July 2020 Southwest Florida Business Today

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A look at commercial real estate & topics in Southwest Florida RECOVERING FROMtrends COVID-19

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Focus on Technology

Discover what to watch out for and how innovation can improve the way you do business.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE M

A look at commercial real estate trends & topics in South

Commercial Real Estate

An 8-page pullout section that is a quarterly SWFL Commercial Real Estate market overview.

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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

Fort businesses visit

Myers

Special to SWFBT

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

HEMP See page 5

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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.

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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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Critical federal funding tied to Census responses

The importance of completing the 2020 Census is especially clear as the community responds to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating in the Census ensures

Christopher Westley, dean of FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business, announces the RESTART SWFL initiative, dedicated to helping businesses respond to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic

FGCU pledges to help RESTART SWFL

Florida Gulf Coast University launched RESTART SWFL, an initiative dedicated to helping businesses respond to the impact of COVID-19 on operations, work force, vendors and customers.

“We know that good health makes good business, so it makes sense for FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business and Marieb College of Health & Human Services to unite to mobilize expertise and resources, along with those

of our local partners, to help businesses,” said Christopher Westley, dean of FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business.

“Our intention is to create an environment in which consumers will feel more comfortable to re-enter the marketplace.”

Joined by colleague Ann Cary, dean of FGCU’s Marieb College of Health & Human Services, Westley unveiled the RESTART SWFL Seal of Confidence at Lutgert Hall in June.

“We believe the path to recovery is anchored in consumer confidence, so that’s why we’re introducing the RESTART SWFL Seal of Confidence: a campaign to bring a renewed sense of confidence and prosperity to the region in which business owners pledge to adhere to a set of standards involving health, business and ethical practices,” Westley said.

FGCU See page 15

DISASTER SERVICES

No way fraud will ever happen to you, right?

Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Karen P. Moore, Publisher

Continued from the June issue of SWFBT Part 3 Finally, the financial institution’s A/P department called me when they received my check reimbursing them for their overpayment. That’s when I found out they ALREADY HAD a direct deposit form for my company, received via email and completed on a computer (i.e. “typed”), that correctly included my name and business name. It even contained my signature.

THE BANKING INFORMATION THEY HAD FOR ME AS SUPPLIED IN THE EMAILED FORM, HOWEVER, WAS

COMPLETELY INCORRECT. So--the financial institution (my client) had direct-deposited the remaining amount owed to my company several days earlier into a bank where I had not only no account--but I had never even heard of this bank.

To show me how/why the direct deposit had been made to “me” at this bank, I was forwarded a chain of emails between “me” and my sales contact at the financial institution setting up the Direct Deposit form VIA EMAIL (which I would NEVER do.) I could not only not recall these emails BUT COULD NOT FIND THEM IN MY OWN EMAIL. They were all about how and when I was to receive the direct deposit.

Guess where that chain of emails appears?

MOORE See page 14

IN THE NEWS Lee County receives its share of federal funding, like the $134 million targeted for Lee County COVID-19 relief through the CARES Act. For the first time, the Census is available to complete online at my2020census.gov or by phone at CENSUS See page 15

New group launches to give businesses a voice

During the biggest small business crisis of our lifetime, a survey of more than 1,200 small business owners shows they overwhelmingly feel government leaders don’t understand

small business needs and favor big business over small business, and the majority (54%) disapprove of the Trump Administration’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Because of this, Small Business for America’s Future, a coalition of FUTURE See page 15

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

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TECHNOLOGY

Tips to avoid digital eye strain

The availability of computers and working-from-home have been key to keeping many businesses humming during the pandemic. But screen-focused lives spent on computers, tablets, smartphones and e-readers can also result in developing symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome, also known as Digital Eye Strain.

Symptoms of eye strain include headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, with the possible bonus of neck and shoulder pain after using such devices. Those most at risk of experiencing symptoms typically spend two or more hours continually using screens per day. A study found that the average worker spends more than two months of every year in front of a computer screen, about 6.5 hours of every workday on average.

When staring at computer screens, our blink rate plummets from about 12 blinks a minute to six. As a result, tears evaporate off the eyes, causing inflammation on the eye’s surface, and they don’t accumulate again until we step away from the screen and start blinking. If you don’t blink enough, your eyes dry out, causing blurry vision and discomfort.

I recommend following the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away or more. Stopping every few minutes to blink will keep your eyes lubricated and clear. Doing so will allow the eyes to rest and recuperate, and it can alleviate a lot of the strain.

Eye strain can also result from difficulty focusing on the text and images on the computer screen since they are created with pixels that create blurry edges. High contrast between light and dark, small fonts and

backlighting make it difficult for the eye to properly focus.

To help your eyes, your computer screen should be properly distanced, about four or five inches below eye level and 20 to 28 inches away. Avoid glare from overhead lights or windows and

BY E. TREVOR keep screens clean of ELMQUIST fingerprint smears and Guest Columnist dust.

People with prescription glasses or contact lenses may experience additional strain if their lens prescriptions are not specifically designed to work with screens. Glasses wearers can consider using a high-quality, anti-glare treatment in lenses that helps protect eyes when using electronic devices.

Computer Vision Syndrome can be diagnosed during a comprehensive eye examination. Your eye doctor can test how the eyes focus, move and work together to understand how your eyes function under strain and advise ways to treat the condition. Ophthalmologists and optometrists can help you keep sight of healthy vision by highlighting the tools and techniques available to relieve your symptoms and use your devices comfortably.

Dr. E. Trevor Elmquist is the founder of Elmquist Eye Group, which for more than 25 years has provided medical and surgical eye care services to Southwest Florida. Visit www.Elmquist.com or call (239) 936-2020.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

SCOTUS holds civil rights cover LGBT

Part 1 of 2 In one of the most significant Supreme Court cases for Florida employers in years, the Court held by a 6-3 margin Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender individuals from discrimination in the workplace.

In the anxiously anticipated decision, which is a consolidation of three cases, the Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, Title VII’s prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. While the decision only addresses traditional claims of discrimination (plaintiffs were all fired from jobs), emBY SCOTT ployers should expect the ruling will extend ATWOOD to claims of harassment. If you are a Florida Guest Columnist employer, this decision means you need to update, review and discuss your policies with employees.

New Protections Until recently, the lower courts routinely held Title VII’s protections did not extend to discrimination against individuals who had adverse actions taken against them merely because they were gay or transgender. In fact, one of the consolidated cases came from the Eleventh Circuit, which cited a long-standing lower court precedent in rejecting the claim of a gay male fired in Georgia solely because his employer learned he was gay. Florida is part of the Eleventh Circuit, so gays were not protected in Florida until the Supreme Court ruling.

The ruling was written by Justice Neil Gorsuch, part of the conservative majority. Gorsuch is known for his literal textual reading of statutes. Consequently, the decision reads somewhat differently than the Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, whereby it established marriage as a constitutional right that could not be withheld because of sexual orientation. This decision is much more narrowly tailored, relying on a reading of the text of Title VII itself.

For more on the ruling’s effect on Floridians, read next month’s issue.

Scott Atwood is an attorney and stockholder at Henderson Franklin in Fort Myers. Contact him at scott.atwood@henlaw. com or (239) 344-1287.

Page 3

TECHNOLOGY We’re still standin’ – more virtual than before The Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership is still here serving the area as the premiere technology networking and information group in the area. SWFRTP is in its 13th year and has adjusted to the need for social distancing in this unique time. SWFRTP is still providing events monthly and shifted to a new virtual platform. “We selected REMO Conference to offer our members an awesome virtual event experience that allows for social networking, presentations and 150 or more attendees,” explained Alex Allen, SWFRTP President. “These interactive video events allow speaker and audience to directly interact; attendees can ‘move around the room’ visiting different tables and conversations,” he added.

SWFRTP will use REMO to host their upcoming 12th Annual SWFRTP Awards on Aug. 6. SWFRTP is thrilled to have primetime TV and podcast host, keynote speaker, best-selling author and global business celebrity Jeffery Hayzlett as the keynote speaker. As a leading business expert, Hayzlett is frequently cited in Forbes, SUCCESS, Mashable, Marketing Week and Chief Executive. He shares his executive insight and commentary on television networks like Bloomberg, MSNBC, Fox Business and C-Suite TV. This year’s “virtual” award ceremony will be a fun and innovative event. Visit swfrtp.org to nominate, apply for an award or register for the event.

• Leader of the Year in Technology Award – recognizes the leading figures at the forefront of disruption and innovation, playing a central role in helping organizations use technology to its full potential, as well as in the public, STEM programs, sector for the benefit of the SWFL community.

• Innovation Award - recognizing technical achievement by a Southwest Florida technology company.

Transformation Award - highlighting the use of technology in government, nonprofit, or com-

panies outside the technology sector to address a business or operational challenge.

• Student Award - recognizing a high school or college student pursuing higher education or a career in technology.

• Tech Startup Award – recognizing a local startup business with an entrepreneurial spirit that employs forwardthinking leaders, possesses a

BY JOHN great work environment and LAFRENIERE produces an innovative prodGuest Columnist uct that aims to disrupt the market.

