In Ringside Stories, real estate guru Dick Corbett reveals the secrets to his success in business and in life, tracking the rough-and-ready life of a man who won't accept failure as an outcome. Setbacks large and small are taken as lessons for the future, and one small success leads to another, larger one until the dream achieved is grander than any restless youth could have imagined. In Corbett's long and remarkably successful career, his commitment to economic development and growth management have been stunningly reflected in the more than one billion dollars of complex real estate ventures he's financed, developed, and constructed - including International Plaza, a three million square foot mixed-use retail, office, and hotel development at Tampa's International Airport. Corbett's work has generated thousands of permanent jobs, hundreds of new commercial sales entities, office space, adjunct hotels, and restaurants - all producing hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the regional economy.
Richard A. Corbett's story begins with an alcoholic mother, an absentee father, and a search for self that resulted in boxing titles, street smarts, wilderness survival skills, degrees from Notre Dame and Harvard, a spot on the Kennedy presidential campaign, 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 investing guru
- Learn how delicate relationships contributed to Corbett's success
- See the Kennedy family from the inner circle's perspective
- Discover how sheer ambition built Tampa's International Plaza
Life is precious - everyone gets exactly one. Few can say they've truly lived, but Corbett's experiences mark him as a man who has been there, done that. Ringside Stories is the story of how wisdom found a truly self-made man.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Prologue ix
Chapter 1 Robert Kennedy is Buried in My Clothes 1
Chapter 2 My Father Was a Bona Fide Hero 9
Chapter 3 My Mom Was an Alcoholic, and I Struggled to Hide It 17
Chapter 4 I Almost Ate a Boy Once 29
Chapter 5 I Found a Mentor - and a Kindred Spirit 35
Chapter 6 I Love Punching a Man in the Face 43
Chapter 7 I Am a Workaholic 51
Chapter 8 I Became a Part of History 57
Chapter 9 One of My Saddest Days: When JFK Was Inaugurated 65
Chapter 10 I Was Once One of the Most-Hated Men in the Kennedy Empire 79
Chapter 11 Mentored by an Invalid 91
Chapter 12 It Takes Guts to Write Checks for Money You Don’t Have 99
Chapter 13 Life Partnering 107
Chapter 14 Only an Idiot Would Purchase a Lease on Land Owned by a Federal Airport 119
Chapter 15 I Will Be Forever Grateful That I Injured My Back and Ribs 131
Chapter 16 Before I Could Be a Joe Kennedy, I Had to Be a Daniel Boone 145
Chapter 17 Getting Down to the Business of Making a Dream 155
Chapter 18 Who Shops at Malls, Anyway? 165
Chapter 19 A Day in the Limelight Becomes a Day of Darkness 171
Chapter 20 I Built Myself into Our Home 175
Chapter 21 Not Dead Yet, Just Getting a Third Wind 179
Chapter 22 Life Comes Full Circle 185
Chapter 23 Never Take Your Eye Off the Ball 191
Epilogue More of What’s Important, Not More of the Same 201
About the Author 205
Index 207
