There are two Tampas. The one people talk about today, filled with newcomers, cranes and national attention. And the one families lived through for generations.
Nelson Castellano comes from the second one.
He was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1966. His father worked long days as an ear, nose and throat physician. His mother taught math and science and believed effort mattered more than talent.
Work was not optional in his house. It was part of life.
The body shop that taught him
Castellano’s grandfather opened an automotive body shop in downtown Tampa near the police station. It started under a tree.
No polished lobby. No branding. Just tools, metal and a family that understood what honest work required.
When Castellano finished third grade and his family moved back from Miami, his father decided he was old enough to be part of that world.
That summer, he reported to the shop and spent his days with his cousin Dominic sweeping floors covered in Bondo dust while his grandfather and uncle repaired fenders the old way.
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Back then, you fixed the dent. You did not replace the part. You banged the metal out, shaped it, spread a coat, sanded until it felt right and tried to match the paint in the booth.
Castellano wanted to use the sanders and air tools. His grandfather refused. So, he swept. When the dust settled, he swept again. When the work created another cloud, he swept again.
When it felt endless, he slipped into the small office where his grandmother kept the books. She let him sit for a few quiet minutes, then his grandfather would appear in the doorway.
“What are you doing? Nelsito, back out there,” he would say.
Those hours in the shop were more than chores. They showed him what Tampa looked like when families like his were shaping it day by day.
A family that stayed
His grandparents were part of the old Ybor story. His grandmother was Spanish. His grandfather was Italian. They married young at a time when that pairing broke the social norms of their neighborhood.
Work took them to New York for a period, but Tampa was always home. They came back, bought a house and built their lives here.
His father followed a similar pattern. He left for dental school, realized it was not for him and went back to school to become a physician.
The family moved to Miami during his training, but there was never a question about where they would end up.
“My dad was coming back here,” Castellano said.
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When the training ended, they returned to Tampa. His father opened an office on MacDill Avenue. If school was out, Castellano was working outside that office.
He tarred the lot. He painted the building. He hauled railroad ties with a cousin to build planter beds out front.
“My dad thought it was really important that I was always working,” he said. “You were either in school or you were doing something productive. That was his mindset.”
In a region where many people can point to the year they arrived, Castellano can trace a line through generations who helped build the Tampa people move to now.
Finding his path
Castellano is direct when he talks about his early academic years. He was not a standout student, and he laughs about it now.
“I was not a good high school student. My son makes fun of me about it,” he said. “I did not study hard, early on.”
That changed his junior year at Jesuit High School when college stopped being abstract and started to feel close. He began paying attention to grades and saw that effort could move him forward.
His father kept the college decision simple. Nobody was going far from home at 18. Castellano enrolled at the University of South Florida.
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After two years, he transferred to Florida State, eager for a shift. He joined a fraternity and moved through different majors while trying to understand what he wanted to do.
Accounting made sense on paper, but felt limiting. Finance connected structure to real businesses, and that clicked.
Even then, he did not see a clear career path. An internship at the Public Defender’s Office exposed him to criminal law in a way that made his next step obvious.
“I knew right then I did not want to do criminal law,” he said.
He took the LSAT and was admitted to Florida and Florida State law schools. By then, he had been dating his future wife, Celeste, and felt ready to return home.
He chose the University of Florida with a simple plan. Finish school. Come back to Tampa. He is quick to point out that his loyalty still lies with the Noles.
Trenam and the work that fit
During law school, Castellano clerked at Trenam and found what he had been looking for. The work felt real. The people were grounded. Young lawyers were expected to contribute rather than sit on the sidelines.
He joined full-time in 1992.
When Castellano joined the firm, Tampa’s skyline was nothing like it is today. The Riverwalk did not exist. Water Street and the Channel District were still concepts. The legal market felt smaller and more personal.
He rotated through different practice areas and learned quickly where he felt most at home. Tax law did not resonate. Corporate and securities work did.
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He liked deals. He liked understanding how companies grew. He enjoyed seeing why a buyer would pay a premium for something someone built from scratch.
“That is the part I enjoy,” he said. “I like learning how a company creates value and helping them close a deal.”
As Tampa’s business community evolved, so did his practice. He worked with early-stage companies long before the region had a formal startup ecosystem.
He helped founders raise capital. As those businesses scaled or sold, he moved deeper into mergers and acquisitions.
Over time, he joined the firm’s executive committee. He stepped away so others could lead, then returned when asked. When the managing shareholder role opened, he stepped in.
“Marie set the foundation before me,” he said, referring to longtime managing shareholder Marie Tomassi. “My job was to build on that.”
A relationship town, from the inside
Castellano talks about Tampa like someone who has lived its growth from the sidewalk, not from a distance.
He watched the riverfront transform from warehouses and parking lots into a continuous public space. He saw Seminole Heights, Armature Works and other neighborhoods rise in ways that would have been hard to imagine years ago.
He welcomes new residents and new ambition. His view is still rooted in the Tampa that existed before the spotlight.
“Tampa is a relationship town,” he said. “People care about who you are and how you treat them. A lot of my clients became friends. That is how this city works.”
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His community involvement reflects that. He joined Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay in the 1990s and now serves as board chair.
He serves on the board of ZooTampa and is stepping into the role of chair there. He has long been involved with groups tied to venture capital, entrepreneurship and civic life.
Loss, perspective and leadership
In recent years, Castellano has carried more than professional responsibility.
He lost his father in 2023. He watched his wife lose both her parents in rapid succession after unexpected health events. He also lost a close friend and partner, Eric “Tate” Taylor, who passed suddenly after a run.
Those experiences reshaped how he thinks about time and leadership.
“At some point you stop measuring life by the size of your practice,” he said. “You start thinking about whether you are happy and whether your people are supported.”
Castellano says joining Trenam was the second-best decision he ever made.
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The only one better was agreeing to go on a blind date with a girl named Celeste, with whom he’s raised three children and shared his life for nearly 40 years.
“She is the best partner in life I could ask for,” he said.
He also repeats a sentiment that has become personal.
“The firm carried me through things,” he said. “That creates a loyalty that is hard to explain.”
It shows up in how he leads. He is more patient. He pays closer attention to what people carry outside the office. He knows a firm’s strength comes from the people who choose to practice there.
“We are in the people business,” he said. “Someone has to be ready to lead after you. That is the whole point.”
What he wants next for the firm
Castellano speaks with steady confidence about Trenam’s future.
The St. Petersburg office continues to expand. Sarasota is a primary focus and has already attracted talented lawyers. He expects that office to grow quickly as demand increases.
“Sarasota is going to be a big part of our future,” he said. “There is a lot of opportunity there.”
He also spends significant time on recruiting, which he considers one of his most important responsibilities.
“You want people who want to be here,” he said. “You want people who enjoy the work.”
He wants the firm to grow, but not at the expense of culture. Stability matters. People matter. The next generation matters.
Looking ahead
Castellano plans to keep practicing law. He enjoys the work. He enjoys the clients. He enjoys helping people move their businesses forward.
He also knows leadership will demand more time as the firm grows, and he accepts that role with clarity.
When asked what he hopes the future looks like, he pauses and smiles.
“I have spent my whole career here. It has been really good. I want the next chapter to feel just as good,” he said.
He does not talk in grand gestures. He talks like someone raised on steady work and long relationships.
The same lesson sits underneath his story. Build something that lasts. Make sure someone is ready to carry it forward.
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