2026 Apogee Awards Finalists

Since becoming president and majority owner of Bartow Ford in 2017, Benny Robles Jr. has led one of Florida’s most recognized Ford dealerships through a period of sustained growth and national recognition. Under his leadership, the dealership has earned 27 Ford President’s Awards, the Ford Triple Crown and the Ford True Blue Award.

Named to Automotive News’ “40 Under 40,” Robles has continued the family business founded by his father while strengthening its reputation across Polk County. During the pandemic, Bartow Ford retained its 300 employees, positioning the dealership to respond quickly as demand returned.

Robles also supports the community through programs including Drive for Excellence, Concert on the Lot and Back the Blue, along with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Habitat for Humanity.

As president of Ultimate Medical Academy’s Clearwater campus, Dr. Shadel Hamilton has strengthened partnerships between education and the region’s healthcare industry, helping align academic programs with workforce needs across Tampa Bay.

Working with hospitals, healthcare providers and employers, he has expanded opportunities for students while helping address persistent staffing shortages in healthcare. Beyond the campus, Hamilton serves as chair of Leadership Tampa and on the boards of the Tampa Bay Chamber and MOSI while supporting the American Heart Association’s Executive Cabinet.

Under his leadership, the Clearwater campus has continued to build pathways into high-demand healthcare professions, helping connect students with careers while strengthening the workforce that serves communities throughout the region.

Melissa Golombek leads Tampa General Hospital’s academic medical center, overseeing one of Florida’s largest and most complex healthcare operations while guiding its next phase of growth, including a new surgical and inpatient tower scheduled to open in 2028.

Selected after a national search, she oversees care spanning more than 980 beds, 50 operating and procedural rooms and the region’s only Level I Trauma Center. Golombek has helped expand care focused on earlier intervention, stronger coordination and improving access beyond the traditional hospital setting.

Beyond the hospital, she serves on the Glazer Children’s Museum board, supports organizations that serve children and families throughout Tampa Bay, and mentors the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Billy West became the first non-family president in M.E. Wilson’s 106-year history after helping guide the independent insurance and risk advisory firm through a period of sustained growth and modernization.

Since taking the role in 2022, he has overseen the firm’s expansion to eight offices, 150 employees and more than $450 million in managed premiums while maintaining a 95% client retention rate. Following the death of longtime company leader Guy King, West maintained the firm’s relationship-driven culture while guiding it into its next chapter.

As consolidation reshapes the insurance industry, he has emphasized trusted advisory services, supported by investments in technology and analytics. Beyond the office, West supports organizations including the Children’s Cancer Center while encouraging employees to serve throughout the community.

Ray Ferrara built ProVise Management Group on a decision that reshaped both his career and the financial planning profession. After refusing repeated requests to participate in conduct he believed was unethical, Ferrara was dismissed from a senior leadership position and, three days later, founded ProVise.

Four decades later, the Clearwater-based registered investment advisory firm serves 1,200 clients across more than 30 states. As chair of the CFP Board in 2014 and later chair of its Commission on Standards, Ferrara helped establish the fiduciary standard governing CFP professionals who provide financial advice.

Today, he is leading ProVise’s transition to employee ownership while continuing to mentor advisors and expand financial education through his Up Your Assets podcast.

Justin Kimmich co-founded Kimmich | Smith Architecture in 2017 after leading operations for an international architecture practice, building the Tampa-based firm into a design studio known for mixed-use, multifamily and hospitality projects across Florida.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience, he helps clients evaluate project feasibility while navigating financing and regulatory approvals before construction begins. Launching the firm while raising a newborn and overcoming an early cash-flow crisis shaped the operational discipline that continues to guide its growth.

Beyond the office, Kimmich serves on Clearwater’s Building and Flood Board of Adjustment and Appeals, mentors young adults through his church and co-founded Crossroad Connections, a leadership forum for business professionals.

After more than five decades developing commercial real estate, Les Rubin turned his attention to improving public understanding of fiscal policy. He founded Main Street Economics in 2019, drawing on a career that began as a certified public accountant and later included helping establish Pinellas County’s Enterprise Village, a program that became a model for similar initiatives across the country.

Through Main Street Economics, Rubin writes, speaks and meets with policymakers to explain federal debt, government spending and fiscal policy in practical terms.

After rebuilding his business following hardship, he now devotes most of his time and personal resources to expanding the organization’s educational mission and encouraging informed public discussion of long-term fiscal issues.

