3
DECEMBER 11, 2015
ALEXIS MUELLNER
Alexis is the Editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal
I
[email protected]
813-342-2472
@ALEXISTBBJ
TAKING IT IN
How we got to our 25 People to Watch list, and adding your input
O
ur annual 25 People to Watch effort starts before Halloween, with some debate over lunch akin to horse trading. We work the whiteboard with ideas and suggestions from all corners of the office. As deadline nears, we hone, question ourselves and tweak some more. The people, empty chairs and elected officials we’ve identified in the pages that follow represent our thoughts about who’ll be making business news in 2016 in Tampa Bay and why we’ll be watching closely — and why you should, too. But just because these are our choices doesn’t mean we nailed it. In fact, last week we scored ourselves on our 2015 list. Some were dead on; others were way off. That made this project even more fun for me. Special Projects Director Chris Wilkerson led the effort, pushing us to think twice on some choices and reconsider early candidates. But we want to hear about the people, empty chairs and elected factions you think we should know about but flat out missed. It helps in two ways: We love the engagement and it helps us identify businesspeople who may not be on our radar, which leads to source relationships and better coverage. Second, a key TBBJ value proposition is networking — sharing with our readers the people and issues they need to know about to drive leads, partnerships, competition and strategic decisions.
t
R CLOSER
LOOK
ANOTHER PERSON TO WATCH This week, we welcome Frances McMorris to our newsroom. As she acclimates to Tampa Bay from New York, she’ll be covering transportation and hospitality, with broader Frances interest in the business of law McMorris and economic development — an overall focus of the team. Fran has a law degree and brings our team deep B2B news experience, having worked as the editor-in-chief of On Wall Street magazine, with reporting and editing roles at The Deal, The Wall Street Journal, New York Law Journal, New York Daily News and Newsday. Please welcome her with feedback, tips and story ideas at fmcmorris@bizjournals. com; @TBBJFran.
So while we announce the “Watch List” every December, the idea is for the spirit of the effort to breathe all year.
When you give your employees a Publix gift card, you’re giving them exactly what they want. And then they get to decide how they want to spend it. It’s a win-win! Ordering is quick and easy! Just call us at 1-800-830-8159, or visit us online at publix.com/gift.
See our scorecard on the 2015 PTW, how well we did watching them and whether they were worth watching: http://bizj.us/1kgps2
$
Be a part of the ongoing dialogue about 2016 newsmakers by tweeting at @TBBJNewsroom with the #TBBJWatchList hashtag.
All orders, unless otherwise requested, will be sent standard shipping at no charge. Publix gift card designs are subject to availability. Your purchase may qualify for a discount. Please call 1-800-830-8159 for details.