• Leader in Adversity During COVID-19 Award - recognizes a business professional in the field of technology that took a leadership role and made significant accomplishments for technology, community and/or business during COVID-19 uncertainty.

To continue to meet the growing needs of the Southwest Florida Technology sector, SWFRTP has elected new leaders for 2020 & 2021: President Alex Allen (Founder of Two39 Group), Vice President Wendi Fowler (director of Marketing and Communications at ITVantage), Treasurer Peg Elmore (business services director for CareerSource Southwest Florida), and Secretary Terry Dirr (director of IT for Shaw Development). SWFRTP continues to bring more valuable content, speakers, and events to the area live and on-line!.

John LaFreniere is a four-year member of the SWFRTP board and Immediate Past President of the organization. He was a technology executive for Hertz and is currently the CIO of VergeIT, Plano, TX while still residing in SWFL. Contact him at (248) 719-9783 or johnl@swfrtp.org.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

TECHNOLOGY Coronavirus causes surge in e-learning solutions

TECHNOLOGY

Remember that first day of work? On your way to new amples we already see in Southwest Florhire orientation, you barely knew where to park, where the ida include self-serve car washes, launbathroom was or what the best snacks in the vending machine dromats, fast food restaurants and postal were. Compliments of the coronavirus pandemic and the surge services. Video tutorials hosted on Youof people working from home, the parking, bathroom and Tube or a private platform are a necessary snacks issues are well under control. But the need for new hire tool for both the users of these services orientation, ongoing corporate training and events remain. Ac(customers) and the installers and service cording to go2HR, 40% of employees who receive poor job technicians of these systems. training leave their positions within the first year.

Medical practices are developing enM&M Multimedia has been at the forefront of helping orhanced revenue streams with e-learning ganizations virtualize these classes and events by blending our classes about health topics that their pavideo production and website development expertise. E-learn- BY RANDY tients can subscribe to. E-learning is also ing has been around for a long time. If you’ve been in South- MITCHELSON prominent in the automotive industry west Florida for more than 10 years, you will remember a time Guest Columnist where vehicles are built with constantly when Sony Electronics had a prominent customer call center advancing technology. team in Gateway who helped users of Sony products learn how Industries such as real estate, mortgage, teaching, engineerto troubleshoot and use them. Sony’s costs were unacceptably ing, pharmacy and social work require continuing education high because it was taking up to five phone calls to technical to maintain professional licenses. E-learning platforms are the support before a customer was satisfied. most efficient means of offering millions of workers the opM&M Multimedia built an entire library of e-learning, portunity to fulfill these requirements and accurately track and how-to video tutorials to support Sony’s call center. Combin- report the results to the government organizations who monitor ing how-to videos with phone call support resulted in Sony’s these industries. first-call resolution skyrocketing from 21% to 72%. Not only Providing quality e-learning experiences for your employdid this drive an increase in customer satisfaction but it also ees is a must in today’s environment. Online tutorial assets that increased the morale of Sony staff. can track and measure employee progress and retention are a In 2020, the dramatic and sudden shifts happening in our smart long-term investment for organizations resulting in posiworkforce economy are forcing companies to accelerate their tive return on investment and higher employee satisfaction and development of e-learning assets. Organizations accustomed to retention. in-person delivery of orientation and training are now investing in digital assets that are on-demand and provide a greater return Randy Mitchelson, APR, is vice president of sales, marketing on investment. These tools are especially useful for organiza- and public relations at M&M Multimedia, providing cost effections who hire remote workers and they certainly empower tive video production, website development and digital marketcompanies to expand their remote workforce. ing solutions. Contact him at (239) 234-1734 or email him All around us we see more automation being deployed. Ex- at randym@mandmmultimedia.com. ®

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You Have One Opportunity to Sell Your Business

PUBLISHER Karen P. Moore

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P.O. Box 152299 Cape Coral, FL 33915-2299 News: 239-573-9731 All other: 239-573-9732 News email: editor@swfloridabusinesstoday.com All other information requests: publisher@ swfloridabusinesstoday.com The contents of Southwest Florida Business Today® are copyright 2019 by Southwest Florida Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced without the express written consent of Southwest Florida Newspapers, Inc. The publication of any advertisement or article does not necessarily reflect the view of the publisher of Southwest Florida Business Today®. For more information about any article or column appearing in Southwest Florida Business Today®, for advertising rates or subscription information please call 239-573-9732 or email: publisher@ swfloridabusinesstoday.com

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Secure your business in a hacker’s world

In today’s world of everything being connected and interconnected, security is more important than ever. The rampant rise in cybercrimes—over 1,700 significant data breaches in 2016 alone—is driving cybercrime costs in the global economy, with estimates reaching over $600 billion currently. The damage to businesses from theft of intellectual property alone exceeds $160 billion in losses.

Cybersecurity is now a truly disruptive force. If you have the security you need, your business runs without incident and stays out of the news. However, if not, the damage to your operations and reputation can be devastating.

Software and network security is not enough to protect endpoints across an organization; you have to start from designing for security from hardware up. This means that today choosing a device is a security decision. Requiring any hardware purchase decision, be it a PC, a copier/printer or any other device, to be recognized as a security decision, ensuring standards are met and even exceeded with state-of-the-art security that will help address threats over the many years that the hardware will be deployed and in use.

Some of the most frequent questions you need to answer are the following: Q: My Company leverages firewalls to protect my network; why do we need security on our copiers/printers?

A: Do you use malware/virus protection on your copiers/printers? In addition, you have to protect devices from other devices on your network. If a copier/printer gets infected with malware through email phishing, there is little a firewall can do to protect the systems within against that.

Q: Given the complexity of our network and the data available on our servers and other endpoints, why would hackers target copiers/printers?

A: Hackers do not necessarily attack systems directly; they look for the weakest point like a lioness goes after the lame gazelle in the herd. Copiers/Printers are often ignored in security policies therefore they can be the lame gazelle. Once they are on your network, they can access other resources, which is why having embedded print device security out of the box is so important.

Q: What happens if a hacker tries to install malware onto my copier/printer?

A: Printers provide protection against the installation of malicious programs— including malware. Our whitelisting technology ensures that only authentic code gets installed on the system, including the firmware (the operating system of a print device) and any solutions.

Q: Do we really need all of this security for our copiers/printers?

A: Copier/Printers should be treated as equal citizens on your network. They are as likely a target as any other endpoint and handle highly sensitive information regularly.

Protecting Copiers/Printers from cyberattacks is important to DEX Imaging.

We will continue to provide industryleading, innovative security products and are here for you and your business.

Please call/email us to schedule a free analysis.

Vicki Helmer, Yvonne Malewski & Kris Overstreet make up DEX Imaging Consulting Team. Call (239) 4442193 or email vhelmer@deximaging. com, ymalewski@deximaging.com or kris.overstreet@deximaging.com.

JULY 2020

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 5

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

TECHNOLOGY

Retail must act to avoid extinction

Much has been said over the last few months about If you’re a retailer, take this the impending demise of brick and mortar retailers. simple evaluation test of your It’s true that e-commerce and the effects of the CObusiness.

VID-19 have made a huge impact, but let’s look at the Starting from the outside, list real issues facing retailers today and more importantly three reasons why anyone should how they can avoid extinction. stop and take time to visit your Department stores and shopping malls in their curlocation. Is it exciting, appealing rent format are finished. They have no true points of and inviting? differentiation anymore because the consumer no lonNow go inside and ask yourger needs them. E-commerce has got it covered with self: Do I make a promise to my A lookandat commercialcustomers? real estate & its advantages of convenience, price (discounts) Identifytrends three things transaction speed. in your sector that frustrate cusConsumers today need a reason to visit a store, so BY KARL tomers and make a commitment retailers must transition from the transactional (cash/ GIBBONS that it will never happen in your wrap) to the experiential. The successful retailers in Guest Columnist business; and if it does, the custhe next decade will be those who offer us an environtomer will be compensated. ment where we can eat, play, work, learn, discover, Then list three things that make your customers go try and even borrow merchandise. They will provide “WOW!” Are you creating an experience that makes a sensory experience where we can see, touch, smell, people want to come, stay and come again? hear, taste and feel. All creating an emotional reaction.

Finally, list three products and/or services that your Think of it as “retailtainment” – a theater space that customers cannot get anywhere else. Please don’t say attracts, engages and retains customers. “great service” because that should be a given.

Small is the new big. The key words for the fuCharles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of ture of retailing are micro, niche, custom, curated and the species that survives, not the most intelligent that concierge. Any retailer providing this focus is setting survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to itself up for success. change.” Are you adaptable to change?

In that regard the independent retailer now has a You cannot be in business today, use yesterday’s huge advantage because he or she can pivot and focus methods and expect to be ahead tomorrow. on the specific needs of their customers, unlike the big box stores or chains.

