The Good Page features positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue we introduce Tampa Bay entrepreneur Tommy Whitehead, the president and owner of TomCo Solutions, Inc.
The Lakeland area native enjoyed a career in hospitality for years, working with resorts, marinas and golf courses, most recently as a director of accounting and finance. But when his company downsized during the recession in 2010, he was forced to reevaluate his career.
He was hired by another company that specialized in buying foreclosure homes that they renovated to rent. He was part of a frontline team that acquired and renovated these homes, working to make them “rent ready.”
After that company downsized, he formed TomCo Solutions in 2018. It focuses on foreclosure renovations, specializing in single-family home renovations, REO/REIT asset preservation, property flipping, investment rehabs, multifamily renovations and extensive residential contracting services throughout the Tampa Bay region.
As a gay man, however, he realized that the construction industry wasn’t generally an inclusive workplace.
“You couldn’t talk about it. It was frowned upon and you worried about job security,” Whitehead explains. So after forming TomCo Solutions, he joined the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber.
The chamber has served the LGBTQ+ and ally business communities of Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties for over 40 years. It does so as an affiliate of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, which verifies that businesses are majority-LGBT owned through LGBT Business Enterprise certification.
TomCo Solutions became a nationally certified LGBT business through the organization, becoming one of the first 50 such businesses in the U.S. to do so.
Whitehead made a name for himself in this space, leading people to begin approaching him “looking for an inclusive work environment,” he explains.
“The reception was absolutely outstanding,” he says, leading to his formation of the Pride Construction Coalition in 2023. The organization is dedicated to supporting and bringing together LGBTQ+ workers in the construction industry.
The goal is about “busting the stereotypes,” Whitehead says. “We’re here to work regardless of our orientation or identities.”
He was approached by workers at smaller companies who told him that while their employers accepted that they were a part of the LGBTQ+ community, they were discouraged from being fully out in their field.
“Often I would hear that they were told, ‘We don’t care if you’re gay, just don’t tell the clients,’” Whitehead says. “That’s often the type of mentality you see in the construction business.”
The entrepreneur believes the industry is about to face a crisis, explaining that about 40% of the construction workforce is retiring over the next five years. “There are not enough people to replace them,” he advises.
As construction companies recruit new workers to the field, “everybody has to feel welcome,” he adds, noting that a shortage of those in the trades will drive home prices up. “And you think the housing market is expensive now.”
Because of this, Whitehead focuses on diversity and inclusion in the construction industry, speaking both to business owners and potential workers at networking events and conferences. “Diversity is shining in construction; it’s there,” he says.
His Pride Construction Coalition focuses on advocating for and empowering LGBTQ+ construction professionals.
The organization recently held its second annual event June 26 in Tampa. A few dozen professionals were in attendance, including the CEO of the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber. Those who attended represented various industries.
“Our client base is everywhere and construction professionals need insurance and banking and a lot of things,” Whitehead says. He also recently held a Building Success Summit, which he organized to bring community members and industry experts together.
All this and more led TomCo Solutions to be named Certified LGBT Business Enterprise of the Year by the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber last month. The organization called Whitehead “a true leader in our community.”
“This award means more than just recognition. It’s a powerful reminder that diversity in construction isn’t just welcome — it’s foundational,” Whitehead reflected afterwards. “At TomCo, we believe building homes and building community go hand-in-hand, and this honor is a testament to the work our team does every single day to live that out.”
You can learn about that work and more at TommyWhitehead.com.
Interested in being featured in The Good Page?
Email Editor-in-Chief Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@WatermarkOutNews.com in Tampa Bay or Central Florida Bureau Chief Bellanee Plaza at Bellanee@WatermarkOutNews.com in Central Florida.