Trey” Lawson expanded Liquor Depot beyond its roots as a family-owned retailer, adding locations while introducing hospitality concepts that broadened the company’s presence across Tampa Bay.

After taking over the business founded by his father, Lawson built on its reputation for customer service while launching ventures including Joy Bar, a Christmas-themed destination that reflects his entrepreneurial approach. As consumer preferences evolved, he diversified beyond traditional retail while preserving the relationships that helped establish the brand.

Lawson has paired that growth with community involvement, including a partnership with former Buccaneer Mike Alstott that has raised more than $60,000 for the Mike Alstott Family Foundation, alongside support for Starting Right Now, Operation Ride Home and hurricane relief efforts.

Bryan Stern founded Grey Bull Rescue to rescue Americans and allies from war zones, disaster areas and other high-risk environments where traditional government response is limited. A combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient and 9/11 first responder, Stern has spent nearly three decades leading military and crisis response operations.

He has directed more than 800 missions that have helped save more than 8,700 lives. From its Tampa headquarters, Grey Bull Rescue has grown to more than 150 team members supporting operations in more than 80 countries.

After leaving his previous organization, Stern launched Grey Bull Rescue with nearly his entire former team. Today, the organization responds to hostage recoveries, humanitarian evacuations and disaster deployments worldwide.

Linda Olson built Tampa Bay Wave from a small Meetup group into one of Florida’s leading technology startup accelerators, helping shape Tampa Bay’s innovation economy. Since launching the organization’s accelerator in 2013, Wave has supported more than 670 startups that have raised more than $1.8 billion in investment capital and created more than 7,300 jobs.

Olson also secured more than $30 million in public and private funding while preserving Wave’s nonprofit model, allowing founders to retain ownership of their companies. In 2022, she testified before Congress on regional innovation economies.

She also serves on the boards of the USF Research Foundation, USF CAMLS, Visit Tampa Bay, the Tampa Downtown Partnership Foundation and Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay.

Mike Trepper has spent three decades leading organizations that serve vulnerable children, bringing that experience to Pasco Kids First, where he oversees one of the region’s primary child advocacy centers for victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Since becoming president and chief executive officer in 2022, he has expanded services while guiding the organization through growing demand. In 2025, Pasco Kids First joined a multiagency child trafficking operation led by the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and FDLE that resulted in the recovery of 122 children, the largest operation of its kind in Florida history.

Away from the office, Trepper has spent nearly two decades mentoring young baseball players as “Coach Mike” while supporting children and families throughout Tampa Bay.

Crystal Lazar has expanded Habitat for Humanity of East and Central Pasco County’s capacity to build affordable homes while leading increasingly complex development projects in one of Florida’s fastest-growing regions. Since becoming president and chief executive officer in 2019, she has expanded homeownership opportunities and strengthened the organization’s role as an affordable housing developer.

One of her defining achievements was transforming donated land many considered too difficult to develop into a 13-home neighborhood for first-time homeowners. After years of securing rezoning approvals, infrastructure funding and public-private partnerships, the final family moved into its home just before Christmas.

Lazar also serves on local, state and international Habitat advisory and leadership boards.

Natasha Nascimento left a career in finance in 2010 to found Redefining Refuge, creating one of the Tampa Bay region’s first organizations dedicated exclusively to children who have experienced trafficking, exploitation and complex trauma. She has built the nonprofit through partnerships with law enforcement, healthcare providers, schools and child welfare agencies, expanding services as online exploitation has grown more sophisticated.

During a large-scale child recovery operation, Redefining Refuge helped a pregnant trafficking survivor begin rebuilding her life before giving birth to a healthy child after her trafficker received a life sentence.

Nascimento also serves on the Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay board and remains active with the Junior League of Tampa.

Kelly Flannery has spent the past 13 years expanding the South Tampa Chamber into a leading business advocacy organization focused on economic development, workforce partnerships and military engagement.

Under her leadership, membership has grown to more than 700 businesses while the organization has earned state and national recognition, including Florida Chamber of the Year honors. During the pandemic, Flannery shifted the chamber’s focus to business recovery, providing reopening guidance and virtual education for local companies.

She later helped businesses recover from the 2024 hurricane season by connecting them with resources and grant funding. Flannery also helped establish the MacDill Support Council Foundation, strengthening ties between Tampa’s business community and MacDill Air Force Base.

