40 Under 40 (Tampa Bay)

By Business Observer Staff
| 6:00 p.m. July 20, 2007
| 2 Free Articles Remaining!

Entrepreneurs

From attorneys to veterinarians, you can bet this year's class of 40 Under 40 profiled in the following pages will be tomorrow's Gulf Coast leaders. Many of them already are. Selected by the Review editors from more than 200 nominations, their influence is now felt in a wide range of industries throughout the Gulf Coast.

Women make up nearly half the group. Seven are in their 20s. In the case of Sarasota-based LexJet (see page 1 photo), 17 senior staffers are under the age of 40 and many are barely 30. There are three bankers, five attorneys and three developers.

Some skydive to let off steam while others devote free time to their growing families. A common thread is active community involvement. Our favorite line from the bunch: Asked what he would do with a magic wand, one respondent said, "I'd give everybody a 'do-over' every five years."

TAMPA BAY

Amy Leigh Carstensen, 32

Attorney, Carlton Fields

Education: B.A. English, cum laude, University of Florida; B.S., psychology, cum laude, University of Florida; J.D., magna cum laude, Stetson University College of Law

First job: Outward Bound instructor

Years on Gulf Coast: 10

Marital Status: Single, with the best friends in the world

Hours worked per week: 50 to 70

Favorite book: Any anthology of Rumi's poetry

Business person you most admire: My mentor, David P. Burke

Most useful Web sites for work: Westlaw, Online Sunshine and the Florida Department of State

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "Taking Rights Seriously" by Ronald Dworkin

Best place to network: Probably my Inn of Court

I can't live without: Diet Coke

How do you let off steam: Anything right-brain or outside: running, painting, photography, sea kayaking, scrapbooking, playing with my Jack Russell terrier and going to the beach.

Favorite Web sites: Apple (for the iTunes) and Google

Community involvement: Volunteer with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a non-profit organization that raises funds for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment (committee chair for the 2007 Race for the Cure); associate, Ferguson-White Inn of Court; co-chair, Hillsborough County Bar Association's Community Liaison Committee (2007-2008); volunteer judge for Teen Court, 13th Judicial Circuit; member of the Florida Aquarium and the Florida Holocaust Museum

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Affordable housing

Three words that describe you: Creative, organized, loyal

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Not use it, as contrary to the spirit of democracy

When I grow up I want to be: A judge, provided the years in-between bring wisdom

Favorite restaurant: Fleming's. The chocolate lava cake is amazing

Min K. Cho, 28

Attorney, Carlton Fields, P.A.

Education: J.D., cum laude, Florida State University College of Law; B.S., with honors, University of Florida

First job: Tagger for my parents' dry cleaning business

Years on Gulf Coast: 25

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 50 to 55 hours

Favorite book: "The Firm"

Business person you most admire: My mentor, Edward J. Page

Most useful Web sites for work: Google and Myspace

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "The Elements of Style"

Best place to network: Volunteer events

I can't live without: My Blackberry

How do you let off steam: Spend time with family and friends

Favorite Web sites: Google and Myspace

Community involvement: Board of directors for Tampa Crossroads; board of directors for Hillsborough County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division; provided over 200 hours of pro bono legal services to indigent persons

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Hurricanes

Three words that describe you: Funny, enthusiastic, smile

If I had a magic wand, I'd: End global warming

When I grow up I want to be: Happy

Favorite restaurant: P.F. Changs

Trenton H. Cotney, 33

Shareholder attorney at Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker, P.A.

Education: Vanderbilt University, B.S., 1996, summa cum laude, high honors in political science, Phi Beta Kappa; Vanderbilt University School of Law, J.D., 1999, dean's list, Best Brief Award; Florida Bar Certified in Construction Law, inaugural class, 2005.

First job: Bag boy at Publix

Years on Gulf Coast: 8

Marital Status: Single

Hours worked per week: 45 to 65 and an additional 10 to 20 hours a week networking and developing business for my construction law practice

Favorite book: "Leadership" by James MacGregor Burns

Business person you most admire: My father

Most useful Web sites for work: www.westlaw.com, www.mapquest.com, www.municode.com

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.

