Meet Bill Kent - LSPAA's April Spotlight
Meet Bill Kent! LSP Class of 1994, and President & CEO of George F. Young. Bill is also the Chair of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation and Chair of the BayCare Medical Group. Bill has been an LSPAA member since graduation in 1994 and involved while Chair of the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce. Bill has been President & CEO at George F. Young (GFY), a 105-year young civil engineering and surveying firm headquartered in St. Petersburg where he's worked for 33 years. Some of the St. Pete projects GFY has worked on are USF St. Pete, the St. Pete Pier, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg & Boca Ciega High Schools, 400 Central, Ovation, Ascent, Evo, Belpointe Towers, Hermitage Apartments, Duke Energy Headquarters, HSN, the St. Pete Police Station, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital and All Children’s Hospital.
Bill has made very dear friends & business associates in LSP whom he is still in contact with today. He learned invaluable leadership lessons from people in the program and presenters who were CEOs. He got to see how they solved problems and handled themselves, and he still uses these lessons in his work today.
Bill's LSP experience led to more community service opportunities. He served as Chair of the St. Pete Chamber, Chair of the BayCare Medical Group, on the Board and Finance Committees of St. Anthony’s Hospital and its foundation, and he serves on the USF St. Pete Business Advisory Board.
In his free time, Bill enjoys spending time with his family (wife and four daughters) and fishing, ideally for American Red Snapper. He is looking forward to being a first-time grandfather in late April/early May.
What's next for Bill? In addition to the aforementioned grandchild, he's just become the chair of the St. Pete Economic Development Corp., where they're starting the first year of a 5-year plan looking at how they can continue to help St. Pete grow while keeping the secret sauce that makes St. Pete so special.
Thank you Bill for your leadership!