SPEAKERS

October 19, 2026

Andrew Wright, is a Tampa-based entrepreneur, real estate executive, and investor with more than two decades of experience building and scaling diversified businesses across commercial real estate, private equity, hospitality, and specialty insurance.

Mr. Wright is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Franklin Street, a full-service national commercial real estate services firm he founded in Tampa, Florida in December 2006. Under his leadership, Franklin Street has grown from a startup into one of the most recognized independent commercial real estate firms in the Southeast, with hundreds of employees and tens of billions of dollars in total transaction value. The firm operates across several integrated business lines — including capital markets, leasing (agency and tenant representation), property management, project management, and insurance — serving both investors and occupiers of commercial real estate across the full lifecycle of ownership. Mr. Wright led Franklin Street through the 2008 financial crisis, a period during which the firm's diversified service model and commercial property insurance division provided critical non-correlated revenue stability and enabled the firm not only to survive but to gain market share during the downturn.

Mr. Wright is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ally Capital Group (ACG), a Tampa-based private equity real estate investment firm he established in 2009. ACG was founded upon the deep distressed-asset and restructuring expertise Mr. Wright developed during the financial crisis, during which he led workouts and resolutions involving over $1.5 billion in distressed debt and properties across a wide range of lender profiles. Through ACG, Mr. Wright has overseen the acquisition of properties across multiple asset classes including multifamily, retail, office, hospitality, and mixed-use. The firm's portfolio encompasses over 1.5 million square feet of commercial properties as well as land and mixed-use investments. With over $300 million in mixed-use development projects in the pipeline. Investment returns at ACG have averaged a gross deal IRR of 43.55% and an equity multiple of 2.80x.

Mr. Wright is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Next Level Brands Hospitality, a Tampa-based elevated dining and restaurant company he co-founded in 2021 alongside celebrated restaurateur Jeff Gigante and attorney-investor Joseph Guggino. Next Level Brands has opened multiple acclaimed dining concepts in Tampa Bay's premier locations, including Forbici Modern Italian, Union New American, and Boulon Brasserie and Bakery, located in the Westshore and Water Street districts. Next Level Brands has grown to be the preeminent hospitality business in the Tampa Bay Area.

Mr. Wright is also a Co-Founder of Lighthouse Risk, LLC, a Tampa-based Excess & Surplus (E&S) commercial property Managing General Agent (MGA) that delivers data-driven, disciplined underwriting for middle-market commercial real estate assets, including multifamily, office, retail, and mixed-use portfolios. Lighthouse Risk combines institutional real estate expertise with technology-enabled risk intelligence to bring precision pricing and capacity placement to the commercial E&S property market.

Since June 2025, Mr. Wright has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Slide Insurance Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SLDE), a publicly traded coastal specialty insurer headquartered in Tampa, Florida, where he serves as Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Compensation Committee, and as a member of both the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Mr. Wright grew up in Columbus, Ohio and received a B.A. in Finance from Miami University. He has been recognized as one of Florida Trend Magazine's Florida 500 Most Influential Executives for five consecutive years, twice named one of Real Estate Forum Magazine's "Best Bosses," and was featured on the magazine's national cover in 2016 as the industry's top leader. He has also been named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Power 100 and "25 People to Watch" lists, and has received "40 Under 40" recognition from both Florida Trend and the Business Observer.

Mr. Wright is deeply committed to civic leadership. He is the Founder and Chairman of Forward Tampa Bay, Co-Chair of the Positive Coaching Alliance Tampa Bay, a former board member and Vice Chair of Berkeley Preparatory School, and a board member of The First Tee of Tampa Bay. He participated in Tampa Mayor Jane Castor's Economic Advisory Committee in 2020-2021 and previously chaired a record-setting fundraising event for Zoo Tampa. Mr. Wright is a regular thought-leadership speaker at the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the CCIM Institute, ICSC, and provides the annual key note address at the Tampa Bay Business Journal's annual Economic Outlook event.