St. Pete Makes a Name for itself with NYC Firms

More than 50 Finovate Conference attendees, prospect companies, developers, and site selection consultants attended the ‘Future of Finance in the Sunshine City’ forum at Castell Rooftop in Times Square

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (October 2, 2019)— A cohort representing St. Pete’s financial services leaders joined the Greater St. Petersburg Area EDC in Times Square on October 25 to talk to New York-based companies about the business opportunity in the Sunshine City.

Prospect Meetings

While in The Big Apple, EDC President, J.P. DuBuque met with ten New York-based companies considering expanding or relocating to St. Petersburg— Seven of which, are planning visits to St. Pete as a result of the meetings.

Connecting with Media

In addition to the business development mission, the EDC and City of St. Pete sponsored a media initiative hosted by Dynasty Financial Partners that featured Founder and CEO Shirl Penney, and President of Raymond James Private Client Group Tash Elwyn.

CEO & Publisher of InvestmentNews, Suzanne Siracuse moderates a discussion between Tash Elwyn and Shirl Penney. “The delta in savings for our employees and company in terms of real estate, talent, taxes, and overall cost of living will allow us to maximize our future success,” Penney said.

Penney and Elwyn participated in a panel discussion that highlighted how the location of their St. Pete headquarters has impacted their success. Media represented at the forum included CNBC, Fox Business, and Barron’s, among others.

Future of Finance Reception

Immediately following the media panel, Elwyn and Penney joined Co-Founder and CEO of Intrinio Rachel Carpenter for a second panel discussion and a curated reception at one of NYC’s hottest new rooftop bars. More than 50 attendees from the Finovate fintech conference, taking place nearby, came to the St. Pete event, along with representatives from prospect companies, developers, and site selection consultants.

The signature cocktail, “Liquid Sunshine City,” William Dean Chocolates, and “You are my Sunshine City t-shirts” gave the event space a true St. Pete vibe

The conversation, moderated by St. Pete’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Reuben Pressman highlighted the benefits of doing business in St. Pete.

More about the event here.

More about the Finovate Conference here.

A huge thank you to our partners at the City of St. Petersburg, Dynasty Financial, and Raymond James for making this trip possible, along with EDC Investors Mac Feldman and Melissa Rutland, who attended the reception.

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