Ringside Stories

Follow the life of a celebrated guru, from hardscrabble boy toself-made man In Ringside Stories, real estate guru Dick Corbettreveals the secrets to his success in business and in life,tracking the rough-and-ready life of a man who won't accept failureas an outcome. Setbacks large and small are taken as lessons forthe future, and one small success leads to another, larger oneuntil the dream achieved is grander than any restless youth couldhave imagined. In Corbett's long and remarkably successful career,his commitment to economic development and growth management havebeen stunningly reflected in the more than one billion dollars ofcomplex real estate ventures he's financed, developed, andconstructed-including International Plaza, a three millionsquare foot mixed-use retail, office, and hotel development atTampa's International Airport. Corbett's work has generatedthousands of permanent jobs, hundreds of new commercial salesentities, office space, adjunct hotels, and restaurants-allproducing hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the regionaleconomy.Richard A. Corbett's story begins with an alcoholic mother, anabsentee father, and a search for self that resulted in boxingtitles, street smarts, wilderness survival skills, degrees fromNotre Dame and Harvard, a spot on the Kennedy presidentialcampaign, and later a place at Robert Kennedy's side when he died.This book documents the events that built this remarkable life,with lessons learned and wisdom gained. * Mine the insight of a recognized real estate investingguru * Learn how delicate relationships contributed to Corbett'ssuccess * See the Kennedy family from the inner circle's perspective * Discover how sheer ambition built Tampa's InternationalPlazaLife is precious-everyone gets exactly one. Few can saythey've truly lived, but Corbett's experiences mark him as a manwho has been there, done that. Ringside Stories is the storyof how wisdom found a truly self-made man.