The Tampa Bay Partnership is a privately funded, CEO-driven organization focused on public policy and advocacy. It is the place where the region’s highest-level CEOs come together, roll up their sleeves and working on the toughest challenges facing the community. Transportation and Talent are the two top priorities for the organization, along with an initiative to benchmark the region against 19 other peer and competitive markets.
Rick Homans
HRS was recruited Rick Homans from within the Tampa Bay market in 2015. The leaders of the Partnership tasked him with transitioning from a regional economic development organization into a strong advocate for systemic change within the region. As a result, Homans subsequently worked with the organization’s leaders to redefine its vision and mission and organizational structure. Today, it is one of the most influential business-led partnerships in Tampa Bay.
Beginning in 2017, the Partnership created a “framework for prosperity” consisting of five major drivers and including 60 diverse indicators – benchmarked against 19 peer and aspirational markets. Based on the results of the Regional Competitiveness Report, the board determined the region would need to move aggressively to ensure it could compete nationally and globally and achieve prosperity for its residents. As a result, the Partnership, with a major grant from JP Morgan Chase, launched Tampa Bay Works to create an employer-led, demand-driven workforce strategy that aligns business needs with the supply of talent. The Tampa Bay Partnership also formed a Transportation Working Group, with about 30 area leaders, to drive the development of regional transit solutions, and other critical transportation infrastructure in the region.