A L U M N I
Alumnus of Distinction: Michael Wynn
PHOTO BY JAMES GRECO
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MANDA BEIGHTS, vice president of Leadership Collier Foundation, says Michael Wynn led the Foundation’s 30-member board and the Greater Naples Chamber’s 50-member board “like an orchestra conductor,” harmonizing their efforts into “a marvelous local institutional symphony.” Kamela Patton, superintendent of Collier County Public Schools – whose initiatives have been sponsored by Sunshine Ace Hardware, where Wynn is president and board chairman – says he is a “trailblazer” who is committed to excellence and leadership. And now Wynn is something else: FGCU’s 2018 Alumni of Distinction winner. It is the highest award bestowed by the Alumni Association and celebrates alumni who have upheld the tradition of excellence through their personal accomplishment, professional achievement or humanitarian service. “I spent a lot of time investing in the
community and in the region,” he says, “and to have what is essentially one of the key anchors for this region – FGCU – to award me one of their highest honors was incredibly humbling and gratifying. “What is special about FGCU is that it has done a remarkable job of being able to integrate with the surrounding regional community and be a significant contributor to workforce development. And still doing all of that despite what has been exponential growth. I’ve been fortunate to be able to hire a number of FGCU graduates. We have a number of students working for us right now. “It’s been gratifying to have been a part of that early start of the university and to be able to see it continue to reach new milestones while still keeping that close connection to the community, which is so important to me.” After earning his executive master of business administration degree from FGCU in 2005, he went on to lead Sunshine Ace Hardware, one of the largest family-owned home-improvement and
Michael Wynn, center, with friends and family at the Alumni Awards ceremony this year.
outdoor-recreation retailers in Southwest Florida. He has never forgotten what FGCU did for him. He returns every semester to speak to students in business Professor Eric Dent’s Organizational Ethics and Values course. “The more time has gone on, the more that the university has matured and the more opportunities I have seen to be able to connect and invest time volunteering with the university and really give back to a university that has given so much to me,” he says. “It’s given me the skills and tools that I have required to be able to grow our business and to be able to have some of the other opportunities that have come up in my career. “I don’t know that I would have had some of the skill sets and confidence to take on some of those roles had I not had that background and education that FGCU provided.” – Rick Weber FGCU360.COM / FGCU360 MAGAZINE
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