March 2023 Southwest Florida Business Today

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MARKET

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

Lee Health pursues public-private conversion

Special to SWFBT

Submitted by Jacob Ogles, Editor

Could Lee Health convert from a public hospital to a non-profit organization? Officials for the region’s largest hospital system are seeking support from the Legislature on establishing a way to do so.

Organizations to Watch

The House Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee in February advanced

House Bill 227, legislation that would establish a process for Lee Health to begin negotiations with Lee County and becoming a public-private partnership.

“We’re simply giving a doorway to a special district to become a publicprivate entity,” said state Rep. Adam Botana, R-Bonita Springs.

Michael Nachef, vice president of government relations for Lee Health, said such a change should not significantly impact patients. “We would keep

an enforceable commitment to treat patients,” he said.

But the change would streamline purchases of real estate subject to mortgages, and it would eliminate audit requirements with the Lee County Clerk’s Office.

The bill would create a process but still leave discussion to the hospital and existing local government on next steps.

Industry Awards recognize area’s top businesses

CRE Construction & Development

SPECIAL THIS ISSUE

A collection of information to help you navigate Southwest Florida’s CRE, Building and Development marketplace.

What is Fort Myers Beach’s future?

Special to SWFBT

Submitted by Karen P. Moore, Publisher Fort Myers Beach Margaritaville Resort developers Tom Torgerson and John Dammermann, of TPI Hospitality, recently shared their thoughts on the future of Fort Myers Beach.

Together, Dammermann and Torgerson oversee the management of TPI Hospitality’s nationwide portfolio of industry leading brands such as Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Margaritaville Resorts. Dammermann has been an investment partner with TPI Hospitality for the last 14 years and currently owns the company.

IN THE NEWS

Southwest Florida reports jobs in region at an all-time high

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Southwest Florid’s economic recovery is strong as the Fort Myers area reports jobs at an all-time high. Employers in the Fort Myers area are reporting a total of 300,100 jobs, more than at any point prior to Hurricane Ian’s landfall.

The Fort Myers area has also added 2,600 jobs since Hurricane Ian’s

CIAL REAL ESTATE look at commercial real estate trends & topics in

The Horizon Council, Horizon Foundation and Lee County Economic Development Office announced the winners of the 2022 Industry Appreciation Awards.

Held Feb. 10 at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers, the awards program celebrates Lee County businesses that drive the local economy, employ our workforce and shape their industries.

Following a rigorous evaluation process, 17 companies were selected as finalists across six awards categories.

Winners were announced in the following categories:

Torgerson, an industry veteran, began his tenure with TPI Hospitality in 1979 and has risen through the ranks over the past several decades. Under Torgerson’s leadership, TPI Hospitality grew its portfolio to over thirty-eight properties. In 2015, while Torgerson transitioned out of an ownership role, he continues as Chairman of the Board and President.

Dammermann shared an update on the resort’s construction. “This project has been going on a really long time. We actually put the first parcels under contract eight years ago this month. It certainly has tested our perseverance

FUTURE See page 13

landfall in October 2022.

The Fort Myers area, one of the most impacted areas by Hurricane Ian, saw an increase in its unemployment rate, up 0.2 percentage point over the year to 2.9% in December 2022. The Naples area, also heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian, saw a 0.1 percentage point decrease in its unemployment rate over the year to 2.2% in December 2022.

JOBS See page 5

Southwest

• Minaya Learning Global Solutions was awarded the Inclusion & Diversity Award. The company’s strategic learning architects are committed to developing its clients’ number one resource – people. Diversity and inclusion has always been at the heart of this minorityowned and woman-owned business. In addition to a diverse team of six employees in Fort Myers, Minaya has more than 100 diverse contractors working globally, all of whom assist clients with their diversity initiatives.

• Vectra Digital received the Technology Award. The company, AWARDS See page 15

IMPORTANT BUSINESS NOTES

 Moore About Business

Kick off your business week with “Moore About Business”! Tune in to SWFL PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, WGCU radio at 90.1 FM, during Morning Edition and All Things Considered to hear SWFBT founder, owner and publisher Karen P. Moore share information and insights for and about our local business community. Listen to past segments at https://news.wgcu.org/tags/ moore-about-business

 Hurricane Ian SBA Loans Available to SWFL Businesses

Business owners have until June 29, to submit a SBA application for an economic injury disaster loan to help with financial recovery from Hurricane Ian. Call (800) 659-2955 or go to sba.gov/disaster.

 SWFBT News Updates

To get current business news throughout the business day, visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com.

Photos by Thomas James/WGCU

Construction crews top off the Fort Myers Beach Margaritaville Resort. TPI Hospitality hopes for an opening later this year.

Cheers to 20

Twentyyears goes by quickly when you love what you do, the people working alongside you and the community you serve. We’re celebrating two decades of delivering smart banking and lending solutions to our customers, taking care of our SanCap Bank family and supporting the community who has been so good to us.

SanCap Bank started as a small island bank chartered on Sanibel and has grown to eight locations throughout Lee County with over 100 employees. Although we’re a little bigger these days, we’re still that small island bank at heart. We pledge to remain locally owned and operated with the unwavering commitment to our customers, team members and community we’ve had since the day we opened.

You can bank on it.

Chamber resources help Southwest Florida businesses thrive

In a world of rapid change and population growth, connecting, empowering and uniting businesses and professionals around common goals matters more than ever.

For over 30 years, the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce has been a dedicated partner that understands our community and champions the businesses that call it home. With over 700 professional and business members throughout Southwest Florida, we welcomed 25 new members in January alone. Representing businesses of all sizes and across every industry, our organization is poised for continued growth.

The chambers of yesteryear have generally been viewed as socializing bodies where businesspeople come together to network. Today’s chamber is so much more. Meaningful, educational community- and business-focused programs are

HEALTH PAGE 1

Before such talks can begin, though, the bill needs to make it past Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk. Lee Health last year supported a bill that would have set up a similar process but opened to it to any public hospitals in Florida. DeSantis vetoed the legislation, calling it too broad.

“Florida’s public hospitals serve our medically indigent and support the state share of our low-income pool,” the Governor wrote in a veto message. “Under these circumstances each policy change to the governance structure of our independent hospital districts should be reviewed on a district-by-district basis.”

This year, proponents of the bill will pursue a different posture for the bill. The legislation this year is limited to impacting only Lee Health. It also was first passed as a local bill by the Lee County Legislative Delegation. That sends it on a slightly different course through the Legislature, though it still ultimately must pass muster with DeSantis.

Nachef said the procedures proposed aren’t radical. The process was modeled off methodology that existed in statutes for decades. Tampa General Hospital was the last Florida system to go through the conversion, becoming a private not-for-profit corporation in 1997. Future legislative changes eliminated that path years ago, but Nachef sees reason to allow Lee Health to go down that road.

State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, said a lot of thought and study has gone into the bill, making her hopeful it becomes law. She chairs the Lee County Legislative Delegation, which unanimously backs the bill.

“It’s something that the local system has been working on with the delegation for years,” she said.

the cornerstone of what we do, bringing to light the relevant, timely issues that are impacting the business community.

