THEA Welcomes New Team Members

THEA is proud to recognize and welcome three new employees to the THEA team. We are looking forward to having them join our work family and be a part of the many innovative and community-focused projects that we have planned for the Tampa Bay region. Welcome aboard!

Carl Shack, Toll Operations Systems Manager

Carl comes to THEA from AT&T where he spent 19 years. He worked as a Professional Systems Administrator before leaving. Carl defines himself as humble, trustworthy and self-disciplined. His biggest inspiration is his parents. He notes that they “provided him with a solid foundation by growing up in a Christian household and they overcame the odds by not becoming a statistic after being married at ages 17 and 15. They have been married for 45 years.” Carl’s favorite activity is going on vacation with his family. In fact, Carl and his wife, Denise, will be vacationing in Hawaii for their 25th anniversary in September. When asked about his personal philosophy, he replied, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do to them also.” Welcome Carl!

Frederick Pekala, Toll Operations Specialist

Frederick officially joins THEA after working for 2.5 years as the Supervisor of the MIRA team. He has 25 years of customer service. Goal oriented and results driven are defining characteristics of Frederick. He says that he “cannot resist seafood” and an interesting fact about him is that he was once bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake. As an exchange student in Germany, he enjoyed the cultural diversity and the language. Frederick enjoys listening to Meghan Trainor, Celine Dion, and Bocelli. He enjoys spending time at home and washing cars. He says it is his relaxation and enjoys the before and after effect.  Herzlich Willkommen!

Brian Ramirez, Planning & Communications Assistant

Brian joins THEA’s Planning and Communications team after 3 years working with THEA’s Toll Operations department. With more than 5 years of customer service and project management behind him, Brian is eager to continue learning and developing his exciting professional career with THEA. Brian is bilingual with fluency in Spanish and enjoys spending time with his twin boys (Santiago and Sebastian). Family time is spent going to parks, traveling, painting and photography, fashion, playing basketball, dancing, listening to music together, and serving their church’s youth group. Brian’s advice to any young professional or entrepreneur: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” Brian says the worst advice he has ever received was “Fake it till you make it”.