After retiring from the U.S. Army, Maj. Mack Macksam founded Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay, creating Florida’s first nonprofit dedicated to alternative art therapies for veterans, active-duty service members, first responders and their families.

Over the past 13 years, he has raised more than $4 million to expand programs serving thousands of participants and to introduce family initiatives that have reached more than 29,000 children. Macksam has also brought major public exhibitions, including the American Soldier Exhibit and the Gold Star Tribute Wall, to Tampa Bay through partnerships with government, philanthropy and the private sector.

He continues to serve on military, civic and veterans advisory boards supporting service members and their families throughout the region.

Adam Giery helped rescue and ultimately acquire Strategos Group after joining the education consultancy in 2015 as it faced significant financial losses. Diagnosed with a learning disability as a student, he credits educators with changing the course of his life, an experience that led him into teaching and later education consulting.

Over the next decade, Giery helped rebuild the business, became managing partner and later acquired the firm with his partners. During the pandemic, Strategos lost nearly a year’s projected revenue, yet its leadership chose to retain every employee while repositioning the company for growth.

Giery also serves on the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County board and organizes TEDx events across Tampa Bay.

Amanda Buffinton became the first woman to serve as managing partner of Shutts & Bowen’s Tampa office while continuing to lead a nationally recognized construction law practice. A Florida Bar board-certified construction lawyer, she oversees the firm’s Tampa office while representing contractors, developers and design professionals in complex disputes.

Early in her career, Buffinton and a female colleague tried a major construction case together, reinforcing her commitment to mentoring women entering the profession. Today, she fosters collaboration within the office while encouraging attorneys to expand their pro bono service.

She also supports initiatives including the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Pro Bono River Run and Judicial Food Festival, extending legal services throughout the Tampa Bay community.

Cathleen Ryan Reneer rose to managing director at JPMorgan Chase less than five years after joining the firm and now leads global identity and access management operations while overseeing the company’s Tampa Technology Center.

Earlier in her career at IBM, she became the first chief privacy officer for the company’s Business Process Outsourcing division, building expertise in cybersecurity, privacy and enterprise technology.

Beyond JPMorgan Chase, Reneer serves on the Tampa Bay Wave board, advises cybersecurity startups and helps expand executive education in artificial intelligence. She also mentors emerging leaders through organizations including the Executive Women’s Forum, Women in Tech and Women in CyberSecurity while encouraging more women to pursue technology careers.

Julie Davis became the first female shareholder in Rivero, Gordimer & Company’s history after joining the firm in 2018 and expanding its nonprofit practice. A licensed CPA, she advises organizations that play a central role in the Tampa Bay community while helping strengthen the firm’s support for the nonprofit sector.

Beyond client work, Davis serves in leadership roles with SPCA Florida, Leadership Tampa Bay and the Leadership Tampa Bay Foundation.

She also leads RGCO’s RGCares initiative, coordinating employee volunteer efforts and charitable giving, while helping organize the firm’s annual Nonprofit Appreciation Day, which provides education and professional resources to nonprofit leaders throughout the region.

Annette Richmond O’Malley has built her career leading global technology operations for Fortune 500 companies, helping organizations improve service delivery across complex enterprise environments. As a senior director at PwC, she leads global IT service management and operations initiatives, drawing on expertise in governance, operating model design and continual service improvement.

One of her defining assignments took her to India, where she led the transition of an outsourced technology operation while strengthening accountability and cross-cultural collaboration.

Beyond PwC, O’Malley leads the firm’s U.S. IT Services community outreach efforts and serves as vice chair of Girls Inc. Pinellas, continuing decades of work supporting literacy, education and opportunities for women and girls throughout Tampa Bay.

Keith Fulmer has helped build the technology foundation behind Brundage Group’s growth, developing systems that enable hospitals to improve clinical and operational workflows. As chief technology officer, he has contributed to the company’s recognition as one of Tampa Bay’s fastest-growing businesses while helping healthcare organizations connect fragmented systems and strengthen physician-led review.

Fulmer believes the strongest technology teams are built through collaboration, a philosophy reinforced when a new software developer approached him for help solving a complex problem despite his role as the system’s original architect.

Outside the office, Fulmer volunteers with Feeding Tampa Bay alongside his children and helps organize the Love McKinley charity event benefiting Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Petar Besalev has helped build A-LIGN into a global cybersecurity and compliance firm by expanding the teams responsible for security assessments, advisory and federal cybersecurity services. Earlier in his career at EY, he developed expertise helping organizations navigate increasingly complex cybersecurity and regulatory requirements.

