'Keep St. Petersburg Local' Hosts Launch Party

Back in November a group of citizens came together and formed a board for Keep St. Petersburg Local. The group is a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of St. Pete's economy and the support of small businesses.

Through Keep St. Petersburg Local's initiative, business owners from all over the 727 come together under one roof. The group will hold meetings, mixers and workshops that will further the education of small business owners.

There are three options for business owners to choose from when becoming a member of Keep St. Petersburg Local: Friend ($25), Local Hero ($50) and Local Superhero ($100).

Tuesday night was the official launch of Keep St. Petersburg Local. generously opened their doors to host the event. Food and drinks were served up while tables mounted with business questions were scattered throughout the venue. Guests were encouraged to write their answers and post them to each table.

Mayor of St. Petersburg, Bill Foster, was on hand as well as a number of Council Members.

After dubbing St. Pete as the greatest city in America during his speech at the launch, Mayor Bill Foster said, "I love my job, I love this city and I love the people of Keep St. Petersburg Local."

Guests were in rally mode as cheering erupted multiple times throughout each board member's speech. "We are doing this because we want to strengthen St. Pete's economy and because we love this town," said Olga Bof, President of Keep St. Petersburg Local.

Local restaurant owners showed up with food donations, ranging in cookies from to coffee from .

The Board Members of Keep St. Petersburg Local are: Reuben Pressman of , Sheri Kendrick of , JoEllen Schilke of WMNF Radio, Manny Kool of and Jorge Vidal.

Hundreds of supporters came through the Nova 535 doors in support of the group. It was more than what President, Olga Bof was expecting. "I'm just absolutely overwhelmed," said Bof. "We hoped that people had heard of us, but this is just awesome- there's nothing more to say."