Photo credit: Mayor Ken Welch (Instagram) / City of St. Pete
The Mash-Up Recap
St. Petersburg, FL -- The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce Celebrates the business community in first-ever Pitch Night + Good ‘Burger Mash-Up event.
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Last night, we hosted over 600 of our Chamber members, leaders and St. Pete community at Coastal Creative for a mash-up of two signature events in one: St. Pete Pitch Night Presented by Regions Bank and the 11th Annual Good 'Burger Awards Presented by The Bank of Tampa and Compass Land & Title.
In one night, we watched a total of $55,500 in cash prizes be given out to winners, and several guests in the audience walk away with raffle prizes thanks to Coastal Creative, The Mahaffey Theater, Southwest Airlines, and Shibumi.
We have so many people to thank -- from sponsors and vendors, to volunteers and everyone in between.
We want to especially thank Zachary Moore and his amazing team at Coastal Creative for kindly hosting us and helping make this a special night.
Below is a recap of the event including winners, nominees, and everything else you may have missed!
Couldn't make it? Watch the livestream produced by Hartley Aerial here.
This livestream was made possible thanks to the Chamber Board of Governors. Thank you all!
St. Pete Pitch Night
During the St. Pete Pitch Night portion of the program, we watched five local entrepreneurs pitch their startup ideas to the audience and panel of four expert judges for the chance to win $5,000 towards their business.
Emcee'd by Esther Matthews (founder and CEO of All Administrative Solutions), each business owner had 6 minutes to present, followed by a 6-minute Q&A with the judges.
After deliberations, the judges selected Johnny Saye, co-founder of FedScribe AI, as the grand prize winner, taking home a big $5,000 check from Regions Bank.
The audience was asked to scan a QR code to vote for their favorite pitcher, selecting Troy Jones, founder and CEO of Hairlines, who took home the Audience Choice prize of $500 sponsored by the City of St. Pete.
Special thank you to our judges:
- Dr. Emmanuel Hernandez Agosto, St. Petersburg College
- Meghan O'Keefe, Tampa Bay Tech
- Brian Sanders, COHatch
- Tricia Johnson, Regions Bank
2023 Good 'Burger Winners & Nominees
In honor of a former mayor who referred to his citizens as “burgers” (as in St. Petersburgers), the Good ‘Burger Awards were established to honor large and small business owners, and community leaders who contribute in a positive way to make St. Pete the special town it is.
The businesses who make the list are nominated by and voted on by the St. Pete community. This year, we received more than 3,550 unique votes, a record amount.
Thanks to our 100+ sponsors, 20 vendors, a planning committee of 12, and 30+ event volunteers, we were able to make the 11th Annual Good 'Burger Awards a celebration to remember.
Special thank you to our emcee and entertainment sponsor, Shawn Drouin with Midnight Music and to Morean Arts Center for creating another set of beautiful awards!
Congratulations to all the winners and nominees!
"The work of making our community a healthier, more equitable place takes all of us. It is our honor to support this year’s Sunshine Award winner with a $50,000 grant to deepen their impact in advancing racial and health equity.
The average life expectancy of a resident in Snell Isle is 16 years more than a resident of Campbell Park. Implementing sustainable changes that rewrite this story of inequity requires collaboration and commitment across every sector.
Thank you to the Chamber for creating this award that recognizes champions for change and equity in our community. And, thank you to St. Anthony’s-BayCare for prioritizing racial and health equity in ways that make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of those we both are so honored to serve."
Dr. Kanika Tomalin, President and CEO
Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg
Presented By:
The Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete
THE SUNSHINE AWARD
These individuals, companies and organizations serve as champions for change. They are leaders and outstanding allies who are shining a light on diversity, inclusion, and equity furthering the advancement of equality in St. Pete by providing a platform for visibility and dialogue in their businesses and community.
- Codeboxx
- Little Free Library
- Sierra Club Florida
- St. Pete Youth Farm
- NAACP
- Reach St. Pete
- The Gathering Church
- Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum
- WINNER: St. Anthony's Hospital/Baycare
- Studio @620
ARTS & CULTURE
These individuals, companies and organizations establish St. Pete as an Arts & Culture destination on the national stage. Their focus may include the performing, visual, and fine arts as well as literature, architecture, graphic design, crafts, film, digital media, video, humanities, and historic preservation.
- Charlie Parker Pottery
- WINNER: Fairgrounds St. Pete
- Duke Energy Center for the Arts
- Legend Ink
- Morean Arts Center
- Palladium Theater
- St. Petersburg Arts Alliance
- St. Petersburg City Theatre
- Bay Area Info Tours
- Duncan McClellan Gallery
Presented By:
St. Anthony's Hospital/Baycare
EATS & TREATS
These restaurants/eateries are not only favored sources of culinary delight. They step outside of their building and make it a part of the company culture to get plugged into their community.