As A-LIGN expanded, Besalev focused on building standardized processes while maintaining the technical quality and client trust that support the firm’s growth.

Beyond the business, he serves on the boards of Tampa Bay Tech and Tampa Bay Wave, advises the University of Tampa’s Information and Technology Management program and mentors founders through Tampa Bay Wave’s CyberTech|X accelerator while supporting organizations including Metropolitan Ministries, Feeding Tampa Bay and A Kid’s Place.

Brian T. Palumbo, MD, has combined a high-volume orthopedic practice with medical innovation and charitable care. At Florida Orthopaedic Institute, he performs 800 to 900 hip and knee replacements each year while training orthopedic fellows and serving on the University of South Florida faculty.

As co-founder, president and chief medical officer of Actuos Medical, he helped develop a patented cementless partial knee replacement advancing toward FDA review. In 2020, Palumbo founded Tampa’s Operation Walk USA program, which has become the nation’s highest-volume provider of free joint replacement surgery for uninsured patients.

He also founded a free orthopedic clinic and co-founded Mission to Motion to expand charitable orthopedic care.

Gretchen Bauer founded BSWANKY to prove a luxury design house could be built from Sarasota rather than a traditional fashion capital. Over the past nine years, she has created one-of-a-kind collectible handbags blending couture craftsmanship with fine art.

BSWANKY gained international attention through a collaboration with designer Christian Cowan at New York Fashion Week, with its work later appearing in film, on Broadway, in museum exhibitions and through luxury hospitality partnerships.

Bauer has also helped nonprofit organizations raise more than $1.4 million through donated handbags and luxury experiences. She continues to expand the brand through collaborations in fashion, hospitality and entertainment while preserving handcrafted artistry from the company’s Sarasota studio.

Rodney Nieves left a corporate career to co-found Structure Interior Design Studio with his husband and business partner, Luis Arroyo, building a Tampa firm specializing in luxury residential and commercial interiors. In three years, the studio has grown from a shared vision into a full-service practice known for thoughtful, human-centered design.

Nieves guides projects from concept through completion while balancing aesthetics, functionality and wellness. He is pursuing WELL AP certification to expand the firm’s expertise in wellness-centered design, while Arroyo works toward a general contractor license to strengthen its integrated approach to project delivery.

Together, they also support local organizations through volunteer service, sponsorships and pro bono design assistance.

Casey Gonzmart Jr. has helped carry one of Florida’s oldest family-owned restaurant companies into its fifth generation, balancing more than a century of tradition with the demands of a changing hospitality industry.

After Hurricanes Helene and Milton flooded the Columbia Restaurant and Cha Cha Coconuts on St. Armands Circle in 2024, Gonzmart worked alongside employees and contractors to restore both restaurants while keeping staff on payroll throughout the recovery. The Columbia reopened just six weeks later.

During the pandemic, he also helped coordinate meal deliveries and financial assistance for employees while supporting efforts that allowed the company to retain 95% of its workforce after reopening. Gonzmart also helps lead the family’s long-running Community Harvest charitable program.

John Duffy helped build City Wide Facility Solutions of Tampa Bay from a startup into one of the company’s largest franchises by focusing on leadership development, accountability and operational systems. Since launching the business with partner Steve Howerton in 2010, he has emphasized building leaders while creating opportunities for employees and independent contractors to succeed together.

That approach earned Duffy and his team the International Franchise Association’s Franchisee of the Year award.

Beyond the business, he mentors entrepreneurs through the International Franchise Association and City Wide’s franchise network while supporting LiFT, a Pinellas County school serving young adults with neurodiversities. City Wide has helped raise and donate nearly $750,000 to support the school’s mission.

Ben Gilbert has helped transform Evara Health into one of the region’s largest nonprofit healthcare organizations by aligning financial strategy with its mission to expand access to care. Since becoming chief financial officer in 2016, he has helped guide the organization’s growth to approximately 65,000 patients each year through more than 250,000 annual visits across 20 locations.

Gilbert also played a central role in securing a $20 million New Markets Tax Credit financing package that strengthened Evara’s ability to invest in patients, facilities and new services.

Beyond finance, he mentors emerging leaders while supporting the Evara Health Foundation, Junior Achievement and education initiatives throughout Pinellas County.

