January 2022 Southwest Florida Business Today

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Airport prepares for expansion

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MA Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Jacob Ogles, Editor

The long-anticipated expansion of AirGlades International Airport is finally coming in for a landing.

In the works now for more than a decade, Airport Manager Lillie Rentz said what’s now a publicly owned airport outside Clewiston should soon become the major hub for goods flying in from and heading out to Latin America. With a financial closing expected by mid-April, the expansion should bring a dramatic change in logistics and commercial possibility in Southwest Florida.

“This has been an ambitious venture,” she said. “We will bring to fruition with Hendry County a best-in-class air cargo Rentz airport.”

While AirGlades Airport remains a county-owned facility now, the property through the first quarter of 2022 is continuing to be marketed to investors to become fully privately owned.

An opening is on the horizon for mid- or late 2024.

A look at commercial real estate trends & topics in Southwest

Commercial Real Estate

SWFBT’s annual edition is a comprehensive overview of the SWFL market’s plans, projects and partnerships, as SWFL pulls out of the pandemic

Save the Date

Coming Wednesday, April 20 through Friday, April 22, 2022, the 35th annual international Edison Awards, honoring innovation and innovators who create positive impact in the world, will be held in Fort Myers. For more information, visit www.edisonawards.com .

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IONAL TRADE SUMMIT

2019 INTERNAT

rs and Salute to Entrepreneu solo practitioners

Startups, of the economy visionaries fuel Southwest Florida.

Brady Photos by Christine trade to the Southof international offices. about the importance Buqueras talks Lee County Economic Development Director Carlos the first-ever stop at Port Manatee Executive during the Port’s west Florida market

Estate Commercial Real 8-page pullout

South American

A comprehensive a quarterly Southsection that is Real Eswest Florida Commercial

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tate market overview.

IN THE NEWS

to Dave Gammon elevated Charlotte EDO director

in the wake of Charlotte County, joinLucienne Pears former director Partners at Babcock ing Kitson and former Business Ranch, elevated and interim Recruitment Supervisor to executive director Dave Gammon Economic Developdirector of the ment Office. face in reGammon is a familiar he development as gional economic three years with his has proven in EDO. County Charlotte continue leading He is excited to like developments several existing page 19

Florida to communities in second one of four host as part of the Lee County was from seven countries welcome companiesTrade Summit.

Manatee, annual International International Trade Hub at Port Fort Lauseries visited Organized by The one day Business opportunity ota and Tampa for the 2019 Global Bradenton/Saras derdale, Fort Myers,to 29.

26 Office, Southwest each from Aug. ReEconomic Development and the Southwest The Lee County Chamber of Commerce the event, which Florida Hispanic Association co-hosted gional Manufacturers Gulf Railway.

Chile, Colombia, was sponsored Seminole from Argentina, other locales International companies Spain, Peru and Mexico, goods, artisanal apparel, El Salvador, Guatemala, food, coffee, fruits, cooking systems featured wine, snack and state-of-the-art to merchandise companies Lee County industryof founded as part summit showcases during the summit. Trade Hub at Port Manatee, and An expo-style from seven nations markets in Florida and business leaders visiting Summit.

The International International Trade advice as a vital link between provides expert See page 6 the second annual in 2014, serves world. The hub TRADE throughout the

ENEURS h SALUTE TO ENTREPR poised for growt and Business Intermediary Proess Advisors experi- a CertifiedMergers & Acquisitions transaction Edison Busin the IBBA ap- Certified designations from ence totaling partner and

GAMMON See

Privacy & Cyber Security d Forum announce

& Cyber SeA special Privacy held on Friwill be at curity Forum 9 a.m. to noon day, Nov. 8, fromNews Community the Naples Daily room.

Companies will William C. Huff and insponsor the informational for the community. teractive forum forum is for atThe goal of the clearer undera tendees to gain keep their famito standing of how businesses private. lies, wealth and FORUM See page

18

in fi$170 fessional a Eric Gall, managing with a concentration proximately for Edison Avenue, won and an MBAthe University of Michigan. broker of record brokerage and lower million. Gall transactions and nance from leading business Gall in business the 2018, 2016 and acquisitions Niehaus, Bro- Assisting middle market mergers Pfeffer, Steven 2014 Business significant changes No. 1 are Michael and Phillip Reda. firm, is announcing kers of Florida Edward Valaitis Business Adto operations.

Top Dollar Producer to rebrand itself Pfeffer joins Edison of business The firm has decided over 20 years Award for Southwest Advisors” to better out visors with experience, including 12 as “Edison Business service offerings, Florida, beating busi- transactionbusiness brokerage franchise communicate addedbusiness appraisals, Gall a over 90 other He is years as Southwest Florida. Pfeffer is a including certified appraisals and certiness brokers. owner in Certified certified equipment Business Brokers Board Certified Intermediary, International an and also page 6 strategies.

See fied exit EDISON Chairman’s Circle mergers and acquisiBrokerage and led by Association Award winner. Eric holds continue to be tions efforts will 20 years of business Deal Maker Gall. He has over OPENING

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Hoffmann Family buys Hertz Arena, Everblades

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Hoffmann Family of Companies has entered into an agreement to purchase the Florida Everblades and the Hertz Arena.

Plans are underway for a complete renovation of the 8,284-seat, multipurpose arena. The improvements will include enhanced skyboxes, food services and installation of a state-ofthe-art scoreboard.

Hertz Arena, which opened in 1998 as Everblades Arena, hosts a variety of events including concerts, Cirque du Soleil, Disney on Ice, boxing and trade shows. The venue offers

Focus on Manufacturing

Area companies are building a better future — one made right here in Southwest Florida.

25 suites, two additional ice rinks, a private club and a pub, Breakaway Sports Pub. The arena is also home to the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles club hockey team of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

“We are optimistic that all of the 330 employees will remain with the Hoffmann Family of Companies,” said Craig Brush, Florida Everblades President and General Manager, who signed a five-year contract and has a commitment from all his senior staff to remain in place.

“We are thrilled to be acquired by

A specially focused monthly section exploring the SWFL commercial real estate marketplace.

IN THE NEWS

Fort Myers sixth Business Summit slated for Sept. 20

Holly Bell addresses citrus growers about the 25,000-plus uses for industrial hemp, which can now be grown legally in Florida

Cannabis chief promises rich stash for hemp growers Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Jacob Ogles, Editor

SUMMIT See page 7

When other states started authorizing farmers to grow hemp, it didn’t take long to realize there was no place to sell it. Because no structures had been put in place for processing and manufacturing plants, state officials found themselves rushing a regulatory structure through so farmers could offload their first harvests.

Holly Bell, Florida’s first Director of Cannabis, plans to learn from that mistake. She said the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will make sure all parts of the burgeoning hemp industry can move forward as soon as new rules unroll later this fall.

“When our farmers are ready for a cash flow, we want to encourage them to get going,” she said.

Applications being accepted for the 25th Blue Chip Award The 25th Annual Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award application deadline is fast approaching. The Blue Chip Community Business Award recognizes successful, small businesses in Lee, Collier or Charlotte County that have overcome adversity to achieve success. Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, Sept. 4.

The independent judges select the honoree after all the applications AWARD See page 19

Bell spoke in August at the Citrus Expo and Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo, where growers from around the region gathered to hear her discuss this new and just recently legal product to diversify their inventory.

Just a few years ago, there were no legal reasons to grow cannabis in Florida. Now, medical marijuana dispensaries pop up in more shopping centers each week. Soon, farmers will grow non-narcotic hemp crops.

With the 2018 federal farm bill allowing hemp to grow, a budding industry will soon emerge in Florida. The Legislature this year authorized a pilot program for growing hemp in the Sunshine State, and state officials are nearly done weeding through a stack of public suggestions.

GrowFL announced this year’s 50 Florida Companies to Watch honorees, including three from Southwest Florida. Companies to Watch is a statewide competition that identifies companies expected to see significant growth over the next several years.

The GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch awards program—now in its ninth year—honors 50 select second-stage companies from throughout Florida for developing valuable products and services, creating quality jobs, enriching communities, and broadening new industries throughout Florida. Chosen from 500 growing second-stage nominations from throughout, Florida, the 50 companies named as the 2019 Florida Companies to Watch honorees generated nearly $1 billion in revenue and added over 900 jobs between 2015 and 2018. Together, the honorees project a 35 percent increase in revenue and 37 percent increase in job growth in 2019 compared to 2018.

“These stand-out companies are all led by entrepreneurs, and have demonstrated their capacity and intent to grow,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, GrowFL executive director. “They also all have critical intellectual property or a niche position that gives them a competitive edge in their markets,” he said.

