With Tampa named best Florida city for millennials, Congressman Ross Spano honors Aakash Patel  

TAMPA, Fla – In light of a new study showing Tampa as the top Florida city for millennials, a member of Congress is honoring a local millennial entrepreneur. U.S. Representative Ross Spano took the stand on the House Floor in Washington D.C. to recognize Aakash Patel as one of Tampa Bay’s youngest and most impactful business leaders.

“Under Aakash’s leadership, his small group of millennials over the last nine years has actively resourced over 150 companies,” U.S. Rep. Ross Spano said. “His love and passion for our community is also seen in his role as the youngest board member of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce and as an honorary Commander at MacDill Air Force Base,” Spano added.

At the age of 27, Patel founded Elevate, Inc. in 2012 to provide Public Relations and business development counseling to help entrepreneurs learn, connect and grow in the community. Elevate’s team, comprised only of millennials, has helped more than 150 Tampa businesses expand.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized by Congressman Spano. Millennials are now the largest living generation in our country, surpassing Baby Boomers,” Aakash Patel said. “As a millennial myself, I know firsthand how to create an environment where young professionals will want to work, live and play. As Tampa continues to grow, we must meet the needs of our changing culture to attract and retain the best and brightest employees,” Patel added.

Tampa was recently named one of the best cities in Florida for millennials due to its relatively low cost of living and job opportunities. The JLL study found millennials, aged 25 to 34, were taking home $79,400 when adjusting their salaries to the local cost of living.

For Patel, it’s not all about business. Like most millennials, he cares about giving back. “Patel also serves as the Chairman of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County that provides quality childhood care and after school programs to many of the kids in my district,” Spano said.

Just last month, Patel was named “Businessman of the Year” by the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce. He was also just appointed last month to the Board of Directors for Synapse, a Tampa-Based accelerator group, and named a member of the Tampa Bay Business Journal Leadership Trust. As a member of the Leadership Trust, Aakash will contribute articles to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, participate in Expert Panels, and collaborate with local leaders to advance Tampa’s business community.

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