The financial crisis of 2008 shaped Ben Lemoine’s approach to leadership long before he became chief financial officer of Suncoast Credit Union. Working through one of the banking industry’s most turbulent periods reinforced the importance of transparency, consistency and trust.

Today, he oversees the financial strategy of Florida’s largest credit union while helping guide major initiatives, including the integration of Launch Credit Union. Lemoine also founded The Fifteen Group, a peer network connecting chief financial officers from many of the nation’s largest credit unions to share ideas and strengthen leadership across the industry.

Beyond the office, he supports organizations including the American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks and the Chartway Promise Foundation.

Rebecca Garger led NextPath Workforce Solutions’ first acquisition from the buyer’s side, managing the transaction from due diligence and negotiations through closing and integration. The acquisition expanded the company’s capabilities while accelerating its evolution into a broader workforce solutions business.

As chief financial officer, Garger has continued to expand her leadership beyond finance, helping guide strategic planning, operations and long-term growth. She considers mentoring future leaders among her most meaningful accomplishments, with several employees advancing into leadership roles under her guidance.

Beyond the business, Garger supports organizations including Think Big for Kids, the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council and the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation.

Ashley Wait-Woodcock has built a career connecting people with opportunity through real estate, public service and community leadership. At AWS Title Services, she combines legal, operational and business development experience to help buyers, sellers, lenders and investors navigate residential and commercial transactions throughout Florida.

Earlier in her career, she served in the Florida House Majority Office, where she developed the relationship-building skills that continue to shape her work today.

Beyond the business, Wait-Woodcock founded So God Made a Teacher Inc., a nonprofit connecting educators with foster children through mentorship and support. She also serves with Operation Helping Hand of Tampa and the 13th Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee of The Florida Bar.

Dee Garcia has helped finance Tampa Bay Wave’s expansion by transforming its fundraising operation and building partnerships with government agencies, foundations, corporations and individual donors.

Since joining the nonprofit in 2019, she has helped support the growth of Wave’s technology accelerators while strengthening the funding model behind Tampa Bay’s startup ecosystem. When the pandemic disrupted access to capital for many early-stage companies, Garcia drew on her commercial banking experience to create a microloan fund that helped founders remain in business while securing additional financing.

Beyond Wave, she funds scholarships for University of South Florida students and serves on university and civic boards supporting entrepreneurship and economic development.

Patrik Hansson has helped position AquaFence at the forefront of flood resilience by leading the company’s U.S. operations and global commercial strategy.

His work drew national attention during the 2024 hurricane season, when AquaFence’s flood barrier system protected Tampa General Hospital through Hurricanes Helene and Milton, allowing nearly 900 patients to remain safely in place while the hospital continued operating.

After more than 25 years in investment banking, hedge funds and capital markets, Hansson shifted his focus to infrastructure resilience, helping governments and businesses prepare for increasingly severe flooding. He also supports Feeding America, youth hockey initiatives and AquaFence’s community partnerships, including the donation of a flood barrier system to The Florida Aquarium.

Brittany Ward founded The 21st Agency in 2016 with $5,000, no outside investors and a one-year commitment to prove her vision for a strategy-first marketing firm. Nearly a decade later, the Tampa-based agency serves clients including DoorDash, the U.S. Air Force, Pampered Chef and MaxHealth.

During the pandemic, Ward launched Tampa Bay Goes Live, a digital platform highlighting local businesses adapting to unprecedented challenges. She has since expanded the agency’s capabilities by incorporating artificial intelligence to strengthen research, creative testing and performance while maintaining a strategy-first approach.

Beyond the business, Ward mentors students, creates internship pathways and supports organizations including Think Big for Kids, The Spring and Compassion International.

After more than three decades in television news, Maureen Famiano founded MEFMedia to help businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations earn meaningful media coverage. Following leadership roles at WFLA and WTSP, she launched the Tampa-based firm, where clients have since secured national placements reaching more than 40 million viewers and listeners.

A Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis reshaped how she used her experience, leading her to focus on healthcare awareness, nonprofit organizations and entrepreneurs whose stories might otherwise go untold.

Beyond her business, Famiano chairs The Centre Club’s Philanthropy Council and has served in leadership roles with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Lung Association and other community organizations.

Misty Carson left a corporate leadership career to found The Unbreakable Advantage Institute, building an executive coaching and leadership development firm centered on leading through change and uncertainty. She has expanded the organization through executive coaching, speaking engagements, online education and a forthcoming book.

