No Name Group secretive, potentially powerful

It's been so secretive, members acknowledge little more than its existence.

Who belongs, where it meets, how it started — all are the subject of whispers among people in the Tampa area's business and political circles.

But this much is now clear about the "No Name" group: There is one.

The No Name club of business elites has been around for more than a decade, but doesn't appear in any news clips. Some elected leaders have never heard of it. Others have, but won't talk about it on the record.

On Wednesday, Tom James, executive chairman of Raymond James Financial, acknowledged he is the leader of the No Namers and described them as a select group of local chief executives who have lunched together privately for years to chat about public issues.

And yes, James said, they probably do wield some influence.

Years ago, in fact, the group helped spawn the Tampa Bay Partnership, a regional organization for building the local economy, he said. And more recently, its members rallied to help bring the Republican National Convention to Tampa in August.

But the No Namers are anything but powerbrokers, James says. They don't take votes, they have no agenda, and they only want the region's cities and counties to work together.

Told that people gossip about the group's behind-the-scenes influence, James chuckled.

"Pulling strings? What power do these people have to pull strings?"

Still, what a group.

A list of 48 purported members seen by the Tribune includes many of the most powerful people in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

When the Tribune tried to contact some of the best-known on the list, only four would talk: James; Sandy MacKinnon, a heavy equipment dealer who has sat on various Super Bowl and Republican National Convention host committees; Alex Sink, former bank executive and Florida's immediate past chief financial officer; and attorney Rhea Law, CEO and chairwoman of Fowler White Boggs and a University of South Florida trustee.

All three acknowledged they are members. Liz Smith, chief executive of Outback Steakhouse parent OSI Restaurant Partners, also said through a spokesman that she is a member.

Several more declined to comment, wouldn't speak on the record, or didn't respond to calls.

They are Barney Barnett, vice chairman of Lakeland's Publix Super Markets; Lee Arnold, founder of Clearwater-based real estate firm Colliers International Tampa Bay; auto dealer Jim Ferman of Tampa; Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik; USF President Judy Genshaft; and Chris Sullivan, co-founder of OSI Restaurant Partners.

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Successful business people have formed networks for years to push economic development, socialize or just share corporate war stories. Most of these groups, though, are publicly known and seek new members.

A not-so-secretive group called the CEO Council of Tampa Bay regularly meets at the Centre Club in Tampa's West Shore area.

And many heavy hitters belong to the Tampa Bay Partnership, which includes private businesses and local governments. Stuart Rogel, chief executive of the partnership, declined comment on the No Namers through a spokeswoman.

Could these No Namers be guiding the public's business outside the public eye?

The way James describes the group provides little fodder for conspiracy theories, such as those surrounding an international group called the Trilateral Commission. A member of the Rockefeller business dynasty formed the commission to promote global cooperation, but critics have claimed it wants to create a world government.

Still, the No Namers' silence has left many wondering what the members — who employ thousands of people with companies that bring in billions of dollars — are getting together to talk about.

"I would be extremely surprised if a group that successful is not at least trying to impact issues like high-speed rail, or the Rays — not necessarily their location but their retention," said local attorney Marty Traber, who is aware of the group but isn't a member.

"My impression is it's significantly successful business leaders who really care," Traber said.

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Ronnie Duncan, a former Pinellas County commissioner and chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District in the early 2000s, said he remembers the group's name coming up once when the water district wanted to reach business leaders.

"We were told to go talk to the No Name group," Duncan said. He didn't, but he thinks another Swiftmud official did.

In fact, the No Name group has talked about many of the region's hottest topics. The Bay area's water wars were once a subject of its table-top discussions. More recently, members got a briefing on USF Polytechnic's effort to split from the USF system.

The most contentious current topic, a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, has certainly come up, James said. But group members only want to keep the team here and haven't taken any position on a stadium location.

"We do want to retain the team, but don't want to go crazy on what we spend on it," James said.

Government leaders sometimes drop by to talk public policy, but he insisted the group doesn't invite multiple members of a government board so it doesn't run afoul of public Florida's Sunshine Law.

Some of its members push for economic development and charitable giving, but it has no collective power, he said.

"When the cities start fighting with each other, it just drives us up the wall."

Duncan, the former Pinellas commissioner, has no worries about whether the No Name group flexes behind-the-scenes muscle.

In fact, he wishes it would do more to exert its influence.

Every day brings an example of how Orlando's economy outshines the economy of the Tampa area, Duncan said, in part because business leaders there work together better.

"I will say to you that I've heard of the No Name group, and their desire to be the leaders of this community," he said.

"The story is not about a No Name group. It's about comparing our community to Orlando, which has a more unified voice."