Emily Kapes

Since the late 1950s, Tom James, our chairman at Raymond James, and his wife, Mary, have dedicated themselves to the acquisition of artwork from American artists, with a current focus on the art of the American West. Their collection has grown steadily over the years, and is now considered to be one of Florida’s largest private art collections.

More than 2,400 pieces, hand-selected by Mr. James, line the hallways of our international headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. Of course, we’d never want to keep the collection all to ourselves. With guided tours available during business hours and open to the public, our hallways sometimes seem more like a museum than a corporate workplace. We prefer it that way.

In the Tampa Bay area, we’re proud to be the title sponsor of the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, rated one of the country’s top art shows. We also support the Salvador Dali Museum, American Stage Theatre Company, Straz Center, Ruth Eckerd Hall and the Florida Orchestra.

As part of our continuing support for the Tampa Bay community and the variety of arts it offers, we bring the award-winning Florida Orchestra in for a private pops concert for Raymond James associates, advisors, their families and clients each May.  Associates and families enjoy a casual, family-friendly evening filled with music on the football field of Raymond James Stadium.  The Symphony under the Stars has been a firm tradition for more than 20 years.

We firmly believe in giving back, and supporting the arts is just one way to improve our communities. In 2013, we were a recipient of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Award.

In addition to supporting organizations on a corporate level, our associates give their time and dollars to organizations they care about across the country. Their efforts – whether supporting the arts, health and social services or financial literacy – roll up into our Raymond James Cares volunteer program. Since the initiative expanded to the entire firm in 2012, associates have volunteered nearly 11,000 hours.

Next time you find yourself in the Tampa Bay area, be sure to schedule a tour of the Raymond James Financial Art Collection and check out the other art hot spots we’re proud to support. You can learn more at raymondjames.com/community.