Tampa Bay gala names Entrepreneurs of the Year

TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Entrepreneurship Gala has announced the recipients for its annual awards. The organization named Dave and Susan Ward, owners and founders Buddy Brew Coffee, as the Entrepreneurs of the Year and the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association as the Social Entrepreneurs of the Year.

The Wards and the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association will receive their awards at the 2014 Tampa Bay Entrepreneurship Gala to be held on Friday at the Westin Tampa Harbour Island at 725 S. Harbour Island Blvd., Tampa. Bob Circosta, television's first home-shopping host, will deliver the keynote speech.

The event will also honor USF students Desmond Williams and Keosha Poole, who founded USF's Student Innovation Incubator and Greg Ross-Munro, founder and CEO of the software engineering company SourceTOAD LLC, who will receive this year's Outstanding Alumni Award.