Howie Levy has only been in the adult nightclub industry three years, but he’s already making waves.
The old salt—who is a yacht captain by trade and was brought up in the maritime industry—owns a company, Florida Boat LLC, that provides a variety of services to the yachting industry. But, since his foray into adult nightclubs, he has become an ambassador of Cloud 9 Natural Aphrodisiac—a premium non-alcoholic, aphrodisiac beverage.
ED Magazine spoke with Levy, courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com to ask him about what he enjoys about getting into the industry, why he endorses Cloud 9—a sponsor of the EXPO Bikini Contest—and his music tastes. And don’t miss Levy’s personalized Spotify playlist courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com!
ED: When did you come on board with Cloud 9? What got you excited about this aphrodisiac beverage?
LEVY: I started selling Cloud 9 in my club in April 2019 at the recommendation of Christopher Blue (Editor’s note: Christopher Blue was featured in a similar Spotify story in summer 2020). I liked the fact it doesn’t give you a “crash” like some other energy drinks with a ton of sugar. In addition, the taste is so smooth, it mixes well with anything. The natural aphrodisiac is just a bonus!
ED: How long have you been involved in the adult nightclub industry? What brought you into this industry to begin with?
LEVY: I’ve only been in the industry for three years. My wife Maureen Monreale owned Vixen in Tampa and two other clubs in Tampa Bay: Brass Flamingo in Port Richey and Oasis in Clearwater. She wanted to sell Vixen and I bought it. We’ve since changed the name to Velvet Panther.
ED: What’s your favorite part of being involved in the adult nightclub industry?
LEVY: I love the energy the clubs have. It’s a challenge owning an after-hours club. We don’t open until midnight and go until 6 am or whenever the money stops, so it’s a little different than your average clubs.
ED: Cloud 9 is a sponsor of the EXPO Bikini Contest. What are you looking forward to most about promoting the Cloud 9 brand at such a fun event? What do you want club owners to know about Cloud 9?
LEVY: I am excited to get the name out there and build our brand. Being a part of the EXPO is going to be a great first step for me to take us to the next level.
I’d like owners to know that this is a great product to sell in the clubs with tremendous margins and repeat customers. Once they try it, they will never ask for anything else in energy drinks.
“Being a part of the EXPO is going to be a great first step for me to take us to the next level. I’d like owners to know that (Cloud 9) is a great product to sell in the clubs with tremendous margins and repeat customers. Once they try it, they will never ask for anything else in energy drinks.” — Howie Levy
ED: As we do this story in conjunction with Bob and StripJointsMusic, we always ask music-related questions. What are some of your favorite bands? What concert will you want to go to as soon as concerts finally come back?
LEVY: I love all genres of music. Growing up in the south, my roots are deep in Southern rock and roll. I was fortunate enough to be a roadie for The Allman Brothers band when I graduated high school in 1974!
I love R&B, jazz, country, rap—just about everything! I think I’m looking forward to Kenny Chesney as we’ve had the last two years cancelled with him.
ED: If you could go to any concert of any musician or band, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
LEVY: Stevie Ray Vaughan would be my choice. I only got to see him once live. I think he’s one of the best guitar players ever.
Don’t miss Levy’s personalized Spotify playlist courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com!