When you leave one of our sold-out programs, you leave with knowledge and resources that can be used for your career, business or community.

problem solvers. We want to listen to our members and deliver solutions to the problems that are keeping them from reaching their fullest potential. We want to serve as a catalyst for economic growth in our local community.

In fact, we recently refreshed the Chamber’s mission statement to better reflect these goals and strategic vision for the Chamber.

The Chamber remains focused on the growth and strength of our business community, providing the resources, relationships and solutions that will help businesses thrive for years to come.

BY BRIAN HAMMAN Guest Columnist

Recent events have covered topics including tourism marketing after Hurricane Ian and spring training economic trends, while our upcoming March 15 program provides valuable insights into leadership strategy.

The Greater Fort Myers Chamber wants to be

Brian Hamman is the president and CEO of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, a business organization that provides solutions and serves as a catalyst for growing the economy. Call (239)332-2930.

Family Initiative fights for school choice

Family Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and families with autism, recently participated in the introduction of Florida House Bill 1, which would provide access to education savings accounts and expand eligibility to children with unique abilities.

Filed by House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee Chair Kaylee Tuck, R–Lake Placid, and endorsed by Republican Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, HB 1 increases access to innovative educational resources, allowing parents of students with disabilities to customize their child’s education.

In addition to a variety of public options, Florida offers scholarship programs for students with disabilities to attend private schools. These programs currently include the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students attending private school and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for students with disabilities. HB 1 would eliminate eligibility requirements and expand opportunities to all eligible students, although families below

www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

PUBLISHER

Karen P. Moore

PRINT EDITOR & ASSOCIATE WEB EDITOR

Jacob Ogles

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jennifer Ogles

PHOTO REVIEWER

Scott Toner

PRINT AD DESIGNER

Jennifer Ogles

DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER & EDITOR

Michelle L. Hudson

WEBSITE ASSISTANT

Elyssa Morataya

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 2023 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

OUR MISSION

Southwest Florida Business Today® is to provide the best business-to-business marketplace where business executives operating in Southwest Florida buy and sell goods and services via the exchange of news, advertising and information.

the federal poverty level would maintain priority status for receiving the scholarships.

“As an organization that advocates in the best interest of students and families with autism spectrum disorder, Family Initiative supports HB 1 as a win-win as it greatly increases the number of students with disabilities served

Human resources from the heart

...is what keeps you and

by these programs, helps eliminate the current waitlist and empowers parents with more options for their child,” said David Brown, Family Initiative president and co-founder. “I cannot emphasize how important this legislation is to providing families a choice to assess and decide which educational option is best for their child.”

If you have a start-up or a business with one or more employees, you need HR by Karen, a human resources consulting company in Southwest and one to watch in 2023. Karen Shepherd, owner of HR by Karen, outsources expert human resources services to help businesses save money, stay out of trouble and in compliance with state and federal applicable laws and regulations.

BY KAREN SHEPHERD Guest Columnist

Shepherd feels no business, large or small, should be without HR services. Her approach to human resources is to remember “human” is first and foremost, and being the “resource” for businesses and the community follows closely behind. When a business leads with compassion, empathy and heart, it will create a foundation for a happy, engaged and high-performing culture.

HR by Karen has the solutions to fit your business needs, serving as an organization’s partner and an employee’s advocate. Have HR or employee issues that keep you up at night? HR by Karen provides onsite, remote or interim services, such as HR Consulting to reduce the risk of non-compliance; recruitment to increase a business retention rate with quality hiring practices; employee handbooks to help defend your business from employee lawsuits; and training and presentations to achieve business growth with leadership development and inspiration.

Be “In the Know” with HR by Karen on the last Thursday of each month for a free virtual one-hour HR Seminar at 8 a.m.. Register for the upcoming March 30 event on Mental Health in the Workplace at hrbykaren.com. Also, be on the lookout for Karen’s forthcoming book, Do This, Not That, a Heart Approach to Human Resources.

You can’t spell HeaRt without HR.

Contact Karen Shepherd at (239) 7765919 or Karen@HRbyKaren.com.

Florida Realtors hosts scholarship program

Florida Realtors Education Foundation announced the application deadline for this year’s Student Scholarship Program is March 9 at noon. Since it the program began 13 years ago, Florida Realtors has awarded a total of $2,246,200 in scholarship funding, which has helped 1,593 students go to a college or university.

This student scholarship program is open and available to students whose parents are Realtors or licensed real estate practitioners, or whose parents are employed by any local Realtor board/ association or by Florida Realtors, as well as any Florida student currently enrolled at a school (including homeschooled students or those attending a charter school.) It is based on an online application form.

Scholarships start at $1,000; the number of scholarships and dollar amounts awarded may vary each year.

Family Initiative families and leaders gather in the Florida Capitol.

Job insights for early 2023

To provide accurate and timely employment forecasts for business leaders, Express Employment Professionals International Headquarters commissions an ongoing Job Insights survey to track employment and hiring trends across a wide range of industries.

Hiring growth hopeful

U.S. hiring decision-makers remain optimistic about the future of the workforce, with the most common feelings attributed to hiring in 2023 being positive (75%) – including optimism (43%), hopefulness (38%), and confidence (36%). According to hiring decision-makers, in the first half of 2023: 60% plan to increase the number of employees at their company; 31% expect no change to the number of employees/that it will stay the same; and 7% anticipate a decrease in employee count.

Qualified candidates and increased turnover

Companies are facing the challenge of finding applicants, let alone those with the appropriate skills. However, with positions remaining unfilled and turnover increasing, a heavy burden is being placed on employees who are left. As a result, companies must find ways to alleviate burnout for those who remain.

Despite the positive outlook of U.S. hiring decision-makers regarding the future of hiring, 91% expect to face challenges, including: finding qualified candidates (52%); increased competition in the job market (31%); available talent pool not matching the company’s needs (27%); difficulty assessing candidates’ skills during the hiring process (22%); pay not being competitive (21%); and reaching diverse candidates (20%).

While there may be challenges for hiring in the future, 45% of decision-makers say they currently have open positions they can’t fill, commonly due to a lack of applicants. Those who have open positions still unfilled say it is due to a lack of applicants who possess these qualifications: relevant experience (47%); hard skills (46%); applicants in general (40%); or soft skills (31%)

Another challenge companies face is turnover. More than a third of U.S. hiring decisionmakers (35%) predict employee turnover at their company will increase this year—a proportion not seen since the spring of 2020 (34%).

Flexible hours in high demand

Helping businesses navigate web design

The Fort Myers area private sector employment grew by 11,400 jobs over the year, an increase of 4.6%. The Fort Myers area also had the fastest over-the-year job growth rate among all metro areas in two major industries in December 2022, education and health services (+12.5%) and financial activities (+9.6%). The Naples area private sector employment increased by 3,500 jobs over the year, an increase of 2.4%.

Southwest Florida’s area labor force increased by 19,552 over the year in December 2022. The Fort Myers area labor force grew by 15,810 over the year in December 2022, a 4.4% increase, and the Naples area labor force increased by 3,742 over the year, a 2% increase.

