Profile
Her Name is
Betty White
“A Mother’s Love”
By: Felicia Ericson
Her mother, father and brother
all called her Becky, but she
prefers to be called Rebecca
as she got older. The name Dr.
Rebecca White is one of the
most recognized name in Tampa
relative to Entrepreneurship. Her
life’s work has been centered
around building and developing
Entrepreneurs. Dr. White is the
Walter Chair of Entrepreneurship,
Professor of Entrepreneurship and
Director of the Entrepreneurship
Center at The University of Tampa.
​
However, this was not her first
choice at childhood, she desired
the big stage and performing in
front of large crowds much like
she did in her little town of one
stoplight in West Virginia. Dr.
White initially wanted to become
an Interior Designer as this was
right in line with her mother’s
business, a Florist.
​
At this point you are probably
wondering, who is Betty White
and no I am not talking about
the famed Betty White from
the Golden Girls. However, I am
referring to a role model, a rock
during difficulties, a giant, Dr.
White’s mother, Mrs. Betty White.
​
With tears in both of our eyes
during this interview I knew
without asking that her mother
was her mentor. Transitioning
from the North to Tampa was
full of great memories, some to
remember forever, yet the greatest
of those were the times spent with
her mother prior to her transition.
​
The University of Tampa received
a pioneer in the world of
Entrepreneurship. As Dr. White
reflected upon a time when she
walked out of a class she was
about to instruct, due to her
nervousness and fear of others
perception of her, she tells us
of how important it is to be
vulnerable. “Do not be afraid to
open yourself up to the things
that only reveal a small part of
who you are. You are the only
person who holds the measuring
stick to your success.”
​
The University of Tampa’s Lowes
Center sits in a beautiful location
in South Tampa with one of the
best views of the bay. As you
look out the window you can
see as far as MacDill Air Force
Base rendering it a perfect place
of peace and learning, setting
a stage for future leaders in
Entrepreneurship.
​
The staff of UT’s Entrepreneurship
Program are not just regular staff,
they live by the sword of their
own teaching. The success of the
program is majorly in part because
of those who put in the work and
are constantly innovating and
creating new ways to empower
tomorrow’s new business owners.
​
Dr. White’s mother instilled in
her that the lack of gratitude
is a great sin. That lack lends
itself to selfishness and deceit.
Three words describe Dr.
White: authenticity, love, and
compassion, if you see her
throughout the Tampa market, of
those three words the one that
will most definitely greet you will
be compassion.
​
If you have a desire and the
passion to create value through
innovation, please grab a glass of
“champagne and chat” with Dr.
Rebecca White of the University
of Tampa, your mother would be
proud of you… n
"Who is
Betty
White? and
no I am
not talking
about the
famed
Betty White
from the
Golden
Girls. Betty
White.
Image: Dr. Rebecca White, University of Tampa, Director of Entrepreneurship
Profile
By: Brian Sutton
Every now and then you meet
that one person who seem to
know how to break things down
and make you fully understand
what the true definition of a
word is, allow me to introduce
you to Theo. I realize that you
may already know her and
may have seen her in various
mediums promoting something
much bigger than herself, but in
her own words, “light your fire”.
Theo is truly the epitome of
Entrepreneurship.
​
It is often said that in order to
validate a situation one must find
a Theology to support it for it to
be true. This statement could not
be more evident once you look
upon the life of Theo Prodromitis.
She was born in Manhattan but
raised in Florida. She is the pride
and joy of many, a proud Greek
woman with so much to share
that the ink on the pages begin to
run dry capturing her life’s work.
​
Theo holds within her desk the
many cards and notes from family
and friends that express their
gratitude for the service she has
rendered. She keeps a “smile box”
in her top desk drawer that her
children write very precious notes
such as “mommy we love you,
thank you for all you do for us, and
many other precious notes”.
​
Philotimo means the love of
honor, doing things for the greater
good, Theo is that and a bag of
chips. Yes, I said a bag of chips.
