I was hired to photograph Tampa Bay Innovation Center groundbreaking ceremony which was held at the site of the future ARK Innovation Center. A groundbreaking ceremony is the ceremony which commences the start of construction. The facility will become known as the Ark Innovation Center and will be in the St. Pete Innovation District. As someone interested and follows finance, CNBC and innovation, I was happy to get the phone call as I knew Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, was going to be there.
As for the Groundbreaking Ceremony itself – it was fun to photograph. It started with introduction and welcoming of all the dignitaries and elected officials. One of the speakers was St. Petersburg’s Mayor Ken Welch who took office recently. This was my first time to photograph Welch and I’m sure I will get to see him frequently. As an event and corporate photographer based in St. Pete, I photographed St. Pete’s immediate past mayor Rick Kriseman many times during his 2 terms.
The Groundbreaking Ceremony featured 15 gold painted shovels and OSHA approved hard hats! I had a few moments to talk to Ms. Wood but unfortunately no photo was taken from that – maybe next time. Check out the photos below. I hope to back at Ark Innovation Center to capture the progress of the build and the ribbon cutting ceremony.
