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From The Publisher
C o m m e n t s o r qu e s t i o n s ?
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shared a portion of this story
in the last month’s issue, but for those of you who missed it, I would like to share it again. Several years ago we came up with an idea to feature the businessmen and businesswomen of Lake and Sumter counties. It seemed fitting because Style magazine is all about the people, places, and events that make this community an incredible place to work, play, and grow. Well, we found ourselves in a pickle when we began discussing which businessperson should be featured on the cover. Our dilemma? How could we choose just one person? Each man was interesting, successful, and deserving of being on the cover, but there was simply no way to select one over the other. Then, one day, we had a light bulb moment and decided to do a reverse drawing for the cover. That way we wouldn’t be choosing; fate would be making the selection for us. Each man or woman who participated in our special section would have their name entered into the drawing. The winner would be last man/woman standing. Beginning then, we held elaborate parties for the businesswoman featured in our May issue and the businessman featured in our June issue. These events continue to get bigger and better! This year we were able to host both events in our new banquet hall at the Opera House in Leesburg. Both events were no doubt a success. In fact, I hope you were able to attend one or both of them. If not, be sure to do so next year. Now back to the cover. As you can see, our very lucky cover winner is Joe Ciceri, owner of Electrical Works of Florida. Joe and I go way back, as I remember him as the shy, withdrawn little boy who sat behind me in our World Government class at Leesburg High School. I was always the loud kid in front of him, and he would occasionally smile at or laugh at my obnoxiousness. A lot has changed since then. Joe and his wife Sabrina have become great friends of mine, and I have seen first-hand what an awesome person Joe has grown up to be. Although he still laughs at my obnoxiousness, he is no longer the shy boy in the corner. He is a fantastic businessman. Joe works tirelessly to provide a great environment for his employees and a great life for his wife and his family. He is a wonderful friend and a man of his word. I am so excited to see someone of such amazing character grace the cover of this magazine. He truly represents our area’s businessmen with STYLE! Sincerely,
Kendra Akers
16
lakeandsumter
.com
