Local Events « Smith and Associates Blog

South Tampa Gets the “Viitals” When it Comes to Nutrition September 14, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

In this day and age, it seems everyone has either a food allergy or hard-to-accommodate-in-daily-life preference. There are said to be 8 major food allergens: gluten, dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, nuts, fish and shellfish. There are some people with ethical reasons for not eating many of these items (such as vegans). Then there are the people who choose to eliminate some of them for health or digestive reasons- whether it is in an attempt to feel better on a daily basis or to cure a disease. Then there are those that consuming some of these items is the difference between life and death. Now that is scary!

If we lived in caveman times, preventing negative reactions to these foods would be easily solved by eating at home every night…and day…and morning. Not to mention, many of these allergies were nonexistent at that time. However in this day and age, eating on the go at times seems to be a necessity and at other times an enjoyable pass time whether by yourself or with friends.

For the most part, restaurants will accommodate one or more of these food allergies but it is never guaranteed “safe”. And, as a vegan with the need to be completely gluten free (I try!), my options at times are either the side salad with no dressing, croutons or cheese or the french fries. Bleh! That is not a meal!

So other than your Tampa home, where does one go when they suffer from several or ALL of these allergens but need a fast meal? ::drum roll please:: Viitals Gourmet Cafe. (Yes, there are 2 i’s, although I haven’t asked why yet). This little gem of a place has everything you need when looking to be healthy in a hurry. Almost everything on their menu is considered to be a “complete meal”, with the adequate amount of calories comprised of the perfect fat, protein, carb/fiber breakdown to sustain the average person.

Their menu features everything from fair-trade, organic lattes and full meal smoothies (with the option to add vitamin and superfood boosts), to muffins and other baked goods made from scratch in their dedicated gluten-free bakery & sandwiches that can be served cold or pressed on their homemade artesian bread. Oh, and I can’t forget about their non-alcoholic, electrolyte filled coconut water concoctions including the “Bloody Mary”, “Cosmopolitan”, “Blueberry Mojito” and “Mango Pina Colada”. Happy hour has a new meaning & I am getting excited just sharing them with you!

I consider myself a food photo connoisseur (aren’t all vegans though??). However when I recently visited Viitals to have the hot pressed “Unexpected” sandwich with the Mango Pina Colada, I didn’t have my fancy camera & had to revert back to caveman times by breaking out the old iPhone. The food was amazing, despite the shabby photo above!

Anyways, if you are in South Tampa looking for a quick, healthy & allergen-free bite to eat, check out Viitals Cafe. It is located on Dale Mabry just minutes away from the Smith & Associates Tampa Office. If you’re feeling generous and decide to bring food back to share with us, I am sure no one would hate it!

Have you ever been to Viitals? What did you have and how did you like it? Pictures or it didn’t happen!

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Ahoy! The USS Independence Sails Into St. Pete September 12, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

On September 2nd, downtown St. Petersburg received quite the exciting guest- the United States’ newest naval warship, the USS Independence. The ship stayed docked at the St. Pete Pier through Labor Day and 3,000 patrons that snagged a free ticket from Mahaffey Theater were able to tour the ship. These tickets were quite the hot commodity, said to be accounted for in under an hour! That is 3,000 lucky ducks!

Although the massive vessel is 418 feet long, weighing in at over 2,700 tons, it is said to be one of the smaller naval warships. She can function in under 20 feet of water and prepare for mine, undersea or surface warfare which makes her extremely unique. The ship also features not ONE but TWO helicopter launching pads.

According to Bay News 9′s interview with Commander Kenneth Coleman, “[The Navy] took a commercial design and put some military requirements on top of it and has come up with something revolutionary.” So basically we have a cruise ship ready to go to war. I wonder if you can enjoy a breakfast alongside Mickey Mouse & the Disney crew? If so, I think I may enlist!

I don’t want to get into the politics of whether or not going to war is the best choice or a moral decision, however, I salute the honorable sailors aboard that ship and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them in full uniform exploring downtown St. Pete.

While I didn’t get to see the ship up close & personal, thanks to Smith & Associates’ President/CEO Bob Glaser‘s handy dandy iPhone, I got to see a pretty awesome photo (pictured above left). Were you one of the lucky ones that snagged a ticket to tour USS Independence? What did you think? I would love to see more pictures, so please send them my way!

