Tampa Business Leaders set to Visit Manchester

Now that the Tampa Bay area has a common sports connection to Manchester, England, a local group is hoping to strengthen business ties as well.

(PRWEB) July 17, 2005 -- The Tampa Bay Business Journal is orchestrating a five-day trade mission to Manchester this fall that will include visits to many of the city's places of interest, including Old Trafford stadium, home field of world-renowned soccer club Manchester United.

Malcolm Glazer, longtime owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recently acquired Man U in a $1.5 billion deal that set a new record for professional sports franchises. The Palm Beach billionaire's takeover of the British team raised the ire of soccer fans worldwide and fueled speculation locally that Glazer would need to sell the Bucs in order to finance the purchase. The trip to Manchester, dubbed "Align," is planned for the first week of November, during which Man U is scheduled to host soccer rival Chelsea in a match at Old Trafford.

Arthur Porter, publisher of the Business Journal and a 35-year Manchester resident is leading the trip. Porter is a lifelong supporter of Man U and has also become a Bucs fan after working in the Bay area over the past two years.

"It is my dream that both these two wonderful regions can form a relationship that will bond them together for many years to come and that will benefit both in their respective growth and development," Porter said.

From tourism to transportation, Porter believes there is a lot to be gained by developing business relationships between the two metro areas, both during the planned trip and in the future.

Porter held a meeting Thursday with more than a dozen Bay area community leaders to gauge their interest in the Manchester business mission. He received favorable feedback from those attending.

Paul Catoe, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, said he sees added value in the prospect of an annual Man U match being played at Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs' home turf. He said Brits already spend extended vacations in the Bay area, and the bureau maintains a full-time representative in the United Kingdom. "It's a great area for us to work," Catoe said.

Among other business and political figures present at the meeting were former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco, now executive VP with Lindell Properties; University of South Florida Vice Provost Ralph Wilcox; Louis Miller, executive director of Tampa International Airport; and Mike Meidel, director of Pinellas County Economic Development.

Porter is available for interview at 813.873.8225 0r 813.335.5150.

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