St. Pete X

On this episode of SPx, Joe flies solo with St. Pete's very own Peter Betzer, President of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, and Dean Emeritus of the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. When Betzer arrived in St. Petersburg in 1971, the College of Marine Science had five faculty and a dozen graduate students and the city was known as a haven for the elderly and retired -...

On this episode of SPx, Joe and Ashley are joined in the studio by Michael Pastreich. At the time of the recording, Pastreich was in his final days as the President and CEO of the Florida Orchestra. He has since stepped down from his position after 12 years of breathing life into the organization. In this acumen-rich episode, Pastreich shares stories of growing up surrounded by symphonies, the pow...

On this episode of SPx, Joe and Ashley are joined by Kristen Shepherd, Executive Director of the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg. The youngest and the first female director of the museum, Shepherd is breathing life into the halls of St Pete's only comprehensive art collection. Equipped with more than two decades of experience working with Sotheby's and the Whitney Museum of American Art, Shephe...

On this episode of SPx, Ashley and Joe are joined by Dr. Hank Hine, Executive Director of the Dali Museum. Since Dr. Hine's tenure began in 2002, he has overseen the museum's move to its magnificent home at the anchor of Beach Drive and its many special exhibits highlighting Dali's connection and influence on the art community. Dr. Hine talks his role in reframing the Dali Museum's relationship wi...

On this episode of SPx, Joe and Ashley are joined in the studio by Dr. Jonathan Ellen of John's Hopkins All Children's Hospital. Dr. Ellen spent much of his extensive career as a social epidemiologist studying HIV/AIDS. In 2012, he was appointed President of All Children's Hospital. Over the next five years his visionary leadership, along with the selflessness of its Board of Trustees, brought the...

On this episode of SPx, Ashley and Joe welcome Joanna Sikes to the studio. Sikes is the Executive Director of the Imagine Museum, which opened in St. Pete in January 2018. Sikes boasts a long career in art curation and deep involvement in the American Studio Glass movement. The Imagine Museum is her fourth museum endeavor. Sikes spent 30 years working with visionary glass artist Dale Chihuly and n...

On this episode of #SPx, Joe and Ashley sit down with professional musician, entrepreneur and founder of the Arts Conservatory for Teens, Alex Harris. Harris has been running the highly successful ACT program for four years, the program has grown to serve nine locations and 800 students this year alone. The program boasts a 100 percent graduation rate in 2009, with 90 percent of students moving on...

On this episode of SPx, Joe & Ashley welcome a lifetime agent of systemic change, Randall Russell. Russell is the President & CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. In its third year, the Foundation is seeking to create a holistic picture of where Pinellas County is today - to catalyze collaboration with nonprofits, government entities and religious leaders that fosters transformative...

On this episode of SPx, Ashley welcomes Kelly McBride of Poynter Institute and Kyle Parks of B2 Communications to the show. Get a look at which media outlets this highly connected couple consume the most, and how everyday media consumers can be better fact-checkers. Kelly and Kyle have brought together their respective organizations through shared values around truthfulness and transparency, and t...

On this episode of SPx, Amy Rettig joins hosts Joe Hamilton and Ashley Ryneska in the studio to debunk the many myths surrounding Nielsen and their evolving work in measurement and data analytics (and subsequent advertising) since the company's founding in 1923. This year, Nielsen celebrates doing business in Florida for 50 years. Nielsen lives and dies by data. They measure everything from our co...

On this episode of SPx, we throw back to last May, when Joe sat down with Mike Harting to talk through St. Pete's past, it's evolving present, and what's coming for the future. Touching on topics ranging from arts and culture, to business and development - from Central avenue's spotty history, to its smashing independent business scene - this conversation has something for everyone. This interview...

On this episode of SPx, Joe & Ashley sit down with Station House owner, Tampa Bay Investor, and curator of St. Pete's cool vibes - Steve Gianfilippo. His company, Gianco, is poised to open two new locations of his beloved St. Pete co-working and community space in the next year. The Station House Arcade, soon to open on the 600 Block of Central Ave in St. Pete and Hyde Park Village in Tampa, set t...

On this episode of SPx, hosts Joe & Ashley sit down with iQor CEO Hartmut Liebel to get to the bottom of iQor's unique business model. They discuss how St. Petersburg won out over cities like Chicago, Charlotte and many others for iQor's global headquarters, and what the company is looking for from a talent perspective. Liebel shares his passion projects, local business heroes, and "selfish" morni...