- Birch & Vine
- Cassis
- Chick-fil-A Fourth Street North
- The Cereal Bar
- Huggers Food Truck
- WINNER: Kahwa Coffee
- La Diperie
- Nothing Bundt Cakes
- Sunshine City Popcorn
- Gateway Subs
Presented By:
Velocity Business Solutions
MAKERS & CREATORS
Makers and Creators are those individuals, companies and organizations who combine inspiration and innovation to bring a specialized product, new concept, or unique service to life for the community.
- Ya La'Ford
- Brick Street Farms
- Sadie and Skylar Permanent Jewelry
- The Roaming Petal
- Wine on Wheels
- FrankLynn Visual Marketing
- Estate Cigars & Social
- WINNER: 3 Daughters Brewing
- Small Batch Creamery
- Gulf Planks
Presented By:
St. Petersburg College
NEW BIZ ON THE BLOCK
NBOTB are businesses opened within the last two years that have introduced new concepts to St. Pete or enhanced the community in a remarkable way since landing here.
- The Barn UPT
- Expedia Cruises
- WINNER: Iceburg Cold Plunge
- Sonia Magruder, Integrative
- Nutrition Health Coach
- Chuck Hensen Wellness
- Herban Flow
- Keyseekers Real Estate
- Nautical Sounds
- DineFit
- Weapon Brand Self Defense
Presented By:
ActionCOACH Tampa Bay
COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS: LARGE
From big impacts to small, these non-profit champions work tirelessly every day to help others who need them.
- Gulf Coast JFCS
- PARC Center for Disabilities
- WINNER: Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco
- Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas
- Community Foundation of Tampa Bay
- Keep Pinellas Beautiful
- Tampa Bay Innovation Center
- YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
- Boys & Girls Club of Suncoast
Presented By:
The Tampa Bay Rays/Rowdies
COMMUNITY CONSCIOUS: GRASSROOTS
From big impacts to small, these non-profit champions work tirelessly every day to help others who need them.
- C&C Lemonade Factory
- Celebrate Birthdays
- Advantage Village Academy
- Daystar Life Center
- Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation
- Alpha House of Pinellas County, Inc.
- St. Pete DNA
- The Kind Mouse Productions
- St. Pete Run Fest
- WINNER: Pet Pal Animal Shelter
Presented By:
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
SUSTAINABILITY STEWARDS (NEW 2023 CATEGORY)
These businesses embody positive social and environmental impact at their core, or have implemented a program throughout their organization to operate sustainably, leaving St. Pete a little brighter and “eco-friendly”. Ex. transparent & ethical sourcing of materials, eco-friendly practices or products, waste-conscious packaging, diverting landfill waste, etc.
- Climate First Bank
- eCycle Florida
- Fibrenew St. Petersburg
- Green Pride Apparel
- Salt Palm Development
- Sans Market Zero Waste Store
- Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
- WINNER: Tampa Bay Watch
- Valhalla Resale
- Haddy
Presented By:
Bedrock Technology Inc.
WELLNESS WARRIORS (NEW 2023 CATEGORY)
This award recognizes organizations in the health & wellness sector that go above and beyond to provide unique products or services to help build a thriving St. Pete community where clients feel stronger, healthier, and happier.
- A Griot's Corner
- HCA Florida Northside
- WINNER: Mindful Movement
- Home Dental to You
- Homewatch Care Givers
- Sunmed Your CBD Store
- Made Possible Personal Training
- Vertical Ventures
- Regenexx New Regeneration
- Tampa Bay Club Sport
Presented By:
Hancock Whitney
MVB
Our MVB – Most Valuable ‘Burger award goes to an individual who is personally making a positive impact in our community. This person shows a love of St. Petersburg and goes above and beyond in all they do.
- Chancellor Christian Hardigree - USF St. Pete
- WINNER: Sandy Bean - St. Pete Girl Boss
- Mayor Ken Welch - City of St. Pete
- Doug Jackson - The Law Firm of Douglas G. Jackson, P.A.
- Kymbriell Finch - Courageous Leap
- Angela Parkhurst - Curv Exchange
- Renee Edwards - Saturday Shoppes
- Brian Auld - Tampa Bay Ray
- Chad Mize - Chad Mize Gallery
- Gwendolyn Reese - Peaten Reese Peaten Consulting, Inc.
Presented By:
I Love the Burg
Thank you, Sponsors!
For the complete list of sponsors, please click here.
Looking for pictures of the event?
Event photos will be uploaded to our Flickr account as we receive them from our photographers, Peli Productions.
Check back periodically for more photos: https://flic.kr/s/stpetechamber