FOCUS ON: BUSINESS SERVICES
We’re All Business
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA’S BUSINESS VOICE • 239-573-9732
IN THE NEWS
Charlotte commissioners earn recognitions
The Florida Association of Counties presented Charlotte County Commission Chairman Bill Truex and Commissioner Chris Constance with the Presidential Advocacy Award during the 2016 FAC Annual Conference & Exposition in Orange County. “It is an honor to receive this award and be part of such an outstanding group of local legislators and advocates,” said Constance, the organization’s incoming presidentelect. “Our team comprises some of the most compassionate hearts and capable minds working on behalf of Florida’s citizens.”
Distributed in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs and Naples
TAKE ONE
FOLLOW SOUTHWEST FLORIDA BUSINESS TODAY ON:
Officials OK pilot program
Michigan university to offer aviation, health degree classes in Charlotte Co.
Western Michigan University has cleared the gate to offer aviation and other high-profile academic programs in Charlotte and Hillsborough counties. Florida’s Commission for Independent Education approved a provisional license for the Kalamazoo, Michiganbased university to operate a Florida campus at 26300 Airport Road in Punta Gorda. A second provisional license will allow WMU to operate a campus at 9445 Camden Field Parkway in Riverview. The Riverview location is home to WMU Cooley Law School. The license allows WMU, Charlotte County, the Punta Gorda Airport and Florida SouthWestern University to launch pilot training and aviation maintenance technology
“
The more we looked at this area, the more we became aware of the kind of synergy that will make this a strong and long-lasting partnership. – John M. Dunn, WMU President
“
Vol. 9 No. 10 / AUGUST 2016 www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com
programs -- each leading to a bachelor’s degree. Discussions on that initiative have been underway since 2014. WMU See page 3
FORT MYERS MAKING TRASH A BIT MORE BEAUTIFUL
COUNTY See page 9
Oakbrook Properties buys limestone mine
Oakbrook Properties Inc., a local owner and developer of residential and commercial real estate, has bought the 1,268-acre Bonita Grande mine property in Bonita Springs. The sale closed July 1. The terms were not disclosed. The property, which has operated as an active limestone mine since the late 1980s, was annexed into the city of Bonita Springs in 2003. More than 370 acres are protected under a permanent conservation easement, with another 400-plus acres in large freshwater lakes from the mining operations. MINE See page 9
Chocolate maker wins awards in world contest
Austria-based chocolate maker Zotter, with a store and warehouse in Cape Coral, won 15 awards from the Academy of Chocolate in London. Zotter submitted 17 chocolates in various categories, including highpercentage dark chocolate to chocolates with fillings. The company won two gold awards, eight silver awards and five bronze. The company’s chocolates are 100 percent organic and fair trade. Zotter winners include Redcurrant Chilli Rock, Lemon Curd + Orange Lord, Bacon Bits, Carmelized Nuts, Labooko Raspberry, Labooko Coffee, and Zotter-Biofekt CurrantLavender Pot. The local shop is at 1020 NE Pine Island Road, #302, Cape Coral. For information, www.zotterusa.com. Reprinted with permission of the City of Cape Coral.
The editors of Fleet Magazine awarded the editor’s choice award to the City of Fort Myers’ Solid Waste Division for its graphics in its 2016 Vehicle Graphics Awards.
City’s refuse trucks win design award The editors of Fleet Magazine said the City of Fort Myers knows how to make trash beautiful. It awarded the editor’s choice award to the city’s Solid Waste Division for its striking graphics in its 2016 Vehicle Graphics Awards. Designer Pearl Brands worked with graphics supplier Signarama, both Fort Myers businesses, for the design on 15 compressed natural gas refuse trucks. The editors, in announcing the decision in June, called the design “stun-
Pearl Brands and Signarama worked on the design for the trucks. ning in every sense of the word.” “The city has adopted a graphic s campaign that ties preservation and
We’re All Business
V I S I T O U R U P D AT E D W E B S I T E !
sustainability together in a vivid reminder of why area residents choose to live in Fort Myers in the first place,” the editors wrote. The designs incorporate a Mason jar on its side and include a sea turtle swimming inside, a bird, palm tree or a nature trail. “You will see how Fort Myers stepped out with this new technology for their trucks and how they stuck with local business companies,” said Jeff Bayer of Signarama.
Follow us on
w w w. s w f l o r i d a b u s i n e s s t o d a y. c o m