Local honorees include: Cottrell Title & Escrow, Collier County; Mettauer Environmental, Lee County; and VeraData, Lee County .

“This list recognizes second-stage Florida companies with passionate leaders who are making a difference in growing and diversifying our economy,” said Jennifer Barrows, GrowFL Chairman of the GrowFL Advisory Board and Business Development Executive with WithumSmith+Brown, PC. Second-stage companies are those

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HOT CROP Commercial Real Estate

The Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce has announced an exciting line-up for its 2019 Business Summit, set for Sept. 20. The summit, now in its sixth year, will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa in Fort Myers.

This year’s keynote address is “Communicate Your Way to Success,” by entrepreneur, business coach and international speaker Jason Evers. Evers has traveled to more than 20 countries on five continents

such a prestigious company. Our partnership with the Hertz Corporation and now this new ownership ensures that Hertz Arena will maintain our strong community presence and continue to be the number one choice for entertainment in Southwest Florida.”

The team and the arena were previously owned by Peter Karmanos, founder of Compuware Corporation and prior majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes in the National Hockey League.

“Simply put, without the support of

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Estate A specially section exploringfocused monthly mercial real estate the SWFL commarketplace.

IN THE NEWS Collier names Pelican as ‘Business of the Wire Month’

During the July ty Commission 9 Collier CounWire was named meeting, Pelican ty ‘Business of the Collier Counthe Month’ and recognized by was the a manufacturing Board for being County for over leader in Collier 40 years.

Pelican Wire President Ted Bill, who received the are truly honored award, said “We Collier County to be named the Month’ for July.‘Business of the Since moving AWARD See page

Gov. DeSantis announces job growth grants

4

Gov. Ron DeSantis the Florida Departmentannounced of Economic Opportunity Florida are acceptingand Enterprise economic development project proposals for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. $40 million is available to fund training and public job projects that support infrastructure growth and employment in Florida.

“We know

the frastructure projects importance inand workforce training has on economic development,” said DeSantis.

“The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund will help Florida communities ensure they GRANTS See page

12

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Dr. Sandra Kauanui (left) and Noemi Ailynee Ramirez, Y. Perez (right) Jessica Sales, with - TIF Shark Daisy Montanez, Tank winners

Alondra Estrada Swap & Shop teamNeika Exulus, Young entrep reneurs share ideas, earn award s

Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Noemi Y. Perez Southwest Florida tion’s business-theme students in The Immokalee Foundad summer camp entrepreneurial recently shared ideas their Tank event modeled and garnered awards during a Shark The four-week after the popular TV show. was a partnership Business Management Pathway Coast University’sbetween the foundation and Floridacamp Gulf developed businessInstitute for Entrepreneursh ip. among them: finding plans that solved problems Students common clothes on a budget; centric finances; handling ñera; and findinggetting better sleep; planning studenta quincearestaurants suitable stricted diets. for people with reStudent teams gave presentations about ences, startup costs, their target audiprojected profits, marketing other aspects of entrepreneurial plans and Dr. Sandra Kauanui, enterprises at iTECH mokalee. Judges FGCU Director spoke during the for of Entrepreneurs Smart Companies the presentations were: Brian in Imevent. hip, Rist, The Smart Companies executive chairman; Sofia Blanno, gram allows shoppers to arrange tor of corporate intern; and Matthew Turner, Hertz The through social an app, then physically to buy, sell or swap items direcFirst place awards responsibility. central location exchange those in Immokalee. items at a Shop team of Neika of $500 each went to the MentorUs, Daisy Montanez Exulus, Jessica Sales, Alondra Swap & smart financial an app that encourages students and Ailynee Ramirez.

Estrada, decisions, earned interested in dressing Aimed at students for team members second place of to make fashionably on $250 each Alex Soriano, a budget, the pro- ie Etienne, Azael Simon-Quirino Je’an Espinoza, Myrlandand Simson Devesaint.

Fort Myers Mayor

Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Karen P. Moore,

launches Divers ity Committee

SHARK See page

more inclusive city.

Publisher Student Hailey Countryman asked her employer, Sanibel Captiva “It is never too the Mayor if he munity Bank, Comlate to give up had to FGCU’s College on diversity whom a team of advisors Education. your prejudices.” of Henry David Thoreau for guidance. Since he could rely on said, “We In a recent interview she can’t really say question was no, the answer to that ing to be representative we are tryat that moment Fort Myers Mayor derson felt Henof our city’s derson has known Randy Hen- a team. inspired to create just such residents and community if we don’t have diversity Ndiang’ui wanted Florida Gulf Coast University on the to make She sure the Mayor explained the council itself.” was prepared ter Ndiang’ui for professor Dr. Pe- road ahead committee drew about 10 years and asked him, for the its 18 members was a guest speaker and from the commu“Are in his class, “In- really able to handle the truth?” you nity, representing troduction to Diversity,” diversity project moved The ethnicity, forward. in Novemgender and sexualin race, ber. Henderson Beth Countryman, asked students Hailey’s moth- tity. “We can’t be a committee idenhe could do to what er, became make Fort Myers up of old white made involved with men and think the project, going a which led to we are a $25,000 donation to be in charge of diversity.” from DIVERSITY See page 11 Payment Plans Available • Discounted Merchandise Parking Options Discount • Presale • Private Parties & Exclusive Gifts on Hertz Arena Concerts & Family Shows Buy Any 19/20 & Get A $20 Membership Pack FORD’S GIFT & ‘BLADES TOTE CARD BAG Valid on any NEW

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AIRGLADES See page 15

AirGlades International Airport outside of Clewiston aims to become the major hub for goods flying in from and heading out to Latin America.

Lee BIA recognizes industry excellence The Lee Building Industry Association held its annual Industry Awards Nov. 18 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center to recognize members for industry excellence.

Pinnacle and Summit Awards are the most prestigious of local building industry honors awarded each year to members who achieved an outstanding level of success and professionalism in residential and commercial sales and marketing, residential design and commercial building, planning and design.

This year’s winners include: Taylor Morrison, Spiro & Associates, Wegman Design Group, Mattamy Homes, Aubuchon Homes, Norris Furniture & Interiors, Kitson & Partners, PulteGroup, Wilfredo Emanuel Designs, Vogue Interiors, Aniko Design, Marvin Development Corporation, Alair Homes Sanibel, MK Architecture, PDS Architecture, Miromar Development Corporation, MCS Custom Closets And More, D.R. Horton, Beattie Development, Vantage Construction Services, Stevens Construction, GCG Construction, Owen-Ames Kimball Company, Wright

Photo by Grey Street Studios, Inc. The annual Industry Awards were held Nov. 18 at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. The Lee Building Industry Association hosts the awards each year.

Construction Group, Lee Drywall Inc., EnviroStruct, GMA Architects & Planners, Boral Engineering & Design, Morris-Depew Associates, Barraco and Associates and B&I Contractors.

“We look forward to this event every year as it allows us to recognize the hard work of our members especially in years like this,” said Phillip Ford, executive director of the Lee BIA.

IN THE NEWS Princeton Review ranks FGCU No. 22 for entrepreneurship

A big year for Florida Gulf Coast University entrepreneurs just got another boost. The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine rank the university’s undergraduate entrepre-

neurship program No. 22 in the “Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2022” list.

FGCU first appeared on the list two years ago at No. 30 and ranked No. 29 last year.

“I’m proud to see us climbing the FGCU See page 15

New model reduces discharges to Caloosahatchee River

The Army Corps of Engineers on Nov. 17 announced the final schedule for the upcoming Lake Okeechobee Systems Operating Manual, or LOSOM. The selected model, model

run 260467, will reduce harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee River Estuary.

When the Army Corps announced Alternative CC back in July, SWFL Inc. and the business community voiced concerns about the number of LOSOM See page 6

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Page 3

What’s in the forecast for SWFL? Special to SWFBT Submitted by Karen P. Moore, Publisher

“When COVID-19 hit, we took out the bank’s entire second quarter earnings of $8 million and put it into an account to cover loan losses. Now, primarily because of growth in the commercial real estate sector, that account is over-funded. The local economy has made a return.”

— First Florida Integrity Bank President Garrett Richter Richter, along with Gerald Hendry, partner at the Fort Myers appraisal firm Maxwell, Hendry and Simmons and Dave Gammon, director of the Charlotte County Economic Development office, recently shared their views on how the region is doing in the commercial sector as it comes out of the pandemic.

Hendry pointed out, “The industrial/flex space segment of commercial real estate sales in the region is on fire!” he said. “The pandemic simply accelerated existing trends so there is so much activity right now, largely e-commerce-driven. And now U-Line is right here in Southwest Florida as well as Amazon.”