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Celebrities Call Tampa Bay Home Too! September 7, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

The Tampa Bay area is a hotspot for such a variety of people. We have everyone from the snow birds that spend the so called “winter months” here (some don’t consider weather that still allows for flip flops winter). Then there are those that come into town for a Tampa Bay Bucs, Rays or Lightning game or travelers here to see the beautiful beaches and local theme parks. And last but not least, there we are: your every day crowd here for work, play and just to live our lives. I love this area and will most likely always call Tampa Bay home but who would have guessed that outside of the “normal” crowd we are so accustomed to, many celebrities feel the same way about the Bay Area? You heard me right, fame in the flesh is here in Tampa Bay! So, who should you be on the lookout for?

Of course we will always have the athletes. Various Lightning players live all over the Bay. Some enjoy the exciting beach atmosphere in Clearwater while others like to stay in the South Tampa area, just a short commute to the St. Pete Times Forum. Then there are the Buccaneers. You will often spot these guys in International Mall and I don’t doubt that many of them will pay a constant tribute to Leroy Selmon by visiting one of his various restaurant locations. As for the Rays, you can find them dispersed throughout the area. While some opt out of purchasing homes due to the schedule fluctuation and possibility of being drafted, you can find many of them renting out some of the luxury high rises in Downtown St. Pete. And while he may be one of our team rivalries, you can also spot Derek Jeter in the area during Yankee Spring training, as he calls Tampa home as well (pictured above left).

While we do have an abundance of athletes in the area, they are not all we have here. Tampa Bay is home to its fare share of Professional Wrestlers as well (whom I guess could technically be lumped into the previous field). Some you may know, including: wrestler gone rapper gone actor John Cena who resides in Tampa, Joannie Laurer “Chyna” in Sarasota, Randy “Macho Man” Savage in Treasure Island, Paul Wight “The Big Show” in Odessa and Barbara Blank “Kelly Kelly” a Jacksonville native now living in South Tampa. And, of course I wouldn’t leave out the infamous Hulk Hogan who currently has his 17,000 SF Belleair home for sale (pictured above right).

If reading is your thing, thriller author, Stephen King, can be found conjuring up his next book in Sarasota along with AC/DC lead man, Brian Johnson. And if Ocala isn’t too far of a trip, John Travolta can be reached, but only via his private jet way, please. The late Oxy Clean/infomercial superstar, Billy Mays called Tampa home as well and I have a feeling if asked what he thought about the city, he’d sell it like he did in the commercials…”You’re gonna love it. I guarantee ya!”

Basically what I am getting at here is that Tampa Bay is great. Whether you want to call St. Pete home or opt for Downtown Tampa, there is something for everyone- even the stars!

We have all been starstruck at some point in our lives. Some become desensitized but to many of us, the excitement of celeb-spotting will never change. Have you ever met a celebrity in the Tampa Bay area? Who would you lose your cool over?

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Social Media & Real Estate: The New Brangelina August 4, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

Ten years ago, print marketing was the Jedi Master at “forcing” your listings out into the public eye. As times have changed, the world has gone to the dark side & gotten super futuristic on us with internet advertising. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a HUGE fan of print media, however it seems that if your smart phone doesn’t know what you have one the market, no one does. Real Estate, meet Social Media.

According to an article by Brent Leary of Inc. Technology (featured on Wikipedia), “Using social media as a form of marketing has taken on whole new challenges. As the 2010 Trust Study indicates, it is most effective if marketing efforts through social media revolve around the genuine building of authority. Someone performing a “marketing” role within a company must honestly convince people of their genuine intentions, knowledge, and expertise in a specific area or industry through providing valuable and accurate information on an ongoing basis without a marketing angle overtly associated. If this can be done, trust with, and of, the recipient of that information – and that message itself – begins to develop naturally. This person or organization becomes a thought leader and value provider – setting themselves up as a trusted “advisor” instead of marketer. “Top of mind awareness” develops and the consumer naturally begins to gravitate to the products and/or offerings of the authority/influencer.” Essentially, through non-forceful communication we gain trust, through trust we gain relationships and through relationships we gain clients. Easy, right?

This past Tuesday, we were fortunate enough to have Eric Miller, “The Boss” of Stache Creative come in to both the Tampa & St. Pete offices to give us the 411 on Social Media and why it is so important in business- primarily Real Estate. Eric went over the social media trifecta that we all may know on a personal level but have shyed away from doing business with: Facebook, Twitter and Blogging.

The seminar was fabulous; leaving agents (and myself) wanting to know more, get started right away and smiling for photos with their snazzy stache laden business cards! If you haven’t sat through one of his presentations and you’re looking to get pumped up about 1/2 nerdy yet completely cool stuff that will significantly increase your clientele, I highly suggest giving him a call to set something up.

