The St. Pete Economic Development Corp. recently celebrated Foot Locker and Webull, two companies that have relocated their global headquarters from New York to St. Petersburg, and other companies that have relocated during the past year at the organization’s 8th Annual Meeting. Since its founding in late 2016, the St. Pete EDC has:
- Announced 71 companies with relocations, expansions, or openings
- Announced more than 2,600 jobs
- Opened 442 job creation projects for companies considering relocation/expansion in St. Pete
Foot Locker Discusses Hiring and Promotes Sneaker Culture
In 2024, Foot Locker, Inc. announced plans to relocate its global headquarters from New York City to St. Petersburg in late 2025. At the EDC event, Frank Bracken, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Foot Locker, Inc., was welcomed by Mayor Ken Welch and spoke enthusiastically about the company’s upcoming relocation of its global headquarters.
“We’re going to be hanging the shingles and looking to hire,” he said. “We’re looking to recruit everything from merchandising, financial planning, accounting, supply chain, digital e-commerce, data analytics, reporting — all the core functions of our company are going to be needed. I’m certainly looking for great talent. We’re hopeful.” Foot Locker already has a strong presence in St. Petersburg, having consolidated about 250 employees into a St. Pete office. The new headquarters is expected to net 150 new jobs in St. Pete.
While there were a few suits-and-sneakers outfits in the crowd, Bracken joked that next year he expects everyone to be in sneakers. “Sneaker culture is a beautiful thing for those of you who don’t know a ton about it,” he said. “It connects all walks of life. It is becoming more democratic, more accepted in offices and schools and churches and all the way around. It’s an incredible community.”
In choosing to “Become St. Pete,” Foot Locker became a member of the growing St. Pete Fortune 500 Club alongside St. Petersburg’s Jabil and Raymond James, and Largo’s TD SYNNEX. The Tampa Bay metro area is second only to Miami in Fortune 500 headquarters in the state of Florida.
Webull Financial Extolls Appeal of St. Pete as an HQ Site
Webull Financial is a technology-driven financial services company offering a self-directed investment platform for individual investors. St. Pete EDC president & CEO Mike Swesey interviewed Webull Chief of Staff and Head of Strategic Partnerships & Strategic Development Carlos Questell about the company’s choice to open a St. Pete office in 2023 and subsequent decision to relocate its global headquarters to St. Petersburg. The company purchased the former Catalina Building because it could accommodate their future growth plans. Webull had 6 people come from New York initially to spearhead operations in St. Pete. So far, they have hired 135 local employees at above the average salary for financial institutions here in Florida with below turnover rate per year.
When discussing the factors that led Webull to choose St. Pete, Questell said, “The pro-business climate played a major role in our decision, along with the growing tech and financial ecosystem. We saw a lot of growth opportunities in St. Pete, including the talent pool availability from several universities, as well as networking opportunities with other fintech companies in the area.” He added, “There are many reasons why Webull chose St. Pete as our global headquarters, but one that stood out to us the most was the sense of community. This is a vibrant city that is experiencing exponential growth, and we are honored to contribute to and participate in all the amazing things St. Pete has to offer.”
“The pro-business climate played a major role in our decision, along with the growing tech and financial ecosystem. We saw a lot of growth opportunities in St. Pete, including the talent pool availability from several universities, as well as networking opportunities with other fintech companies in the area.”
Carlos Questell, Webull
