Biz Hall of Fame adds a trio

Tampa entrepreneur Tony DiBenedetto, named to the Business Observer's 50 most powerful people in the region list in 2011, has been inducted into the Florida State University College of Business Hall of Fame.

DiBenedetto joins Chico's executive Cinny Streich Murray and Ohio-based transportation and logistics industry executive Donald Harbaugh in the school's Hall of Fame, according to a release. An FSU baseball player, Harbaugh graduated in 1971. Murray, who has held retail executive positions for more than 30 years, is class of 1980, while DiBenedetto graduated in 1987. The trio was honored at a ceremony in Tallahassee April 24.

A former partner at Arthur Andersen, DiBenedetto co-founded Tampa-based Tribridge in 1998. The IT technology services firm specializes in business applications and cloud services. Under his leadership the firm grew to more than $100 million in sales in a decade, including the merger and acquisition of seven companies.

The Tribridge growth story has been recognized in several publications. DiBenedetto received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Technology in 2009, and he was a runner up for the Business Observer's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2012. The firm has also made Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the country.

With the Hall of Fame induction, DiBenedetto is also being recognized for his work outside of work. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., DiBenedetto co-founded the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. His other philanthropic roles include: former executive director of the TBTF Foundation, which helps at-risk and disadvantaged children pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math; serves on the Leadership Council of the Florida Holocaust Museum; and chairs the board of Tampa Bay WaVE, a nonprofit that supports tech entrepreneurs.