Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 10-2-20

Feature
Owner Of Largest Black-Owned PR Firm Used Military And Life Experiences To Build His Company
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Feature Writer
Brian Butler is a hard- working man with an affable laugh and humble personal- ity. Yet underneath his genial persona, Butler is one of Tampa Bay’s most driven and accomplished people. He is the President and CEO of Vis- tra Communications, an award-winning public rela- tions agency.
Vistra provides full-service marketing, communications, and consulting services to cor- porate, government and non- profit organizations.
Butler grew up in Riviera Beach, FL and graduated from Hampton University. It was at Hampton where he joined the Army ROTC. He re-
ceived a scholarship to pay for his schooling and got much, much more. The ROTC opened many doors for But- ler, and he found a deeper sense of purpose. He had al- ways felt that the Army might open doors for him to see the world. As a great lover of the outdoors, the Army was per- fect for him. He was commis- sioned as an officer when he graduated in 1984 and for the next 22 years he served faith- fully. He received two Mas- ters degrees while in the Army.
During those 22 years he rose to become a Lieutenant Colonel. He commanded troops and visited over 68 countries. His career was var- ied, commanding in combat and later, the Strategic Com-
BRIAN BUTLER ...President and CEO of Vistra Communications
munications counsel for the US Central Command. He was also the Policy Director on the Homeland Security Council in the White House. He served as a spokesperson for an Army Secretary and was on the
Communications Team for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
When he retired, he and his wife, Dr. Maureen Butler, Ph.D, settled in Tampa want- ing to be near their extended family. His wife is also retired military and had started a new career as a college professor after getting her Ph.D. in ac- counting.
When they arrived in Tampa, Butler did not have a job lined up. He looked and looked, but was unable to find a position. He even consid- ered moving back to Washing- ton, D. C. where he knew he could easily find employment. Instead, he started a small consultant firm and worked on smaller projects to make contacts. He took a short-term consultant job with the U. S. Central Command for a year and a half while his company was in the early stages.
As the company started winning contracts, he began hiring people. Today, Vistra Communications has 104 em- ployees, which are referred to as “Team Members.” Clients include federal, state, and local government, non-prof- its, and corporate businesses of all sizes. Butler feels it is important to work with small start-ups as well as large es- tablished entities. Exxon-Mo- bile, ATT, Moffitt, and Coca-Cola are just some of the corporate clients of Vistea Communications. Vistra also has a satellite office in North- ern Virginia.
Butler has created a cul- ture of success by encouraging an environment of working together. All team members work together and believe that if their client is successful, then they are successful. The company is intentionally di- verse with in-house services including a full research team, marketing team, and public relations professionals. Many of his team members have ex- perience working with federal, state, and local governments.
As the largest Black- owned Public Relations firm in the state of Florida, Butler has received numerous hon- ors for his work. He was named the 2018 Greater Tampa Chamber of Com- merce Outstanding Leader of the Year, and one of the 2019 Florida 500 Most Influential
Business Leaders according to the business magazine, Florida Trend.
Two years ago, he was named by the Small Business Association (SBA) as the 2018 SBA State of Florida & South Florida District Minority- Owned Small Businessperson of the Year. In 2016, he was named the Minority “Ve- trepreneur” of the year by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association. Vistra was the 2019 Florida State Mi- nority Supplier Development Council Class 3 MBE Supplier of the Year, a 2019 Grow FL 50 Florida Companies to Watch, 2016 Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, and the 2016 SBA South Florida Dis- trict Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.
On September 18, 2020, Vistra received the “Doing Well While Doing Good® Hu- manitarian Award – Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)” from the Florida State Minor- ity Supplier Development Council (FSMSDC). This award reflects one of Butler and Vistra’s main values – giving back to the community. Butler founded the “CEOs in Schools” initiative with Hills- borough County Public School System and he is CEO Mentor to the Principal of Mort Ele- mentary School. This program pairs a CEO from the business world with a principal in area schools as mentors. Students are also invited to business meetings and exposed to the business community.
Vistra and Butler also sup- port many great non-profits in the community like the Trin- ity Café, CDC of Tampa Bay, Positive Spin, and the Laun- dry.
The CEO also serves on sev- eral Board of Directors in- cluding, the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, WEDU Public Broadcast Tel- evision, Minority Enterprise Development Corporation and Visit Tampa Bay. He also serves on the U. S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council.
Butler has been married for over 33 years and has two adult children, Christopher, and Allison. Christopher works in the family business.
The company website is https://consultvistra.com.
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