Carson became a single mother as a teenager and overcame abuse and poverty before building her corporate career, experiences that continue to shape her work with executives, entrepreneurs and emerging leaders.

Beyond the institute, she serves as advocacy co-chair for Pace Center for Girls Hillsborough, sits on the Junior League of Tampa Community Advisory Board and co-founded the Florida chapter of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation.

Karla Detert has spent more than two decades in human resources helping organizations build stronger workplaces. During the past three years, she has helped transform the employee experience at Atlas Insurance by introducing structured performance management, formal compensation programs, career paths and consistent onboarding.

As the agency grew from 49 to 71 employees, those changes strengthened its human resources foundation and workplace culture. The results became visible as Atlas climbed from eighth to second in the regional Top Workplaces rankings based entirely on employee feedback, while earning a 97% workplace experience score.

Beyond the office, Detert serves on the Loveland Center board, is president-elect of the local SHRM chapter and participates in Impact 100.

Mason Salit has spent more than 35 years helping financial services organizations identify, develop and retain talent. Over the past eight years, he has helped build the talent strategy behind Dynasty Financial Partners’ growth in St. Petersburg, where the company has hired more than 170 employees.

Salit also launched Dynasty Talent Management Services, providing recruiting, leadership development and talent strategy to wealth management firms across the company’s network.

Beyond Dynasty, he serves on the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corp.’s Board of Governors, helps recruit businesses to the region and is developing financial education initiatives with Academy Prep while supporting organizations including Think Big for Kids.

Colleen Lama founded Lama Pediatric Therapy in 2019 after seeing how difficult it was for families to coordinate pediatric therapy across multiple providers and insurance plans. Drawing on her experience as a speech-language pathologist and board-certified behavior analyst, she built a practice that brings speech therapy, occupational therapy and applied behavior analysis services together under one roof.

Today, the organization serves hundreds of children across the region and employs nearly 50 clinicians and support staff. Lama spent years navigating insurance credentialing systems to expand access to coordinated care before securing contracts with every major insurer she pursued.

She now focuses on building the leadership team and systems that support the practice’s continued growth.

John Mejia brought the leadership lessons he learned as a West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer to the family business his father founded, helping strengthen Mega Service Solutions through investments in systems, employee development and operational discipline.

Before entering the business, Mejia commanded more than 100 U.S. soldiers during a Middle East deployment, overseeing more than $1 billion in equipment while bringing every soldier home safely. He considers the successful reintegration of every member of his unit, including zero post-deployment suicides, the defining accomplishment of his leadership career.

Beyond the business, Mejia supports Gold Star Families and veteran entrepreneurs through the Mega Charity Golf Classic and related initiatives.

After three decades in accounting and financial services, Troy Atlas left corporate leadership to purchase Storm Shielder, a family-owned hurricane protection company founded in 1986. Learning the business meant working alongside installation crews, measuring homes, ordering materials and supporting daily operations while modernizing the company’s systems.

Those efforts helped retain key employees, expand product offerings and sustain double-digit annual growth. Atlas recently earned his contractor’s license, reflecting his commitment to understanding every aspect of the business he leads.

Beyond Storm Shielder, he has devoted decades to civic leadership through organizations including the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation, Leadership Tampa Alumni and the CEO Council of Tampa Bay.

David Ward has spent the past 16 years growing Buddy Brew Coffee from a single Tampa café into a regional coffee company with cafés, wholesale operations and packaged products sold throughout Florida and beyond. As co-founder and chief executive officer, he has guided the company’s growth while preserving the hospitality that established Buddy Brew’s reputation.

Through supply chain disruptions, hurricanes and rising coffee prices, Ward has focused on developing leaders from within while maintaining the company’s people-first culture. During major storms, Buddy Brew employees served first responders, utility crews and neighbors across Tampa Bay.

Ward also serves on the board of First Priority of Tampa Bay and as finance committee chair at South Tampa Fellowship.

Kyle King spent more than two decades working through nearly every role in the restaurant business before becoming the first chief executive officer of Cru Hospitality Group. Since joining the company in 2019, he has helped grow Cru Cellars into a hospitality group operating six restaurant concepts and an expanding catering and events business.

After a rapid period of expansion, King focused on strengthening the organization through leadership development, employee retention and career growth. He regularly seeks ideas from frontline employees while building long-term opportunities in an industry known for high turnover.