“Land availability for development is virtually non-existent, however,” Hendry continued. “Currently there is 977,000 square feet under construction in Collier County—936,000 of that is U-Line.

1.3 million acres are under construction in Lee County. There is presently only 10,000 square feet under construction in Charlotte County but that will

change dramatically in the coming year.”

As for office space, vacancies are actually pretty low, he observed. “Lee County is experiencing its highest growth rate in this segment than ever before while Collier and Charlotte are both experiencing their lowest vacancy rates in 15 years.” Finally, he shared, “While traditional local retail was not doing well through third quarter 2021, any retail business in the ‘quick-serve’ sector is doing phenomenally well.”

“Charlotte County has low crime, very affordable housing when compared to the country, relatively little traffic and we are open for business!” Gammon said. “Of the top 20 recently named entrepreneurial systems in the entire country, Southwest Florida has three included in the top 10. Punta Gorda was ranked 7th; Naples was ranked 8th; New York City was ranked 9th and Cape Coral was ranked 10th. How about that?”

Mixed-use projects underway include West Port; Arredondo Point, which includes an entertainment segment (i.e. a 45-acre destination water park, an outdoor concert space, a state-of-the-art convention center, multiple art venues, cultural and historical spaces, and a multi-level golfing facility); and the Promenade Mall re-development. He added, “I’m happy to say that Sunseeker Resorts is also back on track with a half a billion dollars invested by Allegiant in Phase One of the project.”

Recently named the third fastest growing airport

NABOR See page 11

Acquisition cultivates growth at EFC Farms

East Fork Creek Farm on Oct. 7 acquired the assets of East Fork Creek and have continued operating on Hendry Creek Drive in Fort Myers. The farm is managed by Liz Jager and her husband, Mick Jager.

We are excited to build from and improve upon the foundation initiated by the previous owners of the aquaponic growing system to produce our unique varieties of lettuce and mixed greens utilizing organic products. We will be adding more unique produce soon.

Effective immediately, our farm will be known as EFC Farms. With the motto of “one Earth…our Family…for our Community,” we are focused and driven to serve our community

BY DAVID through the selling of our prodBARTLEY ucts to local restaurants and the Guest Columnist public at our market and donating produce for the needy while treating our employees and associates as family to improve our only Earth through sustainable processes and eliminating waste. Our market will be open in January at our farm.

David Bartley is the owner of East Fork Creek Farm. Contact (330)418-3815 or visit efcfarms. com. Follow EFC Farms on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

IT’S TIME FOR THE HAIL MARY

Health Insurance Price Increase, Don’t Be Tricked!

THE FINAL DEADLINE TO MAKE YOUR MOVE IS 1/15/22

The price of health insurance is increasing once again for many people in 2022.

Annual price increases are a standard operating procedure for many health insurance companies. As for-profit businesses, insurance companies are driven to increase profits every year, and the easiest way to do so is by increasing the cost of policies at the expense of policyholders.

Sometimes insurance policies go down in price, but that’s not necessarily cause for celebration. Those who receive an Obamacare tax credit to help pay for insurance premiums are often baffled to see their portion of the premium go up while the actual cost of the policy goes down. This is because the lower price of the policy triggers a smaller tax credit, which ends up costing the policyholder more and not less, as one might expect.

Whether your policy’s price has increased or your portion of the payment has gone up after the tax credit has been factored in, the end result is that you are going to be paying more for health insurance next year.

Though it feels like this is happening only to you, it’s happening across the board.

As an independent health insurance consulting firm, we see these industries’ moves and their widespread impact on policyholders. While you may be aware of the upcoming increase, you might not be aware that you can do something about it and get health insurance for less.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JANUARY 2022

New year brings new goals

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Riding inflation into real estate opportunity

When is inflation your friend? Never. Unless … you are positioned to turn it into a real estate opportunity.

Most people understand the many costs of inflation on society. Rising prices can quickly eat up paychecks, forcing families to make choices resulting in lifestyle sacrifices. Initially, it creeps into the economy. Higher gas prices prevent family activities and even simple things like movie outings must be forgone. Then food choices have to be compromised and dance lessons must be cancelled. It’s heart-breaking for parents.

But the reality is, after years of hard work, they cannot provide simple things for their family because the same paycheck from previous years only buys 80% of what it can buy this year.

As devastating as inflation can be, for the savvy investor, there are ways to insulate yourself if it happens.

The first insulator is cash. If you have an abundance of accessible cash, as much as you might see your buying power reduced, you may not have to disappoint your children and significantly change your lifestyle. This may be a bit more challenging if runaway inflation should take hold of the economy.

Another insulator is hard assets, something of value that has value over time such as gold or real estate.

However, even assets such as expensive jewelry or art pieces will not hold their value in bad markets.

So what can you do? We know that there are signs that the worst inflation in 40 years could be upon us.

Clearly government policy is to blame. We know the cure is shrinking the money supply and raising interest rates to stop the velocity of money. But what does that mean? History has proven that right now is the op®

www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

Don’t forget to post your in-person and virtual events on our B2B events calendar at www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com/ calendar portune time to invest in real estate.

The cash money investors will be looking for safe harbor as cash is the main victim of inflation. While interest rates are still low, jump in!

BY RANDY Rents are rising fast and prices will KRISE continue upwards indefinitely.

Guest Columnist There may be a momentary lull in prices, but in the past rebounds come quickly. If the population continues to dramatically increase, housing and services must keep pace.

If you are already invested in real estate, sell one and buy another. Buy income-producing assets if possible.

Keep your debt low. It is better to pay yourself and the taxes than the bank.

Historically, regardless of how much prices rise, real estate keeps pace. Therefore, owning now and holding over a long term will get you through this round of inflation. When you sell for multiple times your purchase price, everyone will say you are a genius. It is not magic; you must own it to profit from it.

Go buy some property now and thank me later.

Randy Krise is the Broker/Owner of Krise Commercial Group and can be reached at (239) 633-8672 or randy@krisecg.com.

o uHH NEE O Op Y oYu aavvee OON p ppoorrttuunni ti yt yt ot o SELL YOUR BUSINESS

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Anticipating what’s next...

The New Year is traditionally a time to declare resolutions for how we want to change and be better in the coming year - exercise more, eat healthier, lose weight, etc.

The problem with resolutions is the intention to be better often dissolves by February.

Goals are a better way to accomplish a specific outcome or new habit. Set a few S.M.A.R.T.

BY LINDA goals, schedule a LINDQUIST small amount of Guest Columnist time each day to focus on tasks to move the goal forward, and monitor your progress once a week.

Smart Goals • S - Specific - what you want • M - Measurable - by how much • A - Achievable - it can be done • R - Realistic - not an unrealistic pipe-dream • T - Time-based - by when it will be done Daily Focus Time: Dedicate 15 minutes to 1 hour of focused, non-distracted time to work on the next step of your goal.

Monitor Goals: Each week, review your progress —what worked, what didn’t, what you’ll do different next week, and select the next few steps to take.

Quarterly Goals: Selecting three goals to focus on during the next three months makes it more likely that you can achieve the goals. Goals can be personal or business oriented.

My goals for the 1st Quarter of 2022: 1. During January, perfect my procedures for renewing my clients’ protection software. Next step, create monthly call lists of clients whose protection software expires each month.

2. By the end of February, mentor 10 people who want to start a residential computer service business. Next step, find and schedule 10 students into my coaching group 3. By end of March, eliminate all the many boxes of papers in my house.

Next step, gather, sort, shred papers one box at a time My goals are intended to bring order, reduce stress, provide more value and generate an additional revenue stream.

Your goals will be personal to you.

Happy goal setting for the New Year.

Linda Lindquist is the owner of Computer & Internet Help. Contact (239) 567-0104, pccoach@live.com, or pccoach33@gmail.com.

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Fort Myers bank building sells for $2.51 million CFL Fort Myers has purchased a 3,328-square-foot freestanding former Chase Bank branch located on Cypress Terrace in Fort Myers for $2.51 million from JPMorgan Chase Bank National Association.

Gary Tasman, CEO and principal broker, and Shawn Stoneburner, senior director and broker of Cushman and Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, handled the seller in the transaction.

JANUARY 2022

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 5

GUEST COMMENTARY

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

What defines social responsibility?

Everyone wants businesses to be socially responsible. The ways in which businesses help society are called corporate social responsibility (CSR). The public, and customers, expect companies to sponsor charitable events, work on community projects and be good environmental stewards.

One example of CSR is that in 1946, Target formalized its practice of giving 5% of its profits to the community. That’s great. But, how socially responsible should they be? Perhaps, they should be giving 10%, or 1%. Why 5%? The extent of responsibility a corporation has to society still remains undefined.

