The Bay Builds Podcast

Tracie Domino | Founder, Event Outfitters
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Every brand has a story, but great brands create moments. The Bay Builds Podcast , where Tampa Bay’s boldest founders, marketers, and makers reveal how unforgettable brands are built. Hosted by Tracie Domino, founder of Event Outfitters, each episode explores the strategy and soul behind the experiences, events, and gifting moments that make brands stick. 🎧 Guests include: Entrepreneurs, marketers, designers, and visionaries who are redefining what it means to build a brand that people remember. ✨ Make it matter. Make it memorable. Make it Tampa.

  1. Oct 7

    Keep Getting Better: How Dr. Ron Vaughn Transformed the University of Tampa

    In 1995, the University of Tampa was, in Dr. Ron Vaughn's own words, languishing. Financially strapped, academically uncertain, and staring down a budget that barely closed. People around him asked why in the world he would take the job. He took it anyway. What followed was nearly thirty years of what Dr. Vaughn calls a rocket ride. Full-time enrollment grew from 150 to 900. The university's assets climbed from $38 million to more than $1.1 billion. Nearly 70 building projects transformed the campus. And this fall, roughly 44,000 students applied for about 3,000 spots, a level of demand almost no one could have imagined for the school he inherited. In this episode, Dr. Vaughn walks through the decisions behind that turnaround: convincing the Sykes family to make the first $10 million gift that reset an entire capital campaign, buying up land years before anyone understood why, and building a university on the belief that you are either getting better or you are getting worse. He also opens up about stepping away in 2024, the book he has just released chronicling the university's transformation, and what thirty years of leading people taught him that he could only have learned by doing it. If you have ever wondered what it takes to turn a struggling institution into one of the most competitive private universities in the country, this conversation is for you. Listen now, and subscribe to The Bay Builds Podcast for more stories of the founders, builders, and leaders shaping Tampa Bay. 00:00 Rocket Ride Numbers 00:57 Show Introduction 02:25 Early UT Vision 04:04 Taking the Risk 04:54 Speed Game Turnaround 07:06 Growth By The Numbers 09:40 Building Boom 11:14 Raising Academic Quality 13:34 Fundraising Playbook 19:45 Leadership Lessons 20:58 Life After Presidency 21:57 Alumni Impact Stories 24:22 Beyond The Title 25:39 UT And Tampa Future 27:40 Legacy And Advice 31:02 New Book Release 33:21 Lightning Round 36:21 Closing Reflections

    Keep Getting Better: How Dr. Ron Vaughn Transformed the University of Tampa

  2. Sep 23

    From Wall Street To Shark Tank: The Theft That Built AquaVault: Avin Samtani, Co-founder and COO of AquaVault

