St. Petersburg-based financial services founder dies at 89

The founder of St. Petersburg-based financial services company Bankers Financial Corp., Bob Menke, died May 4. He was 89.  

In addition to founding a $550 million business, Menke won the admiration of many, in the business community and among his friends and family, for his zest for life, his obituary states. He died "peacefully at home with his family at his side," according to a statement from CEO John Strong and President Rob Menke, Bob Menke's son.

“At the age of 89, his family often joked they couldn’t keep up," the obituary from his family reads. "He loved life, he knew how to live it, he worked hard and he played even harder.”

Menke founded Bankers Financial in 1976. It would grow into one of the largest privately held financial services companies in the Tampa Bay area, according to the statement, handling a range of services. Its portfolio of companies today provides personal and commercial property insurance; full-service human resource outsourcing; consumer warranty and lifestyle services; insurance and financial services for homebuilders; and the underwriting of surety bond contracts. It posted $559 million in revenue in 2021, when it had some 450 employees.

“It was his entrepreneurial spirit and tenacious perseverance that led him into the insurance business and laid the foundation for his success and that of Bankers (Financial Corp.),” the statement reads. 

Menke had an extensive career outside the company as well, having served on many boards. He was a past chairman of Insurance Management Solutions Group Inc., and a former chair of First Community Bank Corp. of America, according to a 2009 video posted by St. Petersburg College.

He was named Insurance Man of the Year in 1986 by the Florida Association of Domestic Insurance Companies and was a National Association of Independent Insurers member.

Additionally, he was the primary organizer of the Bank of Florida, along with its parent company the Bank of Florida Corp. Menke served as chairman of each board until the companies were acquitted by SouthTrust Banking Corp. 

Through Bankers Financial, meanwhile, Menke was committed to providing support to community organizations like Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the Salvation Army. The company, for example, is the lead contributor to the St. Petersburg College of Orthotics and Prosthetics program, according to the statement. 

Outside work, Menke looked forward to annual family trips with his children and grandchildren, whether it was a family reunion on a boat in the Bahamas or a trip to Big Sky, Montana, the release states. 

According to the obituary written by his family, Menke was “an extraordinary man, one of a kind and truly irreplaceable. Everyone blessed to have known him will unequivocally agree he lived an incredibly full life.” 

Menke, the obituary states, was a U.S. Army veteran, pilot, engineer, real estate broker and author. He wrote “Think B.I.G: The Story of Bankers Insurance Group and Bankers Financial Corporation.” 

“Bob was brave, fearless and everyone’s mentor,” the obituary reads. “His passing leaves an unimaginable void, but the wonderful memories and his story are inspiration for all lucky to have known him.”