Benchmark International has operated in Tampa for over a decade, quietly building a global reputation that few outside its industry have ever noticed.
While others chased attention, Benchmark built credibility by closing billions in deals, one business owner at a time.
At its Westshore headquarters, advisors sit across from founders facing the biggest decision of their careers and often their lives: selling the company they built from the ground up.
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“It’s not just financial modeling and spreadsheets. It’s legacy, identity and the weight of letting go,” said Managing Director Jared Hardin. “How do we take all this hard work, blood, sweat and tears that you’ve gone through and turn that into money and a legacy?”
Taking center ice
That low profile changed this summer when Benchmark acquired the naming rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning arena and officially renamed it Benchmark International Arena.
For the firm, the move was not about branding. It was about presence. The arena deal signaled that Benchmark was ready to stand beside the community it had grown up in.
“This is an actual investment for us,” said Managing Partner Dara Shareef. “It’s an investment in our business and it’s an investment in Tampa. We’re rooted here. We love it here.”
Benchmark International Managing Partner Dara Shareef, left, and Managing Director Jared Hardin, right, at the firm’s Tampa office.
People first
Benchmark never set out to be a global player. It became one by refusing to settle for less than world-class. Its mission is to give privately held business owners the strategic guidance, market reach and negotiating power usually reserved for Wall Street.
Today, Benchmark spans 10 offices across 15 countries, employing more than 450 staff members, yet the mindset remains personal. “It starts with empathy,” said Shareef. “We tend to hire a lot of folks who have been business operators and buyers. We can really speak those languages.”
CEO Tyrus O’Neill added, “We help privately held business owners with their exit strategies, whether that’s retirement, growth or something else. At its core, that’s what Benchmark does.”
Tyrus O’Neill, CEO of Benchmark International, at the firm’s Tampa headquarters.
Shared values
Inside the firm, every deal begins with a story, whether it’s a family business built over generations or a founder ready to embark on the next chapter. At the center of them all is trust.
“I think people don’t understand what culture means,” Shareef said. “Culture doesn’t mean unlimited PTO and scooters. Culture is shared values and what we believe in as a company.”
Hiring follows the same rule. “If they don’t fit culturally, no matter what their résumé looks like, they’re not a fit.”
The result is rare stability in a high-turnover field. Many employees have been with Benchmark for years, and some who left later returned. Internally, they are called boomerangs.
Beyond the ice
Benchmark’s partnership with Vinik Sports Group goes far beyond naming rights, with multiyear commitments focused on health, hunger and education.
That aligns with Benchmark Cares, an internal program that provides paid volunteer days for employees. “It’s not just about writing a check,” Shareef said. “It’s people putting in their time.”
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The arena partnership launched with a community-first celebration that included a free Maren Morris concert, open skate, and movie night and a Golden Ticket sweepstakes offering one winner free access to every event at Benchmark International Arena for an entire year.
Shared ascent
For Benchmark, the timing is no coincidence. Tampa itself is entering a new era.
“Tampa is not a flyover city anymore,” Shareef said. “It’s a destination city.” He points to Jeff Vinik’s billion-dollar downtown investment, a growing university pipeline, and migration from high-tax states.
Benchmark mirrors that energy with ambition without arrogance and drive without pretense. Its global yet neighborly approach gives a founder in Milwaukee the same options as a CEO in Manhattan.
“Do we need five U.S. offices?” O’Neill asked. “Maybe not. But it matters to sit across from the business owner, shake their hand and see their operation firsthand.”
What comes next
Markets shift, but the Benchmark model doesn’t flinch. Rate hikes and election-year uncertainty have slowed some sectors, but Benchmark’s diverse buyer network continues to keep deals moving.
“We’re hitting both sides of the market, private equity and private businesses, so our clients have as many options on the table as possible,” Shareef said.
Benchmark’s model even applies before a deal is in the works. “We’re happy to sit down and educate owners on the market,” O’Neill said. “It’s about building a relationship.”
The company’s purpose, in the end, comes down to one question every founder must face: What now?
Benchmark’s answer is as much about meaning as money. “It’s still one owner, one story and what comes next,” Hardin said.
The name on the arena may be new, but the conversation at the table is not.
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