Karl M. Gibbons is the ‘Business Growth ArchiData is also king. In today’s multifaceted envi- tect’ and owner of Southwest Florida based ‘Third ronment, it’s essential retailers capture and leverage Eye Management & Associates’. His company helps customer information and have data that show who small and mid-market businesses grow revenue, conpurchased what, when and why ­­­­— all supported by trol expenses, and increase their market share. Conan online presence that enhances the brick and mortar tact him at karl@thirdeyemanagement.com or (239) experience.

961-0927. Learn more at www.thirdeyemanagement.com.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

Wawa recently opened its latest Cape Coral store following social distancing guidelines.

topics in Southwest Wawa opensFlorida new

Cape Coral location

On June 11, Wawa opened its latest Cape Coral store located on Santa Barbara Boulevard.

Wawa launched its Lending a Helping Hoagie initiative, which donated $1,000 from the new store’s first week of sales to the Harry Chapin Food Bank to relieve hunger in the immediate area, demonstrating its commitment to serving others in need.

Wawa also acknowledged local community first responders including donations to local charities serving the community. The store will employ approximately 40 associates.

Led by Wawa General Manager Christopher Boone and Area Manager Kevin Sekula, the team is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment while working to meet the needs of customers. Wawa made several key changes to its processes including The Wawa Clean Force, a dedicated and trained sanitizing swat team working at each store every day with one job: keeping Wawa stores clean, sanitized and safe to ensure it has the safest, most convenient store environment.

Vantage completes work on Florida Wood, Window and Door Vantage Construction Services, a commercial general contractor located in Fort Myers, has completed construction of a new commercial building for Florida Wood Window and Door.

The 13,500-square-foot facility, located on Halifax Avenue in Fort Myers, includes a first-floor showroom, warehouse, loading docks, kitchen and offices. The mezzanine, constructed of Hollowcore plank, accessible by stairs and elevator, combines a large storage area, meeting space and ancillary office with views into the warehouse below. The mezzanine storage area is designed with two large gates that make

For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com it convenient to load large shipments by forklift.

Florida Wood Window and Door is now operational in the new location and a public opening event will be held soon.

Vantage Construction Services is a client-focused construction company providing consulting, pre-construction, general contracting, construction management and design-build services for commercial construction in Southwest Florida.

Vantage Construction Services has completed construction of a new commercial building for Florida Wood Window and Door.

We Care About SWFL Commercial Realtors

even in difficult times COVID-19 Shutdown?

No Problem!

With dedicated space for informa�on: • On our website with a Commercial Real Estate sec�on & directory • In our quarterly Commercial RE Market pullout in both the print & digital versions of SWFBT • With zoned and full-run inserts • With guest column opportuni�es • With digital marke�ng op�ons

SELLERS

Now is still a good time to sell a business.

We can work around decreased income to get you the best value for your business.

BUYERS

The CARES Act has provisions that can assist in a business acquisition.

Time is limited. Now is the time.

We are here to smoothly transition ownership from one owner to another.

For more informa�on, call Karen at (239) 770-7527

Contact Larry Steinborn,

®

www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

Businesses Sell

Lic. Real Estate Broker Sand Dollar Real Estate / Business Depot (239) 433-1343 or bizdepot@aol.com 6309 Corporate Ct. #205 Fort Myers, FL 33919

Selling your Business is our Business!

Page 6

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

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

Scotlynn USA Division headquarters to launch in Fort Myers Scotlynn USA Division, a multinational transportation and logistics firm specializing in truckload transportation and the distribution of perishable products, announced it is launching its new North American corporate headquarters on Gulf Research Lane in Fort Myers. Seagate Development Group is constructing and developing the three-story, 60,000-square-foot building and is slated to break ground this month.

“Scotlynn manages thousands of shipments across North America each week that provide essential food and supplies for millions of people,” said Ryan D. Carter, executive vice president of Scotlynn Transport and Scotlynn USA Division. “The headquarters in Fort Myers is part of our overall expansion and a continuous mission to become a world-class leader in freight transportation and a workplace for the brightest and most ambitious professionals. Fort Myers is the best choice for us to achieve long-term growth for our incredible operations and management team members.

Scotlynn’s new headquarters will eventually be home to over 350 management and operation staff. Due to Lee County Economic Development’s and Enterprise Florida’s qualified tax credit hiring incentives,

Scotlynn USA Division announced it is launching its new North American corporate headquarters on Gulf Research Lane in Fort Myers.

Scotlynn has agreed to hire no less than 140 new employees for the Fort Myers facility in the next three years.

“This opportunity comes at a critical time in our local economy,” said Lee County Commissioner Ray Sandelli, who also serves as County Commission liaison to the Economic Development Office and the Horizon Council.

“The logistical services provided

by Scotlynn USA during the COVID-19 crisis has been invaluable, and

FORT MYERS sale opportunities GATOR LANES and TER-TINI'S

$2,800,000 | 7050 Crystal Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907

Established bowling alley and event center business has been owned and operated by current owner for 41 years. This is a very profitable business. Owner may consider a sale/lease-back for 3 years maximum if buyer would consider redevelopment of the 2.25± acre parcel.

PROMINENT COMMERCIAL SITE

$2,187,000 | Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. & Plantation Dr., Fort Myers, FL

the new jobs they’re creating will serve as an important part of our local recovery. Moving product across our country, especially perishable goods, is an essential service now and in the future. Lee County is very proud to support that effort.”

Seagate is taking on this $11-million project in response to Scotlynn’s substantial growth, giving its executive and general office staff the ability to better serve clients. The Fort Myers-based development company will

incorporate contemporary interior design elements that have an industrial feel, reflecting Scotlynn’s core business. An example includes corrugated metal wall panels that mimic containers hauled by tractor trailers, as Scotlynn transports perishable and temperature-sensitive commodities that require special equipment and expertise.

“We are pleased to have been chosen to lead this exciting project and to work with the exceptional team at Scotlynn. We are also just as proud that our local knowledge brought us here,” said Matt Price, CEO and Partner of Seagate Development Group. “Seagate is seeing an increase in local businesses expanding to accommodate growth. It’s great to see projects of this magnitude stay in Southwest Florida and make a positive impact on the community.”

Scotlynn USA Division has division offices in Tampa and Indianapolis. Its new space will come equipped with a gym, basketball court, cafeteria, walking track, and an indoor/outdoor recreational space featuring an eating area.

The project will also feature eight acres of on-site improvements as well as an existing road extension. It is expected to be complete and open for business by 2021.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary plans expansion Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center, with community partner Crown Management Services, executed a contract for the purchase of 17 acres on the north side of Golden Gate Boulevard West.

The land is part of a proposal to enhance two commercial zones in Golden Gate Estates, submitted by Crown Management Services and approved

by Collier County Commissioners. In the agreement, Crown Management Services would begin development of the 47-acre Randall Curve property while offering the sanctuary a place to operate and expand services. This collaboration addresses several needs within the community while minimizing commercial impact in residential areas.

“Crown Management Services has

been incredibly supportive of Shy Wolf Sanctuary through this process, and we look forward to our continuing partnership as the sanctuary is designed and built,” said Deanna Deppen, executive director of Shy Wolf Sanctuary.

The contract was another step in a long process. Crown Management Services is still working through rezoning needed to allow for Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s uses at the location.

“We have learned much more about Shy Wolf Sanctuary’s mission and vision for its expanded campus.

The organization brings so much compassion to the animals and people it serves through its rescue efforts and therapeutic animal encounters,” said Robert Crown, Crown Management Services.

Did you know ...

that SWFBT highlights:

2± acres at the hard corner of Six Mile Cypress Pkwy. and Plantation Dr. near the Minnesota Twins Spring Training stadium. It is adjacent to the new Hope Preserve, a 46-acre commercial development with an assisted living center that is open and operational. Ingress will be from both roads.

Randy Krise, CCIM

• • • •

Breaking Business News B2B Events Calendar Commercial Real Estate Directory Professionals who are “Going Places”

... and much more at

Commercial Real Estate Broker Cell: 239.633.8672 Email: Randy@KriseCG.com www.KriseCG.com

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JULY 2020

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 7

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

Bike shop expands with new café, specialized bikes The Bike Bistro, a locally owned cycle shop near the Sanibel Causeway, has remodeled its café and partnered with Chocolattes Coffee and Roasting to offer specialty single-origin coffees.

While sipping coffee, riders can ogle the latest Specialized brand of bikes. Founded in 1974 in California, Specialized was the first company to create production mountain bikes. It now offers a full range of bikes, including road bikes, cruisers and electric bikes.

Specialized’s Turbo Como electric bikes are especially popular because they areA considered look at commercial real estate trends & Sanibel legal. Riders can lawfully ride them on the island bike paths because they have no throttle and the pedaling is assisted.

“The Como’s super-smooth, easy ride is boosted by a quiet but powerful motor that will Carr have you zipping around the island with little effort,” said Troy Carr, who recently joined the Bike Bistro as master of merchandise. Formerly from Grand Rapids, The Bike Bistro, a locally owned cycle shop in Mich., Carr has raced mountain bikes and was the Fort Myers, has remodeled its café, added Speformer president of the West Michigan Mountain cialized bikes and named veteran cyclist Troy Biking Alliance, one of the nation’s largest trail Carr as master of merchandise biking associations.

