Hillsborough Community College

Member Board Of Trustees

Elevate Inc.

As the Founder and President of Elevate, Inc. I help clients bolster their community relations, social media, target networking, public relations, and government affairs. 

My expertise comes from a background in journalism, government, business development, and public relations. 
 
Prior to starting Elevate, I served as the founding Director of Business Development for Chamber.com, a global, application-based networking website for business professionals. After launching in 2010, I facilitated exponential growth, yielding over 1.5 million members. The site is still growing today.

Prior to Chamber.com, I served as the Public Relations Coordinator for the 255-room Westin Tampa Bay hotel and AquaKnox, a fine dining seafood restaurant located inside the Westin. I was responsible for directing all community and civic outreach for AquaKnox/Westin Tampa Bay, increasing community awareness of the newly opened waterfront property.

Prior to AquaKnox/Westin Tampa Bay, I served as the Public Relations Coordinator at Phillips Development & Realty, LLC. I managed the marketing and public relations for all of the company’s initiatives throughout the United States.

I am well-known and recognized for helping companies and individuals define the experience they have within their constituents building long lasting relationships. This involves introductions, target networking, and a strong community relations strategy. 

I am honored to be a recipient of several prestigious awards and recognitions: 
--The Tampa Bay Business Journal
--The Up & Comers Award, Under 30 Category
--One of Tampa Bay’s 100 Most Influential Business Leaders by Tampa Bay CEO Magazine
--A Rising Star by the St. Petersburg Times

Founder & President

Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County

Chairman of the Board

Future Leaders Friday Luncheon

The Future Leaders’ Friday Luncheon was created by four young local business professionals. Each are in different stages of life, but all are between the ages of 25-34. During the first Friday of each month, we host an informal lunch and invite select community leaders as our guests. Each lunch consists of four hosts and four guests. The setting is very casual and social. There are no agendas, no minutes, no sales, and no motions. Instead, the environment provides an opportunity for individuals to get to know each other and the causes they support.

Twice a year, the Future Leaders’ Friday Luncheon holds an evening reception for all of the guests who have ever attended a luncheon. These gatherings offer our guests an additional opportunity to mingle and meet a greater number of business, community, and non-profit professionals. At the reception, our guests are encouraged to bring a future guest for our group.

We had hoped and we have found, as the number of our events increase that our attendees often stay in touch with each other. They have become better resources for one another. And in most cases lasting friendships have evolved.

Co-Founder

Hillsborough County

Candidate, Hillsborough County Commission District 1

Chamber.com

Director of Business Development

AquaKnox/Westin Tampa Bay

Public Relations Coordinator

Philips Development & Realty LLC

Pepin Distributing Company

Community Development Intern.

Paragon Capital Partners

Policy Analyst

Entrepreneur Aakash Patel founded Elevate, Inc., a Florida-based strategic business consulting firm in 2012 providing public relations, community relations, targeted networking & social media. Elevate, Inc. has served over 200 companies to date. He has become reputed for making significant connections and achieving client results. Aakash has a focus on leadership, community, military, life-long learning, and networking/connecting. 

Aakash M.  Patel

Member Board Of Trustees at Hillsborough Community College

When you attend a networking event with 100 people, only a handful are the ones who can truly move the needle for your business.
That’s where a networking concierge comes in—guiding you directly to the conversations that matter most.

🔑 It’s not about how many hands you shake. It’s about the quality of the relationships you build.

Honored to speak to leaders at BDO #Jacksonville today & discuss best #networking practices!

 Thiru Govender, Tony Ruane, James Ragukonis

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