If I Build It, They Will Come

Chuck Merlis is a freelance business journalist, interviewer, and storyteller based in Tampa, Florida. His reporting has appeared in regional outlets such as the Business Observer, Creative Loafing, Tampa Beacon, and Fox 13 News, where he covers entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses in the Tampa Bay Area.

 

Chuck focuses on the people who roll up their sleeves, take risks, and build something from the ground up. He created If I Build It, They Will Come to go deeper than a byline — capturing the raw, unfiltered voices of Tampa's entrepreneurs, risk-takers, and local leaders.

 

Success leaves a story — and in this podcast, you'll hear how Tampa's most driven people shaped theirs:

 

• What drove them to start

• What kept them going

• What they've learned along the way

​

🎧 Explore episodes of the podcast