Beyond the business, King supports organizations including Feeding Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.

Paul DeGance helped build 1Source Partners by proving an independent accounting firm could grow through technology, acquisitions and talent while remaining independently owned. Since co-founding the Tampa-based firm with Tanya Mejia, he has expanded two small accounting practices into a firm serving clients across Florida.

DeGance credits the firm’s success to its collaborative foundation and continued investment in people, technology and disciplined growth. He considers the advancement of interns into leadership roles among the firm’s most meaningful accomplishments.

Beyond the office, DeGance serves on the AdventHealth Foundation board in Hillsborough County while supporting the development of future accounting professionals throughout the community where he was raised.

Christopher Tebben has built his career leading growth and transformation for some of the world’s best-known restaurant and consumer brands. After executive leadership roles with Starbucks, Mars Retail Group, P.F. Chang’s and Pizza Hut UK & Ireland, he became chief executive officer of Checkers & Rally’s in 2024 to lead one of the nation’s largest drive-thru restaurant systems.

Since joining the company, Tebben has focused on strengthening restaurant performance, franchise partnerships and guest experience while modernizing the brand. He regularly spends time with frontline employees to understand operational challenges and customer needs.

Beyond the business, Tebben supports leadership development and organizations including Habitat for Humanity and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

After seven years on Wall Street, Kal Gullapalli left finance in 2016 to pursue franchising, beginning with a single Orangetheory Fitness studio before becoming one of the nation’s largest Marco’s Pizza franchisees. Today, Built Different Brands operates seven franchise brands across restaurants, wellness and beauty and employs more than 1,500 people.

When the pandemic forced his fitness locations to close, Gullapalli shifted aggressively into restaurant brands, laying the foundation for the company’s continued expansion. As the business has grown, he has focused on building leadership teams, with many managers advancing from entry-level positions.

Beyond the business, Built Different Brands supports schools, first responders and underserved families throughout the communities it serves.

Bob Clark has spent more than six decades helping shape Florida’s skyline, leading Tampa Steel Erecting Company through economic downturns, industry shifts and some of the state’s most recognizable construction projects. After joining the company in 1961, he rose to president and spent the next 36 years overseeing a business that fabricated and erected steel for bridges and landmark structures across Florida. Along the way, Tampa Steel contributed to projects including Tampa City Center and EPCOT’s iconic Spaceship Earth, two projects Clark still considers defining moments of his career.

Clark built his leadership on steady decision-making during periods of uncertainty. Through multiple recessions and changing construction markets, he focused on controlling overhead, carefully selecting projects and positioning the company for long-term stability. That discipline carried Tampa Steel through decades of change and positioned the company for its next chapter, culminating in its acquisition by Precision Build in 2025.

Beyond the business, Clark has remained deeply engaged in the Tampa Bay community, serving organizations including the Tampa Bay Chamber, Visit Tampa Bay and Floridians for Better Transportation while leading the Miss Tampa organization since 1992. Even after 65 years with the company, he continues to mentor the next generation of leaders, extending a career defined as much by showing up every day as by the projects that bear his company’s steel.

Edward Virgil Szczepanik has led MacDill Air Force Base through one of the most demanding periods in its recent history, commanding a 4,300-member wing that supports up to 17,000 personnel and oversees a global air refueling mission. As commander of MacDill and the 6th Air Refueling Wing, he oversees an $8 billion installation, manages a $156 million budget and supports U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and more than 30 joint mission partners.

That responsibility became especially visible when Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Tampa Bay in 2024. Szczepanik led two full evacuations of MacDill, secured the installation and kept military families informed through frequent public updates that reached service members and residents across the region. After each storm, his team returned within hours to reopen the base for mission-essential personnel despite flooding, debris and an estimated $170 million in damage following Milton.

Throughout the recovery, the wing continued to fly KC-135 air-refueling missions in support of overseas operations, and MacDill welcomed President Biden just 48 hours after Milton crossed the region. A command pilot with more than 3,260 flight hours and 677 combat hours, Szczepanik will conclude his MacDill assignment this summer before assuming a leadership role at the Pentagon. His tenure also coincided with MacDill and the Tampa Bay community earning the 2025 Abilene Trophy, recognizing the nation’s strongest partnership between an Air Force installation and its surrounding community, the first time the honor had returned to Tampa since 2003.