ANDREW WRIGHT

CEO, FRANKLIN STREET, ALLY CAPITAL GROUP, NEXT LEVEL BRANDS, TAMPA

Wright has served as CEO since founding the company in 2006. Franklin Street is a national commercial real estate investment firm with seven business divisions offering tailored solutions through a collaborative platform. With over $7 billion in transactions, the firm has more than doubled in size in the last 10 years, with some 350 employees in 10 offices. He serves on the board at Berkeley Preparatory School, where his children attend school, is co-chair of the Positive Coaching Alliance and is on the Governance Board at First Tee Tampa Bay.

EDUCATION: Miami University (BA)

FIRST JOB: By the time I was 13, I already had three jobs, including bagging groceries and being a coach. My first job, however, was as a newspaper carrier. … I still have my letter carrier bag, and the lessons of that job have helped guide me throughout my career.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: The idea of being a college professor is very appealing to me.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: I am half Colombian, and my heritage is a huge part of my life. My mother’s parents were Colombian immigrants who lived two blocks away from me. My grandfather only spoke Spanish to me growing up, and my grandmother lived with me for the last five years of her life. Family is the most important thing to me, and my close-knit family helped shape me and who I am.