The Bike Bistro is a destination for cycling en- ers can lounge in comfortable chairs, socialize thusiasts who enjoy relaxing with a cup of coffee with other cyclists and log onto the internet using and healthy snacks before or after they ride. Rid- the shop’s free WiFi.

“You can come spend a few hours here to meet friends, sip great coffee, catch up on the news or chat with our team of cycling experts about the latest gear,” said Steve Martin, owner of The Bike Bistro, who opened the Fort Myers shop in 2012.

Mechanic Mike Volk can get your bike in shape for Southwest Florida’s harsh summer conditions in half the time it takes other bike stores.

He is tech certified by Shimano and Specialized and is happy to chat with clients about maintenance and repairs.

Chocolattes is a Fort Myers-based specialty roaster seasonal coffees from Brazil, topicsthat in offers Southwest Florida Colombia, Guatemala and Kenya. “As a locally owned business, we’re thrilled to partner with another successful family owned company in Fort Myers,” said Martin.

The Bike Bistro’s open floor lets riders watch a professional fit a client on a new bike in the seethrough glass enclosure. Customers can browse the large selection of parts and accessories, including a new section of headgear that displays the latest aerodynamic helmets and Oakley eyewear.

“Selecting and customizing the right bike and with well-fitting gear is the key to enjoying the year-round cycling weather in Southwest Florida,” said Martin.

“Cycling specialists at The Bike Bistro provide the kind of one-on-one assistance you can’t find at a big-box retailer.”

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

TECHNOLOGY

Do we need 3-D virtual tours?

Reaching out to your customers virtually is vital these days. For real estate developers, architects and interior designers, having the right visuals can make or break your project. In many cases, 3-D renderings have been the answer for decades. But what makes a 3-D virtual tour better than a 3-D rendering?

Let us start by clearly defining a 3-D virtual tour. It’s not VR. It’s not 3-D animation. It is a sequence of 360-degree images stitched together and allows your customer to move from one image to another. The customer can see from any angle they wish and has the flexibility of viewing the tour on any computer device (i.e. smartphones, laptops). One of the most popular virtual tours out right now uses the Matterport scanning technology on existing homes. A 3-D virtual tour is similar but is created entirely in a 3-D environment.

Is a virtual tour better than a 3-D rendering? Technically speaking not always.

For individual spaces (i.e. bedroom, kitchen, etc.) we recommend staying with 3-D renderings due to their limited space.

When showing a multi-room space or an entire area, a 3-D virtual tour helps tell the story easier than multiple 3-D renderings. In many cases, we create both since the 3-D spaces have already been built.

Renderings can be used to introduce customers to the development (i.e. email newsletters, print magazines, social media feeds) while virtual tours help explain the project during the customer exploration process.

Is a virtual tour better for your customer experience? According to an ICAP Framework study, customers’ rate of retention from an interactive 3-D virtual tour is anywhere from 30%-75% compared to 10% reading/scanning a 3-D rendering. Customers also choose what they want to see and get a more complete picture of the project since they are not

locked into a specific view.

Depending on the virtual tour software, additional information can be displayed to guide customers along their interactive experience.

Is a 3-D virtual tour expensive? If you view it as a line

BY BRIAN item compared to a ZAJAC 3-D rendering, it is.

Guest Columnist When comparing to the time you save in getting a sale and governmental approvals, virtual tours are very affordable. In addition, costs are almost always covered as 3-D renderings/virtual tours solve construction issues, furniture and paint selection before the project begins. Bottom line is that you are either going to pay the cost in 3-D renderings or the mistakes made throughout the project build.

Do we need 3-D virtual tours? If your development has plenty of time and needs little explanation (i.e. extension of an existing home), virtual tours and 3-D renderings are overkill. Also, only including virtual tours in your marketing will not sell your development. Customers need to see something physical to reassure them that the virtual tour is close to the final product. Along with 3-D virtual tours, having proper marketing and presentation materials to address your customers common questions will give you the advantage to making the sale and develop quick governmental approvals.

Brian Zajac is the owner of 3DAS. Since 2006, 3DAS has provided 3-D solutions to create or enhance your existing architectural project. View a 3-D virtual tour at 3das.com/vt. Contact Zajac at (941) 953-3327 or brian.zajac@3das.com.

For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com ai159162550210_11006 FL Tombstone ads July2020.pdf

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Page 8

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

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

Choose the right commercial professional for you RANDY KRISE, CCIM

BOB WHITE, CCIM

Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties

Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties Active Southwest Florida Commercial broker for over 25 years. Specializing in industrial, office and investment properties.

Past president SWFL CCIM and REIS.

• • • •

BOB WHITE, INC. 239-850-2217

bob@bobwhiteinc.com

INDUSTRIAL OFFICE LEASE OR SALE INVESTMENT

ADAM PALMER, CCIM Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, Tampa & Orlando Principal & Managing Director LandQwest Commercial, President - Florida CCIM Chapter, 12-time CoStar Power Broker Award Winner • • • • •

LANDQWEST COMMERCIAL

239-898-8686 adam@adampalmer.com www.adampalmer.com

OFFICE INVESTMENT LAND RETAIL INDUSTRIAL

CCIM

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

Contact 2020 CCIM-SWFL President Janet Davis for details at jdavis@midlandira.com 2019 CCIM-SWFL President Ron Struthers says: “This ad got me listings. It works!”

FRED KERMANI, CCIM, AIA Collier, Lee & Charlotte Counties Partner, licensed real estate broker and architect in Florida & California with 36 years of real estate and design experience.

Specializes in land marketing and investment properties.

• LAND • INVESTMENT

• GAS STATIONS • RESTAURANTS

CRE CONSULTANTS

239-659-4960 fred.kermani@creconsultants.com www.creconsultants.com/fredkermani

CARLOS ACOSTA, CCIM Lee, Charlotte, Collier & Sarasota Counties Managing Principal/Qualifying Broker.

Specializing in acquisitions and disposition of retail, office, industrial, land and investment sales.

5-time CoStar Powerbroker.

CRES of SWFL 239-823-0115

cacosta@ccim.net www.cresswfl.com

• • • • •

RETAIL OFFICE INDUSTRIAL LAND INVESTMENT SALES & LEASING

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

Why use a 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.

KRISE COMMERCIAL GROUP 239-633-8672 randy@krisecg.com www.krisecg.com

“CCIM members can rely on CCIM as a single source for diverse solu�ons. The first one on that list is EDUCATION. Designees can take advantage of the ongoing opportuni�es so crucial to success for your clients in the commercial real estate field today, with the ‘Life A�er the Pin’ learning program.

CCIM also offers its members many NETWORKING opportuni�es that may be of educa�onal benefit as well, offering more than just a mere social experience.

These networking events also may provide the founda�on for building long-las�ng RELATIONSHIPS with fellow CCIMs who become invaluable RESOURCES for life.”

- Adam Palmer, 2018 Florida CCIM Chapter President

RON STRUTHERS, CCIM

Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, North Port, Venice, N. Fort Myers & Pinellas Park Specializes in all facets of commercial brokerage and leasing in Charlotte County area. 2019 CCIM Florida Chapter Southwest District President.

COLDWELL BANKER COMMERCIAL NRT

MEASUREMENT

Overall, CCIM’s global network enables members 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 deal­ making 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.

The CCIM designation is conferred by the Chicagobased CCIM Institute, a commercial real estate affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS. Learn more about the value of working with a CCIM.

• • • • •

941-769-3316 rstruthers@ccim.net www.commercialrealtyfl.com

INTEGRITY

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 use a CCIM, you choose experts with integrity.

COMMERCIAL VACANT LAND INVESTMENT RETAIL INDUSTRIAL

The Benefits of Being a CCIM!

COMMUNITY

Today there are CCIMs in every state, across Canada and Mexico, and in more than 30 countries around the world. Domestically, the network encompasses more than 1,000 markets, from large metropolitan areas 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.

• • • • •

INVESTMENT RETAIL OFFICE INDUSTRIAL LEASING

JEFF FORSYTHE, CCIM Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties 40+ years of retail, distribution, and warehouse management experience. 20+ years of commercial real estate investmentexperience.

Specializing in first-time CRE investment advising and deal representation.

• • • • 239-210-7611 jforsythe@lee-associates.com • • www.lee-fl.com

LEE & ASSOCIATES

INVESTMENT SALES & LEASING OFFICE INDUSTRIAL MULTI-FAMILY URBAN MIXED-USE

MARYANN MIZE, CCIM Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties Senior Vice President and Senior Credit Officer. More than 30 years of commercial lending experience.

CCIM Senior Instructor and 2019 Florida CCIM Chapter Southwest District Treasurer.

CHARLOTTE STATE BANK & TRUST

941-624-1916 mmize@csbtfl.com www.charlottestatebankandtrust.com

• FINANCING OF COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

®

JULY 2020

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 9

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

Choose the right commercial professional for you DAVE WALLACE, CCIM, SIOR

THERESA BLAUCH-MITCHELL, CCIM

Collier County

An office, industrial and investment property specialist with more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience in successfully assisting clients with acquisitions, dispositions and leasing.