Best place to network: Contractor trade association meetings

I can't live without: Caffeine

How do you let off steam: I enjoy traveling and have been fortunate enough to travel around the world

Favorite Web sites: www.yahoo.com, www.espn.com, www.cnn.com

Community involvement: Underground Utility Contractors of Florida (UUCF); West Coast Roofing Contractors' Association (WCRCA) member (2002 to present), director (2004 to present); Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal, and Air Conditioning Contractors' Association (FRSA) member (2003 to present), board committee member (2004 to present), general counsel (2006 to present); Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (RACCA); Hillsborough County Bar, Construction Law Section; Department of Business and Professional Regulation Continuing Education Provider for Contractors

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: The slump in the Gulf Coast housing market

Three words that describe you: Hardworking, persistent and ambitious

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Eliminate all forms of terrorism

When I grow up I want to be: Someone that can effect positive change

Favorite restaurant: Samurai Blue in Ybor.

Yaron M. David, 33

Managing director, The Arts residences, BSR Projects LTD.

Education: MBA, University of Wisconsin - Madison, B.A., University of British Columbia-Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

First job: Vancouver Museum of Anthropology docent

Years on Gulf Coast: 6 years

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 55

Most useful Web sites for work: www.stpetetimes.com

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "Raid on the Sun," "Inside the Tornado"

Best place to network: Downtown St. Pete's Gallery Walks, on the second Saturday evening of each month.

I can't live without: The Gartman Report and Starbucks

How do you let off steam: Marathon training

Favorite Web sites: www.woot.com, www.kayak.com and www.debkafile.com

Community involvement: Raise money for leukemia and lymphoma society through marathon sponsorships

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Real estate tax reform

Three words that describe you: Determined, honest, caffeinated

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Be Harry Potter

When I grow up I want to be: A philanthropist

Favorite restaurant: Ceviche's in downtown St. Petersburg.

Michael T. Doyle, 34

President and chief operating officer, Surgery Partners

Education: B.S. and MBA

First job: Gas station attendant at age 13

Years on Gulf Coast: 10

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 60

Favorite book: "It's Your Ship" by Captain Michael Abrashoff

Business person you most admire: Herb Kelleher

Most useful Web sites for work: Google

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "Good to Great"

Best place to network: Speaking engagements and CEO Council meetings

I can't live without: A supportive family to greet me at the door

How do you let off steam: Exercise or a long drive.

Favorite Web sites: TBO and MSN

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Affordable living.

Three words that describe you: Confident, fair and straightforward

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Hand it off to my 2-year-old daughter; she would use it well.

When I grow up I want to be: Healthy and happy...It is what it is all about.

Favorite restaurant: Byblo's Cafe

Leigh Kellett Fletcher, 34

Shareholder, Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A.

Education: B.A., cum laude, Wellesley College; J.D. with honors and MPA, Florida State University

First job: Periodical assistant at college library

Years on Gulf Coast: 15

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 55 to 60

Favorite book: "The Big Orange Splot" (children's book)

Business person you most admire: Anita Roddick (founder of Body Shop)

Most useful Web sites for work: Florida Department of Environmental Protection; Westlaw; local government Web sites

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "Getting to Yes"

Best place to network: Wherever I am with current and former clients

I can't live without: Coca Cola

How do you let off steam: Power walks

Favorite Web sites: Realtor.com; Yahoo.com

Community involvement: The Children's Museum of Tampa; The Junior League of Tampa; Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Redevelopment

Three words that describe you: Intelligent, dynamic, driven

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Add a few more hours a day to be with my daughter

When I grow up I want to be: A mother and a lawyer

Favorite restaurant: Moon Under Water, St. Petersburg

Allison Beard Luzier, 33

Senior vice president and North & West Florida commercial real estate relationship underwriting team leader for Bank of America

Education: Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

First job: Real estate analyst with AIG Global Real Estate in New York City

Years on Gulf Coast: My entire life (with the exception of college and four years in New York City with AIG)

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 45-80, depending on the week

Favorite book: "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

Business person you most admire: My father, Dick Beard

Most useful Web sites for work: Google, clerks of court, and any site where you can gather background information that helps to paint a true picture of a potential deal or client.

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "The Mark of a Leader," by Doug Keeley.

Best place to network: Anywhere you can meet new people because you never know under what circumstances you might find a new client or friend.

