When the flags wave this weekend at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, there will be even more Sunshine City love than usual. St. Pete local and Seminole High grad Ryan Leach will be behind the wheel of the No. 89 Power Design car in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series, representing not only his hometown, but his hometown’s biggest private employer with Power Design, Inc. as his official sponsor.
The Mazda MX-5 Cup Series is one of the marquee events of the weekend, and there are multiple opportunities to catch Leach in action. You can see him and the other drivers get their first run on the downtown St. Pete course from 8:55-9:45 am on Friday, February 27 in the practice round, then he will take to the course for race No. 1 of the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series on Saturday morning from 7:30-8:15 am.
This weekend will be a full circle moment for Leach, as he grew up attending and watching the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg as a teenager. So while it may be his first time to race in the event, it certainly won’t be his first time to experience the streets of downtown transformed into a high-speed race track.
To make it even more special, it’s one of St. Pete’s most successful locally-founded-and-owned companies that is making the race possible. Power Design, one of the nation’s most respected design-build companies, stepped up to sponsor Leach’s switch from the Rush SR Series to the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series. In fact, it was in their honor that Leach selected the No. 89 for his new race car. Power Design was founded in St. Pete in 1989.
The honor was returned this week when Power Design hosted Leach and his car on their sprawling campus, offering autographs and meet-and-greets with employees, as well Grand Prix ticket giveaways. And because it was Taco Tuesday, Power Design’s on-site cafe Surge made a specialty taco for the day inspired by Leach’s favorite taco, the “Ryan’s Crushing It Carne Asada Taco.”
So when you watch the races this weekend, the skyline and track-side floating docks won’t be the only things representing St. Pete. Keep an eye out for Leach and the No. 89 Power Design car speeding around the corners on his hometown track.
Power Design sets an industry standard
As for the work of the company itself, Power Design has grown into something of a one-stop shop for construction developers. Their engineering and design-build expertise has made them one of the go-to companies across the country.
Specifically, they focus on electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and systems technologies buildout for construction projects. By specializing in so many different areas (a rarity in the field), Power Design helps streamline construction processes by doing the work of what typically requires multiple contractors.
Photo courtesy Power Design, Inc.
Of course, while it’s their professional services that make them important to their clients and partners, it’s Power Design’s role in the community that makes it special to St. Pete. It’s a rarity in so many of Florida’s growing cities to have such a large company not only headquartered locally, but founded there. Power Design is entrenched as an economic driver for the individuals and families who actually live in St. Pete and the surrounding areas.
Learn more about Power Design, and look for careers at St. Pete’s largest private employer, at powerdesigninc.us.