    Picture this: you're at your best friend's wedding, you dive in for a quick group photo swim, and sixty seconds later everything you own is gone. That's exactly what happened to Avin Samtani and his two college fraternity brothers at a five-star resort, and instead of just chalking it up to bad luck, they got obsessed with a question: why isn't there a safe by the pool when there's a safe in every room? That obsession became AquaVault, a hotel-security safe built to lock onto lounge chairs, umbrellas, and pool furniture, born from three guys with zero product experience, a filed patent, and a shared conviction that resort theft was a real, unsolved problem. They self-funded the whole thing, taught themselves manufacturing from scratch by sourcing overseas factories, and went hotel to hotel in Miami with product in hand, sitting in lobbies until a GM would talk to them. Then came Shark Tank. Avin walks us through what actually changes after you land a deal with Daymond John, why the real work starts once the cameras stop rolling, and how that credibility opened doors at places like Disney, Universal, and major cruise lines. From there, the AquaVault story became a whole travel brand: Flex Safe, the Charge Card, and their newest product, Sound Charge, a speaker and charger in one. Avin also gets candid about running a company with lifelong friends without letting money wreck the friendship, why he'd never hire an agency before proving out talent on commission, and why he believes a one-person business is more possible today than ever thanks to AI. If you've ever had an idea you were too scared to say out loud, this episode is your push to just start. Listen now on Spotify, and catch the full video episode on YouTube. 00:00 Beach Theft Shock 00:45 Meet AquaVault Founder 02:01 From Resort Theft to Idea 03:27 Patents and First Prototype 04:43 Building With Friends 05:37 Two Years of Belief 06:50 Manufacturing and Iterations 08:46 Shark Tank Breakthrough 11:03 Scaling Through Partnerships 13:00 Expanding the Product Line 13:42 Lean Founder Mindset 16:05 Theft Data and Deterrence 17:59 COO Operator Mindset 18:31 Hiring Fractional Help 19:18 Marketing Partners Not Retainers 20:07 AI Tools For Lean Teams 21:23 Working With Friends 22:23 Customer Feedback Motivation 24:14 Tampa Market Tailwinds 25:22 Expanding Travel Product Line 27:34 Why Direct To Consumer 28:13 Keeks Eyewear Side Hustle 29:13 Advice For New Founders 31:02 Legacy Lightning Round 32:19 Closing Takeaways Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    From Wall Street To Shark Tank: The Theft That Built AquaVault: Avin Samtani, Co-founder and COO of AquaVault

  3. Sep 2

    Don't Blow Your Temper, Blow Your Horn: Matthew Heller, Founder & CEO of HornBlasters

    Matthew Heller was tired of being invisible on the road. Stuck in South Florida traffic, cut off again and again, he did something most frustrated drivers never do. He put a train horn on his truck. Within weeks, strangers were asking where they could get one too. That small fix for a personal problem became HornBlasters, a company Matthew built while working three retail jobs at once and hiding in the racks at Home Depot to take customer calls on his cell phone. His own family thought he had lost his mind. His aunt suggested he apply for the Geek Squad instead. It took four years of side hustling before Matthew could walk away from retail and run HornBlasters full time. Twenty five years later, HornBlasters has served over a million customers worldwide from its home base right here in Tampa. Matthew walks Tracie Domino through what actually separates a real train horn from the cheap knockoffs flooding the internet, how he turned himself into the face of the brand despite calling himself an introverted extrovert, his unexpected detour into film as co-producer of Come What May, and the surprising places his horns end up, from cattle ranches in Central America to catfish farms in Arkansas. This is a conversation about following your gut when everyone around you says you are chasing a joke, and what it actually takes to stick with something for 25 years until it becomes undeniable. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and follow The Bay Builds on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube 00:00 Pickup Truck Origins 00:50 Meet HornBlasters Founder 02:03 Road Rage to Idea 03:05 Early Hustle and Doubters 04:36 Going Full Time 05:32 What Makes the Kit 07:38 Winning on Support 08:37 Building in Tampa 09:28 Brand Personality and Clown Mom 10:28 TV Influencers and Marketing 11:17 Noise Pollution Debate 12:31 Introverted Extrovert Spotlight 15:00 Advice for Dreamers 15:45 Giving Back Locally 16:32 Future and New Markets 18:54 Lightning Round Fun 20:04 Closing Takeaways Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    Don't Blow Your Temper, Blow Your Horn: Matthew Heller, Founder & CEO of HornBlasters

  4. Aug 19

    Quiet Professionals, Loud Sacrifice: Kerry Irvin, CEO of Operation Healing Forces