I will leave you with a few crazy statistics (also brought to you by Wikipedia) to think about when debating whether or not you should join Lord Palpatine (Facebook), his first apprentice, Darth Maul (Twitter) and the one and only, Darth Vader (Blogging) and head on over to the Dark Side (Social Media Marketing):
- Social networking now accounts for 22% of all time spent online in the US.
- Over 25% of U.S. internet page views occurred at one of the top social networks.
- The number of social media users age 65 and older grew 100 percent throughout 2010, so that one in four people in that age group are now part of a social networking site.
- As of June 2011 Facebook has 750 Million users.

Crazy, right?!

Whether you spend your days adding old friends on facebook, blogging about your confusion on blogging, trying to figure out the new google +, or tweeting your every thought, congratulations-you are participating in social media! What is your favorite Social Media outlet? Are you usting these tools for business purposes? Why or why not? Tell us your success stories and while you’re at it, add us on facebook!

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Smith & Associates Real Estate Hosts Author Peter Kageyama June 27, 2011
By Alexis Bentivegna

Smith & Associates Real Estate invited author Peter Kageyama to speak at the company’s Tampa office about the elements that emotionally connect Tampa Bay residents to their city and the role that the real estate industry can play in fostering those connections.

Kageyama looks at what makes cities lovable, what motivates citizens to do extraordinary things for their places and how some cities use that energy to fill in the gaps that “official” city makers have left when resources disappear. Peter touched on the role of technology, particularly social media in our relationship with our city and each other – and how it actually builds social capital, which cities are considered “Most Lovable” and how we can learn from them, and how even a small number of people who are “in love” with their city can have a major impact in the community.

Kageyama is a community and economic development consultant based in St. Petersburg. He is the co-founder and producer of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary event that brings together citizens and practitioners around the big idea of the city. Peter is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization. He has spoken all over the world about bottom up community development and the amazing people that are making change happen.

To attend an upcoming speaking engagement or to schedule Peter to come to your organization, please visit For The Love of Cities for more information.

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Grayl’s Hotel: Where the 1920′s meet 2011 June 24, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

Built in the early 1920′s by a female developer, the Lantern Lane was a rarity for St. Petersburg Real Estate- fabulous waterfront apartment living with a bit of feminism on the side. In 1994, the building was purchased by Dale Grayls with an array of plans and renovations to get the once leased out rooms ready for out of town visitors and a Prohibition-style lounge. After a name change, the conversion to a hotel and addition of Gatsby’s restaurant, the downtown St. Petersburg hotel hasn’t see many more updates…until now.

Grayl’s Hotel was recently purchased by local developer, Chuck Prather. After speaking with him, he proved to be very down to Earth and ready to bring something great to downtown St. Petersburg. Typically developing government buildings, Prather is extremely excited about this new & much more personal endeavor. And to be honest, after hearing the future plans and additions coming to the historic building, I am pretty excited myself!

Grayl’s, being known for its vintage appeal, brings an amazing historical aspect to Beach Drive, offsetting the modern feel given by the vast amount of high rises lining the street. Prather and his development team plan to preserve this historic feel while converting the building to be more environmentally friendly, meeting all LEED standards; all the while, attempting to keep the hotel and restaurant open and completely functional.

The ground floor will be renovated in several different sections in order to keep the restaurant up and running. The entire back 1/3 of the building will be a new, fully renovated kitchen while the front portion will feature a completely up-dated floor plan and seating area with an Old World feel. With the drive to keep the building “green”, we will also see some menu changes to feature healthier pedigree ingredients that can be found locally.

The hotel rooms, currently giving off more of a studio apartment vibe, will take on some changes as well. Decorated with vintage-esq gadgets and apparatuses, the rooms will have more of a boutique feel with open floor plans and antique bathroom fixtures. A nice change from the corporate world of carbon copy comforters and details.

The renovations will also include a period specific rooftop lounge spanning across the entirety of the building with a perfect bird’s-eye view, over Straub Park, of the marina and Tampa Bay. The lounge will be open to the public with a separate entrance to the hotel and will be a perfect place for a nice downtown afternoon happy hour.

Whether or not the employees dress for the Prohibition period is still up in the air but it seems Chuck Prather has all of his ducks in a line to get Grayl’s Hotel back on the grid while maintaining the 1920’s feel. I am anxious to see the progress and I am sure all of you who call St. Petersburg home are as well.