Somewhere in America some
adult is wondering, how did the
food at their local high school
taste so good and how did they
come up with such a menu? Well,
I know the answer. Theo did it.
Theo served on the High School
Menu Planning Board while in
High School, on the Student
Council and ran the school store.
It was not uncommon for Theo to
be found serving others as she is
truly a servant at heart. “I look for
opportunities where I can make
the difference”.
​
Tampa Pioneer asked Theo,
why pay it forward, why extend
yourself? Without hesitation she
replied, “in my world, it’s the
whole purpose of life. The whole
reason for being here is to take
that sweet spot, your God given
gift and make that work for you
and make it your work every day!”
​
It is difficult being an
Entrepreneur, but the road
traveled to become an
Entrepreneur is well worth the
time and effort. Theo learned
that process and has proven
that it works very well. When
she was fired from an Employer,
she toiled with the decision the
organization made to terminate
her, but upon coming to the
realization that she could offer
more to the market, she tightened
up her bootstraps and went to
work. She began her business
soon after the termination and
has not looked back yet.
​
“The struggle for new
entrepreneurs is real, if I had to
make the distinction between an
Employee and Entrepreneur, most
people seek Entrepreneurship
for the outcome of freedom,
decisions, and creativity.”
​
Theo continues to say, “what
they do not see is all the things
you have to become proficient in
and that you must become a risk
manager that’s why it’s a struggle.
You must come up to speed
with ten thousand things all at
the same time. Entrepreneurship
is not going to work, and the
infrastructure is taken care of.
For example, you open the door,
you flush the toilet it works, turn
the lights on, they work. When
you come into Entrepreneurship
you must price the product, find
a marketer, you must become all
of those things. That is why it is a
struggle to Entrepreneurship.”
​
As an author of several books, one of her books written along with Jack Canfield, titled the Success Formula. Theo and Jack look at the lives of those who figured out the success formula. But this book hails and bow down to her most recent book, “The Balance Between Hustle and Flow”.
​
Many Entrepreneurs do not realize that there is a balance between the two. Theo shared with us that you must hustle, most of the literature tells you to go one way or the other, but you must hustle and listen to the flow, while in the hustle. Be intentional in your
hustle, yes, during the hustle
listen and trust. When one door
closes there are ten thousand
doors opening.
​
This could not be more evident
in her life. In 2007 when Theo
separated from her husband,
in order to maintain the family
enrichment she grew up in,
she started hosting family
reunions. These family reunions
were primarily done so that
her children would experience
the love of family, but it grew
into something more dynamic.
Aunts and uncles who had not
traveled in many years out of their
home state begin attending the
reunions and it became a tradition
that continues to this day.
​
Theo is an Entrepreneur, that is
who she is. In her own words,
“the ripples of goodness extend
beyond you, and it is about
bringing that energy back, you
do it because it’s the right thing
to do. She is the Theo-logy of
Entrepreneurship.
Theo-logy of
Entrepreneurship
Image: Theo Prodromitis, Entrepreneur, Marketing Strategist, Speaker
Article
How to Position
Yourself as an
Expert to Increase
your Sales
You’re in business for yourself!
Congrats on choosing a job in sales.
“But wait, I didn’t choose sales!” you might say. Actually you did. And now your whole livelihood depends on your sellability. *cue panic*
Image: Geneva Maresma, Contributing Writer
Why is it we cringe when we hear
the word “sell”? It’s not a dirty word
but it conjures up thoughts of door
to door solicitors and pushy sellers.
​
It’s our history with the sell that
makes the word a little less than
palatable, but here’s the truth: If we
chose the path of entrepreneurship,
we need to end up pretty good
at sales to survive our business
journeys. And, it’s within each of
us to change the way the selling
process is done.
​
Selling is a verb that must transform
from something slick to an action
grounded in trust with the buyer.
Trust will come when your potential
buyer views you as an expert with
something valuable to offer through
a sales process that is helpful,
compassionate, and authentic.