Here’s another example of a CSR activity. Amazon started the Amazon Smile program in 2013.

People who purchase products on the Amazon website through the Amazon Smile link will have a portion of their purchase price donated to charity. Since this program was launched, Amazon has contributed over $200 million to charities. That sounds awesome, right?

What if you also learned that over a similar multi-year period, Amazon will take $3 billion dollars from society, from taxpayers. In 2018, Amazon completed a very public bidding process for communities to vie to become Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2). Communities had to meet certain criteria, such as having over 1 million people and a mass transit system.

New York City was one of the locations selected and its taxpayers, plus New York state’s, offered Amazon $3 billion to locate there. ThenGov. Andrew Cuomo was willing to change his own name legally, if that helped Amazon select New York. New York was ultimately selected and most New Yorkers celebrated raucously. They were thrilled to pay $3 billion. I don’t mean to single out Amazon for taking 15 times more than they gave, because many, many corporations do this, and we as taxpayers encourage it and cheer it on. Should a company be considered socially responsible when it is taking more from taxpayers

than it is contributing in CSR? Shouldn’t the first and foremost responsibility of society for any company be to finance its own operations?

Contrast that with another company. Have you ever been to San Jose, California; Boulder, Colorado; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; or my hometown, Boca Raton, Florida? These cities all appear

BY ERIC very high on lists of desirable DENT places to live and work. About 60 years ago, though, none of them was. Then, one company decided to set up operations in each of those communities. They created 20,000 jobs in Boca Raton, for example. They didn’t ask for money from the communities. In fact, they essentially said, “we will come and invest in your community and create something excellent.”

When Amazon insists that mass transit already be in place, they want their employees to ride on a subway system that other people paid to construct.

Their approach not only demanded money upfront, but that the cities contribute the results of the sweat equity of those communities in prior decades. If you haven’t guessed already, this company is IBM. My challenge for companies is, can you be like IBM and not Amazon, and not ask communities to fund your ongoing operations? Again, shouldn’t the first and foremost responsibility to society for any company be to finance its own operations?

Amazon’s $200 million in giving pales against the $3 billion in taking.

Dr. Eric B. Dent is the Uncommon Friends Endowed Chair Professor of Ethics at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is also a consultant to organizations and a speaker to national audiences.

Contact him at edent@fgcu.edu.

Azul Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa is accepting patients at a new office located in the medical plaza on Cape Coral Parkway West.

Azul opens new Cape Coral office

Dr. Patrick Flaharty and his team at Azul Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa announced they are now accepting patients at a new office located in the medical plaza on Cape Coral Parkway West.

The new location is Azul’s fourth office in Southwest Florida, with others established in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Naples.

The Azul team has looked forward to expanding the practice into Cape Coral for several years.

“We have so many patients from the Cape. For years they’ve been asking why we don’t have an office in Cape Coral, and now we do,” said Flaharty, medical director of Azul Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa. “We are so excited to bring our services to Cape Coral, and we are confident that our patients will love the new space just as much as we do.”

Dr. Maximilian Padilla and the team of master injectors and estheticians will offer services including Botox, fillers and other injectables, HydraFacials, skin care, cosmetic and insurance-based eyelid surgery evaluations at the new location.

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Page 6

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JANUARY 2022

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Gulfshore Playhouse celebrates groundbreaking of Baker Theatre Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples’ premier professional theater, officially celebrated groundbreaking on its long-anticipated state-of-the-art Baker Theatre and Education Center on Dec. 1. This celebration gathered vanguard donors, city officials and other guests to kick off the next stage of the project with speeches and performances from Broadway star Lora Lee Gayer, Nick Duckart, who currently stars in the national tour of “Come From Away,” and music director Michael Hicks.

The event, held on the Gulfshore Playhouse Baker Theatre and Education Center site, was attended by over 300 people. Among those in attendance were city and county officials, including Naples Mayor Teresa Heitmann, Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison and Collier County Commissioner Andy Solís. Additionally, lead project donors including Patty and Jay Baker, Glenda and Rich Struthers, Sandi and Tom Moran, Joanne and Karl Wyss, Susan Regenstein, John and Carol Walter and Patty and George Kraus were in attendance.

Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director Joel Markus welcomed all to the gathering by acknowledging the history of the land the new Baker Theatre and Education Center will be constructed upon, pledging that Gulfshore Playhouse will follow in the footsteps of its Indigenous caretakers by treating the land with “respect, love, and reverence.”

This rendering shows the lobby and bar area of the Baker Theatre and Education Center in Naples. It will boast two performance venues, an educational wing, and a host of other spaces.

The evening featured a speech from heels of the momentous achievement CEO and Producing Artistic Director, of raising over 90% of the building’s Kristen Coury, who founded Gulfshore funding thus far. The latest addition to Playhouse in 2004 and has since been the legion of donors was an announcea driving force for the building. Dur- ment by Naples residents and philaning her speech, Coury said, “What’s thropists Glenda and Rich Struthers really exciting is when the personal that they will be matching all gifts dream becomes a shared dream. The up to $1.5 million through December goal of a community. The hope of our 2022. The Struthers, who previously students. The joy of our patrons. The named the rehearsal space Struthers legacy of our board of directors. The Hall, will now also name the 125-seat pride of Naples.” venue and event space Struthers Studio The groundbreaking comes on the in the new Baker Theatre and Educa-

tion Center. Board member and Capital Campaign co-chair Rich Struthers said, “We have increased our pledge three times. That’s because we are convinced the new Gulfshore Playhouse will be transformational for Naples.”

Entering the homestretch of fundraising, Gulfshore Playhouse announced a new campaign: “We Have a Seat With Your Name on It.” Donors now have the opportunity to name a seat in the Moran Mainstage, the 350seat proscenium theater. This campaign will give donors the chance to leave a permanent legacy in the Baker Theatre and Education Center while helping raise the final funds of the campaign. Over 30 patrons have started the process of participating in this exciting campaign.

Located at the corner of 1st Avenue South and Goodlette-Frank Road at the gateway to Downtown Naples, this new building will boast two performance venues, an educational wing, and a host of other spaces. The projected opening of the new Baker Theatre and Education Center is Fall 2023.

The landmark facility, designed

by H3/Arquitectonica, will feature an intimate 350-seat mainstage with a Broadway-sized stage, a 125-seat flexible studio theater and Struthers Hall, a combination rehearsal and event space. Additionally, the theater will include an education wing to house the theater’s robust and ever-growing educational programming.

Lessons learned from the COVID years LOSOM PAGE 1 This is the traditional time of year for reflecof living in a high-risk era. We tion. Many people will look back on these past two years as the COVID years. As we move forward, it’s important to remember the lessons learned. We’ve experienced losses— friends who’ve passed away, companies that have gone out of business and financial hardship.

But we’ve also experienced gains. We learned that we were stronger than we thought; that our businesses proved more resilient when faced with hardship; and that we are capable parents, spouses and business professionals. This knowledge will guide us as the new year unfolds.

The challenges of the past year or two have prepared us for growth in 2022. As winter turns to spring, we will smile a little bit more, spend a tad more time with each client, attend more soccer games, send more thank you cards, and cherish the relationships that define our lives in family, friendship and business.

And what if COVID-19 rears its ugly head in 2022?

We’ve learned how to cope with the unpredictability

will be better prepared for crisis should it happen again. We won’t panic, we’ll take action, and we will approach it rationally. While no one wants another COVID year, these past two years have made us stronger, more resilient and ready to tackle the future.

As 2022 arrives, we are hopeful and ready for all that the year will bring. It’s time to seize the

BY MARK opportunities that come our way, DECHERD to enjoy the blessings bestowed Guest Columnist upon us by family, clients and friends. It’s time for growth— in health, in spirit and in business. This is our time; it’s time for the best year yet!

Mark Decherd is a policies and claims consultant at Health Insurance MD. Learn more at www.healthinsurancedmd.com or call (239) 271-7785.

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harmful discharges the Caloosahatchee would receive. Regional stakeholders had asked the Corps to look for a more balanced approach for the distribution of flows. The Army Corps of Engineers announcement is clear that unified message of the Southwest Florida residents was heard.

“This is a significant improvement for Southwest Florida. Our voices were heard, and we continue to advocate to protect water quality and the business community throughout the region” said Tiffany Esposito, president and CEO of SWFL Inc. Not only does the selected model reduce discharges, but it also increases flows south to the Central Everglades to an average of 200,000 acre-feet per year and provides a better water supply to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Lake Okeechobee Service Area.

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JANUARY 2022

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 7

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Fifth Avenue South BID welcomes new businesses

Fifth Avenue South Business Improvement District announced Engel & Volkers Yachting, a global brokerage of luxury sailing and motor yachts, established its first Florida location along Naples’ historic main street.