I can't live without: My family and friends

How do you let off steam: Riding my American Saddlebred horse, both competitively and for leisure

Favorite Web sites: weather.com, trot.org, sptimes.com, heraldtribune.com, tampatrib.com

Community involvement: The Junior League of Tampa board of directors; Moffitt Cancer Center, Key to the Cure Committee; USF/Tampa, Women in Leadership and Philanthropy; USF/Sarasota, Brunch on the Bay Committee; co-founder of the Beard-Luzier Donor Advised Fund

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Lack of political will to take a wholesale look at tax reform.

Three words that describe you: Organized, scheduled, driven

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Solve the issue I mentioned above and make my dachshund speak English.

When I grow up I want to be: As happy as I am now

Favorite restaurant: Maison Blanche and Pattigeorges in Sarasota, Berns and Sideberns in Tampa

Tammy Onorato, 28

Manager of environmental operations, J2 Engineering, Inc.

Education: B.S., marine science, with a concentration in geophysics from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg

First job: Waitress at Bob Evans restaurant

Years on Gulf Coast: 10

Marital Status: Married

Hours worked per week: 45 when I'm in the office, 50-60+ when I'm in the field

Favorite book: "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas

Business person you most admire: My boss and mentor, Fred Portofe, the Vice president and principal of J2 Engineering

Most useful Web sites for work: The Florida DEP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Manuals online for researching regulations and standard operating procedures

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "Elements of Physical Hydrology"

Best place to network: On job sites

I can't live without: My husband

How do you let off steam: A good run outdoors or at the gym, depending on the weather.

Favorite Web sites: Any Web site that my family members post pictures and stories, MSN Money and Google.

Community involvement: American Institute of Professional Geologists; The Society of American Military Engineers; Salvation Army; Eckerd College

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: The rising cost of living in the area, especially climbing property taxes and insurance rates

Three words that describe you: Honest, adventurous and strong-willed

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Remove my parents' health issues and any remaining debts, making them able to fully enjoy a long and active retirement.

When I grow up I want to be: Surrounded by family and enjoying whatever work to which my life leads me

Favorite restaurant: Basta's Ristorante in St. Petersburg

Kevin Pliska, 37

Maintenance Manager, Covanta Energy

Education: B.S., civil engineering, LaSalle University; B.S., business management, University of Phoenix

First job: Wore the character costumes at Chuck E. Cheese's at age 14

Years on Gulf Coast: 14

Marital Status: Wife, Tracy; 5-year-old daughter, Isabel and twin 2-year-old daughters, Ellie and Olivia

Hours worked per week: 50 plus

Favorite book: "A Short History of Time" by Ronald Wright

Business person you most admire: The small business owner who took a chance and hit it big

Most useful Web sites for work: Google

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "The Great Game of Business" by Jack Stack.

Best place to network: Anywhere

I can't live without: The combination of family, friends and enjoying the outdoors

How do you let off steam: Saltwater fishing

Favorite Web sites: drudgereport.com and floridasportsman.com

Community involvement: Splitting time between work and my family has not left time for much community involvement, although I do follow local and state politics and I enjoy irritating my local and state representatives on issues that are important to me

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Growth management to protect the natural resources that make the Gulf Coast the gem that it still is

Three words that describe you: Self-motivated, stubborn, fair

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Give everybody a "do over" every five years

When I grow up I want to be: Paid to play - a professional golfer, fishing guide, etc.

Favorite restaurant: Benedetto's

Shannon Corcoran Stein, 36

Director of business development, ASC geosciences, Inc.

Education: B.A., English, Saint Leo University

First job: Overnight DJ, WBVM and WLMS.

Years on Gulf Coast: 19

Marital Status: Married, with one son

Hours worked per week: 45 on average

Favorite book: "Pigs in Heaven" by Barbara Kingsolver, and anything by Sue Grafton

Business person you most admire: My dad, Pat Corcoran, and my father-in-law, Norm Stein

Most useful Web sites for work: Hoovers and Google

What book has helped you do your job better or has inspired you most professionally: "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy" by Michael Abrashoff

I can't live without: My son, Connor, my husband, Mark

How do you let off steam: I do Pilates, walk with my walking group or just play with my son. It's pretty hard to stay stressed when you have a 10-month old grinning at you

Best place to network: I have had great success at both SMPS Tampa Bay meetings and the patio at the Cheesecake Factory in International Mall - everyone you need to talk to walks by there at lunch

Favorite Web sites: Currently, iVillage and askdrsears.com. Yahoo Sports during fantasy football season

Community involvement: I am currently chapter president of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Tampa Bay. I am active in many professional organizations, including American Institute of Architects, American Society of Highway Engineers and Construction Owners Association of America.