Positioning your message as an
expert seeking to serve will help
you level up your sales in a way that
is organic and well-received.
​
Before we talk about how to present
yourself as an expert, there is some
history behind selling that is helpful
to understand.
​
Understanding
Information Concepts
​
Sales strategist and author, Daniel
Pink, talks about information
concepts a great deal in his expert
work. These concepts are perspective
gold for understanding what anyone
wanting to be seen as an expert
needs to do.
​
Since the beginning of time, humans
have been selling across the globe.
Until the invention of the World Wide
Web In 1989, we lived in a world of
information asymmetry. Sellers had
more information than buyers, so
the person you had to trust the most
was also the person who could also
dupe you. Hence the “buyer beware”
feelings developed around the whole
idea of sales. Sellers held the upper
hand, and this asymmetry persisted
for thousands of years.
​
With the invention of the World Wide
Web, information access shifted,
and we very rapidly moved from
information asymmetry to information
parity. The access is now far more
equalized. Think across any industry healthcare, automotive, and fashion
to name a few. The consumer has
access to loads of insider information
through a variety of channels and
direct access in many cases to obtain
products and services at competitive
prices, but here’s what you need
to be aware of as a sales person in
order to be successful in the age of
information parity.
​
Our audiences are information rich
and context poor. Don’t believe me?
Look at how people share one poorly
sourced article as gospel truth and base
whole life decisions and strong opinions
around it. Junk information gets shared by
marketers to the masses in order to create
buzz through less-than-ethical marketing
practices. Some people get hooked in, and
others of us feel exhausted by the waves of
trash posts and articles cluttering our feeds
and web searches. We long for information
that helps us run our lives and businesses.
As ethical entrepreneurs, it is our duty to
not add to the clamor, but rather to provide deeper contexts to add value to people’s lives. When you add value, you will naturally pull your target audience towards your products and services and the sale is a solution you’ll never have to push.
​
Providing Context For Consumers
​
How do we move from adding more
information noise to providing meaningful
context? We can do this in two ways- curating information and speaking as experts with empathetic authority.
​
All the information in the world lies at
the consumer’s fingertips; however, the
consumer does not have the industry
understanding that you do. No longer is it
the seller’s job to provide information to
make a sale, as it was in the pre-internet
days. People are quite information
overloaded actually, so spitting more facts
to them is a sure way to get lost in the noise and backfire selling efforts- in one ear and out the other quicker than you can blink.
​
Some people think access gives them
expertise, and they couldn’t be more wrong. Your experiences and your education in your industry give you expertise, and your job above all else is to curate all that is out there to the people. Just as a museum curator has to sort through thousands of artifacts to
bring the right pieces to a museum, it is your job in the information age to bring the most beneficial information to the forefront; give your audience “aha” moments by opening their awareness and increasing their recognition that you do something special in the marketplace for them; and also show your customers the wrong information that will hurt them.
Selling happens naturally when people
realize you are expertly guiding them through the landmines and junk drawers of poor information to what will help them. It is when you position your sales message as a servant leader that you will have moved people to view you as a trusted and talented expert worth your cost.
​
Your ability to curate establishes your
expertise. Your curation skills are largely
dependent, however, on your true level of
industry expertise. I can’t emphasize two
things enough- find your lane and stay in it
and always be in the pursuit of learning from credible sources to deepen your expertise. Invest in your continuing education. Invest in information access to which your audiences don’t have the same access. Attend conferences from those knocking it out of the park in your field; read or listen to the books of industry leaders; go to seminars and workshops; or earn a certificate. You can’t curate well if you’re not continuously learning expert information yourself. If you’re not learning from sources beyond what your audience can access, they’ll have no reason to
listen to you much less buy anything from you.
​
Mediocrity of work has no place for success
in the long-term game of business. It’s a hard sell, when you have to convince someone to buy something that’s not special. Create special work, deliver expert messaging, and delight in what you do. Sales will
happen simply because your solutions are
excellent, and you’re seen as someone
who passionately cares about making your
customer’s life a better one.
