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Tampa contractor empowering small businesses: ‘Help your neighbor and your community’

By Bryan Gray
Published  April 3, 2025 4:12pm EDT
What's Right with Tampa Bay
FOX 13 News

Empowering Bay Area small businesses

In What’s Right with Tampa Bay, FOX 13’s Mark Wilson highlights a Tampa contractor empowering small businesses by connecting them.

The Brief

    • A Tampa contractor is using his own experience to help small business owners.
    • Regan Weiss is connecting businesses to empower each other.
    • Through The Hometown Titan Retreat, they offer each other tools and strategies to rebuild and grow.

TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa contractor who lost everything in a hurricane is now using his experience to help others. 

Regan Weiss walking through gutted home.

After rebuilding his own life, he's on a mission to support small business owners through a unique retreat focused on growth and community. 

This story of resilience and giving back is "What's Right With Tampa Bay." 

The backstory:

When a devastating hurricane tore through Tampa last year, Regan Weiss was left without a home or a business. He knows firsthand how hard it is to rebuild. 

Damage to Regan Weiss's home from the hurricane.

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"We had to move out of our home for six months. As a lot of people know, it takes a toll on you, especially when you have three young daughters, your wife and you're displaced," Regan Weiss, co-owner of The Contractor, said. 

Weiss, a building contractor, is turning his struggles into strengths by helping others facing similar challenges. 

"We are here to help the community," said Weiss. "If you build your community, you build yourself. If you build yourself, you build your community. It’s all connected." 

Local perspective:

That’s why Weiss is part of The Hometown Titan Retreat, a program that connects small business owners, offering tools and strategies to rebuild and grow. 

"We’re trying to bring these businesses together, to teach collaboration, and even a little empathy," Weiss explained. 

The CEO of 2 College Brothers Moving and Storage, Wade Swikle, founded the retreat.

PICTURED: Wade Swikle.

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He launched the program four years ago to help entrepreneurs build stronger networks and share business insights. 

"If I can give other businesses my audience, then their audience will also expose my brands and, together, we all lift each other up," Swikle said. 

Dig deeper:

Swikle even wrote a book about his experiences, fittingly titled Hometown Titan. 

"We’ve helped people with real needs buying clothes for their kids, paying for shelter," said Swikle. "We give directly to those struggling, so they can keep working and supporting their families." 

For Weiss, the most rewarding part is watching others succeed. 

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"It’s the right thing to do. You have to help your neighbor and your community first, because when you do, they’ll help you in return. It’s that simple," Wesis said. 

What's next:

The Hometown Titan Retreat takes place later this week, and it is a powerful reminder that even after the storm, there’s hope. 

To learn more, click here.

The Source: FOX 13's Bryan Gray collected the information in this story.

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