Also, RealtyQuest a privately owned real estate company, moved its flagship office to Historic Main Street.

Located on Fifth Avenue South, the real estate office provides more space and a prominent storefront location.

Additionally, International Protective Service, a nationwide provider of tailored and catered security solutions, opened an office on the Avenue, adding to the diverse roster of service providers locating operations along Naples’ historic main street.

Engels & Volkers Yachting assists private and business clients in the sale, acquisition and chartering of highend yachts in more than 30 countries worldwide. The firm was founded as a division of Engels & Volkers in 2006 and currently has U.S. offices in Newport Beach and Tiburon, California, with plans to open in Annapolis, Maryland, early next year. It also has locations throughout Europe.

“Our new office on Fifth Avenue South provides our yacht brokers with great exposure not only to residents and visitors in Naples, but other parts of the state who we can serve from this location,” said Leeann Iacino, chief operating officer for Engels & Volkers Yachting. “We are very excited to open this location and give back to the community.”

Above: Located on Fifth Avenue South, Engels & Volkers Yachting assists private and business clients in the sale, acquisition and chartering of high-end yachts in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Left: RealtyQuest opened a new location on Fifth Avenue South. It specializes in residential sales for both buyers and sellers as well as vacation rentals across the Gulf Coast areas of Fort Myers to Marco Island.

To celebrate the office, Engels & Volkers Yachting will host a grand opening event on Jan. 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will include catered food and beverages and music.

“Engel & Volkers is a globally recognized brand that is known for exceptional customer service,” said Bruce Barone, Jr., executive director for the Fifth Avenue South BID. “We are pleased to announce the grand opening of their new yacht brokerage, which

Grand opening of Windsor Fashions store at Edison Mall in Fort Myers

Windsor Fashions, a leading special occasion and fast-fashion retailer with over 230 U.S.-based stores and fast-growing e-commerce business, announced the opening of a new store at Edison Mall.

The store officially opened its doors on Nov. 29 and can be found near JCPenney.

Founded by the Zekaria family, Windsor opened its first store in 1937 with a mission that continues to this day: to create an oasis that inspires and empowers women. Windsor focuses on providing a broad selection of ontrend apparel for all the occasions in a woman’s life. Whether school-based occasions like prom and graduation,

further adds to the diversity of highend businesses choosing Fifth Avenue South as their home.”

Established in 2017, RealtyQuest specializes in residential sales as well as vacation rentals across the Gulf Coast areas of Fort Myers to Marco Island. The location on Fifth Avenue South includes a large reception area, two conference rooms, two work spaces and a traditional work space for its real estate agents.

“RealtyQuest has been on Fifth Avenue South since our founding four years ago and we are happy to not only stay on Fifth Avenue, but to move into such an outstanding location,” said Patti White, president of RealtyQuest.

“Fifth Avenue South is the heart and soul of Naples. It is the place to see and be seen and the perfect place for our team.”

IPS provides a wide range of services fully tailored and customized to meet the specific needs of residential, commercial and marine clients. Services include 24/7-armed response officers, on-demand response to calls, marine response, special investigations, mail/paper pickup and delivery upon return, executive protection services and surveillance capabilities.

“Our services are fully tailored and customized to provide each individual client piece of mind via our team of highly trained and skilled professionals, many of whom are retired members of military and law enforcement,” said Laura LiAnne, director of Public Relations and Marketing for IPS. “Our firm has grown coast-to-coast and we are excited to be serving the NaplesMarco Island area from our offices centrally located on Fifth Avenue South.”

Other IPS services include proactive marked vehicle patrols of clients’ homes and the nearby vicinity and vacation services, such as physical walk around checks of all doors and windows. The firm also has a K-9 Unit with dogs trained to detect narcotics and explosives.

Introducing ALDEA

Don’t forget to post your in-person and virtual events on our B2B events calendar at www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com/ calendar seasonal events like Halloween, New Year’s Eve or everyday occasions like date night and brunch with the girls; Windsor provides a broad and inspiring assortment of the latest trends.

Windsor holds a place in the occasion-based retail landscape and during a time when many fashion retailers are closing or downsizing, Windsor is experiencing strong momentum both instore and online.

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Randy Krise, CCIM

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Page 8

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JANUARY 2022 JANUARY 2022

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 9

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET A look at commercial real estate trends & topics in Southwest Florida

A look at commercial real estate trends & topics in Southwest Florida

THERESA BLAUCH-MITCHELL, CCIM

Lee, Collier, Charlotte & Sarasota Counties SWFL CCIM Past President, Florida CCIM Membership Chair, CCIM International Committee.

Hablo Español.

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SPERRY COMMERCIAL GLOBAL AFFILIATES 239-265-2628 theresa@ccim.net www.sperrycga.com

RANDY KRISE, CCIM

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We Care About SWFL Commercial Realtors

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If you are a CCIM-SWFL Chapter member, as a benefit, you are eligible to participate in this section.

Contact 2021 CCIM-SWFL President Artem Nashman for details at anashman@midlandtrust.com 2019 CCIM-SWFL President Ron Struthers says: “This ad got me listings. It works!”

239-633-8672 randy@krisecg.com www.krisecg.com

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Broker/owner of Krise Commercial Group and 2016 Florida CCIM Regional Vice President and Institute Board Member.

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Larson has over 39 years of diversified experience in the SWFL market. She is a Certified International Property Specialist.

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A look at commercial real estate trends & topics in Southwest Florida

Choose the right commercial professional for you Why use a CCIM?

ENN LUTHRINGER, CCIM Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties A partner with CRE Consultants and 15-year commercial real estate veteran, he specializes in the medical and professional office market.

CRE CONSULTANTS

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RON WELEBNY, CCIM

Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry & DeSoto Counties

Qualifying Broker / Managing Director Licensed Real Estate Instructor Director Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association Director, CCIM-SWFL District Past President Commercial Investment Professionals of Southwest Florida Past President SWFL Commercial Alliance Vice-Chair Laguna Estates CDD

COMMERCIAL REALTY ASSOCIATES of SWFL 239-677-2381 Ron@CRA.us www.CRA.us

• • • •

BROKERS ANALYSTS ADVISORS CONSULTANTS

WILLIAM H. ROLLINS, JR., CCIM, ALC Lee, Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto & Hendry Counties

Senior broker; Licensed in FL, GA & AL. Recipient of the Apex award top 20 National Producer by Realtors Land Institute for 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020

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LANE BOY, CCIM

There are countless benefits to working with a CCIM. Commercial real estate investment requires the counsel of a qualified professional. A Certified Commercial Investment Member provides clients with the assurance that every decision will be made in the best interest of their investment objectives.

When assembling a commercial real estate investment team, start with a CCIM.

CREDIBILITY

CCIM is the most prestigious designation commercial real estate professionals can achieve within the industry. Graduate-level education, coupled with industry-leading technology tools, practical proven experience, and in­ -depth knowledge of their local markets, gives CCIMs the ability and the credibility to conduct business confidently and successfully. By partnering with a CCIM, you effectively utilize the top-level, most reliable performers in the industry: with an average of 19 years of experience, 70% of CCIM members hold executive-level positions and 90% of members refer clients to other business services. When you use a CCIM, you choose the most credible professional in the business.

eas to small cities and towns. A truly global network, CCIMs are a powerful force in markets large and small. When you use a CCIM, you choose a trusted community of real estate professionals that are consistently sought for their dependability, intelligence, success and confidence.

INTEGRITY

to close thousands of transactions annually, representing more than $200 billion in value. But closing transactions is only part of what CCIMs can do. In addition to holding deal­making occupations in every property sector, CCIMs are also found in’ leasing, asset management, development, lending, financing, property management, site selection and corporate real estate positions. So, whatever assistance your real estate project requires, a CCIM can help you achieve a better result. In fact, only 6 percent of all commercial real estate practitioners hold the elite CCIM designation, which reflects not only the caliber of the program, but why it is one of the most respected designations in the industry. When you use a CCIM, you choose a professional who produces measurable results.

