EDISON AWARDS Lee County hosts Edison Awards

Fort Myers welcomes global innovation event back for third straight year

Set on the scenic Caloosahatchee River in Southwest Florida, Lee County is known as the location of Edison-Ford Winter Estates, where Thomas Edison himself did some of his most innovative work in his on-site laboratory and botanical gardens.

The Edison Awards Executive Director Frank Bonafilia explained, “We’re essentially the Oscars of corporate innovation where we honor gamechanging new products and services on a global basis. Currently in its 36th year, this year the Edison Awards will have over 550 Chief Innovation officers in attendance from around the world, including Apple, Intel, Vantam Housing, Babcock Ranch and Spacemilk.”

Now, through a partnership between the Horizon Council, Horizon Foundation and the City of Fort Myers & Community Redevelopment Agency, Lee County also is the location where modern-day innovation is celebrated through the Edison Awards. Lee County is home to some of the most innovative companies in the United States, including several Edison Award winners.

In 2021, FGCU’s Dr. Sandra Kauanui accepted a Bronze Edison Award for Education – Dynamic Learning Platforms on behalf of the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship. Also in 2021, Arthrex, a Horizon Foundation member, earned an Edison Award. John Ciocca, a Florida Gulf Coast University entrepreneurship major, was among the 2021 Gold Edison Award winners for his product, youBelong Voice, an app that provides alternative augmentative communication to those with speech disabilities. Additionally, local students took part in the Innovation Panel and Community Day, both in 2021 and 2022, and many Lee County businesses participated in panel discussions or as sponsors.

The next Edison Awards events will take place April 19 through 21 with a Gala on April 20 at the Luminary Hotel and Caloosa Sound Convention Center in the downtown Fort Myers River District.

This is the third year the event will be held in

Fort Myers. Bonafilia noted, “We’ll also be having exhibits of over 50 new products and be expanding our Community Day and certainly be more involved with the local community.” One way this will be accomplished, he continued, is by donating 100 laptop computers to students this year who might have a difficult time getting their own computers. He added, “We encourage people to go to www.edisonawards. com to get the most current information about the free Community Day on Friday, April 21.”

Experiencing a Storm of Innovation

Given the quick response and strong recovery of Southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian, Lee County will continue to be a spectacular place for the Edison Awards. The community’s resilience and innovative response to the storm has been nothing short of remarkable – and it will make Lee County a beacon as we focus on the sustainability opportunity, to look at regarding post-hurricane best practices for rebuilding the community. Thanks to swift action from government, local businesses and public-private partnerships, there has been a significant investment of resources for loans and business-recovery support. Many businesses quickly reopened or adapted their business model to continue their operations. Employees were retrained to serve in other capacities such as construction, recovery and repair roles. As a result, Lee County is recovering and continues to offer vistas and experiences that brighten and inspire innovative minds.

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“The Edison Awards are essentially building a bridge from the greatest innovation success stories of the past to today’s top innovators who are changing the world. We continue to build on Thomas Edison’s legacy by inviting the Edison Award winning teams to Fort Myers to celebrate their successes and learn from them.”

— Frank Bonafilia, Edison Awards Executive Director