St. Pete’s Largest Private Employer, Power Design, Joins Burg Bid Team to Serve as Skilled Trades & Workforce Development Partner for Historic Gas Plant District Project
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Burg Bid team today announced that Power Design, the St. Petersburg-based, family-owned multi-trade contractor and city’s largest private employer, has joined the team to help serve as a skilled trades and workforce development partner for the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment.
Through its Build the Nation initiative, Power Design will spearhead workforce development efforts by creating an interactive skilled trades experience within the proposed Collaboratorium, connecting students, families and community members to rewarding careers in construction while helping build the workforce needed for the project’s future.
Build the Nation is Power Design’s long-term commitment to strengthening America’s skilled trades workforce by creating pathways into apprenticeship, expanding career awareness and partnering with schools, community organizations and industry leaders. The initiative aims to create thousands of futures in the trades through education, training and workforce partnerships.
In addition to their longstanding partnerships with local trade organizations, Build the Nation expands on Power Design’s years of experience running their own federally-accredited apprenticeship program which has added hundreds of skill trade professionals to the construction industry. They have also supported the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and its Workforce and Talent Committee through critical workforce research and data collection across dozens of industries to provide a clear mapping and centralized data hub of current and future workforce skill gaps.
As part of the Burg Bid team, Power Design will work alongside Blake Investment Partners, Related Group, and the project’s broader roster of local and national partners, including Skanska, Greystar, Gilbane, Blue Sky Communities, Open Realty, Stadler Development, KAST Construction and Driftwood Capital.
“Power Design brings something the Burg Bid needs from day one, a real plan to make sure the people building this district are people from St. Pete,” said Peter Van Warner, Vice President, Real Estate Development, Blake Investment Partners. “A project of this size can either pass through a community or invest in it, and we’ve been clear from the start that we will do the latter. That means good wages for good jobs. It means real training, not a false promise. When we say we’re building careers, Power Design and Build the Nation are how we back that up. We’re honored to have them on the team.”
“Power Design started at my family’s kitchen table right here in St. Petersburg, and today we’re proud to continue investing in the city that’s always been our home,” said Lauren Permuy, Chief Growth Officer at Power Design. “I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, and what makes this opportunity especially meaningful is that more than 2,000 of our team members also call the Tampa Bay region home. They’re raising families, supporting local schools and nonprofits, and helping strengthen the communities where we live and work. Together, we contributed more than $2.2 million to local charities and community organizations in 2025, including Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, CASA Pinellas, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Junior Achievement, and First Tee, reflecting our long-standing commitment to the place we proudly call home.”
Power Design’s St. Petersburg campus anchors an integrated technology, training, and operations platform, with in-house applications connecting design, manufacturing, procurement, material management, and field execution. That connectivity gives project teams early visibility into design coordination, labor needs, equipment requirements and schedule risks, capabilities especially valuable across a complex, multi-phase development such a as the Historic Gas Plant District.
The scale of the Burg Bid proposal — more than 3,600 units of affordable and workforce housing, a 15-acre central park anchored by Museum Row and a project expected to generate more than $8.1 billion in total investment — will require a sustained construction workforce over many years. Build the Nation is designed to help meet that need by connecting local residents directly to the project.
“Through Build the Nation, we’re committed to creating pathways into the skilled trades while helping ensure this project creates lasting opportunity for generations to come. Many young people are finding the traditional path to college more difficult and expensive, while the construction trades are short several hundred thousand workers. Skilled trades offer paid on-the-job training—without debt—and great earning and lifelong career potential,” added Permuy. “We believe Blake Investment Partners’ vision is the kind of investment that strengthens communities, develops talent and helps St. Petersburg continue growing as a global destination.”
The Burg Bid was one of the development teams selected by the City of St. Petersburg to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District. The proposal values the property at $405 million, including a $275 million offer to purchase 58 acres of city-owned land and a $20 million deposit upon execution of a purchase agreement. The project is projected to generate more than $8.1 billion in total investment, relying primarily on private capital.
At the heart of the proposal is a public asset for all to enjoy, a 15-acre central park. Featuring Museum Row as a cultural destination throughout the park, it will build upon the success St. Peterburg has already had with great art institutions and museums located across the city.
Link to Burg Bid’s Historic Gas Plant site
Link to renderings courtesy Zyscovich and Wannemacher Jensen Architects.
Link to video about the Blake Investment Partners proposal.
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Media Contacts:
Mittie Rooney, mrooney@rubenstein.com, 301-602-8709
Stefan Prelog, sprelog@rubenstein.com, 917-804-7003
About Blake Investment Partners
Blake Investment Partners is an institutional investment firm focused on transformative real estate development and community-centered redevelopment initiatives. The firm has been a steadfast partner in St. Petersburg’s growth for 23 years. With more than 200 completed projects across the Southeast and a portfolio that demonstrates both scale and sophistication, Blake brings expertise in mixed-use development, community planning, and long-term value creation. The firm’s patient approach to investment and commitment to stewardship distinguishes it as a developer that prioritizes lasting community benefit over short-term gains.
About Power Design
Power Design is a national vertically integrated Design-Build Contractor providing control and certainty through in-house delivery of engineering, multi-trade construction, prefabrication, manufacturing, and distribution. Since 1989, we’ve built our reputation by breaking the barriers of today and thinking well beyond tomorrow. We question assumptions, simplify complexity, reduce risk, and accelerate results for our partners. With hundreds of projects across the country, we preserve our culture and quality through deep investments in our people: training, safety, recognition, trade advocacy, community impact, and values-based initiatives that make Power Design a great workplace and supporting family. By pushing the boundaries of what design-build can be, we’re changing the possibilities of partnership. To learn more, visit powerdesigninc.us.
About Build the Nation
Build the Nation is a collaborative workforce development initiative committed to addressing the skilled trades shortage by inspiring more people to pursue careers in construction. Working alongside employers, educators, apprenticeship programs, and industry partners, Build the Nation promotes awareness of the opportunities available in the trades while advancing solutions that strengthen the talent pipeline. Together, we’re helping build the workforce that will power America’s future. Learn more at BuildTheNation.us.