The Fort Myers area industries gaining the most

BY SUSAN KUHAR Guest Columnist

Flexibility in the work environment appears important to American jobseekers. When given the option of working an eight-hour day with a flexible start time, traditional nine-tofive or a compressed schedule such as four 10-hour days, jobseekers most commonly pick an eighthour day with a flexible start time (40%), while nearly 1 in 5 job seekers (18%) would most prefer a compressed schedule.

More than 9 in 10 U.S. hiring decision-makers (94%) with non-traditional work schedules report employees at their company are productive, with nearly half (48%) saying they are very productive. And, if given the ability to design their own schedules, hiring decision-makers feel employees would have the same level of productivity (53%) or even be more productive (35%).

Still, there appears to be some hesitation in companies offering this amount of flexibility.

Three quarters of U.S. hiring decision-makers (75%) have concerns in offering flexible work hours – including: decreased productivity (30%); increased distractions (29%); delayed communications (28%); and inability of employees to collaborate (28%)

Susan Kuhar, Director of Business Development, Express Employment Professionals Naples/Bonita Springs area, has been with the company for 8 years. She has been an employment placement professional for more than 15 years. Contact her at susan.kuhar@expresspros.com or (239) 498-5000.

jobs over the year were education and health services (+4,200 jobs); and construction increasing by 2,300 jobs. The Naples area industries gaining the most jobs over the year were construction, increasing by 1,600 jobs; and education and health services, increasing by 1,400 jobs.

December 2022 marked the second month in 2022 that Florida reached a 2.5% unemployment rate, a historic low last reached in 2006. Florida’s private sector employment increased by 425,800 jobs over the year in December 2022 (+5.3%), two full percentage points faster than the national over-the-year growth rate of 3.3%. In December 2022, Florida’s private sector employment increased by 18,000 over the month (+0.2 percentage point). Florida’s labor force grew by 3.5% over the year in December 2022, faster than the national growth rate of 1.6% over the same time period.

If you’re a small business owner looking for a web design and SEO partner, WebWorx is your Southwest Florida choice. Michael Cooper and Kelsey Simmonds started WebWorx in 2022 after a few years of freelancing to better support our Southwest Florida clients. We offer custom web design, optimizations and maintenance plans for any size business or budget. Our process begins with an audit to assess the performance of your current website and provide a baseline for its potential. Once we identify areas for improvement we then discuss whether website migration or a whole site redesign is the best solution. All our client sites are built on the industry-leading Duda platform and hosted in AWS. Duda has substantially outperformed competition like WordPress, Wix and Squarespace in Core Web Vitals (page speed and load times) in the last two years. We also provide a client dashboard to input support tickets, easily post to your website’s blog (similar to WordPress) and review stats.

BY MICHAEL COOPER Guest Columnist

For those clients interested in harnessing the power of monthly SEO services, we build a custom strategy to unlock the full potential of your website. Most of our current clients are implementing local SEO or targeting keywords specific to a location like Fort, Myers or Naples. WebWorx has also launched a range of one-time cost services for digital marketing. These include corporate photography, aerial imagery, detailed keyword rankings report, SEO site boost and Google Business profile optimizations.

At WebWorx, our goal is to become the No. 1 web design agency in Southwest Florida. We know this is not an easy task but that’s what keeps us motivated to keep refining our process. We expect to hit this goal by providing the same great customer service no matter how fast we expand. Most of our new clients have been referrals, so it’s no coincidence that creating a friendly, effective solution for our web design clients spreads like wildfire. If your business is looking for affordable and effective marketing solutions, find more information at webworx.agency

Michael Cooper is the co-founder of WebWorx, an SEO and web design agency in SWFL and author of their blog. He has worked in web design since 2017 and can be contacted at info@ webworx.agency.

Junior Achievement ‘Inspire’ event to unite businesses, students

Founded in 1994, Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida has been impacting the region’s future workforce for over 28 years. One of its newest and exciting programs, JA Inspire, aims to launch 10,000 Lee and Collier County middle school students on an interactive career exploration on April 26-28, at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Alico Arena. The event is billed as the largest career expo in Southwest Florida history, with thousands of students scheduled to connect and explore career opportunities with nearly 100 of the region’s top employers and business professionals.

JA Inspire gives students realworld opportunities to envision future career options in Southwest Florida. The program includes in-classroom curriculum and a hands-on interactive career expo. Students will review career planning, skills, interests and job outlooks and then engage with local businesses and learn skills that are in demand at the career fair. After the event, students and teachers will debrief to discuss academic choices and career paths.

“This program is such a unique way for local businesses to engage and build their future talent pipeline with students from Southwest Florida,” said Angela Fisher, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida. “We are excited to host this event for the first time in-person and can’t wait for businesses in our community to have the opportunity to inspire over 10,000 students from two school districts in person.”

Previously, this program was held virtually due to the pandemic.

JA Inspire, aims to launch 10,000 Lee and Collier County middle school students on an interactive career exploration on April 26-28, at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Alico Arena.

For more business news,visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

Preparing young students with lessons that promote financial literacy and capability, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship helps them better transition into adulthood. JA Inspire gets students one step closer to finding their passion, earning a college degree and achieving career success.

Local business leaders across Southwest Florida are encouraged to participate. Email Stephanie Hoffman, director of operations, at shoffman@ jaswfl.org. Visit www.JASWFL.org or call (239) 225-2590.

Sage Communities to debut its vision for senior living

Within months, Sage Communities will begin welcoming residents into its first senior living community in Southwest Florida – Seneca at Oak Creek. The 55-and-over, all-inclusive, maintenance-free rental community in North Fort Myers will be unlike any existing senior living community in the region.

Seneca at Oak Creek offers five distinguished floor plans, ranging from 874 to 1,559 square feet. Each rental unit features luxury vinyl flooring in main areas and carpet in bedrooms, granite countertops, energy-efficient stainless-steel appliances, chromeappointed fixtures, tiled bathtubs and showers, private screened lanais and in-unit washing machines and dryers. Each of the 184 one- and two-bedroom units has a full kitchen, living room and private porches, along with an option for an attached garage. The property’s single-story buildings eliminate the need for stairs or elevators, allowing residents to age in place.

The Amenity Center’s expansive clubhouse offers social space, a fully equipped 24-hour fitness center and adjacent active fitness room, an open multipurpose room, mailroom, leasing offices, a property manager office and work room. Outside, the Amenity Center has a resort-style swimming pool with poolside seating, enclosed dog park and ample paved parking.

Sage Communities partnered with Norris Furniture & Interiors to design and furnish model homes, while

Southwest Florida Designs is designing and furnishing the Amenity Center.

Starting with Seneca at Oak Creek, Sage Communities is developing new 55-andover residential communities where residents will feel like they’re on vacation. Advances in health care are stretching out the period of retirement when we’re healthy, giving seniors 15, 20 or even 25 years of active, independent retirement living before needing to transition into an assisted living setting.

