The Bay Builds Podcast

Doubling Down Before Anyone Believed | Mike Griffin, Vice Chair and Co-Head of the Florida Region, Savills

Before Mike Griffin knew what commercial real estate was, he was walking up and down the sun-baked stands of Tampa Stadium selling Cokes and peanuts to a crowd of strangers. That early lesson in showing up, working hard, and earning something stuck. So did Tampa. Mike Griffin is Vice Chair and Co-Head of the Florida Region of Savills, responsible for more than 13 million square feet of transactions across 18 states and 15 countries. He brokered the first Fortune 500 relocation in Tampa's history and signed the first lease in Water Street. He became the youngest chairman in the 135-year history of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed to the Tampa Port Authority by the governor. He serves today as Vice Chair of the USF Board of Trustees and Chair of the Finance Committee, where he has been a central architect of the new on-campus football stadium. And he did all of it from the same city where he grew up, choosing to double down on Tampa before most people believed it was worth the bet. In this conversation with host Tracie Domino, Mike talks about what it means to invest in a place before the world catches up, how his mentor Ann Duncan hired him as her first employee straight out of USF and changed the trajectory of his life, why trust is the only thing he is actually selling, and what it cost him personally to build a city-level reputation over two decades. He also gets into the global lens he brings to Tampa deals, why life sciences is the city's next North Star, and what it took to get a $400 million on-campus football stadium across the finish line at USF. This one is for the builders. The ones who stayed. The ones who are still deciding whether to stay. And the ones who just need someone to remind them that the best time to bet on something is always before everyone else figures out it's worth it. Find Mike at savillsus.com and follow what's happening at USF at usf.edu. Chapters * Betting on Tampa Before Anyone Else Did * Selling Cokes and Learning Everything * The Publix Years and the Standard of Excellence * Ann Duncan and the Job That Changed His Life * What He Is Actually Selling * The First Fortune 500 and the First Lease in Water Street * Telling Tampa's Story to the World * Why Life Sciences Is Tampa's Next North Star * The $400 Million Bet on USF Football * Legacy Versus Leverage * What Building a City-Level Reputation Actually Costs * A Message to the Next Generation * What Makes Tampa Still Special * Lightning Round

Can't Get Any More Broke, Might As Well Keep Going: Mike DiBlasi, Senior Managing Director and North Florida Market Leader, CBRE

There is a moment Mike DiBlasi does not forget. It is 2008, the market has collapsed, every broker around him is either making excuses or making an exit, and he is beyond broke. Not almost broke. Beyond it. His dad is telling him he should have stayed in accounting. His friends are leaving the business. And Mike is standing there thinking: at this point, I can't get any more broke. Might as well keep going. That decision to stay when everything said leave is the thread that runs through everything Mike DiBlasi has built. A former closer on the FSU baseball team that went to the College World Series three times alongside future MLB players Kevin Cash and Matt Diaz, Mike came out of school with a CPA he did not love and a plan that fell apart fast. He cold-called every major Tampa brokerage looking for a shot. Most did not call back. He found his way in anyway. What followed was nearly two decades of grinding through commercial real estate at Cushman and Wakefield, Liberty Property Trust, and Feldman Equities before landing at CBRE, where he now serves as Senior Managing Director and North Florida Market Leader overseeing Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Nearly 650 transactions. More than 9 million square feet. Four consecutive years on the Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100 List. And a 125-person office he has helped build into the number one commercial real estate operation in the market. In this episode, Tracie Domino sits down with a guy she has known since the late 1990s at Florida State, and the conversation goes everywhere. How losing a lead in the College World Series semi-final taught him more than any win ever did. Why locker room culture is the non-negotiable he never compromises on. What he looks for in people that goes way beyond a GPA. How AI is reshaping demand for commercial space across North Florida. And what he tells every young professional who reaches out to him still grinding and wondering if it is ever going to turn. This one is for anyone who has ever been told to go back to the safe path and chose to keep going instead. Visit cbre.com to find Mike DiBlasi and his team across Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. 00:00 Beyond Broke Beginnings 00:51 Podcast Intro Mike Delos 02:41 Closer Mindset Under Pressure 03:25 Pivot After Baseball Ends 04:27 CPA To Brokerage Hustle 06:23 Early CRE Lessons And 2008 08:08 From Producer To Leader 10:31 Building Team Culture 13:26 North Florida Market Trends 14:58 Failing Forward Like Sports 17:01 People Skills And Hiring 20:38 Legacy Vision And Growth 21:44 Advice For Next Generation 25:02 Lightning Round Fun 26:16 Closing Thoughts

Why Doesn't She Leave Is the Wrong Question | Mindy Murphy, President & CEO of The Spring of Tampa Bay

