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- Issue #380: Top Cities for Career Launches: Orlando, Tampa & Miami | Young Entrepreneurs Debut in Pasco | G.I. Joe’s Local Ties | Wine-Inspired Bistro Arrives
Issue #380: Top Cities for Career Launches: Orlando, Tampa & Miami | Young Entrepreneurs Debut in Pasco | G.I. Joe’s Local Ties | Wine-Inspired Bistro Arrives
5/21/2025
Ted Grellner
21 May
Keep your finger on the Pulse!
GOOD MORNING
EVENT CALENDAR - I believe I’ve fixed the problem. Feel free to add events again.
Dr Ted
USAF Retired
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar - FIXED
Local News
— Orlando, Tampa & Miami Among Top U.S. Cities for Career Starters
— Pasco's Young Entrepreneurs Debut at July 4th Celebration
Of Interest
— St. Pete Veteran Helped Shape the G.I. Joe Legacy
Food
— New Bistro Blends French Classics and Local Wine Culture
🎵 Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
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—>**NOTE: Event Calendar has been fixed.**
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Orlando, Tampa & Miami Among Top U.S. Cities
for Career Starters
A new WalletHub study of 182 U.S. cities places Orlando, Tampa, and Miami among the top five best cities to start a career. Orlando ranked #2, Tampa #3, and Miami #5, based on job availability and quality of life. Atlanta claimed the top spot.
Tampa and Central Florida tied for first in the nation for entry-level jobs per working-age resident. Orlando impressed with a 7.6% annual salary growth rate and continued construction and business expansion.
Tampa stood out for entrepreneurship and young singles, ranking second for business startups and fifth for unmarried residents. While Orlando ranked 9th for quality of life, Tampa placed 19th and Miami dropped to 71st, showing Florida's cities shine more in career opportunity than lifestyle perks.
Fort Lauderdale (29th) and St. Petersburg (42nd) also made strong showings, reinforcing that Florida remains a rising star for ambitious new professionals.
Pasco's Young Entrepreneurs Debut at
July 4th Celebration
Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will host its first Children’s Entrepreneur Market (CEM) during its July 4th Celebration, thanks to a new partnership with the nationally recognized nonprofit. The CEM program, which started in Utah in 2017, empowers kids to run real businesses—selling handmade goods, treats, and services—while gaining critical life skills in leadership, innovation, and business management.
Set to expand nationwide by the end of 2025, CEM provides educational resources, including startup video lessons, scholarships, and a peer blog. Avalon Park Wesley Chapel becomes Pasco County’s first CEM host, aligning with its mission to foster grassroots entrepreneurship.
Young vendors will join the July 4 festivities, which include entertainment, food, and fireworks, offering families a chance to support budding entrepreneurs.
Learn more or register at ChildrensEntrepreneurMarket.com
St. Pete Veteran Helped Shape the G.I. Joe Legacy
Mark Pennington, a St. Petersburg-based artist, helped design around 75 G.I. Joe action figures during his time at Hasbro from 1985 to 1988. Recruited while attending the Joe Kubert School, Pennington’s U.S. Army experience gave him an edge—informing designs like Snake Eyes v3, Storm Shadow v2, and the camouflaged Hit & Run.
He often relied on real-world research, like consulting Rhode Island SWAT to craft the figure Shockwave. Now, nearly 40 years later, Pennington is back designing for Operation Recall, a fan-led Kickstarter revival of the franchise featuring submissions from fans—including one by a 10-year-old who imagined a turtle-inspired figure named Clanker and Tank.
Pennington continues his art at a studio in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District, embracing the legacy his work left. “I have grown men in tears telling me what these toys meant,” he says. “It inspired them.”
Here’s an astonishing and lesser-known fact about G.I. Joe:
—>G.I. Joe was almost called “Rocky” or “Skip.”
Before settling on the now-iconic name G.I. Joe, Hasbro considered naming the original 1964 action figure “Rocky” or “Skip” to give it a more relatable, everyday American feel. It was only after realizing that a name tied directly to the military concept—“Government Issue Joe”—would better capture the character’s identity and marketing potential that they chose G.I. Joe.
This shift helped launch not just a toy line, but an entirely new category in the industry: the “action figure.”
New Bistro Blends French Classics and
Local Wine Culture
Bar Terroir, a new “French-ish” bistro, will open June 5 at 3636 Henderson Blvd. in South Tampa, the former site of Little Leon. Backed by the award-winning team behind Michelin-starred Rocca and Streetlight Taco, the restaurant is part of the Tastes Pretty Good group, featuring leaders like Chef Bryce Bonsack and Nick Reader.
The bistro offers a casual fine-dining experience with a menu full of classic French dishes—including onion soup, escargot, steak frites, and cassoulet—all paired with a French-forward wine list rooted in the concept of terroir, or how a region’s environment shapes a wine’s flavor.
Chef Max McKee, former sous chef at Rocca, leads the kitchen, while Kyle Burton will serve as general manager.
The restaurant will seat 38 inside and 64 across its bar and patio, operating Thursday through Saturday evenings. With intimate vibes and serious wine focus, Bar Terroir aims to be South Tampa’s next standout.
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Top Things to do Around Tampa & WC
5/16 - 5/23
Source: tampabeacon.com
This Weekend in TB: |
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Things to Do Brought to You By:
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Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series
Theater
-NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre
Misc
For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids
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