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
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
813-562-5133
admin@tbbg.org
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS
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.
Gail Forbes, Treasurer
Owner of “.gifCOLORS” - a full service graphic design company.
Gail Forbes has been in business for 10 years. Gail has worked for the Federal Government, large corporations and small business. Gail also has a background in non-profit organization work, having served as secretary, treasurer and vice president. Gail wants to bring a fresh prospective to Tampa Bay Business Guild, thinking outside the box allows Gail to see thing in a different light. Gail has lived a total of 14 years in Florida and the rest of my time has been in the north east. Gail hopes to share my experience and learn from others so that we can bring wonderful ideas, make TBBG grow and help the members grow in their own business.
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
John Burchett
John Burchett has been in Tampa for 13 years after being transferred from the Washington DC area. He lives in Seminole Heights 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.
Tim Durling
Tim Durling holds his degree in Business Administration and a minor in Information Systems. Tim enjoyed a successful twenty year career in corporate America . Tim then decided to move from his corporate career to a second career more aligned with giving back to society by dedicating himself to the field of life coaching. Today Tim is a professional life coach, a certified hypnotherapist, an educator, an entrepreneur, and a student of higher consciousness. In addition to being a member of the Tampa Bay Business Guild, Tim is a member of the Tampa Bay Professional Coaches Association, the International Coaching Federation, the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, and Ybor City’s GaYbor Coalition. A resident of Wesley Chapel, Tim is a volunteer mentor for the Pasco Education Foundation and enjoys a growing involvement with the Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa.
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.