TAMPA, FL – Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP partner Ron Christaldi has been selected to the Business Journals’ National List of the 100 Most Influential Attorneys. Ron is one of only three lawyers in Tampa Bay to be selected to this national list. Produced by the Business Journals, the list spotlights 100 attorneys in the entire nation who are having an extraordinary impact on business and legal matters across the nation. To those active in the community, naming Ron on the list is no surprise. Mike Griffin, former Tampa Chamber Board Chair and current Port Commissioner, commented “Ron is a quiet and behind the scenes type of lawyer, but it is no secret in Tampa Bay that if you want to accomplish something, you need Ron on your team.”
Joining Ron on the list is his longtime mentor, Moffitt Cancer Center General Counsel, L. David de la Parte. Ron credits David for his success, “Without question, I would not be the professional that I am today without David’s years of mentoring, guidance and wisdom. He is, hands down, the best lawyer and most talented business individual I have worked with.”
Ron’s community efforts are extraordinary. Previously named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of the top 100 lawyers in Florida, Ron is a past Chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, with his tracks on some of the most important initiatives in Tampa Bay. Prior to serving as Board Chair, Ron served the Chamber as General Counsel, Policy Counsel Chair, Treasurer and Vice-Chair. In addition to his Chamber service, he has served in the chair or vice -chair role for The Spring (the largest domestic violence shelter in Tampa Bay), the Business Committee for the Arts, AMI Kids YES, and after being appointed by Councilman Suarez, served as Chair to the City of Tampa’s Cultural Assets Commission. He is currently Chair of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk, which takes place in Julian B. Lane Park this coming November. Sherri Stitt, the Executive Director of the Suncoast Chapter of LLS, remarked, “Ron is one of the hardest working and most dedicated volunteers I have had the pleasure to work with. I continue to be impressed by how well respected he is in this community and how passionate he is about community service.”
Ron is often quietly behind the scenes with some of the most important issues facing the region. For instance, he has been intimately involved in preparing the area for eventual business with Cuba, leading delegations of elected officials and prominent leaders to Havana and visiting then Vice President Joe Biden in the White House to advance the position of Tampa Bay. Mayor Buckhorn appointed him to serve as a Commissioner on the City of Tampa Charter Review Commission, where he played an instrumental role in re-writing the City Charter that will be before voters for consideration during the next election cycle. His law partner, Brian Willis, is one of the principals of the All for Transportation group moving to raise funds for transportation solutions for the region through a ballot initiative this fall. Ron sits on the City of Tampa’s Sister City Committee and has played a role in the Sister City relationships with South Dublin, Ireland and Agrigento, Italy. He is a frequent participant in economic development trade missions from the region as a member of the Economic Development Corporation’s International Committee and has traveled with local elected officials and business leaders to Frankfurt, Bogota, Toronto, Mexico City and Santiago, Chile to advance the business interests of the region. As Chamber Chair, Ron brokered historic accords with the Chambers in South Dublin and Panama. Tampa City Councilwoman Yvonne Yolie Capin, who has worked with Ron on a number of these efforts, added “Ron is a friend to this community and having worked closely with him a number of times with success, I have the utmost confidence in him and his abilities.”
Significantly, Ron and his friend Chuck Sykes, are the driving force to keep the Rays Baseball team in Tampa Bay. Through the non-profit they created called SC Hillsborough Corporation, Chuck and Ron hold the option to purchase the land in Ybor City where the Rays hope to continue their tenure in Tampa Bay. Together they also founded the community effort Tampa Bay Rays 2020 and the 100 influential and diverse Rays 100 group. Brian Auld, Rays Co-President offered that “Ron’s efforts, without question, have been instrumental in helping to ensure the next generation of Rays Baseball in Tampa Bay.” Yvonne Fry, who is one of the Rays 100 members and who served as Spring Board Chair when Ron was its Vice-Chair, added “Ron is a tremendous and inclusive leader. His ability to bring diverse groups together and work with them all for a common good is exemplary.”
Ron’s primary work is as a business lawyer with experience in both transactions and litigation. In addition to his robust law practice, Ron is also the President/CEO of Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC, providing public affairs and governmental relations services. With an already stellar public affairs team, Ron recently added Congressman David Jolly to the team, who noted that "No other attorney in the country will have the singular impact and influence that Ron Christaldi will have for the direction of the Tampa Bay area in the next decade. If you have business in Tampa, it will go through Ron."
Most important to Ron are his 3 kids, Michael (13), Joseph (11) and Juliet (8). “My universe revolves around those kids. They are the inspiration and purpose for everything I do. For them and their peers, we must make this community, this state and the world an even better place!”
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Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP is a full-service business law firm with more than 265 attorneys and seven offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina; and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Shumaker is a premier provider of quality legal services. Whether it's commitment to clients or work in the community, involvement lies at the core of all of Shumaker’s initiatives.