​
Positioning Your Sales Message
​
Start thinking about what your audience.
What do they know? What do they feel?
How does what you offer empathize with
their pain points? Are you making your social media and other marketing conversions about them and not yourself? What information might they have information access but could use deepening of context?
​
Next identify the bridge between their
information access and your expertise. The
gap is where you can position your unique
messaging to take them down a helpful
journey with you. If you feel that the span
of knowledge between the customer and
your expertise is too short, take the steps
to sharpen your knowledge base or to pare
down your offerings to only what you best
do in your industry. When you elevate
your expertise, you will be able to leverage
your expert status to sell confidently and
authentically.
​
Geneva Maresma is a Tampa-based copywriter who
delivers creative messaging for stand-out brands.
When you need a few choice words to convert
the curious into clients for your website or other
marketing collateral, contact her at genevamaresma.
com or hello@genevamaresma.com.
Inspiration
Embracing
Change
During the
COVID Crisis
BY: JESSICA RIVELLI
FOUNDER, WORKING WOMEN OF TAMPA BAY
Image: Tiffanie Kellog, Speaker, Coach
Embrace change. It was a powerful
life lesson during a very difficult year. 2020 proved to be incredibly challenging for most entrepreneurs. Many were forced
to pivot to stay alive and serve the needs of their customers, including Working Women of Tampa Bay. WWOTB became virtual
overnight and has produced 200+ events via zoom in the past year.
​
Working Women was not the only
women-owned business to turn
to the online platform to survive.
With the shutdown in March of
2020, all of Lorin Oberweger’s
writing workshops and teaching
engagements vanished, as did
the anticipated income. “Around
that time, a speaker in a webinar
put on by Working Women
of Tampa Bay talked about the
importance of building community--
a great reminder that I could
use this opportunity to bring
folks together, at least virtually,
to help them feel connected to
their craft and to each other,”
Oberweger explained.
With that, She launched a webinar
series and a coaching/accountability
community through
her company Free Expressions
Literary Services. “I would have
never been able to launch these
programs given my usual travel
schedule. It’s been a blessing.”
​
Speakers and coaches like Liz M.
Lopez and Tiffanie Kellog also
utilized Zoom and other virtual
programs to deliver content to
their clients.” I shifted all my
speaking engagements to virtual
events. In the summer of 2020, I
made over 35 speaking appearances
supporting business
owners and corporate professionals,”
Lopez explained. Kellog
embraced the change as well.
“I am loving this virtual world.
Before, there is no way I could
have done a speaking engagement
in India, the UK and Kansas
in the same day. Doing business
on Zoom allows for engagements
around the globe without
the time needed for travel.
Without having to travel, I am
​
able to help many more people
than I was before, as I now have
double the time!”
​
Michelle Turman, CEO, Catalyst
Consulting Services capitalized
on the opportunity of the captive
audience working from home
to accelerate the launch of a
new virtual training program for
non-profits. “This shift increased
our visibility to a wider audience
and enhanced our value to current
client partners.”
​
Not all businesses could just pivot
to virtual to save their business.
Some had to get really creative or
even change their entire business
models to stay afloat. Michele
Northrup AKA The Saucy Queen
has been producing community
events in Tampa Bay for years.
When the CDC made the decision
to shut down large gatherings, it
impacted her 200 plus vendors.
Northrup asked herself, “What
"I am loving
this virtual
world.
Before,
there is no
way I could
have done a
speaking
engagement
in India,
the UK and
Kansas in
the same
day.
can we do for these local crafters/
makers who have suddenly lost
their weekly income?” That’s
when she had a spark of entrepreneurial
spirit and came up with
the idea to bring the market to the
customers. Northrup brought the
idea to life and started delivering
market boxes to Hillsborough, Pinellas,
and Pasco counties within
a week. “This service took off and
created a brand new fan base for
the vendors. Now that markets are
back they are busier than ever!”
