What brought you to our hometown of Tampa? For David Waldron, Founder and President of White Whale Solutions, it was a data model that took into account weather, home values, proximity to water, education and more. Data drives his business too. Waldron founded White Whale Solutions, a full-service marketing and advertising agency specializing in data analytics, right here in Tampa in 2011. As you may have guessed, their name was inspired by the great American novel, “Moby Dick.”

“’Moby Dick’ spoke to me about perseverance, passion and the idea of fighting for something and driving toward a goal. We also liked the name because we stand for something big and have big ideas,” Waldron shared.

The story of this White Whale started when Waldron felt called to branch out, take what he had learned and lead his own organization after years of working in the banking analytics space.

Waldron said, “We had one customer and three employees. We hired a creative off Craigslist, and the three of us were an agency. It was humbling and hard in the beginning, but we started getting referrals and grew by word of mouth. Today, we have 30 employees in Tampa and across the country, and we have clients nationally.”

Along with data and problem solving, Waldron is passionate about providing opportunities to recent college graduates and helping his team grow.

“Nothing makes me prouder than when I can hire someone right out of college and watch them take on responsibility and ownership of our agency. It becomes their agency, not just mine. We’ve built a team where a passion to do good work is evident with our clients, our relationships and even internally. We find ways to work well together and deliver, and that’s the most important thing,” Waldron said.

Although Waldron and his family didn’t know anyone in Tampa when they moved, they love the Tampa community and the connections they’ve built here.

Along with delivering quality work, White Whale Solutions focuses on building relationships and connections with their clients and the community.

Waldron shared, “We want our clients to look at us as a real partner, not just an agency that delivers their creative. We want to be part of the conversations that help them grow. We want them to do well and have success in whatever they do.”

Despite coming from the banking industry, Waldron didn’t have a great experience finding a financial institution for his small business until he met Grow.

“I went to a big bank, and when I told them I was starting a business and wanted to open an account and apply for a loan, they said they couldn’t help me. I was referred to Grow right down the street, and they couldn’t have been friendlier. Every time I had a need, Grow was there to solve whatever challenges we had,” Waldron said.

When it was time for White Whale to find a bigger headquarters space, Waldron again turned to Grow.

“It was unfathomable to me that we could purchase a building this big until Grow’s Commercial Loan Officers introduced me to the SBA 504 Program. I’ve preached about the SBA, the loan process and how Grow how can help small business owners achieve their dreams. For me, it’s a dream having a building in Tampa Heights that’s over 100 years old that people are just mesmerized by. That wouldn’t have been possible without Grow,” Waldron shared.

We enjoyed getting to know the people behind White Whale Solutions and are so grateful for our business members who choose to share their story with us. Learn more about White Whale Solutions.

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