Profiles

John Fleming and Phil Wagner of Trimark Properties, a leading student housing and commercial real estate developer, have been serving the Gainesville community for 27 years.  Fleming moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida in 1985. He used his background in construction to work as a maintenance supervisor to pay for college. With...

The best stories come from the most unlikely places, like the back of a pizzeria. Ryan Frankel, part-time pizza maker and part-time student, found himself in the middle of multiple jobs as he attempted to leave a soccer legacy at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. Balancing schoolwork, living in a small house with four other...

Deborah Butler, President of Butler Enterprises and Gainesville native, is featured in the nation’s leading retail news publication, Chain Store Age. Since its inception in 1925, Chain Store Age has become a trusted source of news and information for executives across industry sectors.  In the Butler family, retail was the “promised land,” says Deborah. Her...

While sitting hungry and sweaty at a football game that had long concession lines, Victoria Liu discovered a problem she wanted to solve. That’s where Byppo was born.  On September 7, 2018, Liu went to her first football game where the University of Florida was playing Kentucky. She never had any interest in sports, but...

Rick Staab is all about doing things people don’t expect him to. This is partially why he’s involved in a lot of different projects, from new businesses to running an Ultra Ragnar (200 miles with five of your closest friends). But Rick isn’t just out here to prove people wrong — he’s actively trying to...

Everything’s coming up roses now that it’s spring. And if there’s one thing that’s blooming faster than the flowers, it’s restaurants in Gainesville, FL—especially at Celebration Pointe! From recent openings like Sensei Asian Bistro to highly anticipated upcoming openings like Prime & Pearl and Steve Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille restaurant, discover the food you can look...

Alexandra de Roos has lived a very full life. She has trained at the highest level of dance in New York City, started a non-profit, and been crowned Miss Gainesville’s Outstanding Teen. That’s right, she’s a teen — this busy lady is 17 years old and making waves in each activity she participates in.  Alexandra’s...

Lauren Asmus is the Director of StartGNV, an organization dedicated to helping Gainesville’s creative, entrepreneurial circles thrive. As Lauren will tell you, this means she spends most of her day making connections — working with both employers and employees to create a community and make sure everyone knows…everyone!  “Gainesville is a little big town.”  Lauren...

Born and raised in Gainesville, Charlie Delatorre rarely goes to the grocery store without running into someone he knows. But this isn’t just where his family is — Gainesville is also where his entrepreneurial spirit took root. When he was in college at the University of Florida, he took his $5 an hour law firm...

Every ten episodes, the WHOA GNV podcast creates a mastermind episode to dive into a topic with multiple people and a little more time. After recent guests fueling Collin and Mike’s fire for money management, it was clear what the 140th episode would be — investing.  Joining them for their mastermind on all things money...