Leadership St. Pete Alumni Spotlight

Matt Dieter

CoFounder/CEO at RecoupeTax

LSP Planning Committee Member

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What is your Leadership St. Pete Class Year and what years have you been involved with the Planning Committee & Alumni Association?

I graduated with the Class of 2013 and have been a part of the Planning Committee and LSP Alumni Association ever since.

What was your Leadership St. Pete Class Project? What’s the current status of your Leadership St. Pete Class Project?

Our Class Project was titled "Planting the Seed". We worked with PARC, which provides opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to exercise their independence and experience life to the fullest. My class constructed and improved vegetable, flower, and herb gardens; renovated a greenhouse; and improved landscaping and irrigation systems – all of which provided sustainable therapeutic and vocational opportunities for residents, healthy fresh vegetables for PARC group homes, and a sustainable enterprise through the sale of fresh grown herbs and vegetables at the St. Petersburg "Green Thumb Festival" and fresh markets throughout the year. I got a chance to visit the site five years later when they hosted an LSP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seminar and was glad to see that the garden area has continued to be well maintained. It was awesome to create amazing educational opportunities for our fellow community members.

What does Leadership St. Pete mean to you?

The best part of LSP to me is getting to meet so many great people that are just as invested in the community as you are. College is really the last time that you are able to meet lots of new people, so it can be hard to make friends as you get older. LSP gives you another chance to open your world up and meet many high quality people. If it weren’t for LSP, my organization RecoupeTax would not be here today! It was only possible through my partnership with fellow LSP graduate, Powers Kane, whose skills in sales, combined with my knowledge of research and development tax credits for large and small businesses, have made RecoupeTax the success that it is today.

What is your favorite underrated spot in St. Pete?

I really love taking the boat up to Lassing Park. There is an excellent sandbar where you can hop out and with the picturesque Downtown skyline in the background, a perfect place for a family fun day! My son and I also love going shark fishing around the Pier. We went out to fish during the Reggae Rise Up music festival and had a great time bonding & jamming to the music!