BY RANDY THIBAUT Guest Columnist

Sage Communities recognizes that given a choice, many active seniors would rather spend their days lounging at the swimming pool, practicing yoga, socializing and playing cards with friends instead of worrying about rising home insurance costs, maintenance and upkeep associated with home ownership.

Randy Thibaut is founder of LSI Companies and founder, owner and CEO of Sage Communities, a developer of active adult rental communities based in Southwest Florida. Contact him at (230) 489-4066, ext. 131 or rthibaut@ lsicompanies.com.

FL

Completing a commercial project on time and on budget

Gone are the days of hard bidding where a business owner works directly with an architect to design their project and then that business owner brings final plans to three construction companies for competitive bidding. Especially in today’s turbulent market, this method is guaranteed to bring challenges such as unrealistic cost and schedule expectations, change orders, delays and the possibility of not being able to construct the project because it is too expensive.

Why? Because the construction team isn’t involved in the design. Most of the cost of any project is from the work being provided by the subcontractors. A qualified construction manager has their finger on the pulse of the subcontractor market; they understand cost and availability of materials and can provide valuable input as the project is being designed. Plus, they have dependable relationships with the subcontractors resulting in better pricing and performance.

In a time of supply chain delays, cost increases and labor shortages, it is crucial to hire a construction management company in the early planning to work with the design team and business owner to ensure the project is being designed within budget and with readily available materials.

Owners are educated by the construction management team throughout the entire design on the actual costs and availability of various options of materials, methods and systems for their project and they decide how they want to spend their budget.

Cost savings

Construction managers have a preconstruction team that can detect items in the plans that may present budget challenges and addresses them immediately. Recommendations for materials that are lower in cost yet provide the same aesthetic appeal or possibly a longer lifespan can be made. Also, concerns like simple maintenance are addressed

in the design. In a hard bid, the plans are completed, and changes are not made till the project is under construction resulting in an expensive and unexpected change order.

Time savings

Three chamber ribbon-cuttings celebrate Sanibel’s comeback

The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce celebrated ribbon-cuttings for three businesses that recovered and reopened after Hurricane Ian: Sea Palms Estate on Captiva Island. Tutti Pazzi on Periwinkle Way and The BaileyMatthews Shell Museum on Sanibel-Captiva Road on Sanibel.

bedroom, beachfront Sea Palms, Drip Castle took extra time to refinish the pool and surroundings. It can accommodate up to 30 guests.

BY JODI HUNTOON Guest Columnist

All building materials, methods and systems are carefully researched to ensure availability—a critical step in this time of shortages. Anything with long lead times that do not align with the schedule, a qualified construction team can recommend a comparable product or material that does.

Construction management provides business owners with detailed budgets and schedules at design milestones before construction begins offering owners an opportunity to make changes if the schedule and budget are not as they anticipated.

Oftentimes business owners do not know where to start with an undertaking like the construction of a new building, renovation or expansion.

Some construction managers can help with due diligence of a potential site before a property is purchased and entire design team selection because of their network of engineers and architects.

For the best success, select a construction manager based on similar experience, references and one that brings a sense of camaraderie—a significant amount of time will be spent together during the process. Not only is a project being built, but hopefully, with the right team, so is a trusted relationship.

Jodi Huntoon is the marking director for Stevens Construction, which has offi ces in Fort Myers, Orlando and Sarasota. Contact (239) 936-9006 or JodiH@stevensbuilds.com.

“It does my heart good to see recovery in every aspect of island business community,” said John Lai, chamber president and CEO. “We celebrated a return of accommodations, dining, and attraction factions. Just goes to show, you can’t keep a good destination down.”

Sea Palms Estate is part of the Drip Castle Estate Collection owned by Michelle and Greg Barry, along with their neighboring Sea Oats Luxury Estate.

“We decided to concentrate on one property at a time to get our guests in asap,” said Michelle Barry, adding Sea Oats will open in a couple of months. “Sea Palms is even better than when we first opened across from our Sea Oats Luxury Estate just two years ago.”

Besides renovations to the nine-

The Barrys bring their own luxury travel experiences to the equation to provide complimentary concierge service and high-end details that amount to a five-star vacation tailored to a group’s needs. They do their part in helping the islands’ recovery by booking guests’ private chefs, restaurant reservations, massages, sunset tours, fishing trips and golf cart rentals with on-island chamber members.

“The Chamber has been an incredible resource not just for us, but to all vendors and island visitors,” Barry said. “They have provided an important platform to look up what is opening and what to do on the islands. We have always used the chamber as a resource for our guests.”

Pasquale and Leanna Russo reopened Tutti Pazzi on Jan. 15 after repairing the year-old restaurant’s elevator and roof-mounted equipment and replacing its entire inven-

CHAMBER

Seagate Development Group expands reach and impact in 2023 ORGANIZATIONS TO WATCH

Seagate Development Group continues to experience remarkable growth as one of Southwest Florida’s leading companies and reached significant milestones in 2022. Major growth and expansion includes:

• Within the past year, Seagate has secured more than $1 billion in projects under development, contributing to significant industry impact in the state of Florida and beyond.

• In a prime location off I-75, Alico Trade Center is Seagate’s 40-acre premier business park. Actively fueling Southwest Florida’s economy, Alico Trade Center will be home to a diverse set of renowned companies.

• Seagate unveiled plans for Palisades – a 12acre luxury residential community of 25 singlefamily custom homes on Yarberry Lane in North Naples.

• Bell Mine, a vast fill sand and rock mining operation, with more than 500-acres, will be

the future home to large-scale residential and/or commercial developments.

• Theory Design, Seagate’s interior design firm, opened its brand-new studio and office space in currently located in the Miromar Design Center.

• Seagate secured more than $35 million in commercial business across Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties.

• Seagate completed total-home remodels in Quail West, Mediterra, Miromar Lakes, Pelican Marsh and other prestigious communities in Collier and Lee counties.

“In seven short years, our leadership team’s vision has come to life in unimaginable ways,” said James Nulf, Jr., chief operating officer and partner of Seagate Development Group. “With an ever-changing business model, daily I witness our team live Seagate’s values of artistry, transparency and sincerity, and it’s remarkable. As we

reflect on 2022, its evident we’re transforming the landscape of Florida.

“Seagate is hiring at a rapid pace to meet market needs while keeping a keen eye on conciergelevel of service. Our impact has been made visible in our luxury residential properties and first-class commercial developments.”

As a trailblazing company with a diverse portfolio of businesses, Seagate has new endeavors and major projects on the horizon.

• In March, the company will debut the Seagate Design Gallery, a neighboring showroom to Theory Design, the gallery will offer residential clients the opportunity to hand-select a vast variety of interiors and receive customized design consultations.

• In late spring, Seagate will unveil Palisades, a 12-acre luxury residential community of 25 single-family custom homes on Yarberry Lane in north Naples. Properties will be available for

purchase at this time.

• At the close of the first quarter of 2023, the commercial team will complete a 60,000-squarefoot warehouse and office for American Builders & Contractors Supply Co., located near the Punta Gorda Airport. This is Seagate’s first major commercial development in Charlotte County.