    Kerry Irvin married a Night Stalker. She raised two sons who joined the Army. And she grew up watching her Vietnam-veteran father's brothers in arms come home to a country that didn't know how to hold what they carried. So when Kerry says this work is personal, she means it in her bones. In this episode of The Bay Builds, host Tracie Domino sits down with Kerry Irvin, CEO of Operation Healing Forces, the Tampa-based nonprofit serving Special Operations veterans, their caregivers, and families of the fallen. Kerry traces her path from national security intelligence officer working alongside special operators in the Middle East and North Africa, to leading an organization that has grown from two therapeutic retreats a year to more than 63, and from zero emergency grants to over three million dollars in hardship funding annually. Kerry explains the signature Bonds That Cure retreat model, why healing happens faster in donated homes than in clinics, and the story of Travis Dunn, a paralyzed Army Ranger and Tampa neighbor who became one of the reasons this mission feels personal to her every single day. She speaks candidly about the veteran suicide rate, the toll of the "death gap" after transition out of service, and what it means for MacDill and USSOCOM to sit right here in Tampa Bay's backyard. This conversation is about trust, transparency, and what it actually looks like to build an organization capable of carrying other people's weight. Follow The Bay Builds and share this one with someone who needs to hear that help is closer than they think. If you or someone you know is struggling, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7 by calling 988 and pressing 1, or by texting 838255. To learn more about Operation Healing Forces or to donate, visit https://operationhealingforces.org/ 00:00 Early Lessons of Service 01:03 Meet Kerry Irvin 03:01 From Childhood to Motherhood 05:00 Inside Special Ops Culture 06:22 Growing Operation Healing08:29 When the Mission Hits Home 11:37 Tampa and USSOCOM Link 13:40 Why SOF Needs Different Care 17:17 Bonds That Cure Retreats 23:35 Scaling Without Losing Touch 25:22 Earning Donor Trust 27:56 Measuring Real Outcomes 28:07 Measuring Long Term Impact 30:10 Breaking Through Skepticism 32:29 Trust Built in Groups 32:59 Living With Suicide Loss 35:39 Behind the Nonprofit Curtain 36:56 Family Pride and Perspective 38:01 Why Tampa Is Home 40:39 Vision and Waitlist Challenge 42:28 Serving on Women Commission 44:42 Message to Those Struggling 47:39 Lightning Round Fun 50:13 Closing Reflection and Call Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    Quiet Professionals, Loud Sacrifice: Kerry Irvin, CEO of Operation Healing Forces

  5. Jul 29

    When Sick Care Failed His Mother, He Built the Alternative: Jimmy Barker, Founder & CEO of BioDesign Wellness Center

    She was on the floor, vomiting from pain so severe she couldn't move. Jimmy Barker got the call from a friend who said they'd never seen his mother like this. What he found when he started digging wasn't a diagnosis her Western doctors had caught. It was mold, hidden in the walls, quietly wrecking her body for years while a rotating cast of specialists treated her symptoms one at a time without ever talking to each other. That moment became the turning point for Jimmy Barker, Founder & CEO of BioDesign Wellness Center, a functional medicine and longevity practice that has grown to serve patients from Wesley Chapel to Tierra Verde and was acquired earlier this year by national longevity company Agentis Longevity. In this conversation with host Tracie Domino, Jimmy traces his path from a financial career that collapsed in 2007 and 2008, down to counting how many weeks of food he could afford, into building a practice rooted in root-cause care instead of what he calls sick care. Jimmy talks about the moment he realized the system had failed his mother, why he refuses to recommend a protocol he hasn't tested on his own body first, what happened when he tore his shoulder and skipped surgery for a peptide instead, and how BioDesign is scaling into a national platform without losing the personal, look-you-in-the-eye care that built its reputation in Tampa Bay. He also gets honest about where Western medicine still gets it right, where it falls short, and what he wants anyone to hear if they've been told their labs are normal but they know something is wrong. Follow The Bay Builds wherever you listen, and share this episode with someone who's been dismissed by a system that was never built to ask why. 00:00 When Trust Breaks 00:45 Meet Jimmy Barker 02:14 Mom’s Health Crisis 04:57 The Mold Clue 06:50 Jimmy’s Health Journey 08:59 Building BioDesign 11:28 Functional Medicine Defined 12:49 Sick Care vs Real Care 14:18 Results Need Partnership 17:13 Testing on Himself 19:26 Scaling a Wellness Business 24:19 Longevity for Real Life 26:20 Hiring and Culture 28:37 Future of Preventive Care 30:32 Acquisition and Scaling 35:34 Tampa Bay Wellness Hub 38:05 Advice for the Dismissed 39:27 Lightning Round Fun 41:04 Closing Takeaways Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    When Sick Care Failed His Mother, He Built the Alternative: Jimmy Barker, Founder & CEO of BioDesign Wellness Center