On this episode of SPx, Joe and Ashley attempt to pitch an HGTV show with Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas CEO, Mike Sutton. In this lively and insightful discussion, Sutton talks tactics and challenges behind his first experience as CEO and how he's leveraged his background to grow Pinellas' Habitat into the second largest affiliate in the country - constructing 59 new homes last year. Along the...

On this episode of SPx, host Ashley Ryneska welcomes local change agent Emery Ivery, Chief Impact Officer of United Way Suncoast to the show. Ivery talks the business of philanthropy, and the impact the United Way has made through thriving corporate partnerships with companies like Baycare, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Duke Energy. He shares the values that got him started as a psychiatric social worke...

On this episode of SPx, Ashley and Joe co-host Beth Houghton, executive director of the St. Pete Free Clinic. Houghton has received the most shout-outs on our show to date - for good reason. Equipped as a CPA, attorney, and MBA, this local powerhouse has chosen to spend the last six years leading one of the largest non-profit organizations in Tampa Bay. Houghton has not only revolutionized the Fre...

On this episode of SPx, host Ashley Ryneska sits down with Tim Moore, CEO of the Emmy award-winning video production company, Diamond View Studios. They tackle everything from Moore's inescapable "millennial" title to the ways in which viewer values and attention span have changed the advertising industry. From its humble start in his parents' house 10 years ago (in the midst of the Great Recessio...

On this episode of SPx, host Joe Hamilton sits down with Kyle Taylor, millennial founder and CEO of the multimillion dollar company, Taylor Media. Publisher of The Penny Hoarder, Taylor Media's mission is to put more money in people's pockets. Enjoy this conversation on St. Pete's entrepreneurial environment, Kyle's take on the changing faces of education and business for an evolving economy, and...

On this episode of SPx, Sara & Nathan Stonecipher sit down with host Ashley Ryneska to talk about the 2 entrepreneur family. Sara's MISRED Outfitters, and Nathan's Green Bench Brewing, are staples in St. Pete's booming small business landscape. The couple discusses their entrepreneurial origins, different styles of doing business and what lies ahead.  

On this episode of SPx, Ashley and Joe co-host Community Foundation of Tampa Bay's Vice President of Community Impact - Matt Spence. Spence explains how his career and his passions have evolved throughout the years in tandem with the various roles he has played as an integral member of the non-profit community of St. Pete, and his most recent niche in grant funding. This fun episode explores in th...

On this episode of SPx, Joe and Ashley take another stab at co-hosting, as they welcome the very spirited Craig Sher, Executive Chairman of the Sembler Company. In this multi-faceted conversation, Sher talks "nuclear bombing" as a life philosophy and the importance of heroic ventures in business and civic life. Sher played an integral part in the development of downtown St. Petersburg and shares,...

On this episode of SPx, host Ashley Ryneska sits down with third generation Floridian and Florida Market President of Republic Bank, David Feaster. A highly involved member of St. Pete's community, Feaster was Chair of All Children's hospital, and helped to bring the Rays to St. Pete through the Chamber. In his many ventures in banking, from giants like Bank of America, to small community banks li...

This episode of SPx is a team effort. Joe and Ashley co-host the show for the first time, welcoming Senator Jeff Brandes to the studio. Senator Brandes gives us an in-depth view of his legislative agenda, talks prioritizing policy over politics and finding issues where he can make a real impact. Coming from a libertarian perspective, Brandes has never been afraid of crossing party lines. Establish...

On this episode of SPx, we sit down with past St. Pete Chamber Board Chair and VP of Manning and Napier, Greg Holden. A native of Ohio, Holden has earned deep roots in the St. Pete community through his tireless work to help rebuild the Chamber, and through his involvement in programs such as St Pete Young Professionals and Leadership St. Pete. Alongside his wave-making Leadership St. Pete cohort,...

On this episode of SPx, we discuss doing business in St. Pete with former Silicon Valley executives Christina Cherry & Chad Nuss. Co-founders of InsideOut Sales Innovation Lab, this pair shares a passion for innovative business solutions and foresight in an oft-neglected area - sales. Gone are the days of trite sales calls and emails - they'll get into the metaphorical mud with host Joe Hamilton,...