Triple Play

The Urban Land Institute Trends Conference held in late January at the Armature Works in Tampa was the property development version of a casino's exclusive, high-rollers-only poker game.

When Tom James, Dr. Kiran Patel and Jeff Vinik took their seats for a panel discussion entitled “Big Bets: Private Industry Icons with Regional Vision,” attendees gave the trio their undivided attention. Cameras clicked and rolled. And for good reason — James, Patel and Vinik are instrumental in the region's ongoing transformation.

The panelists' “why Tampa?” answers, detailed below, were the highlight of the session.