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Valrico man's business raises visibility, viability of Bay area charitable golf tournaments.

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By SCOTT E. RUPP, The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 26, 2007

Updated: 05/24/2007 07:44 pm

VALRICO - It's a story often told.

It's the one where the man or woman reaches a breaking point, having spent years helping to build up the company for which they work.

They have remained dedicated and motivated, and there seems little to show for it.

So it was for Valrico resident Bob Gaudreau, who settled into a sales position at GTE in 1985.

The previous tale was one he could have told. He wanted more, was tired of making money for other people and longed for a company to call his own.

'I saw some things happening in my job,' he said of Alltel's buying GTE. 'It was time to find my own company.'

Gaudreau set only one requirement for himself. His new venture had to be in sports. He played baseball and soccer in college and tried to go pro in the former, but fell short.

He coached a high school baseball team, but he figured baseball would be too difficult to convey in a business.

Therefore, the next reasonable choice was golf. A nine handicapper who has only had two lessons, he loved the game enough, he decided, to work around it every day.

His desire was the catalyst and inspiration for LeaderBoard Tournament Systems of Tampa, a franchise dedicated to the promotion and organization of charitable golf tournaments designed to help the host agency raise money.

Since it was launched in 2003, LeaderBoard of Tampa has worked for more than 150 agencies to raise money - more than $9 million so far - by improving their visibility and viability in the tournament world.

This year, Gaudreau said he and his wife, his business partner who also works at Burns Middle School, will help produce roughly 45 tournaments throughout the Bay area.

'We've got the niche in the marketplace. We try to bring stability to the planning of the tournament,' he said, explaining this is accomplished by using LeaderBoard's digital software and management.

Lisa-Perry Richardson, director of development at the Centre for Women in Tampa, has partnered with Gaudreau for the center's past three golf tournaments. In that time, tournament revenue has increased from a mere $16,000 to about $45,000, Richardson said.

Though LeaderBoard isn't specifically the reason for the extra cash, Gaudreau has brought a more polished image to the agency's tournament and given the event an added bit of validity, Richardson said.

'Bob has helped to make us more attractive,' she said.

For the Everyday Blessings adoption agency in Thonotosassa, another organization Gaudreau has worked with, LeaderBoard helped increase net earnings by about $120,000 in the past three years and increased participation from 80 players in 2003 to about 270 at two courses in 2006.

Sister Jackie Kingsbury, director of development for the agency, said Gaudreau is always on the lookout for ways to improve the tournament.

'He's really brought some good ideas to raise the level of the tournament,' she said.

Throughout the Bay area, Gaudreau has worked with several organizations, including the University of South Florida football program and Florida Blood Services and Diabetic Charitable Services in Pinellas Park.

The services include tournament assessment, registration aid, live scoring capability, slide and photo shows and scrolling results, as well as printed and multimedia options.

Gaudreau also offers event planning services for an extra price, and cost is always the question.

'It's the first thing I get asked. 'Is your service for free?'' he said.

Not exactly. He charges $1,200 to $5,000, depending on the level of service.

A small price to pay for a much better product, he said.

Reporter Scott E. Rupp can be reached at (813) 657-4510 or srupp@tampatrib.com.

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