The hotel will be open for business and offering discounts throughout the renovations. For more information or to make reservations please visit www.GraylsHotel.com.

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Smith & Associates Real Estate Celebrates Ansel Adams Exhibit June 20, 2011
By Alexis Bentivegna

Smith & Associates Real Estate hosted a cocktail party to showcase the spectacular work of famed photographer Ansel Adams at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Downtown Tampa.
Over one hundred and fifty of the company’s friends and family attended the lavish affair, which included live music and catering by Mise En Place. Fifty-four photographs, all taken between the 1920s-70s, were selected to be a part of the exhibit.

Adams, with more than half a century of photographic masterpieces under his belt, is considered one of the greatest and well-known landscape photographers in U.S. history. A lifelong conservationist who encouraged the respect for the natural environment, Adams’ work mostly consisted of elegant and beautifully composed black-and-white landscapes of the American West.

It is safe to say that no other contemporary photographer could compare to the lifetime contributions of Adams when it comes to public recognition of the art of photography, especially in the black-and-white form. His strength as an artist is largely attributed to his tireless investigation of the methods of photography, developing a careful darkroom technique of exposure and development he called the Zone System.

The Ansel Adams exhibit is on display until Wednesday, July 6th. For more information, please visit The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts’ website.

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There’s No Party Like a Signature Party! June 3, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

On a May 25th, two of Smith & Associates Real Estate‘s top producing agents, Debbie Newman & Scott Allen, organized a block party for the residents of Signature Place, one of downtown St. Pete‘s luxury condominiums. The party kicked off at the newly opened Community Bank where residents mingled over drinks and appetizers provided by downtown American Brasserie, Cassis while chatting with both old and new friends alike. Later, the party migrated to Bernie’s & Son where residents shopped for their next jewelry piece. All in all, the night was an absolute success!

Scott and Debbie’s long standing relationship with the Signature Place owners has been cultivated over many years. The duo was responsible for the complete sell out of all 244 luxury units in the high rise, turning the once empty rooms into St. Pete homes. This is just one of many parties that the Newman & Allen team plan on organizing for both Signature Place residents and local businesses. Their goal is to continue building the fabric of downtown St. Petersburg one relationship at a time. The two know and understand that a community is what both businesses and residents want to invest in!

A word from St. Pete Realtors Debbie Newman and Scott Allen (pictured far right with Signature Place resident, Paul Lanz): “We would like to thank everyone for coming out to the Signature Place Block Party event on May 25th! We really enjoyed ourselves and hope everyone who attended enjoyed themselves as well. It is always nice to get everyone together; we look forward to doing it again sometime soon. A special thanks to Community Bank, Bernie’s & Son and Cassis American Brasserie for sponsoring this special evening.”

There you have it- it looks like the St. Petersburg community will be seeing a lot of these two in the future. We are looking forward to seeing what they do next!

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The Taste of Pinellas is Back! May 19, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

If you’re looking to get out of your St. Pete home for a weekend filled with amazing food, great music and a lot of fun, the Taste of Pinellas in downtown St. Petersburg is for you! This annual benefit allows local restaurants and vendors to share some of their favorite recipes with the city and all proceeds go to the annual All Children’s Hospital Telethon.

Almost 50 St. Petersburg restaurants will be participating in the event. Some notable participants include: 400 Beach, Bella Brava, Central Avenue Oyster Bar, Hooker Tea and MANY more. No matter what your taste or dietary needs, there is something for you! Enjoy everything from Funnel Cake, Island Veggie Wraps and Root Beer Floats to Lobster Mac & Cheese and Ahi Tuna. For a complete list of restaurants and menu guide, visit the Taste of Pinellas section of All Children’s Hospital website.

Food is not all the Taste of Pinellas has to offer. There will be fireworks, tons of family friendly activities and each night there will be live music by several well known artists from all genres of music. Some of the performers you can look forard to include: the 90′s rock band Third Eye Blind, Pop singer Colbie Caillat and country star Josh Turner. If seeing the live show just isn’t enough, check out the Taste of Pinellas section of the All Children’s Hospital Website for more information on the chance to meet your favorite artist backstage!

This year’s event takes place Friday, May 20th, 5:00pm-10:00pm, Saturday, May 21st, 12:00pm-10:00pm and Sunday, May 22nd, 12:00pm-7:00pm. Entry tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, with discounts for law enforcement, military, persons over age 65 and groups of 10 or more. You can purchase your tickets by calling 727.342.5777, going online to the Taste of Pinellas section of All Children’s Hospital website, stopping by the Tropicana Field Box Office or a local Rally Store. Food tickets can be purchased after entry for $5 per 10 tickets.