Mindy Murphy did not plan to run a domestic violence center. She had been out of the workforce for 13 years raising her son, was not looking for a job, and had never worked in domestic violence. Then she had a dream, called back the board member who had been quietly recruiting her, and interviewed in the back room of a Cracker Barrel. A week later she was giving a speech about an organization she barely knew. That was 2012. Since then she has grown the Spring of Tampa Bay from a three and a half million dollar organization to nearly ten million, added the largest domestic violence law firm in the state of Florida, built a licensed therapy division, launched a sleepaway camp program, opened a new survivor services center in an 85-year-old World War II building in Drew Park, and maintained the only accredited onsite school for resident children in the United States. In this conversation with host Tracie Domino, Mindy talks about what most people get completely wrong about domestic violence, why the most dangerous moment for a survivor is when they decide to leave, the societal habit of blaming victims instead of holding abusers accountable, and what it looks like to run a nearly ten million dollar organization with 90 employees across a law firm, a therapy practice, a shelter, a thrift store, transitional housing, a childcare center, and a sleepaway camp. All through one lens. All in service of one mission. She also talks about the phone call she took yesterday. And why fourteen years in, the disclosures still stop her cold. The Spring of Tampa Bay has provided sanctuary and services to more than 60,000 adults and children since 1977. If you or someone you know needs help, call the Spring at 813-247-SAFE.

They Asked for a Grand Piano at Midnight. She Made It Happen: Anna Richardson, Founder of Anna Lucia Events

Before she was dressing Water Street in large-scale art installations and producing seven-figure destination weddings, Anna Richardson was a project manager in real estate development with a company called Exceptional Events and no real plan. On this episode, she sits down with Tracie Domino to talk about what it actually takes to build a boutique luxury brand in a market people used to underestimate, why she turned down Miami, how growing up in construction taught her more about running a business than any MBA would have, and the midnight phone call that ended with a grand piano in a Ritz-Carlton presidential suite. Anna is the founder of Anna Lucia Events, a global boutique brand known for sensory-driven weddings, high-end social celebrations, and major art activations across Tampa Bay and beyond. This one is for anyone who has ever bet on themselves in a city no one was watching yet. 00:00 Guest List Magic 00:58 Podcast Intro and Guest 02:14 Naming the Brand 04:48 Grit and Early Lessons 07:03 Being Underestimated 08:27 Why Tampa Won 13:20 Raising the Local Bar 16:59 Designing Emotion 21:50 Surprise and Delight 26:26 Multi Day Wedding Flow 28:39 Art Activations Leap 32:03 Big Art Activations 34:04 Making Art Accessible 37:07 Weatherproof Event Planning 38:56 Hurricane Venue Pivot 45:35 Permits Gone Wrong 49:52 Bridezilla Stories 55:06 Red Flags and Fit 58:23 Press and Success Shift 59:16 Publications Matter Less 01:01:19 Top Planner Lists Critique 01:02:19 Referrals And Legacy Clients 01:03:14 Client First Publishing Ethics 01:04:48 Founder Stress And Cashflow 01:07:50 Sales Cycles And Budget Talks 01:11:16 Behind The Scenes Reality 01:15:46 Sacrifices And Boundaries 01:20:55 Lightning Round Fun 01:24:34 Final Thanks And Wrap

The CEO Who Shows Up With a Gun or a Shovel. Every Time: Scott Price, Founder & CEO of A-LIGN

Scott Price did not plan to start a company. He had a spreadsheet with his entire career mapped out and Arthur Andersen was part of every line of it. Then Enron happened. At 26, he signed voluntary termination papers, walked to the Hilton, had lunch, had a beer, and by Monday had delivered his first contract with his name signed as president. Twenty-four years later, A-LIGN is one of the top three cybersecurity and compliance firms in the world. Two of the top three were founded in Tampa Bay. Scott built his from a clearance speakerphone, a $29-a-night hotel room, and 10 holiday seasons in Baton Rouge that no one was watching. In this conversation he talks about the failures nobody saw, the sacrifices that shaped everything, what servant leadership actually looks like across 770 employees on multiple continents, and why success now means watching other people succeed. When someone needs him at 2 AM, Scott Price shows up. With a gun or a shovel. Every time. This is that story. 00:00 Laid Off At 2601:55 First Customer Rush03:51 Enron Changed Everything04:57 Spotting The Market Gap06:42 Scrappy Early Sacrifices09:24 Tampa And Private Equity10:15 Florida State Mindset12:03 Servant Leadership Culture15:28 Life Moments With Employees17:25 Values Hiring And Retention20:47 Staying Grounded In Growth24:01 Success Redefined26:58 Client Chaos Stories30:07 When Align Became Brand32:33 Starting Today With AI34:18 Proudest Culture Moments37:51 Legacy In 25 Years40:16 Lightning Round43:18 Final Thanks