What can we learn about Tampa Bay based on its commerce?

No slice of the Tampa Bay community better realizes that united we stand and divided we fall than business. That doesn't mean Tampa Bay companies always practice what they preach.

The brand "Tampa Bay" is clearly on the upswing. Witness today's renaming of the St. Petersburg Times as the Tampa Bay Times. Consider the recent decision by the University of South Florida to adopt "Tampa Bay" in its marketing — not just to clarify its geographic location but to reinforce its regional clout.

Yes, "Tampa" or "St. Petersburg" or "Clearwater" of "Plant City" or "Port Richey" can instill important local pride. But businesses know that, ultimately, it is "Tampa Bay" that captures the strength of the region and presents it to the bigger world. Watch the ongoing talks between greater Orlando — which suffers from no branding hesitation — and Tampa Bay as the two metropolitan areas try to figure out how they will look as they evolve into one Central Florida metropolis in the coming decades.

The greatest commercial benefit to the strengthening of the Tampa Bay brand is to find a new way for the entire region to pool its financial resources in order to more easily afford something big that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Yes, the "Tampa Bay" brand is still a young identity. As an emerging brand for the regional economy, though, it says one thing to the bigger world: We are united and we are competitive. On the global stage of jobs, that will be critical.

Robert Trigaux is a Times business columnist.