It’s not true that Chief Operating Officer Lorrin Shepard has been at The Straz so long the center was built around him. Just part of it.
Lorrin may not have been here for The Straz’s 1987 opening but he’s been here since 1990. If he hasn’t seen it all, he’s seen more than anyone else.
The evolution of The Straz of his arrival into The Straz of his departure is a subject that astounds Lorrin, despite how much he had to do with it.
“I’m sometimes in awe at how far we’ve come,” Lorrin said.
Shepard joined what was then the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in 1990 as production manager, advancing in 1992 to vice president of operations, which gave Lorrin responsibility for the Center’s daily operations.
One of Lorrin’s early initiatives was bringing food and beverage service in house, primary resulting in a substantial increase in annual gross revenue.
In the early ‘90s, Lorrin said, his focus was on “stabilizing the Center to prepare it for the growth we felt we could attain.”
Attain they did. The addition of the Broadway Series, Opera Tampa and the Patel Conservatory expanded the reach and impact of the performing arts center.
Lorrin was named executive vice president and general manager in 2001 and in 2005 was named chief operating officer.
He managed the construction and 2006 opening of the $8 million Dr. Pallavi Patel Performing Arts Conservatory.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepard provided key leadership in the development and implementation of COVID protocols for the Straz Center and for the performing arts venue industry nationwide, serving as the lead editor of the Performing Arts Center Consortium’s Guide to Reopening Theatrical Venues, released in June 2020.
He has served as performing arts sector chief for the International Association of Venue Managers and serves on multiple local committees which consider matters relating to Tampa’s urban design and infrastructure.
In his nearly 35 years with The Straz, Shepard has overseen all aspects of general programs and services including the advancement of the organization’s strategic mission and the administration of ticketing, guest services, production services, security and safety, facilities, retail and food and beverage.
As Straz President and CEO Greg Holland said, “The Straz Center’s stages, programs, facilities and spirit reflect Lorrin’s planning, vision and expertise.”
Lorrin will still be active in Straz affairs after retirement. He’s currently the project manager for $100 million Master Plan renovation, which will dramatically expand public and educational spaces and enhance the aesthetic character of the Tampa arts district. After his retirement, Shepard will continue as a consultant on the Master Plan – a project he has been spearheading since 2008.
In his three-and-a-half decades here, Lorrin has been a vital part of the growth that has made The Straz one of the largest performing arts centers in the U.S. His continued involvement with the Master Plan shows he will always be a part of The Straz. And that with a career lifetime spent here to reminisce about, he’s squarely in the present. And maybe the future.
Looking back? Nope. “Look at us now!” he said.