• This summer, Seagate is expected to reveal plans for Revana Lakes, a 200-plus acre amenitized community of custom homes, in one of the largest pieces of undeveloped land in Bonita Springs.

• Within weeks, Seagate and its interior design firm, Theory Design, will officially enter the retail market. Its first retail showroom located in the heart of Boca Grande will offer exclusive products sourced from vendors worldwide for purchase in store.

Call (239) 738-7900 or visit seagatedevelopmentgroup.com.

Florida Green Building Coalition surpasses 30,000 certifications

The Florida Green Building Coalition, the state’s leading certifier of green residential and commercial construction, land developments and local governments, announced it has surpassed 30,000 projects since being founded in 2000.

Two decades ago, non-profit FGBC brought together industry professionals from the construction, government, academic and research communities to create green standards tailored specifically to Florida.

Award-winning developments such as Babcock Ranch, Lakewood Ranch and Alys Beach have chosen to certify as

“Florida Green.” Forward-thinking Florida municipalities and counties have also benefited from FGBC green certification.

Local and national single-family builders and not-forprofits such as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando and Osceola and St. Johns Housing Partnership in St. Augustine certify their homes through the FGBC program.

The state-wide green certification program has also experienced an uptick in commercial projects including mixed-use, high-rise, and multifamily.

Unlike other national and international green standards

Cooper’s Hawk to open in Fort Myers

Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, one of the nation’s fastest growing upscale casual dining restaurants, brings its concept to Fort Myers with a location slated to open in spring 2023.

“Fort Myers, Florida has grown significantly over the past few years and continues to gain a national reputation as a destination for fine-dining experiences, making it a natural fit for the Cooper’s Hawk brand,” founder Tim McEnery said. “The year-round beautiful weather, scenic surroundings and its residents’ active lifestyle were also very appealing.”

such as USGBC-LEED, Green Globes, “Florida Green” takes a scientific approach and developed with state-specific criteria. FGBC addresses Florida’s hot-humid environment, climate, distinctive topography, unique geology, resiliency and natural disasters.

Beyond third party certifications, FGBC is also a resource for the builders, developers, contractors, architects and municipalities when considering going green. Call (407) 777-4920, email info@floridagreenbuilding.org or visit www.floridagreenbuilding.org.

The Fort Myers restaurant on Six Mile Cypress Parkway near Daniels Parkway is the privately-owned company’s second Southwest Florida location and its 55th nationwide.

Each Cooper’s Hawk location offers wine tasting, a wine club, a wine shop with wines and accessories, and an expansive eating area suitable for both leisurely dining and business meetings. The menu features dishes that pair naturally with Cooper’s Hawk wines. While wellestablished throughout the Midwest, Cooper’s Hawk also has locations from Michigan to Florida, along the East Coast.

State of commercial real estate following Hurricane Ian

With 2022 behind us, it is time to look ahead at how the commercial real estate market is trending for 2023.

One thing is obvious – it is difficult to get a great deal right now on the acquisition side. Prices are at an all-time high, interest rates are rising, and costs continue to go up. Meanwhile, inventory is low. Sellers, on the other hand, are seeing 100% returns from just within the last 24 months and many multiples of that for properties purchased in the last 12 years.

As always, tax liability is a variable to consider. Investors from high tax states can still benefit from paying a premium for real estate in the Southwest Florida market because of taxes they are legally deferring and, in some cases, avoiding by reinvesting and properly completing a 1031 exchange. By completing a 1031 exchange in Florida and becoming a Florida resident, you can reinvest capital and avoid taking a major tax hit.

For industrial or flex space properties, the local market is still hovering near 1% vacancy, but it will be important to keep an eye on the millions of square feet of new construction slated for the near future. Labor, material and site work costs are prohibiting projects for smaller or more conservative investors and developers. However, large corporate partners continue to pour money into our local market, so development is

CHAMBER PAGE 7

tory lost when the hurricane flooded the downstairs storage area. The dining room and kitchen survived untouched.

“We are Sanibel residents and have been affected by the storm just like everyone else,” Pasquale Russo said. “We felt obligated to open so residents would have some place to go for normalcy and to start the healing process. The opening day, people were hugging and sharing stories of their

BY CHASE MAYHUGH Guest Columnist

currently booming and is expected to remain so.

Over the past two years, sale leasebacks have become an increasingly popular option. Sellers are getting a premium for real estate and can avoid having to move. They can structure the lease and sale whichever way pleases them and works for the buyer. Sellers have different motivations to participate in a sale leaseback: needing capital, avoiding ownership duties, cashing out with a gain and even retirement to name a few.

Over the past few months, Southwest Florida has been starting the recovery process following Hurricane Ian. The combination of property destruction and importing a new labor force has strained an already tight real estate market. Our team receives many calls from businesses looking to rent space, and often times there is nowhere to put them, which is frustrating for everyone, ourselves included.

Supply chain issues that existed before the hurricane are being magnified. Skilled laborers across all trades are now much more expensive, driving up all

personal challenges.”

To meet the needs and requests from islanders, Tutti Pazzi will begin catering operations and private events.

“The chamber has been extremely supportive to businesses coming back,” Russo said. “We look forward to more of that influence. A number of our guests are from off-island, coming to support local businesses. We thank the chamber for its support making that happen.”

Although the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum suffered severe flooding to its ground-floor aquarium

project costs. Both of these factors are greatly impacting timelines on repairs and construction. Property Insurance rates are rising 50% to 100% across the board and look to continue to rise into the next year or two.

One of the most talked about concerns heading into 2023 is rising interest rates and how rates will play a role in the state of the market.

With so much going on, increased interest rates have not yet played an impactful role in the Southwest Florida market specifically. The number of cash buyers is at a record high.

These buyers are less affected by interest rates and will benefit, like all of us, if these rates help stabilize inflation. Real estate, by its nature, is a historical hedge against inflation, so many clients are still putting money into bricks and mortar despite prices or interest rates.

When making your investment plans for the new year, there is no quick advice or one-size-fits-all approach. There are many aspects to consider when investing in Commercial Real Estate. It is critical to team up with a highly experienced, accredited and educated Commercial Real Estate Advisor.

Chase Mayhugh, SIOR, CCIM, is a broker and senior associate at Mayhugh Commercial Advisors with over 20 years of experience. Call (239) 278-4945.

exhibits, it reopened its original second level on a temporary basis to allow islanders and visitors an opportunity to experience its permanent and special short-term exhibits.

“We’ll remain open until reconstruction begins in earnest, sometime later this spring, so maybe a couple months, but we’re not certain,” said Executive Director Sam Ankerson. “Visitors will be able to access the Great Hall of Shells, our new temporary exhibit ‘In the Wake of the Flood: Community Photographs of Hurricane Ian and Its Aftermath,’ and a ‘’Shell

and Tell’ guided tour of local shells offered by collection volunteers.”

During the limited-time opening, hours are shortened to Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission will be free, although the museum suggests a donation. An opening date for the complete museum has not yet been determined, but Ankerson estimates more than six months.

“The SanCap chamber has really stepped up these past months in many ways and has been a great friend and partner to the museum,” he said.