CRE CONSULTANTS

Naples Office 239-649-7755 dave.wallace@creconsultants.com

• • • •

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

2018 Florida CCIM Chapter Southwest District President.

239-281-1290 bev1314@aol.com

COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT RETAIL OFFICE LAND-ACREAGE DEVELOPMENT

MOHSEN CYRUS, CCIM Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Polk & Hillsborough Counties

Licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida with 15 years experience in residential and commercial real estate.

CYRUS INTERNATIONAL REALTY CORP 239-738-9600 MCyrus@ccim.net www.CyrusRealtor.com

• OFFICE BUILDINGS • SHOPPING CENTERS • MEDICAL OFFICES • MULTI-FAMILY • RESIDENTIAL

JACK MARTIN, CCIM Lee, Collier, Charlotte & Hendry Counties

30 years of experience in Florida real estate with 20 years in Southwest Florida. Servicing in all facets of commercial real estate, both sales and leasing, and specializing in shopping plazas and strip centers.

CENTURY 21 COMMERCIAL • COMMERCIAL • MULTI-FAMILY SELLING PARADISE

• MEDICAL OFFICE • GENERAL OFFICE • VACANT LAND

239-707-9015 jackmartin@ccim.net www.jackmartincre.c21.com

MICHAEL J. FRYE, CCIM

Lee, Collier & Charlotte Counties Recipient of the RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame Award. Serving the SWFL market for over 30 years. We have 7 CCIMs to serve all our clients’ needs.

RE/MAX REALTY GROUP 239-281-0441 mfrye@ccim.net www.michaeljfrye.com

SPERRY COMMERCIAL GLOBAL AFFILIATES

• INVESTMENT • RETAIL • OFFICE • INDUSTRIAL

DAVE WALLACE, Consultants A look at commercial realCRE estate trends & topics in Southwest Florida 239-265-2628 In the early 90’s our motto in the Southwest Florida

Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry & Glades Counties

LAHAINA REALTY

What does having the CCIM designation mean to me?

SWFL CCIM Past President, Florida CCIM Membership Chair, CCIM International Committee.

Hablo Español.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

OFFICE INDUSTRIAL SALES & LEASES INVESTMENT

BEV LARSON, CCIM

• • • • • •

Lee, Collier, Charlotte & Sarasota Counties

• OFFICE • RETAIL • INDUSTRIAL • LAND

commercial real estate business was “Stay Alive Until ’95:” I had to consider several serious questions if I was to continue.

The overriding question was, “What can I do to improve my chances of success in commercial real estate sales and investment?” I was convinced achieving the CCIM designation provided me with a solid start for accelerating my career growth because it would 1) help me become known as one of the “Best of the Best” in my chosen profession, 2) give me the educational foundation from which I could build both my career and income, and 3) become an investment in myself that would continue to give me a return over the duration of my career.

Since then, I have come to realize the CCIM designation gives you not only that but so much more. The knowledge, tools and relationships that naturally come from being a committed CCIM provides you with the confidence for success for a lifetime.

GERALD HENDRY, MAI, Maxwell Hendry & Simmons Appraisers

To be honest, 15 years ago when I obtained my CCIM designation, I thought it would be cool to have a few more letters after my name. However, being in the valuation industry and not a practicing real estate agent, I wondered if there was any true benefit to me? Oh how my thinking has changed…

This group has taught me the value of networking, effective leadership, and has afforded me a strong core group of friends in the industry. My CCIM friends are always available with a simple phone call or text.

So, it’s still cool to see those four letters after my name, but I am grateful for the friendships and opportunities CCIM has afforded me, my firm, and my family.

ERIC DEYOUNG, Charlotte State Bank

Earning my Certified Commercial Investment Member designation in 2018 was a career milestone that has benefited both my clients and my business. Many of my clients realize and appreciate the competencies and rigor involved with obtaining the CCIM designation.

While many associate the CCIM designation with the commercial realtor community, a growing segment of the CCIM Institute includes lenders and appraisers among designees.

Commercial Realtors appreciate the benefits of referring business to and working with a lender that has a proven track record of core competencies demonstrated by the CCIM designation.

From a knowledge perspective, I reaped the many benefits of the comprehensive CCIM education process.

I learned more about everything in the buy-sell process, ranging from interest-based negotiations, to investment analysis, to commercial investment real estate ethics, making me a more competent and well-rounded professional.

After adding CCIM to my name, I quickly came to understand how CCIMs are sought out as experts, each carrying a reputation for trust, knowledge, reliability, hard work and ethical business practices. My referrals rose, my business grew and I was able to get more deals done in less time.

theresa@ccim.net www.sperrycga.com

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

CCIM

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

Contact 2020 CCIM-SWFL President Janet Davis for details at jdavis@midlandira.com 2019 CCIM-SWFL President Ron Struthers says: “This ad got me listings. It works!”

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

239-994-3703 enn.luthringer@creconsultants.com www.creconsultants.com

• COMMERCIAL • OFFICE • INVESTMENT

ERIC DEYOUNG, CCIM

RANDY KRISE, Krise Commercial Group

As a long time CCIM Designee I have a long-term perspective on what the CCIM Designation does for the designee. I was a player who wanted to be an investor in real estate all my life. Prior to my CCIM training I purchased 14 properties. I made somewhere north of $5,000,000. Had I been a CCIM I would have purchased mostly income-producing properties. Land made me money but land only costs you until you sell. CCIM taught me how to evaluate an investment to guarantee success. Income- producing property pays for itself and increases your ability to build a portfolio. Now I think 15 properties and $10,000,000 with a CCIM education and certification—and so should you!

• • • •

Charlotte & Sarasota Counties Vice President of Commercial Lending with more than 14 years experience. Graduate of University of Florida, MBA at FGCU. Active volunteer and community leader.

CHARLOTTE STATE BANK & TRUST

• FINANCING • COMMERCIAL

941-223-3179 edeyoung@csbtfl.com www.charlottestatebankandtrust.com

Page 10

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

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

DISASTER SERVICES

Nick Kouloheras, president of Habitat for Humanity of Collier County, addresses more than 50 attendees in partnership with Diamond Custom Homes officials at the launch of Diamond’s Building Dreams Foundation.

Anticipate disruption in pandemic plan Part 2 of 2

To start your pandemic strategy, you must anticipate disruptions and prepare contingency plans. Then, identify the threat risks to address and where your business is most likely to be impacted negatively. It is important to stock pile supplies such as soap, tissue, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment. Adjust your HR policies and procedures and implement social

BY LINDA distancing practices HANWACKER in your plan. Provide Guest Columnist training, education and informational material about business-essential functions and employee health and safety that include proper hygiene practices, and how to use personal protective equipment properly.

The goal is to mitigate the contagion through work practice and controls. For example, provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable towels, encourage employees to obtain seasonal influenza vaccines, provide up-to-date training on

virus risk factors, protective behaviors and develop policies to minimize contacts between employees and between employees and clients/customers.

Pandemics are part of humanity’s history and part of humanity’s future. Since pandemics are inevitable, the more pressing question to ask is whether we as a society and specifically our businesses and homes are prepared to weather a pandemic public disaster and survive to thrive after the storm has passed. If you did not have a pandemic plan prior to COVID-19, you should develop a document that details an aftermath report and then create a pandemic plan based off of lessons learned so that when the next wave comes you are prepared. The LSH Group can assist you with your planning initiatives and provide insight to your lessons learned. Remember, there are steps you can take that will mitigate the impact on your business operations and your people. Pandemics are recurring events and come in waves. COVID-19 will come in waves over the next 6 to 24 months until we can stop it.

Linda Hanwacker is CEO and founder of The LSH Group,in Fort Myers, which has provided economical solutions for business continuity, IT disaster recovery, pandemic planning and emergency management planning. Contact her at hanwacker@thelshgroup.com.

Best Commercial Lot Values in Southwest Florida 25335 Rampart Blvd Port Charlotte 33983

4214 Duncan Road (Hwy. 17) Punta Gorda 33982

Price: $995,000 Size: 4.30 AC Description: Medical Office Space. Deep Creek has several ALF communities, private and public. Major Rehabilitation Center adjacent to this site.

Two major hospitals within 10 minutes of site.

East border of the property is a large Housing Complex with future zoning of commercial in front. Plans available for 7 buildings, each 5,000 sq. ft.

Price: $795,000 Size: 6.84 AC Description: 2 lots, 1 - 5.3 Acre Parcel and 1 - 1.5 acre parcel, 6.8 Acres, environmentals done. Just East of I-75. Zoned Industrial, Retail, Commercial General, No Residential or Mixed Use, 6.84 Acres at Washington Loop. Over 150 sq. ft. Road Frontage on Duncan. Phase I reports available, survey also available. Future land use is Commercial Corridor.

Marion Ave Punta Gorda 33950

For more information contact:

Jeanette Igoe Broker Igoe Realty P.A.

Price: $399,000 Size: 2.70 AC Description: Zoned Low Intensity Industrial. 2 parcels, one approximately .25 Acres, the other 2.7.

