{"id":29642,"date":"2025-11-01T22:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T22:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/29642\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T22:02:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T22:02:09","slug":"benchmark-international-on-why-they-took-center-ice-in-downtown-tampa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/29642\/","title":{"rendered":"Benchmark International on why they took center ice in downtown Tampa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benchmark International has operated in Tampa<\/a> for over a decade, quietly building a global reputation that few outside its industry have ever noticed. <\/p>\n

While others chased attention, Benchmark built credibility by closing billions in deals, one business owner at a time.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

SIGN UP FOR TBBW\u2019S FREE NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just financial modeling and spreadsheets. It\u2019s legacy, identity and the weight of letting go,\u201d said Managing Director Jared Hardin. \u201cHow do we take all this hard work, blood, sweat and tears that you\u2019ve gone through and turn that into money and a legacy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking center ice<\/p>\n

That low profile changed this summer when Benchmark acquired the naming rights<\/a> to the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> arena and officially renamed it Benchmark International Arena.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> it had grown up in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an actual investment for us,\u201d said Managing Partner Dara Shareef. \u201cIt\u2019s an investment in our business and it\u2019s an investment in Tampa. We\u2019re rooted here. We love it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BenchmarkBenchmark International Managing Partner Dara Shareef, left, and Managing Director Jared Hardin, right, at the firm\u2019s Tampa office.<\/p>\n

People first<\/p>\n

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<\/a> the strategic guidance, market reach and negotiating power usually reserved for Wall Street.<\/a><\/p>\n

Today, Benchmark spans 10 offices across 15 countries, employing more than 450 staff members, yet the mindset remains personal. \u201cIt starts with empathy,\u201d said Shareef. \u201cWe tend to hire a lot of folks who have been business operators and buyers. We can really speak those languages.\u201d<\/p>\n

CEO Tyrus O\u2019Neill added, \u201cWe help privately held business owners with their exit strategies, whether that\u2019s retirement, growth or something else. At its core, that\u2019s what Benchmark does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TyrusTyrus O\u2019Neill, CEO of Benchmark International, at the firm\u2019s Tampa headquarters.<\/p>\n

Shared values<\/p>\n

Inside the firm, every deal begins with a story, whether it\u2019s a family business built over generations or a founder ready to embark on the next chapter. At the center of them all is trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people don\u2019t understand what culture means,\u201d Shareef said. \u201cCulture doesn\u2019t mean unlimited PTO and scooters. Culture is shared values and what we believe in as a company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiring follows the same rule. \u201cIf they don\u2019t fit culturally, no matter what their r\u00e9sum\u00e9 looks like, they\u2019re not a fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Beyond the ice<\/p>\n

Benchmark\u2019s partnership with Vinik Sports Group<\/a> goes far beyond naming rights<\/a>, with multiyear commitments focused on health, hunger and education.<\/p>\n

That aligns with Benchmark Cares, an internal program that provides paid volunteer days for employees. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about writing a check,\u201d Shareef said. \u201cIt\u2019s people putting in their time.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ: How Tampa\u2019s Ashley Butler turned struggle into success<\/a><\/p>\n

The arena partnership launched with a community-first celebration that included a free Maren Morris<\/a> concert, open skate, and movie night and a Golden Ticket sweepstakes<\/a> offering one winner free access to every event at Benchmark International Arena for an entire year.<\/p>\n

Shared ascent<\/p>\n

For Benchmark, the timing is no coincidence. Tampa itself is entering a new era.<\/p>\n

\u201cTampa is not a flyover city anymore,\u201d Shareef said. \u201cIt\u2019s a destination city.\u201d He points to Jeff Vinik\u2019s billion-dollar downtown investment<\/a>, a growing university pipeline, and migration from high-tax states.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we need five U.S. offices?\u201d O\u2019Neill asked. \u201cMaybe not. But it matters to sit across from the business owner, shake their hand and see their operation firsthand.\u201d<\/p>\n

What comes next<\/p>\n

Markets shift, but the Benchmark model doesn\u2019t flinch. Rate hikes and election-year uncertainty have slowed some sectors, but Benchmark\u2019s diverse buyer network continues to keep deals moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hitting both sides of the market, private equity and private businesses, so our clients have as many options on the table as possible,\u201d Shareef said.<\/p>\n

Benchmark\u2019s model even applies before a deal is in the works. \u201cWe\u2019re happy to sit down and educate owners on the market,\u201d O\u2019Neill said. \u201cIt\u2019s about building a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s purpose, in the end, comes down to one question every founder must face: What now?<\/p>\n

Benchmark\u2019s answer is as much about meaning as money. \u201cIt\u2019s still one owner, one story and what comes next,\u201d Hardin said.<\/p>\n

The name on the arena may be new, but the conversation at the table is not.<\/p>\n

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Read more TBBW stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benchmark International has operated in Tampa for over a decade, quietly building a global reputation that few outside…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[21664,7143,21665,385,21666,5130,21667,202,204,203,199,201,200,862,21668,21669,20153],"class_list":["post-29642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-arena-naming-rights","tag-economic-development","tag-enchmark-international","tag-featured-business-news","tag-lightning-arena","tag-local-leadership","tag-ma-advisory","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-tampa-bay-lightning","tag-tampa-business","tag-tampa-entrepreneurs","tag-vinik-sports-group"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}