A funny story told to me by my boyfriend, Joe.
15. What is a movie you will NEVER watch again? The Happening.
16. Last place you traveled for fun? Virgin Voyages cruise to the Bahamas.
17. What was your first car? Datsun F10.
18. Charity you support? The Trevor Project.
19. What is something silly you got in trouble for as a child? Shooting fireworks (bottle rockets) down the street instead of up in the air.
20. Best advice ever received? Always live in the moment and appreciate people in your life that love you.