Perfect for Warehouse, Storage Facilities, Truck or Auto Terminal Hub, close to Hwy 17 and I-75 exit. Railroad meets rear of property.

I-75 Interchange currently projected to cross eastern portion of property, high visibility once completed.

ABR, CIPS, CPRES, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, GREEN, SFR, TRC

jigoe5@aol.com 239-572-3269

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Diamond Homes launches Building Dreams Foundation

Naples-based luxury home builder Diamond Custom Homes announced its inaugural launch event raised $15,700 for the Building Dreams Foundation.

The company officially introduced the foundation during an event in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County, held March 11 at the residence of Diamond Custom Homes President Michael Diamond. The Building Dreams Foundation is a separate nonprofit organization within Diamond Custom Homes with an initial mission of supporting safe, affordable housing in Collier County.

Diamond Custom Homes will match the amount of funds raised during the event to support the construction of a Habitat for Humanity

home in Naples.

“We are pleased with the progress our Building Dreams Foundation has made so far, and we appreciate everyone who has so generously contributed to this worthy cause,” said Diamond. “We look forward to matching the funds raised during the event and advancing the foundation’s goals.”

“Mike and the Diamond Custom Homes team clearly understand the value and importance of home… whether it is luxury custom home or a simple Habitat home,” said Habitat for Humanity CEO Lisa Lefkow. “On behalf of the family who will soon know the security and stability of homeownership, we are deeply grateful for this high impact partnership.”

Build-for-Rent in the works SVN SFRhub Advisors and SVN Lotus Commercial Real Estate Advisors is working with Southwest Florida private homebuilder Neal Communities to break ground on a Build-for-Rent community in Fort Myers later this year and will deliver the last tranche of built homes near the end of 2021. The 63-home detached single-family community, Mangrove Estates, is located only seven miles from the beautiful Fort Myers Beach and barrier islands, and a short drive to downtown. The projected $20-million community will offer 3-bedroom plans of 1,531 square feet and 4-bedroom plans of 1,812 to 2,064 square feet. SVN SFRhub Advisors is teaming with Jerry Anderson, CCIM of SVN Florida Commercial Real Estate Advisors, the local Broker of Record.

For the first time in U.S. history, rental household growth is outpacing home ownership and communities of newly built, single-family homes are being developed exclusively for renters. The Urban Institute states that the growth in rental households will exceed that of homeowners by 4 million from 2010 to 2030, concluding that the nation is currently not prepared for this increase. According to John Burns Real Estate Consulting, the new BFR housing alternative continues to surge as concerns surrounding home sales grow during the COVID-19 pandemic. These BFR communities encompass singlefamily homes built from the ground up specifically for renters.

“Florida ranks high among many of the top performing U.S. new construction BFR markets, with cities including Tampa, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Orlando and Panama City, to name a few,” said Jeff Cline, executive director and managing broker of SVN SFRhub Ad-

visors. He added, “Population, household income and job growth are fueling the top two-dozen BFR markets that extend from Florida across the Sunbelt to the West Coast and select Mountain and Midwest markets. Mangrove Estates is one of many BFR communities we are seeing under development within the Sunshine State.”

Neal Communities joins many U.S. builders implementing strategic growth initiatives by targeting standalone BFR communities. The growing popularity in BFR is due to the increasing rental trend among millennials, who desire living in single-family detached homes, and baby boomers, who elect to living a lock-and-leave, maintenance free lifestyle. BFR new home construction significantly reduces maintenance and repairs and allows builders to include upscale amenities like smart home technology, private backyards, interior upgrades, community pools and dog parks, among others.

“Southwest Florida, led by Fort Myers, has witnessed explosive residential growth in recent years for both the for sale and for rent markets,” said Ashley Bloom, managing director of SVN Lotus Commercial Real Estate Advisors.

“With an influx of both retirees and families, the market has developed into one that provides both lifestyle and jobs for its residents,” he said.

Neal Communities has been building and developing in the single-family residential space for over 50 years. Marketing, maintenance, management and ownership of Mangrove Estates will be handled by a third-party company.

Cline stated, “Renting today is not specifically by necessity, as it was in previous decades. Renting now is a rising choice.”

JULY 2020

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 11

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

GUEST COMMENTARY

SWFL businesses are writing their comeback stories After facing the recent challenging months that resulted from COVID-19, Southwest Florida is ready to rebound.

While it is still early, there are clear signs we’re moving in the right direction. Businesses were dealt a sudden blow, but their comeback stories all feature common elements – the ability to listen, learn and adapt.

I recently had an opportunity to share my thoughts with business and community leaders through A lookIni-at RESTART SWFL, FGCU’s Economic Recovery tiative. Like every business, Sunshine Ace has been impacted by the coronavirus, yet our company and team remain strong. Below are six factors that can help businesses continue their recovery in the weeks and months ahead: Stay true to your values A leader’s character is revealed when they find themselves under pressure. Your business is a reflection of your leadership. Will you put profits over people?

Will you cut too deeply, and thus lose key talent or diminish the value and service your customers patronize you for? Leading in times of crisis is difficult. You are trying to balance protecting lives and protecting livelihoods. If you are honest and transparent with your team, they will trust you as you make the difficult decisions. Not only do we need to support other local businesses, but even in hard times, we need to find ways to give back and support those community organizations that provide for the most vulnerable among us. Making ethics a priority and caring for your neighbors has never been more important.

Safety first Employees and customers are hyper-focused on their personal safety, and they will support businesses that do the same. Sunshine Ace requires our team to wear protective face masks. We have also installed sanitizing stations as well as plastic shields around cash registers and service counters, all visible signs that safety is paramount. Many retail stores and restaurants are dedicating extra hours so internal cleaning crews

can have ample time to sanitize and disinfect floors, doors, cash registers, counters and other touchpoints. In addition to our own internal cleaning protocols, Sunshine Ace has hired uniformed, daytime cleaning crews that work during store hours, offering visual reassurance that the shopping and work is clean and sterile. commercialenvironment realtoestate & Listen employeestrends and customers

BY MICHAEL With decreased sales and inWYNN creased tasks, time has never been a more precious commodity.

However, we all have time to slow down and listen. To be relevant in a business environment with rapidly shifting consumer behaviors and demands, we have to be receptive to new ideas and input. Listen to your team. Listen to your customers.

Often the best ideas come from them! What requests are your team saying “no” to? What new services or conveniences are your customers willing to pay for?

Listening to your two most important stakeholders is critical to rapidly reshape your post-COVID offerings and ensure your business’ sustainability.

Adjust strategic plan When 2020 began, we carefully laid out our goals and annual business plan. Insert a global pandemic, though, and many of those goals are no longer relevant. We can’t change the challenges thrust upon us by COVID-19 or an economic recession. However, we can leverage the talent of our team, and be relentless in tackling each and every issue thrown at us through continuous innovation and embracing change. Whether that necessary change involves new products, services, partnerships, suppliers, curbside delivery or cleaning protocols, I have immense confidence in the entrepreneurs of Southwest Florida to make those tough calls and evolve into a stronger company.

For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com Support local Local and independent businesses understand the critical role they play in the local economy. A dollar spent with a local business will see roughly 67 cents stay in the local community. That’s almost 60% more than a dollar spent at a national chain. Local and independent businesses are the lifeblood of our community. topics in Southwest Florida However, while we often make a practice of encouraging our customers to shop local, we also need to be diligent in ensuring our spending is supporting local companies as well. When is the last time you reviewed your business purchases to ensure you were patronizing your fellow independents? That is something our company is sensitive to, whether it’s making sure the meals we are purchasing for our team are directed to local, independent restaurants or verifying that we source from local companies for our day-to-day supplies. If all of us were united in that commitment, we would have a significant impact on our collective economic recovery.

Free resources There is no pandemic playbook or business plan outlining a road map to success. However, our region is blessed with collective expertise. FGCU’s Restart SWFL is offering free resources and webinars, and chambers of commerce also are providing information about government stimulus programs, safety protocols, employee benefits and back-to-business toolkits. Don’t forget your peers as a resource, either. I have personally joined Zoom calls with local business leaders to share best practices and success stories.

Business is coming back in Southwest Florida, and it will be stronger than ever.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

Michael Wynn is president of Sunshine Ace Hardware, a locally owned company with nine locations in Collier, Lee, Charlotte and Pinellas counties, as well as two Crowder Bros. stores in Manatee County. Learn more at www.SunshineAce.com

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Page 12

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

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

Cape Coral grows own success with incentives The City Council of Cape Coral approved an Incentive Agreement with Insite Managed Solutions, a local management consulting firm.

“The Incentive Agreement demonstrates the City’s commitment to retaining and growing companies locally,” shared Ricardo Noguera, economic development manager.

The City’s Economic Development Office has placed a high priority on business retention and expansion, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to retain and grow industry are one of the primary functions of an economic development organization and now more than ever communities across the country need to focus on ways to retain and grow local businesses. The City’s Economic Development Office has placed a high priority on the retention and attraction of key sectors such as medtech, telecommunications, corporate headquarters, professional and back office operations, light industrial uses, medical/healthcare technology, and light manufacturing.

