Hard Hats & Taps Event Serves Up New Opportunities for Local Construction Businesses

On July 29 Pinellas County Economic Development’s Hard Hats and Taps event, co-hosted by the Florida Small Business Development Center, connected 91 attendees representing construction-related businesses and prime contractors in an informal setting at Bayboro Brewing in St. Petersburg, Florida. The goal? Help local businesses find new avenues for growth in a fun, informal setting.

Representatives from prime contractors AJAX, Creative Contractors, FinFrock Construction, Horus Construction, LEMA Construction, Pinellas County Government, Skanska, and Turner presented brief overviews of their agencies, provided information about current and upcoming construction-related projects, and explained how interested parties can register as sub-contractors/suppliers. From designated tables, each prime contractor was then able to engage individually with interested attendees to explore opportunities in greater depth.

Corey McCaster, Division Director of Pinellas County Economic Development’s Office of Small Business and Supplier Diversity said of the occasion, “Events like this are mission critical to our success in bringing together key stakeholders and local businesses. There are boundless opportunities for smaller companies to participate in large projects, but they need to know how to find those opportunities. Our superpower as an organization is having strong relationships with both sides – the prime contractors and local sub-contractors – and the ability to bring them together.”

Summar Lester, Special Projects Coordinator with Horus Construction greatly enjoyed the experience, saying, “Hard Hats & Taps allowed us to connect face-to-face with reliable local partners who are ready to build with us on upcoming county projects.” 

Likewise, attendee Jordan Nelson, P.E. Project Engineer with H2R, expressed appreciation for the format and content of Hard Hats and Taps, saying, “This wasn’t your average corporate networking event—it was approachable, genuine, and directly focused on getting local businesses working. I walked away with direct contacts, actionable steps to bid on county work, and a real sense that Pinellas County wants local small businesses to succeed.”

Christianna Giannopoulos, Director of Operations & Business Development for The BIM Workshop, added, “I had several great conversations throughout the event, and today I’m following up with the companies I met and reviewing their vendor and subcontractor registration processes so we can make sure The BIM Workshop is properly registered and positioned for upcoming opportunities.”

Local company Bayboro Brewing hosted the event, providing a casual atmosphere in which prime and sub-contractors could comfortably network to expand supplier pools and share new opportunities. The 2026 edition of Hard Hats and Taps exceeded expectations and resulted in connections that can help both prime and sub-contractors find the right local opportunities to accelerate growth and provide financial return within the Pinellas County community.

For more information about Pinellas County’s Office of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, visit www.pced.org/smallbiz.

About Pinellas County Economic Development

Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) works with existing businesses to encourage expansion and seeks to attract new companies with high-wage careers to our community. Through investment tools, business classes, professional consulting services, trade missions to open new markets, and strategic partnerships, PCED fosters a pro-business environment and promotes the ideal business climate of Pinellas County, Florida. Learn more at www.pced.org.