Executive Board
President
Wm. Cory Jeffries
Tampa Pro Massage
3601 W. Swann Ave #212
Tampa, FL 33619
813-368-0532
Tampapromassage@yahoo.com
Vice President
Sharon Gwozdz
First Investors Corp.
5206 Bon Vivant Dr. #27
Tampa, FL 33603
813-748-9651
srg_916@yahoo.com
Treasurer
Chris Hennessey
Stellar Partners Inc.
1024 E. Mohawk Ave
Tampa, FL 33604
813-505-0891
henntpa@aol.com
Secretary
Pat “The Plumber” Ditto
Womyn’s Words
5475 14th Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
727-323-5706
paprikash@webtv.net
Guild Administrator
Renee Cossette
813-362-6203
admin@tbbg.org
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS
Dr. Keith Waldrep
Bayfront Rejuvenation
7000 4th St. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33702
727-521-3627
info@bayfrontrejuvenation.com
Tim Thompson
TAG (Thompson Art Group)
700 33rd St. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
727-455-1385
artdumond@gmail.com
Executive Committee
Wm. Cory Jeffries, President
Wm. Cory Jeffries is a Licensed Massage Therapist and has been in private practice for the past 13 years. He has been a Massage Therapy Instructor with Everest University for the past 4 years.
Cory was born in Fairfax County, VA, and moved to FL in 1989 after 4 years in the US Navy as a Radioman to attend Stetson University. He moved to Tampa with his partner of 5 years in 2004.
Cory has been a Guild member since 2005, was voted onto the board a year later and has served ever since.
Cory served as the Guild's Programming Chair and handled the Guild's special events such as the Silver Anniversary Black Tie Party, the Annual Winter Holiday Party, as well as the 2008 TBBG Business Guild Expo.
The Business Guild has been the cornerstone of the GLBT community since 1982 and Cory values the importance of this organization in our community.
He has worked hard for the Guild and is very excited to serve as the 2009-2010 Guild President. His vision this year is to guide the Guild into a new era of growth, leadership and development in our Community.
In these tough economic times, socializing and networking becomes the means of building businesses and this has always been the strength of the Guild.
He invites you to come grow with the Tampa Bay Business Guild!
Sharon Gwozdz, Vice President
Sharon Gwozdz (pronounced Gvush) is a Financial Services Representative with First Investors Corporation and specializes in helping LGBT couples save for their goals and retirement. Due to the many laws that are currently in place, LGBT couples must take extra steps to prepare for their financial future. Sharon works with retirement plans, business plans, college plans, life insurance, and the Florida Retirement System, just to name a few.
Sharon is originally from Cleveland, OH and received her BA from Wells College in upstate New York. After graduation she opted for a change of climate and moved to Tampa in 2004.
Sharon is currently the Program Chair for the Guild and has recently been appointed to Treasurer.
Sharon's goal is to bring together members of the community in order to make our voices heard. Sharon is focused on educating the younger generation about the issues within the community since they will be the future leaders of the organization. She looks forward to many years of community involvement and hopes to be part of the next political movement for recognition of our rights.
Chris Hennessey, Treasurer
An Ohio native, Chris Hennessey moved to Tampa in 1997 and currently reside in Seminole Heights.
Chris has over 20 years experience in retail merchandising and planning serving in numerous director roles. Most recently Chris was the Senior Manager / Director of Planning and Distribution for a small retail company called Stellar Partners, Inc. Stellar's specialty is airport retails stores with locations throughout the country including JFK, Newark, Charlotte, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Washington-Dulles and Tampa.
Chris also serves as the committee chair for Francis House Strike Out for Aids fundraiser as well volunteer for Lifepath Hospice and serves as one of the ministers in the life of Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa.
Chris joined the Tampa Bay Business Guild in 2005 and has served on the board since 2007. In 2008 he was elected Vice President where we oversaw significant changes to the branding through a new and vibrant logo which also included major changes to our annual directory. He is proud of the 27 year history of the Tampa Bay Business Guild. He believes the organization will change and evolve as it continues to meet the needs of the LGBT friendly business community.
Pat Ditto, Secretary
Pat Kappan Ditto, a Hungarian girl born 1943, grew up in Cleveland where she worked at Ohio Bell, attended Fenn College (presently Cleveland State University) and then performed with "The Satin Dolls" as the drummer.
Pat is a proud card-carrying member of the Cleveland Federation of Musicians, Local 4. And few may know, that the Satin Dolls was one of the few all-girl bands during the Vietnam War, where they entertained at military bases and Veterans hospitals throughout the country as well as Thule Air Force base in Greenland.
Pat went from drumming to plumbing in 1976 when she moved to Tampa. Historically, "Pat the Plumber" was born. Pat was the only woman in her Apprenticeship class, and one of the first licensed women plumbers in Florida.