The City’s EDO has been working with Insite Managed Solutions for the past two years as the company has continued to grow and seek more office space. The company was first

For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

highest paying private employers in the city. Additionally, with an annual payroll exceeding $4 million, South Cape restaurants are sure to benefit from the addition of several wellpaid hungry office workers. “The City’s goal is to diversify the base of industry and workers in the South Cape, especially during the day-time to support our many successful restaurants and commercial establishThe City’s EDO has been working with Insite Managed Solutions for the ments”, said Nita Whaley, business past two years as the company has continued to grow and seek more of- recruitment and retention specialist.

The company will soon purchase fice space. The company was first established in the Cape in 2007 and a building and invest approximately has grown steadily over the past 13 years. established in the Cape in 2007 and the CRA approved a 20-year Site $400,000 in renovations. It is exhas grown steadily over the past 13 Specific Tax Increment Fund Rebate pected the workforce will positively years. Key benefits of this company offering a maximum of $200,000 to impact local eateries and hotels. the company which represents less Chris Rozum, founder and CEO, offor the City include: • 70% of their workforce reside in than $10,000 per year. In addition, fered the following as it relates to the the Cape including the Founder/CEO the City will offer a total of $150,000 South Cape and the City in general: • The company employs 57 staff toward the acquisition and renova- “I live in this city and so do the maand has plans to double its workforce tions of the building. Lastly, the City jority of my workforce. It is a priorwill offer a total of $91,500 in Em- ity for us to invest in our community over the next 2-3 years • The average annual salary of ployee Incentives over a three-year and to contribute to the growth of the period if the company hires another South Cape. We are looking forward their workforce is $76,000 The City and Community Rede- 61 employees. This will bring their to establishing a long term home here velopment Agency approved finan- total workforce in the South Cape where our staff can walk to restaucial incentives in order to retain and to 118, representing one of the larg- rants and our Fortune 500 clients can grow this company locally. Recently, est private employers and one of the readily utilize area hotels.” ®

To stay current throughout the business day with COVID-19 business news & resources, go to swfloridabusinesstoday.com/ covid-19-tips-for-business/

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Ave Maria reports record home sales in May Ave Maria Development announced 38 new home sales in May 2020, a record-setting month for the master-planned community since it opened in 2007. Home sales were reported from the four residential builders in Ave Maria— CC Homes, Del Webb Naples, Lennar and Pulte Homes. As of May 31, Ave Maria reports a 35% increase in new home sales over the same period in 2019.

“Ave Maria continues its trajectory of strong new home sales for 2020,” comments Cee Cee Marinelli, director of development for Ave Maria. “We continue to see buyers from several areas including Collier County, South Florida and the Northeast. The desire to live in a self-sustaining hometown with a full spectrum of amenities and conveniences has never been more appealing, and Ave Maria is the top choice for many home shoppers of all ages.”

Currently, builders in Ave Maria are offering both quick move-in and build-to-suit homes in a variety of price ranges from the high $100s to over $500s.

On-site amenities feature open spaces for its homeowners such as water park, soccer and baseball fields, fitness center, amphitheater, dog park, trails, bocce and tennis courts, Town Center with Publix Supermarket, commercial center with Mobil gas station, private schools from preschool through university, and on-site free events throughout the year.

“We are seeing Ave Maria’s hometown feel and community-minded focus attract shoppers and buyers of new homes from all over the country,” said Andrea McLendon, marketing director for Barron Collier Companies,. “Ave Maria is more than just a typical neighborhood, it is a multi-generational community developed by one of Southwest Florida’s premier developers with a focus on open air spaces, outdoor recreation, quality education, successful businesses, and environmental preservation.

We will continue to reach out with our message of ‘A Big Kind of Small Town’ to reach those who desire this fulfilling lifestyle.”

Babcock Ranch surpasses 700 homes sold milestone Kitson & Partners, developers of Babcock Ranch, America’s first solar-powered town located just northeast of Fort Myers on Babcock Ranch Road/ State Road 31, has reported 700 new home contracts through the end of May. Babcock Ranch began marketing new homes in 2017, with the first residents moving into the town in January 2018. Today, Babcock Ranch offers homes from nine homebuilders in seven neighborhoods.

“Now more than ever, homebuyers are attracted to the vision behind Babcock Ranch—a return to a

true hometown lifestyle, where everything you need to stay active, healthy and connected is right within reach,” said Syd Kitson, Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners. “Our trails, parks and open spaces welcome residents to enjoy the outdoors, and distance learning and working from home is seamless with our one gig-per second connection.”

For more information, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call (877) 709-6620, or visit www.BabcockRanch.com.

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JULY 2020

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

TECHNOLOGY

Soon 3-D printers can make ventilators, masks Dr. Dan O’Brien, MD, a medical futurist, recently discussed the future of medicine, including new 3-D printing technology that can actually make ventilators and masks on the spot, with no need to order and wait for shipments.

Q: In the future, how can this new 3-D printing healthcare technology help with COVID-19?

A: Yes, in the future 3-D printing can help manufacturer protective gear, and produce medical equipment including ventilators and masks on the fly.

Q: Would this help with the shortage we are seeing with PPE equipment A: Yes, there is shortage with Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE for short, and this will help speed up the process of manufacturing much needed PPE equipment.

Q: Can nasal swabs be produced in large amounts using 3-D printing?

A: Yes, in the literature it discusses the Army Medical Material Development producing 10,000 nasal swabs each day as this can be used in conjunction with COVID-19 testing kids, which have received FDA clearance for emergency use authorization.

Q: What makes this new innovative healthcare technology 3-D printing such a great solution during this COVID-19 crisis?

A: 3-D printing allows for a fast production and that is what we need during this time as it can take hours not days or weeks to produce. What is driving this demand is supply chains are being overwhelmed with the amount of demand this is creating as this can fill the unmet need that every industry has right now, while also making sure their employees have all the PPE to be able to safely return to society and work.

Dr. Dan O’Brien is a medical expert for ‘the here and now’ but he’s also a Medical Futurist, with specialized knowledge in telemedicine, digital health, robotic technology, gene editing, augmented reality, software technology and A.I. Learn more at DrDanMd.com and follow him at @DrDanMd1

Page 13

New tax deadline approaching on July 15

By Anne Szustek Talbot Guest Columnist

When the IRS announced its new tax deadline, the date seemed like an eternity away. Now, July 15 is less than a month away. It’s time for small businesses to shake off their procrastination and finally knock their 2019 taxes off the to-do list. That is, if keeping balance amid the coronavirus pandemic weren’t enough of a burden.

With local, small businesses opening up bit by bit, it’s understandable that taxes might not be a top priority right now. But getting that bit of annual paperwork done need not be a huge burden, says Adnan Akhand, CPA and partner, accounting services at BX3, a firm that helps startups and small businesses get situated with sources of capital and business advisory services.

Along these lines, here are some of Adnan’s tips for local businesses for this tax season and beyond: • Small businesses tend to have assets that are used for both business and personal purposes. These assets, such as vehicles, equipment, utilities, etc. need to be allocated based on their usage for each.

• Small businesses tend to overlook the mileage deduction allowed for business travel. The IRS sets the mileage deduction rate every year; for 2019 it’s 58 cents.

• Additionally, tolls and parking related to business trips are also allowed. The commute from home to the office is not deductible, however.

• For the most part, 2019 taxes will be very similar to 2018, though next year’s filing season (e.g.

2020) is going to require a bit of footwork.

• Plan now for next year: Because of the unprecedented programs the government offered to help businesses struggling due to COVID-19, there are several items that could lead to confusion in 2021.

The best way to prepare for 2020 taxes is to keep all of your loan and grant documentation organized now.

• While nobody enjoys paying taxes, just remember that paying taxes means you are fortunate enough to be turning a profit while being your own boss!

Anne Szustek Talbot is the content manager at BX3.

Contact her at anne@bx3.io.

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Page 14

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

DISASTER SERVICES

Important to keep communications flowing during a disaster Disasters often strike unexpectedly, much like the COVID-19 pandemic that came out of nowhere and spread quickly like a wildfire across the globe. Can your business ever truly be prepared for disasters such as these when they strike?

Any business should be proactive, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Having a solid crisis communication plan in place is the only way to be prepared for the unexpected. It serves as a guideline that outlines the necessary steps to take when an emergency occurs as well as how to communicate effectively with all stakeholders such as the public, media, investors, vendors, social media audience, clients and staff.

Start with assigning a spokesperson to speak on your company’s behalf to avoid mixed messaging that can become confusing and contradictory. Often the primary spokesperson is the company CEO and good second is the company communications director. It’s important that the individual is a good communicator who knows the business

MOORE PAGE 1

and the details of the pending disaster well. This person will respond to media questions, address public concern and inform internal stakeholders about the situation and ideally the solutions that are being implemented. A good spokesperson will be authentic, honest, well-spoken and maintain a professional appearance.