​
Some of those vendors were clients
of Pro Kitchen Hub in South
Tampa. Owner Kristin McKinney
depends on the success of her
clients to keep the doors of her
commercial kitchen open. Without
markets and events, many of
her catering clients and gourmet
food businesses weren’t utilizing
the space as much. She waived
fees and didn’t take a paycheck
to help her 100 plus clients survive.
“Closing was not an option!
We were down almost 30% of
our client base within the first 45
days of COVID. We climbed back
to almost double our base at the
end of the year.”’
Lack of events also impacted
Lennise Germany, CEO of Livy
O’s Catering. Germany used the
downtime to reexamine her business
model. She transformed Livy
O’s into a food service company
providing catering and cafes on
college campuses and school
meals to charter & private schools
through the USDA. “This pivot has
grown our business tremendously.
We’ve even been able to hire
more people.” Germany shared. In
August 2020, Livy O’s was awarded
7 additional contacts for school
meals and its first cafe contract
with St. Pete College - Midtown
Campus. “We are stronger and
wiser because of COVID.”
​
Stories like these are not uncommon.
Many female entrepreneurs
are reporting record growth in 2021
thanks to the recovering economy
and their ingenuity that helped
them ride out the Covid Crisis. For
Lorin Oberweger, in-person writing
retreats are being added back to
her workshop schedule but she’ll
keep her virtual offerings as well. “I
feel really blessed for being forced
to pivot because the decision
expanded by business
Image: Michelle Northrup, Founder, The Saucy Queen
Profile
Welcome Home
Roscoe Jenkins
(A Pop-Up Interview)
BY: MARK BRYANT
When we started Tampa Pioneer
Magazine our intent was to
showcase Tampa’s Entrepreneurs
and Business Owners. It was also
our desire to meet the person(s)
who did not get a fair shake at being
marketed or their story being told.
​
Allow me to introduce you to Mark
Jenkins. He is the Owner of Jenkins
Mobile Detailing and Pressure
Wash. Mark has been in business
for over 9 years and still counting.
He is located on the corner of 55th
and Hillsborough in Tampa, Florida.
However, business has not always
been easy. The best way to explain it
is to allow Mark’s words flow through
the pages of this article.
Interviewer: Mark, how did you get
into business.
​
Mark: I was working for Bob Evans
and I maxed out with the salary at 17
dollars and hour, I drew money out
of my 401k which wasn’t much and
I purchased the same beat up trailer
you see right there (pointing at trailer
being used by workers)
​
Interviewer: One of the biggest
issues to business start up is capital,
what do you think?
​
Mark: That is true, but the other thing
is determination to overcome failures
and obstacles
​
Interviewer: What have you been
through to keep you in business?
​
Mark: I did not know the business
that well, especially the chemical
makeup. I started during the summer
when it is a rainy season, there
was no one showing up to get
their cars cleaned. It was tough. I
was sometimes washing one car a
day, but I kept on praying that the
breakthrough would come. At times
my wife would tell me just go back to
work, this isn’t working, but God had
already told me what to do
Interviewer: How did you and wife
overcome the struggles from you
being in business?
Mark: She now sees the success of
the business, she sees that I have a
viable business
Interviewer: How did COVID affect
your business?
Mark: COVID increased my business,
because I am in the cleaning business
Interviewer: How has having
this level of flexibility worked
out for you?
Mark: It has blessed me to do things
when I want to and I can take care of
my family
If vulnerability had a face, it would be the face of Mr. Jenkins. When someone tells you what it took to get them to where they are, you typically expect to hear a lief-changing event or a “aha moment”. Well, you guessed it.
Mr. Jenkins grew up on the cold hard
streets of Tampa, Fl. Selling drugs,
shooting at people, being shot and
committing various other crimes were
his new best friends. This was the
life he lived up until going to prison.
