Bank Directors

Armando Roche - Chairman

Armando Roche is Chairman, CEO and Founder of Roche Surety, Inc., and Roche Surety and Casualty Co., Inc.  In 1996, Mr. Roche acquired the American Pioneer Casualty Insurance Company; under his leadership, the company has experienced significant growth and is currently doing business in thirty-five states.  Throughout his 40 year career, Mr. Roche has been active in the surety industry at both the state and national levels.  He served as President and Executive Vice President for the Surety Agents Association.  Mr. Roche is a founding member of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States and a Past President; he is currently serving on the Board of Directors.  Mr. Roche, who is an expert in his field, has been invited to testify before various state legislative committees and the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives.

In addition to his professional affiliations, Mr. Roche is also active in the community.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Tampa Economic Development Council (TEDCO) and serves on its Loan Committee.  Mr. Roche was also a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Heritage Bank of Florida from 1999-2001 where he also served as an active member of the Loan Committee.

Mr. Roche is a life-long resident of Tampa and a 1971 graduate of the University of Tampa.

R. Bob Smith III, PhD - Vice Chairman

Bob Smith is the Chairman and CEO of PAR, Inc.  Bob and his wife, Cathy, founded the company in 1978.  Today, PAR is a leading publisher of assessment instruments, software, books, and other related materials, which are sold and licensed throughout the world.  Prior to founding PAR, Bob served as a staff psychologist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Tampa, Florida, and was in private practice as a clinical psychologist from 1975 until 1986. He received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the United States International University in San Diego in 1970, and obtained his PhD in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany in 1973. He is also a partner in Ark Applications, a start-up company for the development of applications for smart phones.

Bob is active within the community and supports a variety of charitable organizations, including Meals on Wheels of Tampa, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and Tampa Preparatory School.  He and his wife reside in Odessa and have three adult children. 

Joseph L. Caballero - CEO / President and Director

Mr. Caballero is the Chief Executive Officer, President and Director of GulfShore Bank.  He holds a B.S. in Finance from Florida State University; a Masters of Accountancy from the University of South Florida; and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Florida.  He has over 20 years experience in banking and financial services and is a member of the FICPA and AICPA.  He also holds his Series 7, Series 66 and Series 31 securities licenses.  

Mr. Caballero was born in Tampa and attended Jesuit High School.  He is on the Board of Trustees of the School; the Jesuit Foundation; the Finance Committee; and he chairs the Investment Committee.  He is a director of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Hospital; the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation; a member of the Joint Finance and Planning Committee for the Center; and chairs the Investment Committee.  He is also a member of the Tampa Bay and Company's Board and serves on the Advisory Board for Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors, LLC.

John E. Carter - Director

John E. Carter is a Partner and Executive Vice President at Carter & Associates, the largest privately held commercial real estate company headquartered in the Southeast.  John has 24 years of real estate experience in all aspects of leasing, asset management, acquisition, investment, and corporate advisory services.  Although he is primarily focused on client relationships and on overseeing Carter's Tampa operations, Mr. Carter has consistently ranked among the top investment brokers in the State of Florida.  Over the last 24 months, Mr. Carter has closed real estate transactions representing 16.5 million square feet and $3 billion in value representing such clients as Grosvenor International, TECO, BayCare, Gunn Allen, Anchor Glass, and Wells Real Estate.

Mr. Carter has a work history that includes positions with Trammel Crow Company and Citicorp prior to earning a Master's of Business Administration degree in 1989 at the Harvard Business School.  In 1990, Mr. Carter founded the Florida operation for Carter & Associates and grew the business into a full service real estate company with offices in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee.

Vincent J. Cassidy - Director

Vincent J. Cassidy is the President and CEO of Majesty Title Services, LLC, a national Title Insurance agency servicing the needs of national mortgage lenders as well as the needs of local real estate professionals in Florida, New York, and New Jersey.  Prior to forming Majesty, Mr. Cassidy spent 25 years with JPMorgan Chase & Co., in several leadership/management positions responsible for Credit, Relationship Management, Sales, Operations, Service, Technology, Financial Analysis, Marketing, and Strategy.  In his last position at JPMorgan Chase he was a Senior Vice President managing a Global Product technology business, providing electronic banking services to the firm's wholesale clients.  In 2000, he relocated an operations and service business to Tampa from New York, building a global service center of excellence. Most of Mr. Cassidy's career was spent in management positions servicing the small business and middle market segments.

Mr. Cassidy is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, and the University of Virginia's Graduate School of Retail Banking, with honors.

Mr. Cassidy resides in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two daughters. He is a Board Member of the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA and a Board Member of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.  He is a licensed Title Agent in nine states.

Mario Garcia, Jr. - Director

Mario Garcia, Jr. was born and raised in Tampa, and he continues to maintain his residence and operate his businesses in Hillsborough County.  Mr. Garcia is the President and CEO of EMSI, a national medical device company that he established in 1995 as a start-up business.  Presently, the company services over 25,000 patients and employs over 110 people.  In the past five years under Mr. Garcia's leadership, the company has grown at an average annual growth rate of 36 percent per year.  In 2004, Mr. Garcia also founded Validus Group which develops and manages real estate.  As CEO, Mr. Garcia manages over 110,000 square feet of retail, office, and industrial space.
 
Mr. Garcia is active in the community where he serves on several boards and supports a variety of charitable foundations.  Currently, he is a board member of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and is an active participant on the Finance Committee and National Hispanic Scientist of the Year Committee.  He is also a member of the TEC International, a networking group of Chief Executive Officers managing business throughout the community.  Mr. Garcia and his businesses also support News in Education Adopt a School Program, the Kids Wish Network, the Special Olympics, Florida Institute of Community Studies, and Junior Achievement.

 

George A. Guida - Director

George A. Guida is a highly successful businessman and banker with over 40 years of local banking and management experience in Hillsborough County.  He is a Tampa native whose family was heavily invested in banking, commercial construction, and real estate.  Mr. Guida is currently semi-retired and involved in a variety of investment projects and non-profit organizations.

In 1980, after gaining valuable experience in the construction business, Mr. Guida shifted his emphasis into banking by joining The Central Bank of Tampa.  He ultimately became a senior officer of the bank where he was appointed by the Board of Directors to serve on the Executive Committee.  During his career, he also held the position of Senior Lending Officer at the Manufacturer's Bank of Florida and the Village Bank of Florida.  During his tenure at each of the banks, deposits, loans and profitability grew dramatically.

Mr. Guida has always emphasized community service during his career and served on many important boards throughout the County.  This service includes the Tampa General Hospital Board of Directors, President and Founder of Florida Regional Health Planning Board, President of the Centro Asturiano Hospital, and President of the Hillsborough Association of Retarded Citizens, among others.

Mr. Guida holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Notre Dame where he majored in Business Finance and Architecture.

Mark Levey - Director

Mark Levey has been active as CEO and majority owner of several successful software companies since 1986.  Mr. Levey is a graduate of The State University of New York at Oswego. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science in 1984.

 

Luciano L. Prida, Jr., - Director

Luciano Prida is the managing shareholder of Prida Guida & Company, P.A. He has extensive experience in small business consulting, merger and acquisition analysis, and tax and estate planning, in addition to traditional accounting and tax professional services. He also has experience in litigation support and tax representation before Federal and State agencies, and has prepared various applications regarding financial institution and holding company formation and financial institution mergers.


Mr. Prida received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida in 1972, magna cum laude. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) and the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA), and has served as director of the City of Tampa Internal Audit Department.