Key messaging that has been written and approved ahead of time should be part of your crisis communication toolkit to make sure it is on

BY CONNIE RAMOS-WILLIAMS brand and ready when the unexpected happens. Messaging may include preGuest Columnist pared quotes from the company CEO and press releases. Tools and tactics to deliver the key messaging should also be outlined in the plan as well as identification of key employees or a marketing agency that will For more business news, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

In a folder set up in my email that I NEVER SET UP NOR USE and I just happened to “stumble” upon it. This entire “email conversation” takes place from 2/12-2/18 (a time when I was NOT in communication with my sales contact there). You can actually tell the difference between the real and “fake” conversations because we normally would write conversationally. The “fake” conversations were written in short sentences and phrases focused on the money, contained a typo or two (while our “regular” emails did not contain ANY typos,) AND they even appeared in a slightly different font than “normal” in a few (but not all) of the emails. In other words—they even matched font style and color!

There were also 30 unrelated emails in this same email folder, which shows that the scammers had done some “testing” over time—probably to see if I’d “notice”; they somehow communicated with my sales contact at my financial institution client from this folder (perhaps they even set up the folder). They were then able to isolate the fake “conversation” with my sales contact at my financial institution client about money and direct deposits, from my “normal” email conversations/folders.

Conclusion These very clever scammers were after money. I think the people who illegally used my Microsoft Outlook account (discussed in my story last month) also set up the bogus direct deposit arrangement. The timing was just too perfect. Hopefully my financial institution client can get that deposit back—luckily, it was only for a few hundred dollars vs. the schedule payments for thousands of dollars that I had received by check.

I told a colleague who is a local IT professional my story and the response was, “Let me tell you what happened to a client of mine, without giving you their name.” This local company lost MILLIONS of dollars. I asked, “Did they go out of business?” My colleague replied, fortunately, not this client. The point is, however, that 1) these kinds of scams CAN happen to you and me, 2) they DO happen to Southwest Florida companies and 3) they CAN cause companies to go out of business. This is very serious stuff.

So, what did I learn? First, NEVER share ANY confidential information with ANYONE via email (since they can find you anyway, this only MAKES IT EASIER for

be on retainer to work efficiently and effectively to ensure optimal messaging, distribution and response. Once messaging is distributed across all platforms, reactive communication should be activated. Social media channels and other platforms should be monitored and comments responded to in real-time.

Crises can vary. They may come in the form of an unhappy customer making noise, a disgruntled employee, fake news, rumors, hurricane or pandemic. Regardless of the disaster, if we learned anything from this pandemic, it’s to be prepared for the unexpected. Walk away from COVID-19 wiser and stronger. Walk away with your company crisis communication plan in hand.

Connie Ramos-Williams is the Chief Marketing Officer and President of CONRIC PR & Marketing, an industry leader in branding, public relations, digital marketing, advertising and website development. Contact her at (239) 690-9840, ext. 1001 or info@conricpr.com. scammers,) and that includes, but is not limited to, credit card information, banking information, Employer Identification Numbers and Social Security numbers.

Second, up to this point, I have been emailing W-9 forms when requested to businesses with whom I’m doing business. I won’t be emailing those anymore—that’s how these scammers got my signature. The W-9 form also contains your EIN/TIN information, so you don’t want to be emailing that information either.

Third, make sure you (or someone you trust) checks your banking account activities every day. Unauthorized withdrawals start gradually and over time, in small amounts.

Fourth, I learned firsthand how people can access your email account and simply “watch” your activity, learning how to “impersonate” you and your email communications. That is so terrifying, not to mention dangerous. So stay vigilant about new or “strange” email subfolders that may seem to suddenly appear in your email folder.

Finally and most importantly, we all need to be vigilant and persistent—all the time. While this situation took me several painstaking hours to resolve, with long waits, many transfers and lengthy hold times--it was well worth it because I was able to put a stop to the insidious threat of scammers—for now.

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Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

Page 15

TECHNOLOGY

How to minimize your risk of getting ransomware

By Mona Hilton Guest Columnist

In the last six months, we know of multiple local organizations that have fallen victim to ransomware and paid from $63,000 to $6 million dollars to get their data back.

It doesn’t make for good PR, so most quietly pay the ransom and hope and pray that they get their data restored that they paid for.

That’s probably not what you want your company story to be, so read on.

There are two main ways the “bad guys” hack into your network and lock down your data: • They access it through open security holes in your network – such as insecure RDP connections that are open to the public.

• They trick a user on your network into clicking

FGCU PAGE 1 Along with the pledge, FGCU will launch a series of free web-based discussions led by experts from Lutgert and Marieb, as well as community leaders. These will assist businesses in complying with new standards in hygiene and best practices for business.

The goal is to assure customers that establishments have sound systems in place to ensure their well-being and are providing fair value and service.

“If business owners take two of these classes and take the pledge, they will earn this seal,” Westley said.

While the primary goal of the RESTART SWFL initiative is restoring consumer confidence, the efforts are broader. The initiative soft-launched in March with the creation of the Coronavirus Economic Impact Survey.

These ongoing surveys of nearly 1,000 Southwest Florida business executives help FGCU see how the region is recovering over time, trends in consumer demand and the workforce, and business concerns moving forward.

Additionally, RESTART SWFL features an expanded FGCU Small Business Development Center. At least two-fifths of businesses forced to close because of a disaster never reopen, according to Federal Emergency

CENSUS PAGE 1 (844) 330-2020. Residents also may participate by mail. Once a response is received, no in-person visit from a Census worker is needed.

So far, approximately 54% of the

a link, downloading a malicious file, or providing their network credentials into your network. They can be very convincing – so don’t judge!

What should you do?

You need to first make sure that your network is secure and there are no “back doors” that the bad guys can use to get in. Remember, they are professional hackers, so you need professional IT security experts who know their ways.

You also need to educate, reeducate and remind your employees regularly of what to watch for and what not to click on. The “bad guys” are very skilled at deceit so you have to be wise to their latest tricks.

How to protect your company data.

With one our IT Security Assessments, an engineer will go through your network to identify and correct any security holes and close any “back doors.” They will advise you on any other vulner-

Management Agency. To help businesses regain their footing and thrive, the SBDC offers a range of services that include recovery plan assistance, cybersecurity training, risk assessment and other invaluable tools at little to no cost. The SBDC recently added staff members in anticipation of greater need.

“Our two colleges have partnered to double down on our strength—education—which benefits the public we serve,” said Cary. “We know that businesses are more likely to open safely by instituting health measures that can protect customers and employees. And with the efforts Dean Westley has outlined, we believe this is just one small part we can play to educate the public on these important issues, support business owners, grow consumer confidence and RESTART SWFL.” Like Cary, Westley is looking toward the future with hope.

“Over the last two months, we’ve watched as society changed, drastically,” Westley said. “I speak for everyone at FGCU when I say we look forward to mobilizing our expertise and resources, along with those of our local partners, to help businesses respond to the impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods. Things will get better, and we’re here to help this process along.”

Lee County population has responded, lagging behind both the national rate of 59% and the Florida rate of 57%.

Important quality-of-life necessities—emergency response, public safety, healthcare, schools, roads and public transit, housing and parks—require an accurate population count.

abilities and help you determine a communications plan with your employees.

A smart, preemptive decision could save you days of downtime and incredibly expensive ransomware (in bitcoins) to the “bad guys”.

What should you do?

If you get an urgent email, don’t react!

Hover over the address of the sender to see if the URL is unfamiliar. Hover over the click-through URL to see if that address matches the supposed company.

Don’t provide your information to anyone, under any circumstances, until you verify their identity in several ways.

Mona Hilton is founder and CEO of Genesis Global Technologies. Contact her at (239) 337-2667 or mona@GenesisGT.com.

FUTURE PAGE 1 small business owners and leaders, launched to elevate the voices of small business in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

A recent poll of Black and Latino business owners found just 12% of the owners who applied for aid from the Small Business Administration reported receiving what they had asked for and nearly half say they will be permanently out of business by the end of the year.

“Many small business owners feel abandoned,” said Shaundell Newsome, co-chair of Small Business for America’s Future, owner of small business Sumnu Marketing

and Chairman of the Board for the Urban Chamber of Commerce Las Vegas. “The Trump Administration’s confused, lackluster response to the fallout from COVID-19 has led to an overwhelming level of mistrust in our government leaders. That has been exacerbated by how minority business owners were left behind by the government’s response during a time when racial economic inequality is a huge concern.”

Small businesses created nearly two-thirds of new jobs following the Great Recession. The chairman of the Federal Reserve recently acknowledged small businesses as the “principal source of job creation— something we will sorely need as people seek to return to work.”

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Page 16

Southwest Florida BUSINESS TODAY ®

JULY 2020

WE MAKE BANKING ABOUT YOU!

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Lending Team – From left back row: Geoffrey Roepstorff, CEO CEO;; John Ammons, Vice President, Cleveland Avenue Office Manager; Liz Aurensan, Vice President, Lending; Robbie Roepstorff, President. From left middle row: Darrin Grotrian, Asst. Vice President, Lending, Sanibel-Captiva Asst. Office Manager; Kim Nyberg, Vice President, Professional & Executive Banking; Greg Blurton, Vice President, Sr. Commercial Loan Officer.

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