Ringside Stories

Follow the life of a celebrated guru, from hardscrabble boy to
self-made man

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.