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CCIM designees are bound to the strictest ethical guidelines and standards of practice in the industry today. In addition, each CCIM has successfully completed a graduate level program comprised of 160 hours of education. If you ask around the industry, you’ll learn that companies and other real estate professionals are more likely to seek out experts who possess the CCIM designation, as they know CCIM stands for trust, knowledge and reliability. When you The CCIM designation is conferred by the ChicagoCOMMUNITY based CCIM Institute, a commercial real estate affiliToday there are CCIMs in every state, across Cana- use a CCIM, you choose experts with integrity. ate of the National Association of REALTORS. Learn da and Mexico, and in more than 30 countries around more about the value of working with a CCIM at the world. Domestically, the network encompasses MEASUREMENT Overall, CCIM’s global network enables members www.flccim.com/districts/southwest-district. more than 1,000 markets, from large metropolitan ar-

About Southwest Florida CCIM District

The Southwest Florida CCIM District is a chapter of the CCIM Institute, Commercial Real Estate’s Global Standard for Professional Development. The CCIM Institute was established in 1954 to give practitioners of Commercial Real Estate the valuable opportunity to further their business practices through focused education and networking opportunities. Today, with the addition of advanced technology resources, CCIM is the Global leader in Commercial and Investment Real Estate education and services. The Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation is recognized as the hallmark of professional competency. Belonging to CCIM means being part of an ethical and knowledgeable network that fosters lasting relationships based on mutual respect.

MICHAEL J. FRYE, CCIM

Puzzled over how to keep up with changes in Southwest Florida’s Business Market?

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Page 10

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JANUARY 2022

Sunshine’s Selfie Station makes the rounds at holiday events Special to SWFBT Submitted by Marilyn Santiago

Welcome to the second edition of Sunshine’s Selfie Station, Holidays edition! I just love the pleasant weather while networking and making lasting connections.

It feels great to be out and about during the holidays. I started off the month at the iconic Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center where the Goodwill Industries hosted the preview of its traditional Festival of Trees.

What a fun, festive event! Twenty companies, government agencies and nonprofits joined forces in a friendly competition, where each company decorated their assigned trees with very peculiar motifs and tons of prizes to raise funds and create awareness for the organization.

Dec. 2 was quite busy. First, La Marche Gift Boutique welcomed creative genius and now gastronomy extraordinaire Stephen Blancett and his guests to the signing of his new cooking book, “Artist in the kitchen, culinary masterpieces made easy.” I’m so proud of all of his accomplishments and I love the fact that he is giving Southwest Florida such great exposure. That same day, “Not on my walls pop up exhibition” made its debut at the Alliance for the Arts. The concept was easy. Members of the art community cleaned their walls of unwanted pieces of art, then they donated and sold them at the Alliance.

Hosted by Fort Myers royalty, Marc Collins and Stephanie Davis, the show once again proved the ad-

Above: Cindy Doragh, Darla Bonk, Erica Castner, Katie Bohanon, Megan Dunphy.

Below Left: Stephanie Davis, Steven Russell, Marc Collins.

Below Right: Ben Allen and Steven Russell

age that what for some can be trash, for others can be treasures.

On Dec. 3, Downtown Fort Myers Music Walk hosted the Giant wreath and tree lighting and I’m so happy I got to meet in person Southwest Florida’s own Ben Allen from HEALTHCARE SERVICES GROUP

“The Voice.” He was actually very cool and enjoying his performance beneath the stars in beautiful downtown Fort Myers was quite epic.

When it comes to networking and career enhancement, The Above Board Chamber of Commerce takes

pride in producing events that are not only informative and helpful, but also mega fun.

This month’s luncheon and session, “The Art of Networking,” was a vivid example of that. A distinguished panel of respected business leaders shared their experiences and advised us on how to maximize their opportunities while networking. I swear, the fact I was on the panel has nothing to do with it being so much fun, but it sure helped.

I could not finish this column without telling you all how much I enjoyed The Know tribe networking and Christmas party at The Wine Room. The Know is a national sisterhood of some of the U.S.’ most prominent female executives, entrepreneurs and community leaders and is definitely making a mark in Southwest Florida.

I hope you are enjoying our Sunshine’s Selfie Station. Please keep us posted on the next events in your area and maybe we’ll go and get some selfies together.

Marilyn Santiago is president of Sunshine Integrated Solutions, a lifestyle marketing/PR consultancy firm providing creative solutions, media strategies, talent and production services in English and Spanish for advertising agencies, local and corporate clients. She is also co-owner of CARP, which creates architectural elements from strong polyresin for the construction industry. Contact her at (239) 939-0034 or Sunshineatyourservice@gmail. com.

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“Soltura Development is excited to bring the first cottage style apartments to Southwest Florida,” said Danville Leadbetter, co-founder of Soltura Development. “With the ever-increasing housing needs of our community, we feel that this is a great

time to be delivering this new alternative to the market and we are proud to begin our journey here in Southwest Florida with such great partners.”

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 11

School systems feed our local economy Special to SWFBT Submitted by Karen P. Moore, Publisher

“Our greatest economic driver is our education system,” stated Marshall Bower, president and executive director at the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, who recently spoke to a roomful of local business owners and professionals about the education system’s current status, along with Superintendent of Lee County Schools, Dr. Ken Savage.

“Lee County is the 32nd largest school district in the United States.

With a $2 billion budget, and comprised of 118 schools, it is also the second largest employer in Lee County,” Marshall added. “We succeed in the school system when the business community engages with us, when business professionals serve as both educators and students within our system.”

Bower shared an example. “We have partnered with the local business community on many occasions, most recently with Gary Griffin of B&I Contractors in conjunction with Dr. Richard Lewis, FGCU’s STEM committee head, on a virtual systemic busi-

ness learning project.”

He continued, “We gave students the blueprints and parts. Students then worked in teams to learn how to work together to develop critical skills thinking and to ultimately build a robot.”

Savage told the audience, “To produce workforce or college-ready students is of vital importance to everyone in this room because achieving that goal benefits everyone in this room, and therefore, our local economy, and our region at large.

“Here’s what I envision—to challenge convention with innovation; providing an education that is not measured by bell times but by meeting student needs and providing them with cutting-edge career opportunities.”

Savage added, “A successful education system is the single most important driver of the local economy so we must all be committed to providing children with the highest quality education possible, customized as best we can to that child’s needs.”

Moreover, he noted, “Prekindergarten readiness is the best predictor of high school graduation rates, so we are committed to help here: early edu-

cation is a vital and a clear predictor of a child’s future success.” In this regard, he continued, “We are committed to providing more business-focused choices since not every child is meant to go to college.”

The goal, he noted, is to provide 5,000 work-ready certifications. “We are committed to offer career programming in all 15 high schools and have planned a technical colleges expansion, including creating a technical college on the eastern end of the county. We currently place 760 students in jobs each year via our technical school programs: by 2030 we want to double that number.”

Additionally, he sees an expansion of programs available to adult learners, such as for GED completion and learning English, as well as some type or types of micro-credentialing programs.

Finally, the plan includes an education design lab where courses for items like soft skills development will be offered within a badge-earning process.

Savage stated, “In partnership with you, the local business community, we want to reignite the local workforce for the benefit of all.”

NABOR PAGE 3 in the U.S., Gammon stated, there are 4,300 acres of industrial acreage available for development around the Punta Gorda airport, including a new Federal Express facility. “There is a tremendous amount of interest in this area by aviation companies, which is great for us,” Gammon stated.

When asked about the impact of the coming Glades International Airport in Hendry County on the rest of the area, Hendry commented, “LaBelle and Alva my not be ready or zoned for either the density or growth coming their way, so they need to get prepared.” Gammon stated, “Since the project creates a commerciallydriven air hub for our region, the spillover for the rest of Southwest Florida should have a strong positive impact.” Richter added, “We’re primed for the growth that will follow into the rest of the region once the airport is up and running.”

As Hendry observed, “A lot of big private equity money is coming our way these days—we are no longer a sleepy little region.”

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Seagate announces new commercial development opportunity Seagate Development Group is developing approximately eight acres of land off Constitution Boulevard, just east of U.S. 41 on Liberty Square Circle in San Carlos Park in South Fort Myers. The new industrial, retail and office park, named Constitution Plaza, offers one- to three-acre parcels in a central location to capture business from both Fort Myers to the north and growing Estero and Bonita Springs to the south.

Constitution Plaza’s street infrastructure is in place, and outside storage zoning is available. Some parcels offer frontage on Constitution Blvd. Several site plan variations are available for consideration with complete ground and design-build packages starting at $175 per square foot and occupancy in

as little as 12 months.

“Done right, we believe the design-build process provides an affordable, long-term solution to our customers in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” said Matt Price, CEO and partner at Seagate Development Group. “Combined with the right location, it offers growing companies an opportunity to move from tenancy to ownership.”

Derek Bornhorst, principal at Lee & Associates, represents the seller.

“Constitution Plaza is the answer for the pent-up demand for office/warehouse space south of Alico Road. The location of Constitution Plaza is a great Seagate Development Group is developing apinfill site with easy access to U.S. 41 and within five proximately eight acres of land off Constitution Boulevard in South Fort Myers. minutes to I-75 via Alico Road,” Bornhorst said.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JANUARY 2022

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Neighborhood Health Clinic showcases expanded medical arts campus Neighborhood Health Clinic celebrated the completion of the nonprofit organization’s $12.8-million Help, Hope and Healing Campaign during a private reception at the enhanced campus on Nov. 9.

Featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entire campus and the official opening of the Van Domelen Education and Wellness Building, the event marked the end of the threeyear Help, Hope and Healing capital campaign launched to address expanding patient need.

The Clinic first opened its doors in April 1999 with Dr. Bill Lascheid and nurse Nancy Lascheid seeing eight patients in a donated space. Today, more than 400 volunteer dental and medical professionals provide 27,000 procedures annually on the charity’s now 32,000 square-foot campus in the heart of Naples.

That campus includes: the Armstrong Medical Building completed in February 2021 with a dental suite, including four operatories, Panorex, sterilization room and lab; a radiol-

and local dignitaries could be joined by the original Clinic steering committee Timothy Hayes, John P. Cardillo and Paul Jones MD in celebrating this accomplishment with us.”

The Neighborhood Health Clinic provides life-saving medical and den— Leslie Lascheid, tal care, including patient education, CEO of Neighborhood Health Clinic for low-income, working but uninsured adults (aged 19-64) residing that not only helps women and men in Collier County, including: more get well, but empowers them to take than 27,000 patient procedures and care of themselves so that they stay more than 11,000 patient visits with healthy. This is comprehensive care working, uninsured men and women at its best.” in 2020; access to general medical “Twenty-two years after my par- practitioners; specialty clinics for ents and a few of their colleagues complex, chronic conditions and denlaunched the Neighborhood Health tists; on-site laboratory basic tests for Clinic, we have far-exceeded their ex- established patients; and patient edupectations of what a comprehensive cation and research projects. It is volhealthcare center for Collier County’s unteer-driven with 250 physicians, working uninsured could be as we 50 dentists, 6 hygienists, 100 nurses continue to enhance services to meet and 300 non-medical personnel. The ever-changing needs,” explained 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization CEO Leslie Lascheid. “We’re thank- has received the coveted Four-Star ful for every volunteer, supporter and Charity Navigator rating 9 years in a community partner who made this row and GuideStar’s 2021 Platinum possible and are thrilled that donors Seal of Transparency.

“We have far-exceeded their expectations of what a comprehensive healthcare center for Collier County’s working uninsured could be as we continue to enhance services to meet ever-changing needs.”

ogy suite featuring MRI, CT Scan, xray, mammography and ABUS breast imaging system opened March 2019; and the Van Domelen Education and Wellness Building completed in November. It has provided for classes including Diabetic Education, Healthy Lifestyles, Smoking Cessation and Breast Health. The campus features a teaching kitchen, classroom and meeting space.

In donor Julia Van Domelen’s own words, “Everything from the business model to the one-stop care center makes the Neighborhood Health Clinic unique. However, for me, the Clinic stands-apart because of its commitment to patient education

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Sales and leasing news from RE/MAX Realty Group Commercial Agents with RE/MAX Realty Group’s Commercial Division recently reported the following sales and leases.

SALES • Ashley Square Furniture: 12,458-square-foot space, located on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers, for $2,363,636 to Brookline Development Company.

Jerry Turner with RE/MAX Realty Group represented the seller and Ty Hensley with Trinity Commercial Group represented the buyer.

• BurgerQue RE: 754-square-foot space, located on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers, FL for $440,000 to RHIC, LLC. Gail Doxie with RE/MAX Realty Group represented the seller and David Nitsche with EXP Realty Group represented the buyer.

• Richard Haley: 1,090-square-foot space, located on Cape Coral Parkway East in Cape Coral, for $120,000 to Heiko and Patricia Strauss. Andrew Bauman, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the seller and Heiko Strauss with Jones & Co represented the buyer.

• Praraz Builders: 1,498-square-foot space, located on Evans Avenue in Fort Myers, for $105,000 to The Healing Place. Pam Wittenauer-Bratton, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the seller and Lujan Priscilla Perez with NB Elite Realty represented the buyer.

• BG Cape: 0.24 acre lot, located on Chiquita Boulevard South in Cape Coral, for $57,000 to Russo

Elite. Hal Arkin and Michael J. Frye, CCIM with RE/ MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the seller and Carlos Acosta with CRES of SWFL, Inc. represented the buyer.

LEASES • International Capital Investment Company: 3,000-square-foot space, located on Youngquist Road in Fort Myers, to Air Innovations of Florida. Pam Wittenauer-Bratton, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the transaction.

• Kraft Office Center North Parcel: 2,876-squarefoot space, located on Kraft Road in Naples, to Florida Pain Partners. Vedran Vicevic with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the tenant and Lauri Cari with LandQwest Commercial represented the landlord.

• Intermed II.: 2,100-square-foot space, located on Amberwood Road in Fort Myers to Brevard Prosthetics and Orthotics. Rachael Guertin, Jennifer Castriotta and Michael J. Frye, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the tenant and Rodney Fidler with Fidler Real Estate Services represented the landlord.

• Hemaprasad Kasireddy and Ramaneswar Roa Muvva: 1959-square-foot space, located on Evans Avenue in Fort Myers, to Jose Santiesteban and Omar Garcia, Jr. Pam Wittenauer-Bratton, CCIM with RE/ MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the landlord and Jose Santiesteban with Tropical

D&D Realty represented the tenant.

• Praraz Builders: 1,959-square-foot space, located on Evans Avenue, in Fort Myers to Jason Camacho and Cambrian Group. Pam Wittenauer-Bratton, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the transaction.

• Halsey Land Holdings: 1,200-square-foot space, located on Del Prado Boulevard South in Cape Coral, to Shaun McDuffie. Rachael Guertin, Jennifer Castriotta, and Michael J. Frye, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the tenant and Daniel Miller with Century 21 Sunbelt represented the landlord.

• Harbour Plaza: 1,200-square-foot space, located on South Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, to ALCO365.

Jennifer Horne, CCIM, Abigail Kesslak, ACP and Michael J. Frye, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the landlord and Autumn Taylor with Premiere Plus Realty represented the tenant.

• Calypso Equity: 1,000-square-foot space, located on San Carlos Boulevard in Fort Myers, to NTS Innovations. Michael J. Frye, CCIM and Abigail Kesslak, ACP with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the transaction.

• Harbour Plaza: 622-square-foot space, located on South Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, to Heartland Dental. Jennifer Horne, CCIM and Michael J. Frye, CCIM with RE/MAX Realty Group, Commercial Division represented the transaction.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 13

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Lessons learned during the Facebook/Instagram outage With the convenience and reach of social media platforms, more businesses have come to rely on them. Social media has become a great resource for businesses to reach current and potential clients and customers, but what happens when there’s a glitch in the system?

The infamous Facebook and Instagram blackout touched each of us in some way and affected businesses across the globe, including local companies like Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida. The company’s CEO, Gary Tasman, says without social media, commercial real estate brokerage firms and other businesses would not be able to survive.

Think about the tens of thousands of dollars lost in business in Southwest Florida during the hours of the blackout when no one could access these platforms. Now imagine what an outage lasting for days could do. It’s got business leaders second guessing how much they rely on these systems to reach their business audience.

Here’s what you can do to best manage your business social media accounts and mitigate the effects of possible outages: Keep your business site up-to-date. Your social media should be leading back to your company website to generate traffic. If you keep the

content current and fresh, your followers will come to rely on that and they will know they can always turn to your site for information, even during social media outages.

Use multiple platforms. No need to put all your eggs in one basket. Granted, Facebook and Instagram are likely to garner the most reach with your audience, but just as you will look

BY CONNIE to other platforms during an RAMOS-WILLIAMS outage, so will they. Also, there Guest Columnist are many platforms to choose from, but not every one of them will resonate with your brand and audience.

Choose the ones that make the most sense and establish a reliable presence there.

Don’t overpost. Share information when it makes sense, and don’t always be selling. Give your followers something of substance about 80% of the time and sell 20% of the time. You want to be seen as an industry expert and a resource of value, not a spammy, pushy self-promoter. Schedule posts ahead of time so you always have well-thought content flowing reliably

For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com on your pages.

Relax. Interruptions occur in business and technology all the time and there’s nothing you can do to completely avoid them. Preparation and a level head are key to navigating the unexpected and having things planned out in advance takes a lot of pressure off. If you maintain a consistent and reliable online presence your audience will come to know that you’re going to stay on top of things and they can turn to your website or other social accounts for information in the meantime.

If you’re in need of assistance with social media management or planning, give the public relations and marketing experts at CONRIC pr + marketing a call.