Most important issue affecting the Gulf Coast: Recruiting and retaining talented professionals

Three words that describe you: Loyal, dedicated, compassionate

If I had a magic wand, I'd: Cure Alzheimer's disease so my grandmother could pass along all of her stories to her great grandchildren

When I grow up I want to be: Famous (old dreams die hard)

Favorite restaurant: Yuki for sushi, E&E Stakeout for steak and Guppy's for fish

Andrea Gonzmart, 28

Andrea Gonzmart began filing papers for her father, Richard, at the Columbia Restaurant Group when she was 10.

Eighteen years later, she's still there.

Gonzmart is the fifth generation to be involved in the family business, the Columbia Restaurant Group, which owns and manages seven Columbias and two Cha Cha Coconuts restaurants throughout Florida.

The other family members include her dad, Richard Gonzmart; her uncle, Casey; and her sister, Lauren, who manage restaurants from St. Augustine to West Palm Beach to Celebration, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Other than her love for people and food, the thing she enjoys most about her career is the chance to work with her father.

"I work with him in a lot of ways," Gonzmart says. "We develop recipes. He always tries to include me."

Did she ever think of another career after earning a business management degree from the University of South Florida? "Some things crossed my mind, but there was nothing else I had a passion for," she says.

The company has dropped titles, allowing executives to do a number of things, from menu planning to purchasing to giving tours to going out and talking to customers.

When she is not helping run the Columbia locations, Gonzmart runs marathons, another trait she shares with her father, who just ran with the bulls in Spain. She has done four full marathons and is training for the Chicago Marathon.

"When I'm not working I'm running and eating," Gonzmart jokes. She also has an artistic side and likes scrapbooking and taught herself calligraphy.

"I like the details, the stuff that many people may not want to spend time on," she says. That comes in handy in the restaurant business sometimes. When the grouper controversy began, rather than risk quality, Gonzmart and her dad just removed grouper from the menu.

"Unless we were sure it was grouper, we weren't going to short-change customers," she says.

She also has followed her dad's example by getting involved in the community.

She serves on the board of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce and on its Executive Committee as vice chair of marketing. Gonzmart is also on the boards of Arte 2007, a celebration of Latin American arts, and The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota.

She is active in the Richard's Run for Life Foundation and the Amandalee Fund that both benefit Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and their efforts to find a cure for Pediatric Sarcoma.

As the new generation moves into management, more family are welcomed into the circle. Gonzmart is getting married in November to a man who worked at the St. Peterburg Columbia. Family is what makes the Columbia special, she says. It started when her great-grandfather opened a cafe in Ybor City.

"Our history is what makes us unique," Gonzmart says. "There's not another restaurant in this area operated by the fourth and fifth generations. The Ybor City restaurant is a history experience. Each room has its own character."

She grew up in north Tampa and now lives near the Hillsborough River in Tampa, in a home she bought next door to her parents.

Her love for the business is so intense that she and her fiance find it hard to decide where to go for dinner because she is discriminating. "It's frustrating," Gonzmart says. She's as passionate about Tampa and the Gulf Coast: "I never imagined living anywhere else."

- Dave Szymanski

Eric Roe, 29

Question: How many manufacturing companies are there in Florida, home to the behemoth citrus, real estate and tourism industries?

Answer: About 16,000. And about a quarter of the workforce, or about 100,000 people, are in the Tampa Bay area.

The number doesn't surprise Eric Roe, 39, a Ph.D. in chemical engineering based at Hillsborough Community College in Brandon. Roe has worked to push that total higher and make it more diversified each year by advising companies, training workers and lobbying for technical education in Florida.

Roe helped found two centers at HCC Brandon for manufacturing education on the Gulf Coast: The Employ Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing Education and Florida Advanced Technological Education Center for Manufacturing, or FLATE. Both act is a bridge between academia and industry, keeping companies up-to-date on modern manufacturing trends and techniques.

Part of the challenge manufacturers in Florida face is communication. If people don't know about modern manufacturing, they won't be interested in working or investing with these companies.