He did not go to prison one time and
was rehabilitated, he went three times
for a total of 14 years, 8 months and
a wakeup call. According to Mark,
“prison was not all that bad,” he says,
“prison saved my life.”
As we were wrapping up the
interview, much like that of a church
service, Mark began to get excited as
he shared the story of his employees,
how he has been a blessing to them
and how he truly loves how he is able
to make an impact on the community
he once took so much from.
Mark pays his employees twice
as much as the minimum income
wages for the state. He mentors and
trains young boys whose parents at
one time would not speak to him.
Mark is a staple in the community,
frequently giving back and sharing
the word of God to patrons as they
sit under the awning that houses
his carwash. Mark is the epitome of
Entrepreneurship keeping Tampa
clean, “one care at a time.”
"At times
my wife
would tell
me just
go back
to work,
this isn’t
working,
but God
had
already
told me
what to do
Image: Jenkins Hand Car Wash
Profile
Coney
Island
Many Hats, One Woman
By: D. Hych
Upon doing a Google search to
see who Chloe Coney is, I was
taken aback by the number of
pages in the search you could
find relevant information about
her and the many things she is
doing. We found something about
Mrs. Coney within eight pages
of a Google Search. You may not
find that to be significant, but
the only other names that were
found with such significance were
those in politics. Therefore, there
is not much the citizens of Tampa
do not know about Mrs. Coney,
but we would be remiss to not
meet with the one individual who
literally built an Island for the
community she serves.
Mrs. Coney was born in Punto
Gordo, Fl. and literally at birth
she began changing things in
her community. Mrs. Coney is
the definition of a Change Agent.
She was born in a hospital that
would not allow Black people
inside, let alone be born. As
Mrs. Coney stated, “my family
was highly respected in the
community”. The level of respect
for her family coupled with the
complications at birth led to
her being the first Black person
to be born in the local hospital.
Mrs. Coney’s middle name is the
actual name of the nurse who
delivered her, Mrs. Chloe Juanita
Coney. At that moment, I am sure
that is why her mother called her
a “special child”.
In a world of overwhelming
change and dramatic complexities
the world needed someone like
Mrs. Coney. According to a brief of
the Tampa Scorecard, a document
that shares data points on the
Tampa market, it is evident that
Tampa is longing for the changes
that Mrs. Coney has fought her
whole life to bring to pass.
“As I look back at all of the things
I accomplished at the age of 13,
I wonder how did I do it”, said
Mrs. Coney. “It was hard going to
Hillsborough High School, when
I moved to Hillsborough High
School I found out what prejudice
was about.” These words were so
powerful to listen to, expressed
with the hurt and frustration of
why did I have to go through all of
this, she asked? “Because it was
only three of us and somebody
had to do it,” she said.
Graduation is supposed to be a
momentous moment, but for Mrs.
Coney it was something she could
not wait to forget. “I snatched my
Diploma out of their hand and
never wanted to come back to that
school.” A change was coming, a
long time coming, but she knew
she was about to change.
Poised to continue being a
change agent, Mrs. Coney made
another change, she decided
to discontinue changing things
and to stop fighting the system.
She was expected to attend a
predominantly all White university
as she was highly sought after, she
decided she would attend FAMU.
“I proved my point, and I did not
want to continue anymore.”
As life would have it, this Tampa
Pioneer found herself right back
in the fight. Here is a list of things
Mrs. Coney has accomplished
since she decided to no longer
keep fighting the system:
"As I look
back at
all of the
things I
accomplished
at
the age
of 13, I
wonder
how did I
do it
Image: Chloe Coney, Founder, Corporations to Develop Communities
Profile
As Good
As Gold
“An Impact on the Community”
By: Mark Bryant
In preparation to interview Dr.
Andy Gold I knew I was going
to be in for a treat. I knew
that this interview would be
full of information that would
change the life of any budding
Entrepreneur. But what I found
were the many golden nuggets
he would eventually drop off.
