Ringside Stories

Book excerpt: 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.