JOHN “JAY” ROGERS

FOUNDER & CEO, HADDY, ST. PETERSBURG

Haddy, an acronym for Heroic Agile Designed Durable and Yours, breaks down recycled and biodegradable materials into pellets that then are printed into tables, chairs and more. Its enterprise customers range from coffee shops to hotels to the U.S. Department of Energy. It will reportedly take a few more years before the business is retail-ready. Rogers, a U.S. Marine veteran, chose to bring his 3D printers to Florida, noting that he grew up in Palm Beach. He wanted to be in a city and found Miami's cost of living too high for a startup's staffers, so he landed in St. Petersburg. The Florida Opportunity Fund invested in Haddy in 2023.