Crafty counselor works with the grays

Crafty Counseling is an up-and-coming organization to serve the mental health needs of the growing diverse Southwest Florida community.

Lauren Ramnath Daharry is a New York native who grew up in Broward County then went to Tallahassee for her formal education. She graduated from Florida State University with dual bachelor’s in Psychology and Religion. She furthered her education at Florida A&M University, obtaining a Masters in Community Psychology. She is a licensed mental health counselor and Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor.

She opened Crafty Counseling in January 2022 in hopes of combining her two passions: mental health and yoga. Using yoga as a coping method, she has been able to host “Yoga in the Yard,” where she will come to your home or place of employment and teach mindfulness movement and skills in a comfortable environment. She is also a certified through the American Diabetes Association as a Diabetic Behavioral Health Provider.

She teaches MS Yoga and facilitates local support groups through the local Multiple Sclerosis Center. Her passion is to help the underserved.

Being certified by the state of Florida as a Women Owned/Minority Owned business, she embodies the philosophy that every person has a voice.

“I want everyone to be treated fairly, not just equal; recognition is the first step,” she said. “As a therapist I can help you find your voice to express your unique self be it verbally or artistically. Let’s navigate the gray areas of this black and white world together and craft the environment we can thrive in.”

Contact Ramnath Daharry at admin@craftycounseling.com.

Level up your business’s marketing strategy

Marketing is evolving faster than ever to stay ahead of trends as the world goes digital. Times are challenging for businesses as we all face rising costs due to inflation. Companies need to get creative and find innovative ways to engage loyal brand ambassadors. Here are a few top trends to consider for your business’s marketing strategy.

Be genuine! Consumers appreciate honesty and transparency. More and more, the consumer is asking brands to be authentic and transparent in how they operate, valuing honesty and inclusivity. Humanize your brand by being open and sharing information about anything from the day-to-day life of your employees to your efforts to be environmentally friendly. First and foremost, businesses need to understand their “why.” Once you truly understand your purpose and whom you are trying to reach, it’s easier to determine what to say and where to say it to have the greatest impact.

Social media is a key focus in any comprehensive marketing plan and the center of current marketing trends. Did you know that Millennials represent the largest group of consumers? Baby boomers may have the largest buying power, but Gen Z’s spending power is on the rise, and businesses need to meet consumers where they’re at – online! Businesses must work harder than ever to build trust and brand loyalty online. Even if you think you’re behind, it doesn’t take a lot of time to establish an online presence and gain followers. Short-form video is dominating the internet. TikTok and Reels remain kings of the social landscape and are a great way to get ahead, especially if you’re feeling a little behind. People like to consume content in bite-sized bits, and they love humorous content. Once a product goes viral on the platform, typically it sells out.

Email marketing can be an effective source of

communication for any organization, helping to spread your desired message and build ongoing relationships with your customers by keeping them informed. Be sure to have an attention-grabbing subject line. Believe it or not, this can make or break the entire email. Also, keep things simple and device friendly.

Chances are if someone joined your mailing list, they know and appreciate the organization in some way. Stick to one storyline and one key message, and do it in a way that is impactful, compelling, and supports your one clear call to action. A callto-action button allows you to see who is actually opening your emails, track and analyze conversion data, and make improvements to increase your effectiveness and optimize your efforts. Be creative and genuine in your approach.

BY NICOLE GOUCHER Guest Columnist

No matter what industry you are a part of, it’s imperative to get your name out in front of people by meeting them where they are – online! Don’t let fear of the unknown scare you away from trying something that could bring more success to your brand. If you need help getting started in the digital space, check us out at conricpr.com.

Nicole Goucher is the President and CEO at CONRIC pr + marketing, a leading creative agency with offices in Fort Myers and Naples that specializes in branding, digital marketing, public relations, graphic design, and website development. Email info@conricpr.com or call (239) 690-9840 ext. 1001.

What credit score does your business need?

By Tangrid Shunia Guest Columnist

The year 2023 maybe challenging for some business owners since interest rates are up. So are the cost of goods and energy costs. When applying for a business loan or commercial real estate loan, what should the business owner do with his or her personal credit?

First, check your credit with Experian or myFico.com; these two systems are reliable without impacting your credit with a new credit inquiry. The trends for 2023 are higher personal credit scores, recognizing the financial climate this economy is entering into a recession. Consider obtaining your personal credit scores greater than 680, the minimal threshold on a conforming interest rate loan

for obtaining exceptional terms on a new home mortgage.

So where should the business owner’s personal credit scores be for 2023? We recommend the following credit scores for upcoming lending restrictions:

Auto Loan: A 680 credit score will allow some incentives, but not comparable to a 700 or better credit score, where the incentives for auto financing become greater.

Business Lending: 680 will get your business application processed for SBA, asset-based lending, or healthcare financing. The more you borrow, the more you are required to acquire that very good credit rating.

Commercial Real Estate Lending: 700 is a great starting point for commercial real estate lending. Even though you are

securitizing your loan with commercial real estate, it’s even more favorable to get your credit score at least 725 or above, specifically if you have that niche commercial real estate project, office building, mixed use or multifamily.

Home Lending: Especially, if you are opting into a jumbo home loan, a 700 to 725 is the minimal credit score for a reasonable jumbo loan program. Time to have that clean credit rating and stabilize your lending approval.

Tagrid Shunia, a seasoned fi nancial expert, is the owner of First Pro Capital. She has been assisting business owners with business debt, business credit, alternative business lending and personal credit in SWFL for 16 years. Contact info@fi rstprocapital.com or (239) 260-4602.

Listen to Moore About Business

Scholarship awards Immokalee Foundation students with fun money

For the 12th consecutive year, The Isabella Eghrari Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to 16 of Immokalee’s best and brightest. The lucky recipients are Immokalee Foundation postsecondary students who have successfully completed the first semester of their freshman year in college.

This unique scholarship was established in 2011 by Dr. Massoud Eghrari and his wife, Tayebeh, to honor Dr. Eghrari’s late wife, Isabella. Students apply for the scholarship with an essay describing what they would do with the $500 prize.

But there’s a catch. Due to their belief that all experiences have the potential to be educational, the Eghraris require all funds be used for something fun—and outside the scope of the pursuit of education. The purpose of the Isabella Eghrari Memorial Scholarship is based on the understanding that students may find it difficult or uncomfortable to pay for some of the simple pleasures of college life.

Isabella Eghrari felt strongly the college experience includes socializing with other students and exploring new experiences. She recognized how

stressful the first year of college can be and wanted to provide an opportunity for fun and relaxation.

This year’s recipients plan on spending their “fun money” on new hairstyles, theme park tickets, shopping sprees, boating, brand-name fragrances, car parts, high-end electronics and home décor.

The scholarship presentation event

allows Massoud Eghrari to meet faceto-face with the scholarship recipients and gain first-hand insight into the students’ personal and professional goals before graciously sharing some appropriate life lessons of his own.

“Dr. Eghrari is one of the most caring and giving people I’ve had the honor of meeting,” said Florida SouthWestern State College freshman

Alex Martinez. “He talked about the importance of kindness and generosity—paying it forward to those in need when you are in a position to do so. I am determined to have a future that allows me to pay it forward, too. Without a helping hand from people like Dr. Eghrari and family, we would not be able to have these amazing life experiences.”

