Man buys $7.7 million Triceratops skeleton ‘Big John,’ making big dreams reality in Tampa
TAMPA, Fla. - The world's largest Triceratops skeleton, lovingly known as "Big John," has spent the last month getting cozy at The Children's Glazer Museum in Tampa. The dinosaur exhibit has definitely put Tampa on the map, and the man who bought Big John for $7.7 million says it's just the beginning.
Sidd Pagidipati had a big dream that ignited when he was just a boy.
"I'm a dreamer and I have a dream that Tampa Bay becomes one of the worlds best places for paleontology," he smiled.
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It all started after a trip Pagidipati took with his family to Washington D.C. to see the Smithsonian and New York to see the Natural History Museum.
"I vividly remember to this day walking in and seeing these magnificent creatures you know the size of 30-40 feet long. These skeletons were unbelievable to me," explained Pagidipati.
FOX 13's Allie Corey asked Pagidipati how he got into the dinosaur bidding business.
"I had dream at some point that if I was able to be successful that I would love to buy a dinosaur because of the underlying meaning for me," he explained.
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A close friend of his knew about that dream and saw an article about an upcoming auction in Paris and sent it to Pagidipati. It was the auction for Big John.
"The auction was happening on my birthday, so I felt like this was a sign, like we need to do this. This is going to be ours. We're going to bid, and we're going to acquire it and build it and bring it here to Tampa Bay," he explained.
It wasn't easy breaking into the dinosaur market. At first, no one took him seriously.
"They had 10 other bidders. Royal families, a lot of celebrities and they're thinking, who is this guy from Tampa? He has no idea what this means," Pagidipati said.
He sent a representative to be present at the auction. He and his family were listening to the action over the phone and watching a live stream on YouTube.
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He set his limit at $5 million and within the first few minutes, bidders were already above that. He remembers throwing his budget limit out the window and telling his representative "this is ours, let's make it happen."
And, Big John was officially his – $7.7 million later.
Now, it's on display for all the children of Tampa to experience, including Pagidipati's two young kids. It's a full circle moment for the now-owner of Big John.
"It absolutely takes me back and the experience of going back to that time and realizing where I was in my life and how this one moment helped drive my interest and learning and ambition. It was a catalyst," explained Pagidipati.
Remember how Pagidipati said he was a dreamer? Well, he's got some big plans for Tampa.
"I realize that I would like to make Tampa the best place to raise a family in America," he smiled.
He has quite the ambition. He plans to make Tampa a destination for museums.
"We're working towards acquiring more pieces, and I'll just say TBD," grinned Pagidipati.
He says Tampa is where his family's HMO company took off. The entrepreneur has had great financial success here and even met his wife and started his family in the Bay Area. Tampa has become his home, and he wants to give back.
"The opportunities are limitless. What we know is children in our community are where I want to invest my resources and this is one of the top places to do that," explained Pagidipati.
Pagidipati says he may be looking at other big ticket items that aren't of the dinosaur type. We'll know soon what those are and where they may end up.