We hope to See you this weekend!

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Happy Earth Day! April 22, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

As humans, we love to celebrate birthdays. Sometimes there is a huge surprise party with cake, presents and people you may not even know while other times it may just be about spending your special day with the people you love. Regardless of the celebration method chosen, whether you’re turning 5 or 50, the day is yours and people want it to be your best birthday yet.

Today is not a birthday per se, but it is in fact Earth Day and all the same rules apply. Have you ever stepped outside of your St. Pete home and thought “wow, this planet is awesome” or “How can I better improve the planet on which I live”? Maybe you have though this and taken action. Maybe the thought has never crossed your mind. Regardless, of where you stand, today is the perfect day to show how thankful we really are for our incredible planet.

After speaking with a few Smith & Associates Real Estate agents and staff members, we came up with a few ways to show our appreciation this Earth Day:

1. Grow Food. According to St. Pete Realtor, Carolyn Robinson, “I have always wanted to grow my own garden but have found more excuses not to than motivation to start.” We have all experienced good intentions with lack of motivation. A fully functioning vegetable garden can be a lot of work and extremely intimidating. Start small- with one plant or a few herbs then take on more as you are able. You have to start somewhere!

2. Buy Local. All of the things we are unable to grow have to come from somewhere, and unfortunately, we often unknowingly look outside the Tampa Bay area for these items. Did those banannas travel thousands of miles, crossing country borders before making it to the grocery store? What about that new t-shirt? Where was in made? Where was the cotton grown? The more we think about these things, the more we realize how dependent we are on others for survival. Make a conscious effort to research where all of your purchases come from and give back to the local community by seeing what they have to offer- you will be pleasantly surprised as to what you can buy locally!

3. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This is a big one- we have all heard about recycling but do we really do it? In our opinion, Smith & Associates Real Estate has one of the most fabulous Marketing Coordinators around, and she’s Earth friendly too! Alexis Bentivegna shared that recycling isn’t just tossing a soda can into the blue & green bins. “When shopping, take reusable bags!” Not only are you reducing the amount of plastic consumed but you’re reusing as well!

4. Respect the Ocean. Florida, being a peninsula, is almost completely surrounded by water; from almost everywhere in the state, we can get to the beach in under an hour. Living in the Tampa Bay area, we often take the ocean for granted. According to St. Pete Realtor, Drew Glaser, a great way to respect the ocean is to remember that “all drains lead to the sea”. This means that what we dispose of goes directly into our oceans, often contaminating the water and killing off thousands of sea life that we depend on to keep our Earth in balance. By purchasing environmentally friendly products free of harmful chemicals (or making your own!) and being conscious of what we throw away and where it is disposed of, we can keep the ocean happy. After all, the Earth is about 75% water so we don’t want angry oceans!

5. “Greenify” Your Home. This doesn’t require that everyone completely remodel their home, switch to solar power or even put your home for sale in Tampa to move into a more environmentally friendly place. Sara Houze, from Smith Title suggested a couple of simple places to start- Turn the air off on a nice day and enjoy the breeze through open windows or switch to fluorescent light bulbs that use about 1/3 the power of a regular bulb. Not only will this be great for the planet but it saves money as well!

6. Consume Less. We are consumers that often buy brand new things off impulse rather than necessity. According to The Urban Organic Gardner, “before you buy something, ask yourself if you need it. Then ask again.” New products use a lot of energy and resources to create. If you get bitten by the over consumption bug, no worries- it gets the best of us. If you really MUST have something, then it will be easy to try to find the same thing “slightly used”- they may be old to someone else but they are new to you. If it isn’t worth the time and effort of the search, then it probably wasn’t worth it to begin with!

7. Eat Less Meat. According to Environmental Defense, “if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off U.S. roads.” That is a pretty powerful statement and it doesn’t even mention the THOUSANDS of gallons of water used to raise 1lb of meat.

8. Play Outside. Drew Glaser suggest that people “take their kids outside to play rather than occupying them with television and video games”. Not only does it help create a healthy way of living by incorporating exercise and imagination into games, but it helps develop an appreciation for our planet that just wouldn’t come to life without experiencing all the Earth has to offer outside of the house.

While these are only a few simple ways to show your appreciation to the Earth, there are COUNTLESS other options. What are your favorite ways to give back to our planet? What are you going to do for Earth Day this year?