Mize Capital to build new headquarters in downtown Tampa
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 31, 2015

Tampa developer Jay Mize will break ground later this year on a new office building to house corporate employees of Irish 31, Ferg's Live, Orange Theory Fitness and his real estate businesses.

Mize paid $250,000 for a 7,000-square-foot parcel of land at the intersection of East and Washington streets, just north of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, in a deal that closed yesterday. He's in the planning phases of a 14,000-square-foot, four-story office building that will become the corporate headquarters for his holding company, Mize Capital, and hopes to break ground by the end of 2015.

He said costs were still in flux and that he plans to seek construction financing for the project.

"From a location standpoint, it's right in the heart of Channelside, downtown and what Mr. Vinik is doing," Mize said.

The office site is separated from Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik's downtown real estate holdings by the expressway, but close enough to be walkable from the billion-dollar district Vinik is planning to build on the land between Amalie Arena and downtown Tampa.

Vinik's real estate is on the southern fringe of the core, but smaller projects like the Mize Capital building and Richman Group's Aurora are starting to fill in the gap the between the Vinik holdings and the central business district. The Aurora is a mid-rise apartment building under construction just a block west of Mize's building.

Mize Capital has about 25 employees in its current office at 1209 N. Tampa St. In December, Mize closed on a 7,600-square-foot office building on North Marion Street, which is under renovation. That construction is slated to wrap up by mid-summer, at which point the Mize Capital employees will move into that space.

By the time the new headquarters building is complete - likely late 2016 or early 2017 - Mize anticipates having 50 to 55 employees, some of whom will remain in the Marion Street office. He's already listed the North Tampa Street office space for lease.

The ground level of the new building will be parking; floors two, three and four will be office space. The third floor will include a test kitchen for Ferg's and Irish 31 as well as training space for new employees. The fourth floor will include a game and entertaining area. There will also be a rooftop terrace for entertaining and private events.

Mize said he plans to hold all of his office buildings for the long term. "Even when I'm retired, it's a great opportunity for passive income," he said.

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.