  6. Jun 24

    Don't Call Me Boss: Brett Lindquist, Co-Founder & CEO of The Mortgage Firm

    He was the first one through the door. His two partners hadn't arrived yet, the office was empty, and Brett Lindquist sat there alone in 1995 thinking, "I hope this works." Thirty years later, The Mortgage Firm has grown into dozens of branches across more than twenty states, more than 30,000 reviews, and a near-perfect rating. But Brett still refuses to be called boss. In this episode of The Bay Builds, host Tracie Domino sits down with Brett Lindquist, Co-Founder & CEO of The Mortgage Firm, to trace a career that began long before the branches and the billions in loans. A scholarship swimmer and team captain at Florida State, Brett learned discipline, focus, and a high tolerance for pain doing three practices a day from the age of five. He carried that grit into residential lending, a business he describes less as paperwork and rates and more as managing fear and obsessing over communication with the people on the other end of the biggest investment of their lives. The conversation moves through the hard things that built the company: launching into the teeth of the 2008 mortgage meltdown, surviving the rate spike from three to seven percent that cut the industry by 60 to 70 percent, and running every branch like its own business. Brett talks about scaling without losing the relationships that matter, why he hires people who already have a track record, the rare 30-year partnership built on three partners and majority-rules decisions, and a leadership team that is roughly 85 to 90 percent women. He and his wife Cindy have given generously back to Florida State, and when asked what he hopes people say about him a generation from now, his answer is simple: one of the nicest guys I ever met. If you are building something in Tampa Bay or thinking about buying a home in a market Brett calls the hottest in the country, this one is worth your time. Follow The Bay Builds, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. 00:00 Mortgage Cycles and Fear 00:57 Meet Brett Lindquist 02:11 Starting The Mortgage Firm 03:54 Mentors and Athlete Mindset 05:40 Swimming Discipline Lessons 07:15 Real Craft of Lending 08:38 Scaling Through Meltdowns 13:00 Five Star Service System 14:16 Downturns and Home Values 17:29 Hiring and Branch Leaders 20:28 Tampa Bay Market Outlook 21:58 Grit and Giving Back 28:00 Partners and Future Legacy 31:57 Lightning Round and Wrap 33:31 Final Takeaways Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    Don't Call Me Boss: Brett Lindquist, Co-Founder & CEO of The Mortgage Firm

  7. Jun 10

    Tampa's Greatest Days Are Now: Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay

    Santiago Corrada was 13 years old when his family visited Tampa from New Jersey and he told his parents they were not going back. Decades later, he runs the organization responsible for putting Tampa Bay on the map for the rest of the world -- and he will tell you plainly: the greatest days are not coming. They are already here. In this episode of The Bay Builds, Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, sits down with Tracie Domino to trace a career that began in fast food, moved through inner-city education, city government, and the mayor's office, and landed in one of the most visible leadership roles in the region. Santiago breaks down what destination marketing actually is, why Tampa was a blank slate when he arrived, and how Visit Tampa Bay transformed a city that people in Mumbai thought was a neighborhood in Miami into a destination that Time Magazine named one of the 50 greatest places on Earth. This conversation covers the Bollywood Academy Awards, Brentford Bees, pet influencers on the Riverwalk, the bed tax most Tampanians don't know they benefit from, and a destination development plan that is already reshaping how developers invest in Hillsborough County. Santiago also gets candid about what keeps him up at night: transportation, housing, and the very real risk that prosperity can disappear faster than it arrives. If you love Tampa Bay, work in hospitality, lead a public-private organization, or want to understand how a city builds a brand that actually sticks, this is the episode for you. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and follow The Bay Builds on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. 00:00 Miami Growing Pains 00:41 Meet Visit Tampa Bay CEO 02:31 Roots and Early Hustle 03:47 From Education to City Hall 05:18 Leading Visit Tampa Bay 06:52 Leadership Lessons Tested 09:16 Building Tampa's Brand 12:21 What DMOs Actually Do 15:58 Tourism Powers the Economy 17:27 Post Pandemic Marketing Shift 21:11 Big Events Without Dependence 23:16 How Bed Tax Funding Works 26:11 What Excites Him Next 26:46 Rethinking Strategy 27:30 Destination Development Roadmap 30:11 Luxury Gaps and Smart Placement 30:40 Leadership Misconceptions 32:24 Why Tampa Feels Like Home 34:08 Tampa in 10 Years 37:57 What Young Pros Need 39:25 The People Make Tampa 41:30 Legacy and Handing Off 44:36 Lightning Round Favorites 48:23 Closing Thanks and Wrap Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    Tampa's Greatest Days Are Now: Santiago Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay

