3 Daughters also partners with the
University of South Florida
St. Petersburg for a unique internship
and Brewing Arts program.
St. Pete native Bram Hechtkopf
joined his family’s ��rm, Kobie Marketing,
about 11 years ago, when
there were just 30 team members.
Today the customer loyalty solutions
marketing ��rm is experiencing
record growth and expects to
bring its workforce up to about 500
employees, says Hechtkopf, now
CEO. Last year Kobie Marketing
added to its corporate footprint in
St. Pete by leasing additional space
in the city’s Skyway Marina District’s
in the Ceridian of��ce complex.
“We’ve grown ten-fold over the last
few years,” says Hechtkopf. “From
a technology development standpoint,
St. Pete is a great market and
we’re able to ��nd the right talent
that we need to grow.”
BUSINESS SUPPORT
To support its emerging entrepreneurial
ecosystem, St. Pete is
building a culture of support. The
Greater St. Petersburg Area Economic
Development Corporation,
a new initiative of the St. Petersburg
Area Chamber of Commerce,
is focused on helping the city develop
��ve target industry sectors:
data analytics, ��nancial services,
marine and life sciences, specialty
manufacturing and creative arts
and design.
The Greenhouse, another partnership
between the city and the St.
Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce,
offers programs like 1 Million
Cups, an innovative forum for
early stage companies to present
their business plan to an enthusiastic
audience.
Through the Tampa Bay Innovation
Center, TEC Garage provides mentoring,
incubation and co-working
space and expertise to the Tampa
Bay startup community. Alakai, KynderMed,
Adoption Advocacy Center,
Agile Minder and PickMyKid
are among the organization’s many
current success stories.
INNOVATION DISTRICT
The Innovation District is a newly
branded area along the city’s
downtown waterfront that supports
a growing number of marine
science, medical, educational and
technology companies. Anchoring
the district at Bayboro Harbor is the
Ocean Team, a cluster of marinerelated
organizations that includes
NOAA, SRI St. Petersburg, Fish
and Wildlife Research Institute, the
United States Geological Survey
and the University of South Florida
College of Marine Science.
Close by are several equally
powerhouse organizations like
the Poynter Institute for Media
Studies, the University of South
Florida St. Petersburg and Johns
Hopkins All Children Hospital and
Research Center. Johns Hopkins
All Children’s is one of the largest
free-standing children’s hospitals
in the southeast and one of only
three free-standing children’s
hospitals in Florida.
“Johns Hopkins All Children’s is
leading the region when it comes
to recruiting the next generation
of pediatric experts, researching
approaches to cure and prevent
childhood disease and providing
the latest treatments in pediatric
care,” says Jonathan Ellen,
M.D., president and vice dean
of Johns Hopkins All Children’s
Hospital. “We’re looking forward
to additional organizations joining
us in the innovation district to
collaborate further in the areas
of health, life sciences and
education.”
A new 230,000-square-foot
Johns Hopkins All Children’s
Research and Education Building
is scheduled to open in the fall of
2018 and will serve as a pediatric
innovation center focused on
new research discoveries and
treatments for childhood diseases.
Power Design Inc.
NATIONAL
ACCLAIM
FOR
6 LOCAL
FIRMS
Six St. Pete companies
made the 2017 Inc. 5000
list of fast-growing private
companies in the U.S.:
The Penny Hoarder #25
The HOTH #820
Focus School Software
#1807
Power Design #2932
Squaremouth #3306
Insurance Services
Group of the Southeast,
Inc. #3326
City of St. Petersburg, Florida USA
St. Petersburg Chamber
One highlights of the new facility
will be the pediatric Simulation
Center, a training facility that
will “simulate” real-life, high-risk
clinical situations in pediatric
and neonatal medicine to further
health professionals’ education
and training.
34 'BURGLIFE | Living, Working and Playing in St. Petersburg, FL