Tampa valet company lands six prestigious local accounts in '14

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717 Parking's Jason Accardi and John Accardi at one of their parking lots in downtown Tampa.

Eric Snider

Reporter- Tampa Bay Business Journal

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Several of the Bay area's most heavily buzzed hospitality, restaurant and retail businesses — all of which opened this year — have signed on with one valet parking operator: Tampa-based 717 Parking Enterprises.

"We're having a good year," said 717 President Jason Accardi. He said he didn't know off-hand how much business was up from 2013, but it's substantial.

717's new clients include:

• Aloft, a boutique hotel in downtown Tampa, part of Starwood Hotels.

• Le Meridien, a boutique hotel in downtown Tampa, also a Starwood brand, that is the former home of the city's federal courthouse.

• The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, the first enclosed mall, the first of its kind to open in the U.S. since 2012.

• Roux, the South Tampa Cajun/Creole restaurant in South Tampa opened by the owners of Datz and Dough.

• Saks Fifth Avenue at the Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota.

• Ulele, the native-inspired restaurant on the Tampa Riverwalk opened by Richard Gonzmart, president of the Columbia Restaurant Group.

These companies are just part of the 717's growing portfolio of clients in 17 states. 717 was founded in 1990 by twin brothers Jason and John Accardi while they were students at Florida State University. The company now has about 4,800 employees, Accardi said.

Eric Snider is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.