  8. May 27

    A Century of Women Who Built This City: Katie Crowe, President, The Junior League of Tampa

    In 1926, 22 women sat down together in Tampa and decided to do something about the unmet needs of women and children in their community. They did not have cell phones, fax machines, or the internet. They had a mission statement that was, by any measure, ahead of its time: to foster interest in the social, economic, educational, and civic conditions of the community and to make volunteer service efficient. One hundred years later, The Junior League of Tampa has 1,900 members logging 50,000 volunteer hours a year, has launched permanent nonprofit institutions into the Tampa Bay community, and is still asking the same question those 22 women asked in 1926 - where is the gap, and how do we fill it? In this episode, Tracie Domino sits down with Katie Crowe, President of The Junior League of Tampa, during the organization's centennial year. Katie pulls back the curtain on how a volunteer-led organization sustains a coherent long-term strategy through rotating leadership, what it actually takes to spin a project out into a self-sustaining nonprofit, and why a third of what has been built in Tampa Bay traces back to women who never collected a paycheck for the work. She also talks about the stereotype the League has spent decades dismantling, the hiring of the organization's first ever Chief Operating Officer, and what keeps leadership up at night as they look toward the next 100 years. This is a conversation about legacy, leadership, and what it looks like when women decide to build something that outlasts them. 00:00 League Strengths 00:53 Century Legacy 02:51 Founding Vision 05:36 How It Works 07:10 Diaper Bank Impact 10:00 Centennial Projects 13:53 Learning From Leagues 15:37 Projects That Last 17:09 Strategy With Turnover 19:28 Breaking Stereotypes 22:05 Recruiting Next Gen 24:08 Evolving The Model 25:44 Next 100 Years 28:37 Tampa Storytelling 32:14 Gala Highlights 34:10 Bicentennial Hopes 35:24 Lightning Round 37:20 Closing Call To Action Tracie is the founder of Event Outfitters, the gifting partner for donors, VIPs, executives, and honored guests. If you want the framework she uses with every client, grab the free Guide to Gifting That Builds Relationships: https://stan.store/EventOutfitters

    A Century of Women Who Built This City: Katie Crowe, President, The Junior League of Tampa
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Every brand has a story, but great brands create moments. The Bay Builds Podcast , where Tampa Bay’s boldest founders, marketers, and makers reveal how unforgettable brands are built. Hosted by Tracie Domino, founder of Event Outfitters, each episode explores the strategy and soul behind the experiences, events, and gifting moments that make brands stick. 🎧 Guests include: Entrepreneurs, marketers, designers, and visionaries who are redefining what it means to build a brand that people remember. ✨ Make it matter. Make it memorable. Make it Tampa.

Information

  • Creator
    Tracie Domino | Founder, Event Outfitters
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Tracie Domino | Founder, Event Outfitters
  • Show Website
    The Bay Builds Podcast