Connie Ramos-Williams is the president and chief marketing officer at CONRIC pr + marketing, a leading creative agency with offices in Fort Myers and Naples that specializes in branding, digital marketing, public relations, graphic design and website development. Visit conricpr.com, email info@conricpr.com or call (239) 690-9840.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Don’t forget your current customers

There’s a big marketing fallacy that exists in the mind of many small business owners. They believe that they should always be marketing to new customers.

Obviously, there is some truth to this, as it’s important to be in front of potential customers. However, it’s a mistake to make this your sole focus. Spending too long focusing on trying to win new customers means you could end up losing track of your existing customers, the people that already know, like and trust you.

You may have heard of the Pareto Principle previously. If not here’s a quick summary. The Pareto Principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. If those numbers sound familiar, that’s because it’s also referred to as the ‘80-20 Rule.’

We can use the Pareto Principle in business. Many businesses will find that 80% of their revenue comes from just 20% of their customers. In some cases, the percentage of revenue can be even higher, from even fewer customers.

If this was true for your business, constantly trying to focus on new customers would be a mistake as they’re not going to create a big revenue shift for you.

Yet, if you were to spend more time building stronger relationships with your existing customers, you could have a greater impact.

Your existing customers already know, like and trust you. They saw the products or services that you offer and they were inspired to purchase from your business.

Unless you offer a single product or service that will only be purchased once, then you always have an opportunity to generate repeat business from your customers.

Let’s imagine you own a furniture store for a moment. A customer comes in one day to purchase a new bed for their master bedroom. You sell them the bed and they leave happy. One of two things could now occur: 1. The customer enjoys their new bed, never hears from your business again, and goes elsewhere when they’re ready to purchase additional furniture items.

2.

You build a strong relationship with the cus-

tomer. They returned to purchase new furniture for their living room — an entertainment unit, two-seat sofa, three-seat sofa. They purchase their new dining table and chairs from you. They purchased nursery furniture for a new child. Finally, when summer came along, they even purchased outdoor furniture for their patio.

There’s quite a big difference between the two options above, isn’t

BY ANDREAS there? Both customers were happy DOLLESCHAL when they purchased from your furGuest Columnist niture store, but there was a very different after-sales experience.

The second customer’s relationship with your business was nurtured. You stayed front of mind by communicating with them regularly. They loved the attentive nature of your business, so as soon as they needed more furniture, they were never going to look anywhere else.

The difference in the total value of the customer in the above example could be 10 times or more. That’s why it’s so important that you take the time to nurture and build better relationships with your customers.

It costs money and time to win a new customer. If you don’t build a relationship with them, you’re losing out on the opportunity of winning repeat business.

Nurturing and building relationships isn’t a difficult process. You can do this through email marketing, sending out valuable tips and advice weekly or monthly. You can even add in promotions and offers to your emails which is another great way of generating additional income.

What type of customers do you want in your business? Do you want a customer to purchase once and disappear, or would you prefer someone to come back time and time again?

Andreas (Andy) Dolleschal is the president and CEO of Smargasy. Contact (239) 214-8592 or a.dolleschal@ smargasy.com.

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Primary Residential Mortgage opens office in Fort Myers

Scott DiGregorio’s Office of Primary Residential Mortgage recently celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by SWFL Inc. “My journey to success would not have been possible without the immense support of my local community and education from industry leaders.

The grand opening is a way to celebrate and support our local community,” said DiGregorio.

DiGregorio arose from humble beginnings as a young entrepreneur in New York, and over the course of the last two decades has established himself as one of the most prolific members of the real estate ecosystem in Southwest Florida.

Highly decorated over the past years, DiGregorio has been the recipient of numerous awards/accolades: The Gulf Shore Magazine 5 Star Professional award, multiple Top 10 national awards, Guest speaker on The Today Show, Fox Business, as well as being an educator for the Fort Myers Board of Realtors.

The grand opening also served as a fundraiser for the company’s new initiative “Veteran Professionals Association,” via the “BBQ For The Brave” event Feb. 16 at Millennial Brewing.

For every signature collected at the event, DiGregorio donates $5 to provide free meals for any veteran through a partnership with Mission BBQ & Millennial Brewing. DiGregorio has worked to give back any way possible through public speaking and free education.

“The formation of the Veteran Professional Association is the next milestone in supporting the most important sector of our community, our veterans,” DiGregorio said. “PRMI Employee, Gary Donabed II is a Marine veteran and founding member of the VPA and hopes this event can pave the way to better support our veteran professionals.”

Primary Residential Mortgage is located on College Parkway in Fort Myers.

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Daily Updates Breaking Business News B2B Events Calendar Commercial Real Estate Directory Professionals who are “Going Places” ... and much more at

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JANUARY 2022

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

AIRGLADES PAGE 1 Unlike most airport authority-managed airports that depend on landing fees and renting space, the vision for AirGlades’ future is of a private facility sustained entirely by throughput fees for inbound and outbound cargo, Rentz said. “It’s a different type of concept,” she said, “a unique take on how airports operate today.”

The airport held a groundbreaking ceremony last year on a U.S. Customs and Border Facility, and other facility plans include a 10,000-foot runway; the existing runway stretches just under 6,000 feet. Once the airport obtains all needed clearances with the Federal Aviation Administration, the larger strip should allow for six to 10 dedicated freighter flights a day to land at AirGlades.

Rentz said there will be serious motivation for some shippers to land in Hendry County instead of Miami International Airport. There will be no

FGCU PAGE 1 ladder on The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine list,” said Sandra Kauanui, director of the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship. “This helps to set us apart from other programs in Florida and beyond. With the new building up and running, this award is a nice crowning achievement to wrap up 2021.”

This year, FGCU entrepreneurs witnessed the debut of Lucas Hall, a 27,000-square-foot, three-story facility housing the entrepreneurship school.

Despite the pandemic, the building was fully funded through a $10.4-million philanthropic cam-

Don’t forget to post your in-person and virtual events on our B2B events calendar at www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com/calendar major commercial flights competing for terminal and hanger space. More important, AirGlades will boast a cargo complex specializing in refrigerating perishable goods. “We want to make sure the cool chain remains intact,” Rentz said. There’s certain goods that if shippers allow temperatures to drop too low, receiving retailers will reject them outright.

For what sort of product will AirGlades be an ideal destination? Sea bass from Chile. Chrysanthemums from Central America. Already, the airport has started lining up major contracts and has selected Avports as an airport operator.

Rentz also believes many logistics partners will appreciate operating outside of the dense cities.

More important for the broader community, the

paign. A recent gift delivered an additional $4 million in support.

Through the school’s curriculum, entrepreneurship students develop skills necessary to create and lead new businesses or contribute to established companies. As of this fall, there are 537 students majoring in the program, with thousands more from other fields of study taking entrepreneurship classes. Since 2016, over 300 businesses were created by students taking program courses, earning nearly $12.6 million in total gross revenue.

“The value of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking continues to grow in our daily lives,” said Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. “By sharing this list, we want to continue to pro-

Page 15

arrival of freight in this area will create economic opportunities at the airport, warehousing facilities and ancillary businesses. Rentz said some 1,400 full-time jobs should become available in Hendry County once the expansion opens. During construction, about 5,000 construction workers will be needed over several phases.

“This is a significant economic opportunity for this area,” she said. “We expect a multiplier effect and to see a lot of impacts not just on the immediate area, but in Moore Haven, Lee County and West Palm Beach.”

Before the pandemic, AirGlades considered an even more ambitious expansion, something that could require an investment of upward of $600 million.

That scaled back considerably for a host of reasons, not the least of which was that airport executives here decided they needed to attract but a fraction of the 2.1 billion pounds of freight flying into Miami to land instead in Clewiston.

vide the much-needed information that people are looking for to forge their path to entrepreneurship. This list is a valuable reference tool for where future leaders can attain the knowledge, community and training grounds to succeed on that path.”

For the 2022 list, The Princeton Review selected the schools and tallied its rankings based on its summer 2021 survey of administrators at nearly 300 undergraduate and graduate schools offering entrepreneurship studies. The survey asked administrators over 60 questions about their school’s commitment to entrepreneurship studies inside and outside the classroom. The Princeton Review analyzed more than 40 survey data points to determine the rankings.

“We heartily recommend the fine schools that made our entrepreneurship studies ranking lists this year,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief. “Their faculties are outstanding. Their programs have robust experiential components, and their students receive awesome mentoring and networking support that will serve them for years to come.”

As a complement to its No. 22 placement in the “Top 50 Undergraduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies for 2022” ranking, FGCU is No. 3 on the top Southeast undergraduate entrepreneurship list, which includes 12 states. The Princeton Review also includes FGCU in its “2022 Best Colleges: Southeastern” and “Green Colleges” lists.

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