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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA’S B2B MARKETPLACE • 239-573-9732 Vol. 12 No. 9 / JULY 2019 www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com
Distributed in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples
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DeSantis, Fried commit to FL Citrus Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Jacob Ogles, Editor
Focus on Technology
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Gov. Ron DeSantis and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried each addressed the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Estero. There, the leaders promised bipartisan defense of Florida agriculture against unfair trade practices. “Obviously, it’s an important industry for the state and we want to do everything we can to support it,” DeSantis said. The governor took the stage at
the event and promised to fight against any federal decision that could open Florida ports to fruit imports from South Africa and Brazil. He said now isn’t the right time to risk allowing new pests and outside diseases onto U.S. shores. Fried agreed. She said ports have lobbied her office on allowing imports from below the 32nd parallel, but she said those officials could only promise 95 percent of the product coming into shores would be safe. “It’s that 5 percent that destroys my agriculture industry,” she said.
CHRYSALIS AWARDS
Special to SWFBT Submitted By: Karen P. Moore, Publisher
A comprehensive 8-page pullout section that is a quarterly Southwest Florida Commercial Real Estate market overview.
executive director. The Chrysalis Awards ere part of the Celebration of Business & Tourism Awards Luncheon and Trade Show held this year at The Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa with IBERIABANK as the presenting sponsor. The event highlighted the successful collaboration between tourism and the community to maintain and enhance tourism as the major economic engine for Lee County. The nominees for Chrysalis Awards were judged on innovation in their respective category. The judges also focused on how the nominees distinguished themselves in the community, the results of their efforts to promote the destination and their contributions to business and tourism partnerships for the overall benefit of the county. Kyle Cebull, owner of Millennial
According to Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts: “A vibrant arts and culture industry helps local businesses thrive and helps local communities become stronger and healthier places to live. Leaders who care about community and economic vitality can feel good about choosing to invest in the arts. Nationally as well as locally, the arts mean business.” To that end, Amy Schlehr, executive director for the Naples Art Association, recently shared, “In Collier County in 2017, according to the national ‘Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 Report,’ total industry expenditures for the arts in Collier County in 2017 were $107,686,848 in comparison to the $88,273,065 spent in the median of similar study regions in the country.” Also worth noting is the finding that 61.7 percent of non-residents who attend arts and cultural events indicate the primary purpose of their visit to Collier County is to “specifically attend an arts/cultural event.” Moreover, 43.2 percent of Collier County residents said they would have “traveled to a different community to attend a similar cultural event.” In other words, because Collier County offers culturally diverse events, the money that was spent on the arts stayed in Collier County and did not move out of the county, thereby fueling the local economic engine. According to Schlehr, there are over 60 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in Collier County,
AWARD See page 18
ARTS See page 6
IN THE NEWS
Finalists named for GrowFL Companies To Watch
GROWFL See page 19
International Caterers elect Tastebuds owner
Greg Shapiro, owner and executive chef of Tastebuds Custom Catering in Naples, was recently elected to the International Caterers Association 2019 Board of Directors. The Baltimore-based ICA serves as a resource for professional caterers, providing education, collaboration and inspiration to more than 1,500 members worldwide. The association is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the profession of catering to clients, industry members, vendors and the public. ICA produces publications, seminars, workshops and TASTEBUDS See page 6
SEASON, SELECT
& VOUCHER MEMBERSHIPS
CITRUS See page 6
Collier County: the Arts ARE business
Commercial Real Estate
GrowFL, Florida’s leading organization in support of second-stage growth companies, announced the first round of the 2019 Florida Companies to Watch finalists. The awards event - now in its ninth year - honors 50 select secondstage companies from throughout the state for developing valuable products and services, creating quality jobs, enriching communities and broadening new industries
“We’re going to say no to this, thank you. Take your imports elsewhere.” Notably, DeSantis serves as the top elected Republican in Florida and Fried as the top Democrat. State Sen. Ben Albritton, RWauchula, noted there’s tremendous anxiety in Florida citrus thanks to the ongoing impacts of citrus greening. That fruit disease has severely hampered fruit production in recent years. “It’s here in Florida because
Photo by Christine Brady Bryan Blackwell, Chairman, Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, opens the ceremony for the 10th Annual Chrysalis Awards.
Lee business leaders honored Five local businesses and one local leader were recognized for their efforts at the 10th Annual Chrysalis Awards, presented by the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau and the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The 2019 Chrysalis categories and honorees included: • Cultural Achievement: IMAG History & Science Center • Business Development: Norman Love Confections • Eco-Innovation: Pure Florida • Education: Fort Myers Technical College • Sales & Marketing: Millennial Brewing Company • Business Tourism Leader: Jim Larkin of Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops “Their passion and creativity has a direct impact on the citizens of Lee County and they deserve to be celebrated,” said Tamara Pigott, VCB
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