He would say something like
this, “ I want to share this with
your readers”. Much like a kid in
the candy factor, I would prepare
myself for a treat. “I think it’s
important for your readers to
know about the racial disparity in
Entrepreneurship and how COVID
has played a significant role in it
over the last year.”
Listening astute and waiting
for this wealth of knowledge,
he continues, “41% of all Black
owned businesses will close
because of COVID compared to
17% of White owned businesses”.
“Also, Daryl, 40% of all the
revenue earned by Black owned
businesses is generated in just
30 counties spread throughout
the United States and of the 30
counties, 20 of them were more
infectious than any other county
in the United States, they were
the hardest hit in the country.
That knowledge struck a chord and
now I think it is only befitting to
tell you who Andy Gold is.
Dr. Andy Gold is like many of
the Entrepreneurs we have been
connecting with, he is not a
native of Tampa. He moved here
from New York after owning and
operating several businesses.
“I started out as a ‘Desperate
Entrepreneur’, it was not planned.”
He recalled the success he had
in a children’s bookstore he and
his wife owned for many years.
He shared with us that he learned
a lot about business during that
period, one thing in specific he
said, “I never want to own another
retail business again.” He shifted
his attention toward service
industry business ownership.
Shortly after moving to
Tampa, Andy connected with
Hillsborough Community
College. He found his passion
and his desire to help the
community and better prepare
disenfranchised individuals
for Entrepreneurship. When he
arrived in Florida, he started
Veterans Entrepreneurship
Training Symposium (VETS) held
the Saturday before Veterans
Day. This event is in its 9th
year. This event brings Veterans
and Civilians together on the
campus of HCC to learn about
small business enterprises
and creating opportunities for
Veterans throughout the county.
He is also the co-founder of the
HCC Center for Entrepreneurship
and Operation Start-up. He is also
one of the Lead Facilitators of
‘One Million Cups.
One Million Cups is a program
that brings new and existing
business owners in a friendly
environment to pitch their
business idea or concept in
front of like-minded individuals.
This program is founded by the
Kaufmann Foundation out of
Kansas City, Mo. One Million
Cups is a community-based
program designed for community
development and entrepreneurial
assistance. This was a perfect
match for Andy.
“Coming from a middle-class
family I’ve been fortunate to
having food on my table, roof
over my head, to having different
careers and opportunities. I feel
compelled to try to afford those
who come from underserved
communities, those who do not
have that connection, that is why
I love working at a community
college, to build that metaphorical
bridge, to be the advocate to get
them over that bridge, to kind of
push them through, because they
may not know what that world is
like, that is what I have dedicated
my life to, for those who do not
have those opportunities. So far
this has been the most gratifying
and rewarding of all the things I
have done.”
Surely, with such a rigorous
schedule and many projects
started we were fortunate to
have this opportunity to connect
with Dr. Gold. This interview was
scheduled perfectly during Spring
Break. But this was not a break
for Dr. Gold. He was literally in
the Lab, the “InLab@HCC”. Dr.
Gold approaches Spring Break
as another opportunity to serve.
InLab@HCC is the centralized hub
for all things related to innovation,
creativity, entrepreneurship
and social venturing. Through
InLab Entrepreneurs can focus
on many areas surrounding the
Entrepreneurship experience as
well prepare them for Business
Funding Opportunities. Dr. Gold
is one of the main contributors
to the success of this unique
program. “When we talk to
aspiring Entrepreneurs one
of the things we try to do is
break down the mythology
of Entrepreneurship.”
Entrepreneurship is not about
wearing hoodies, working out of
the garage creating new code, it is
not about that, according to Andy.
“We refer to it as a long haul, a
long game, it takes time to do
before you can break through and
see financial stability.”
Dr. Gold’s name is one of a kind
and he holds up to it, for more
information about him and the
various programs he is actively
involved in please send him an
email at agold3@hccfl.edu, you
are sure to find a piece of gold left
in the bucket.