"The first thing a new manufacturing company does is put up a chain-link fence," Roe says. "Then it never takes it down. With outreach, we bring down the fence a little and let people known what is going on inside. You can drive by a place and won't realize that 1,000 employees are there making medical devices."

Part of that outreach is the MadeInFlorida.org Web site. FLATE developed it to tell the story of Florida manufacturing.

Not only is the number of Florida manufacturers surprising, but so is the diversity, Roe says. For example, there is Universal Microwave in Pasco County, which makes parts for cellular telephones. Vulcan Machine in Brandon builds fuel pumps for F-16s. Black Diamond in Sarasota makes guitar, banjo and mandolin strings. Linvatec in Pinellas Park builds arthroscopic surgery tools.

"Florida makes everything from potato chips to microchips," Roe says.

Before founding the centers, Roe worked in research and development for Tropicana in Bradenton. Some of the products he developed, such as Pure Premium Grove Stand, went national. After five years at Tropicana, Roe returned to graduate school at the University of South Florida.

While working on a project for the Florida Department of Citrus, he began work on determining which sampling machine should be used for citrus processing plants. Every load of fruit needs to be sampled at processing plants.

That led him and other colleagues to found the two centers after he completed his doctorate.

Today he spends his days talking with companies, trade groups, employees or even legislators in Tallahassee regarding bills encouraging technical education.

"It is really about collaboration," Roe says. That recently happened this past legislative session when, thanks in part to Roe, the Legislature created career academies in high schools.

In addition to his work, Roe is involved in community work. Yet his personal life is a lot less public. Roe, who was born in Pennsylvania but grew up in Bradenton, lives in Myakka City, east of Sarasota, where he owns 67 rural acres where deer, armadillo and bobcat wander. It's a getaway for the ponytailed professional and his wife, a native Floridian and accountant for an engineering firm.

"My escape from urban sprawl and suburban life," Roe says.

- Dave Szymanski

Henry Gonzalez III, 29

Henry Gonzalez III is a Tampa guy.

He was born in West Tampa, worked in his father's plumbing business, went to high school at Jesuit and college at the University of South Florida and began working part-time as a teller in the Bank of Tampa after college.

After about six months, Gonzalez moved to the credit department and became full-time, working on his MBA as well. But about eight months later, he left for Atlanta to take a pay hike and join a family member working with the C.E. Mendez Foundation. He then worked for a transportation company in Atlanta.

After two years, he was homesick and returned to Tampa to work for First Union Bank. He served in the small-business lending unit for about 2 ½ years. Then he got a call from the woman that offered him the teller job.

Eventually, he returned to the Bank of Tampa.

"I was thrilled," says Gonzalez, 39, now executive vice president of commercial lending. "I've been very happy ever since. They've given me every opportunity I've asked for and some that I didn't. I've been offered and received much more than I've deserved."

The name Gonzalez is well-known in Tampa partly because of his dad's plumbing business, Henry Gonzalez Plumbing, where his dad and two brothers, Joseph and Mark, work. After growing up working there, he knew he didn't want to work in the family business. He was the middle child in a family of five and would work for the business during holiday breaks from school.

"I had done so much of it as a kid," Gonzalez said. "I was digging ditches at 15. I never worked in the office."

Gonzalez is involved in the community through a number of organizations. He is secretary/treasurer of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, meaning he will be chairman in two years. He is also president of the Jesuit High School Foundation and on the board of the private high school, where he is an alumnus and ran cross-country and track.

He is also on the executive committee of the Tampa General Hospital Foundation board. Gonzalez is also an active member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Tampa Bay, along with other business organizations. He is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Tampa, a leadership training course.

When he isn't working or volunteering, Gonzalez is running or exercising every day and spending time with his wife, a former banker, and twin 4-year-old children, Sophia and Henry Maxwell. The family also likes to travel. He's been to Europe four times, as well as the Caribbean and throughout the United States.

Gonzalez is also a self-proclaimed "history freak." He grew up thinking he would be a high school history teacher. One of his favorite books is "Citizen Soldiers" by Stephen Ambrose because the book deals with developing the talents you have, which applies to life and business.

"I believe history repeats itself," he says. "Inevitably, we'll make the same mistakes. We can all learn from history. I'm just not sure everyone does."

- Dave Szymanski