ASH St. Petersburg Small-Business Growth Lab - Business Events

Andrews Strategic Holdings will host the ASH St. Petersburg Small-Business Growth Lab on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus. This free, one-day program will focus on helping Pinellas County small-business owners strengthen and grow their companies.

The Growth Lab will be limited to 100 Pinellas County businesses, allowing ASH and participating partners to provide meaningful individual support rather than operating as a broad public expo.

ASH’s Florida Market Intelligence Group, based in St. Petersburg, will lead the program alongside specialists from Tampa Growth Analytics and other ASH portfolio companies. Participating businesses will receive a complimentary Business Growth Review covering financial performance, local market opportunities, customer trends, operational challenges, technology needs, and potential next steps.

ASH will invite the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Pinellas County Economic Development, and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg to participate as community partners and connect owners with additional local resources.

Each participating business will leave with a written 90-Day Growth Action Plan developed from its consultation. Owners will also have access to focused workshops on financing, customer acquisition, business analytics, cybersecurity, and operational efficiency.

Businesses seeking capital may request an ASH Capital Review. Requests will receive an initial eligibility screening, and qualifying companies will be referred to the appropriate ASH investment team for a formal follow-up conversation. Participation does not guarantee investment.

There is no application fee, attendance fee, or consultation charge. Registration will prioritize independently owned businesses operating in Pinellas County, with additional consideration for businesses with limited access to professional consulting resources.

ASH will publish a post-event impact summary reporting participation, completed Growth Reviews and Action Plans, capital-review requests, and follow-up referrals.

Rather than measuring success by crowd size, the Growth Lab will measure whether 100 local businesses leave better equipped to grow than when they arrived.

Why It Landed This Way

Highly credible, locally grounded event with a clear audience, capable partners, concrete deliverables, and sensible limits on investment promises. The 100-business cap and published impact summary make the community value feel measurable rather than promotional. Public attention will likely be solid locally, though it is more useful to owners than broadly newsworthy.

What Players Should Expect

This event gives the business its strongest bump during the first 24 hours, followed by a smaller lingering boost for the next few days.