Though The Immokalee Foundation’s programs benefit elementary, middle and high school students, the heavy lifting continues beyond the high school commencement ceremony.

“Our robust postsecondary program supports our students until they graduate and accept their first professional position,” said Noemi Y. Perez, president and CEO of The Immokalee Foundation. “We’re so grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Eghrari for so thoughtfully understanding the unique problems associated with the transition from the familiarity of high school to the challenges of postsecondary education. Their ongoing support of The Immokalee Foundation’s postsecondary students has been a gift to so many deserving young people.”

Immokalee Foundation Postsecondary Services Manager Paulina Magana, President and CEO Noemi Y. Perez and Dr. Massoud Eghrari

SanCap Trust helps with recovery ORGANIZATIONS TO WATCH

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, which has been steadily growing since 2001 when it was founded on SanibelCaptiva Islands, has expanded into Fort Myers using temporary offices following Hurricane Ian. However, permanent new offices will be established in Fort Myers this summer on Bell Tower Drive, on the southeast side of the corner of U.S. 41 and Daniels Parkway.

FUTURE PAGE 1

since we have had to overcome a lot of obstacles. The project was unanimously approved by the Town Council in 2018 but we then went through several lawsuits only to emerge in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.”

The project managed to forge ahead. Dammerman noted, “On August 13, 2021, exactly 17 years after the day that Hurricane Charley came ashore in Southwest Florida, we put a shovel in the sand and broke ground. Things were actually going really well when Hurricane Ian made a direct hit in Southwest Florida.”

He continued, “You know, the recovery is going to take a long time. Certainly we want to be a part of that recovery for the entire island. Fortunately for us, our three newly constructed buildings all held up fairly well, had no structural damage. Our fourth building was a historic building that we had preserved and renovated...that building was completely destroyed and will have to be re-built.” So cleanup began and the project slowly transitioned back into construction mode.

Dammermann stated, “I’m happy to report that we are now back to our preIan construction workforce and we continue to make progress. We are targeting late 2023 for our opening.” He continued, “When the resort is finished, it will have 254 rooms, six food and beverage outlets, a 900-person beach club with a pool, 5,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa, a wedding venue and a one-acre elevated terrace that overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. So we believe it will be a very special place for Fort Myers Beach.”

Torgerson then shared what the two men see as the future Fort Myers Beach. “This is what we see as a forward-looking vision for Estero Island. At the time of Ian, we were already into a three- to four-decade organic re-development of the island. But one of the positive parts of Ian, is that it sped up that process. So a four-decade process is now probably down to five years plus or minus and an easier process too in that the slate is pretty much wide open.”

He continued, “Here are some things

that I believe we are going to experience in a short time frame, this 5+/- year timeframe. We will all see a new ground-up barrier island beach town. A new one, activated by commercial development in quality and taste equivalent to Mercato (a high-end retail shopping development in Naples). You may be surprised.”

“All modern residential and commercial architecture,” he explained. “Demographics will be high in terms of energy level, people, wealth. That encompasses both tourists and residents. Real estate values to challenge those on a square foot basis of Naples.”

He then quietly proclaimed, “Our current or past image of being the redheaded stepchild in Southwest Florida will convert to being the jewel of Southwest Florida.

“To sum up Estero Island, it will be a Caribbean-like island with the comforts and safety you only find in the USA, no passports required. A modern luxury flipflop community, a paradise. A new gold rush is on in Southwest Florida, please come join us and participate.”

Stan Stouder, partner at CRE Consultants in Fort Myers and long-time resident of Fort Myers Beach, then shared his thoughts.

“What if I told you that you could go back 20-30 years from where you are today and you got a do-over?” he said. “But yet you were able to take back with you all of that information that your years of experience have blessed you with. Well that’s what we have on Ft. Myers Beach.”

He continued, “We have all of this experience and all of this development history and now we get what I would call a clean slate. We got a do-over. So what’s next? I believe that what’s next for Fort Myers Beach is that it will become a playground for the rich.”

“But,” he added, “what we do in the next one to three years I believe will have an echo effect in our economy for the next 30-50 years. So what we do in the next one to three years is not to be made light of. It will resonate throughout not just Lee County but all of Southwest Florida. And it will have a factor on how we thrive as a broader economic base.”

The two-story office building is 10,520 square feet with ample room for growth, allowing us to serve clients, add talent as needed and host our events. Architect Joyce Owens, owner of Architecture Joyce Owens, will complete the interior plans for the building, making it functional and inviting.

While Hurricane Ian impacted so many businesses negatively in Southwest Florida, the storm’s damage to our Sanibel-Captiva office helped expedite our plans for expansion into Fort Myers, where our client base has expanded greatly. As luck would have it, we were already underway with a new, larger office on Sanibel on Periwinkle Way to house our growing team there. Construction has continued and that office is due to open this Spring.

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company began with a dedicated team of four people and $5 million in capital to establish our standing as a trust company in Florida. We added the Naples division in 2009 and the Tampa Bay division in 2010, creating The Naples Trust Company and The Tampa Bay Trust Company. Currently every office within the trust company footprint is either moving to larger space or remodeling to accommodate more strategic hires.

BY S. ALBERT D. HANSER Guest Columnist

Just two years ago, the company’s assets under management were at $2.4 billion. Today, The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company is one of the largest independent trust companies in Florida with more than $3.6 billion in assets under management, 50 employees and more than 400 client relationships. Along with that growth, the company’s stock price, which impacts employees through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan as well as all shareholders, has appreciated by 30 percent from the previous year.

I attribute our success to upholding the company’s motto of “Always do the right thing,” which applies to clients, employees, shareholders, and the communities we serve. We founded the company on dedicating ourselves to learning what clients truly need to reach the financial and estate planning goals for them and their families, while assuring they can count on us for sound fiduciary advice and action on their behalf.

S. Albert D. Hanser is Founder and Chairman of The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company, which currently operates in temporary offices on Summerlin Lakes Drive, Fort Myers until the permanent Fort Myers and Sanibel-Captiva offices open in the coming months. Contact (239) 472-8300.

The new Margaritaville resort will have 254 rooms, six food and beverage outlets, a 900-person beach club and 5,000 square feet of meeting space.

Christopher Alan Homes starts 2023 strong with sales and growth

The largest privately held homebuilder in Southwest Florida and one of the top 100 builders in the country, Christopher Alan Homes has achieved impressive growth, thanks to a dedicated team of people who are committed to building high-quality homes at attainable prices. The company fi nished 2022 with $142.3 million in gross revenue, a 6.52% increase year-over-year despite market challenges that included supply chain disruption, labor shortages, and increasing interest rates.

A builder-owned company driven by strong corporate values, Christopher Alan Homes is known for building homes that are designed for an easy, relaxed way of living – homes that are sturdy, comfortable and attainable. The company started in

concrete foundation and shell contracting for large builders in 2011 and launched into land development and full-scale homebuilding in 2017.

