The Tampa Bay Business Journal’s annual Power 100 List is a guide to the region’s most influential business leaders at this moment in time. Announced in January, see short profiles of the honorees designed to provide a rationale for their inclusion in this coveted program.
The Power 100 is not a ranking but a road map to the business leaders driving high-level decision-making at key companies, organizations and institutions throughout the Business Journal’s seven-county coverage area. The editorial staff and publisher of the Business Journal created the list over a series of meetings.
To narrow down the list, the team assessed organizational leadership and those who, either visibly or quietly, through philanthropic or institutional means, shape the path and fortunes of the regional business community beyond their bubble.
The recognition represents a cumulative impact and staying power. Power and influence by nature change slowly. There will be familiar names. It is not an exact process. Every day, our news team discovers new companies and influencers not previously on our radar, a result of being in a growth market that attracts new players and new power and money.
An important note: The list does not include elected officials because it can be assumed they are influential by the nature of their office. We also limited the list to those in the Tampa Bay region. You will also see some pairs and families on this list.
This year’s list features an additional nine Power 100 legends, those who have held a high power status in the Tampa Bay area for the past few years and are predicted to remain on the list for the foreseeable future. The original 17 legends named in 2023 are included in a list at the end of the section.
We continue concerted discussions around the number of women honorees, which needs to be higher. There are ongoing local efforts to increase the number of women in board and C-suite leadership — but progress is slow, and this remains a systemic issue. A perusal of women’s representation on the boards of Tampa Bay’s largest public and private companies shows low representation. It is still a work in progress, with diversity in all forms (cultural, gender, age, location, etc.) also a priority.
We expect new power players to emerge in the year ahead, which will change our 2025 roster. The careful decisions for the Power 100 are deeply considered but imperfect by nature. We welcome community input.
We ask, “If we add someone, who drops off the list?” If you have anyone you’d like to suggest, email amuellner@ bizjournals.com.