Pat was one of the original members of the Pinellas County Business Guild in 1992. Pat has been a member of TBBG since 2002 representing the Women's Energy Bank, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and publisher of Womyn's Words: Florida's oldest gay publication and archivist of our community since 1983.
Pat has been fortunate to serve on the EXPO committee, the Membership committee and volunteer TBBG directory delivery.
Pat is also a member of the Stonewall Democrats, Pinellas NOW, the Audubon Society, SPCA, and supporting member of Cleveland Hard-Hatted Women.
Pat considers it a great privilege to be able to serve on the TBBG Board for 5 years with men and women of integrity: donating their time and positive energy to making the Guild a dynamic, respected, and influential "Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce."
Board Members at Large
Dr. Nathan "Keith" Waldrep
Dr. Keith Waldrep and his partner are originally from Birmingham, AL.
They relocated to Florida in 1989 and recently celebrated their 24th anniversary. They enjoy food, wine, being outdoors, and travel.
Dr. Keith is a Family Practice physician and works as an administrator for Bayfront Medical Center. He is the Medical Director for the hospitals Urgent Care, Occupational Medicine, Sports Medicine and Aesthetic Medicine programs.
Keith is a new member of the TBBG this year. He joined the Guild because of the networking and business opportunities this great organization offers.
He elected to run for an At-Large member of the board because he feels it is important to give whatever support he can to make this organization the best it can be.
Tim Thompson
Hailing from North Carolina, Tim Thompson's professional background consists of over 22 years of retail and business management.
In 2002, Tim launched TAG (Thompson's Art Group), a business that represents artists in the "sales" aspect of their work. TAG currently represents over 20 artists throughout the world, from exotic cities like Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Mexico City, to more urban places like Baltimore, Houston, San Diego, and New York. TAG can find the right piece of art for the right place in your life, as well as the correct means by which to display the works. TAG Services also provides various consultation services to artists overall.
Tim has supported many non-profit organizations in various ways. Prior to moving to the Tampa Bay area, Tim served on the Board of Directors in Baltimore, Maryland for The GLBT Community Center, Chase Brexton Health Services, and AIDS Interfaith Residential Services.
Now living St Petersburg, Florida, Tim serves St. Pete Pride, Grand Central District Association, Habitat for Humanity, Muscular Dystrophy Association and the TBBG.
Tim is really excited to be one of the newest board members of TBBG and believes that TBBG plays a vital role in the Tampa Bay Community, providing a voice of diversity and inclusion, proving that we are smart business people who positively affect the economy, and showing that we stand united.
Tim currently serves as the Public Relations/Marketing Chair.
Rayanne Buchianico
Rayanne Buchianico is the founder and owner of ABC Solutions, LLC, a firm located in Pinellas Park, Florida providing complete accounting, business, and computer consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses since 2005. Rayanne oversees all aspects of the firm, including client tax and accounting services, payroll needs, compliance issues and training the staff to provide excellent client service.
Rayanne has lived and worked in Philadelphia, Pa; St. Petersburg and Palm Harbor, Florida. Rayanne helped develop Byte Information Technologies, Inc; and was named VP of her Philadelphia computer consulting firm in 1998. She earned her Enrolled Agent designation after completing the Special Enrollment Examination with the Internal Revenue Service in 2005. Rayanne is a Microsoft Certified Professional with the Small Business Specialist Community designation as well as a QuickBooks Certified Professional Advisor.
Rayanne lives in St. Petersburg and has two children: Elizabeth is a Marine Veteran and Thomas is currently serving actively in the Marines.
John Burchett
John Burchett has been in Tampa for 13 years after being transferred from the Washington DC area. He lives in Seminole Heights with his partner of 10 years, Ryan Kowalczyk, in a 100 year old Bungalow that is in a constant state of repair!
John is a Sr. System Administrator for Sage Software, and was recently on the Board of Directors for Arts on 9th. He is an avid theatre fan and does lighting and set design and while he was in the DC area received a Helen Hayes Nomination for his Lighting design of Sweeney Todd. He is enjoying being part of the TBBG. It has been a wonderful experience and he's looking forward to working with the rest of the Board to restore the Guild to be an intricate part of the gay business community.
The TBBG Board Meetings
The Monthly Guild Board Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month. These board meetings are open to all Guild Members. To attend, just email any board member for the location of the board meeting.
If you have an interest in filling a board position or volunteering on any of the committees, we would LOVE to have you participate!
The TBBG Dinner Meetings
TBBG meets the second Tuesday of each month for dinner and a program of interest, alternating on each side of Tampa Bay. Business networking starts at 6:30 pm and the meeting starts at 7:30 pm.
Mission Statement: The mission of the Guild is to promote a strong and visible gay business community.
The TBBG Socials
The Monthly Guild Social Gatherings are held on the third Wednesday of each month. These gatherings are for Guild Members and their guests to have a chance to network and interact in an informal environment.