Christopher Alan Homes continues to handle all of the concrete shells for its homes, which is part of the reason their buyers benefi t from affordable home prices. All of its homes feature steel-reinforced concrete masonry construction, hurricane-resistant structural design and impact-rated low-e glass doors and windows for added safety and peace of mind.

In total, the company has completed more than 1,800 homes in Southwest Florida. Christopher Alan Homes began building homes on scattered homesites that buyers could select from, as well as a

range of fl oor plans. The company continues to offer scattered homesites throughout Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota counties and has expanded to building single-family homes in master-planned communities.

is also a preferred builder in Burnt Store Village in Punta Gorda and will announce new developments in Southwest Florida later in 2023.

With professionally curated interior fi nish packages, a streamlined construction process and quality craftsmanship at attainable prices, Christopher Alan Homes has solidifi ed its reputation as a preferred builder for master-planned communities.

The company recently expanded outside of Southwest Florida with operations in Melbourne and Palm Bay on Florida’s East Central Space Coast and will also be expanding to Tampa with a new division opening in mid-2023.

Christopher Alan Homes

Christopher Alan Homes currently offers new-construction single-family homes in The Hammocks at West Port, a new Charlotte County community nestled around a 100-acre public park with a gymnasium, fi tness center, indoor soccer and pickleball courts, ballfi elds, nature trails, and an aquatic center. The homebuilder is under development with Creekside Run, its fi rst neighborhood in Babcock Ranch, the fi fth best-selling community in the U.S. and America’s fi rst solar-powered town.

Visit ChristopherAlanHomes.com or call (855) 44-MYCAH.

Woodworking

exhibit opens at Children’s Museum of Naples

The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (CMON) opened its newest exhibit, Inventioneer’s Lab: Woodworking, which is open now through July.

CMON’s Inventioneer’s Lab is an empowering space for children to ignite their curiosity and innovate. Children have the fl exibility to build, experiment and learn practical skills in a safe space as they explore big ideas. The theme of the Inventioneer’s Lab is ever changing, featuring exhibits focusing on Textiles or Design. Each exhibit seeks to introduce children to materials and tools they would not typically have the opportunity to work with.

The activities in this exhibit help to fi ne-tune children’s fi ne motor skills and, through the art of woodworking, grow and develop these skills in a whole new way.

“Some of my earliest and favorite childhood memories are spending time with my father and grandfather in their woodshops,” said CMON’s

For more business news,visit www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com

CEO Jonathan Foerster. “Inventioneer’s Lab: Woodworking gives kids and adults alike a chance to feel the satisfaction of building something with their hands and taking a project from start to fi nish. And hopefully it helps create lasting memories for all generations who experience the exhibit.”

Inventioneer’s Lab: Woodworking is an adult and child-partnered space, meaning every child who enters this exhibit must be accompanied by an adult. Through this, Woodworking is focusing on building the caregiver mentoring role. Creating this space for adult guidance ties back to CMON’s mission to provide an exciting, inspiring environment where children and their families play, learn and dream together.

The exhibit is included with daily museum admission.

The new Inventioneer’s Lab: Woodworking space is the latest exhibit at CMON, and helps children hone skills useful in this market.

ORGANIZATIONS TO WATCH

Stock Custom Homes breaking ground on new WildBlue Estate

Stock Custom Homes, the awardwinning custom home building division of Stock Development, breaks ground on another pristine property in WildBlue in Estero.

With 4,528 square feet of under-air living space, Stock Custom Homes will design the estate with four-bedroom and four-full-bathrooms with inspiration by the Atherton floor plan. The design will come equipped with a study, exercise room, a 1,451 square foot lanai, and two two-car garages. Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2023, this estate will be located on Blue Eye Loop in WildBlue, and is listed for $4,895,000.

Clive Daniel Home and South Florida Architecture produced a clean and modern interior design, combining articulated textures, brilliant lighting, and natural elements. Accented with warm wood tones, the space is complemented with a cool color palette of soft whites, deep charcoals, muted greens, and crisp blacks. Each room will reflect a minimal aesthetic that’s luxurious and relaxed while embracing the home’s beautiful surroundings.

Stock Custom Homes is currently developing multiple estates in the WildBlue community. Each follows one of Stock Development’s several luxurious floor plans with generous indoor and outdoor living areas. Highlighting the best of what Stock Development has to offer, the Wild

Blue residential community continues to be a popular choice among today’s home buyers.

Recognized as the leading Southwest Florida luxury home builder in premier communities for more than 20 years, Stock Development has completed more than 6,000 homes along the Gulf Coast and beyond.

Matt Sellick, the 2022 Paul Joyal Pinnacle Builder Award recipient from the Florida Home Builders Association, is the president and leads the award-winning luxury homebuilder division.

With more than seven decades of building experience, Stock Development is one of Florida’s most dynamic and innovative development companies and is actively working on custom estates throughout Southwest Florida, along with Sarasota, Wellington and Palm Beach. The recipient of numerous recognitions, such as Builder of the Year by the Collier Building Industry Association, Stock is annually included in the Builder 100 list and was ranked 13th largest privately owned company in the Gulf Coast in 2022, according to Business Observer. Their superb craftsmanship, originality, and vibrant outdoor living designs are the hallmarks of distinctive properties from Naples to Sarasota and on the east coast.

Visit stockdevelopment.com or stockcustomhomes.com or call (239) 249-6400.

AWARDS PAGE 1

founded in 2017, has kept technology at its core from day one, investing heavily in research and development. As a result, the company earned its position at the forefront of artificial intelligence-based technology development – technology Vectra Digital is making available to small and large businesses alike.

• My Undercover Agent won Innovator of the Year. Based in Cape Coral, the real estate tech startup was envisioned, developed and founded by Kari Leftwich-Wolfe in 2016. By developing technology to elevate the real estate industry internationally, My Undercover Agent serves as a prime example of the budding ecosystem in Lee County for tech-startups.

• HF scientific was awarded Manufacturer of the Year. A leading global producer of instrumentation, test kits and chemical reagents used for monitoring water quality in a variety of applications, HF scientific holds many patents for innovative products. The company moved its headquarters from Canada to Fort Myers in 1980, was acquired by the leading brand Watts in 2005, and expanded its footprint with the opening of a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and global headquarters in 2021.

• Spiro & Associates, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations and Brand Architecture was named Small Business of the Year. Under the leadership of Chris Spiro, Spiro & Associates has accelerated client performance for 37 years through

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

game-changing marketing, advertising, public relations and branding. In addition to creating a “No Walls” office space, the company recently expanded its services with an in-house app development team, a full-service social media department and a digital photo and video studio.

• Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. was named Large Business of the Year. As the oldest law firm in Fort Myers, Henderson Franklin, Starnes & Holt has a proud tradition of service and excellence. Established in 1924, it has grown to become one of the largest locally-based law firms between Tampa and Miami. The firm employs more than 55 attorneys –the majority of which have been with the firm for between 10 and 56 years.

“For 30 years, the Industry Appreciation Awards have been recognizing Lee County business excellence, and we congratulate all of our winners and finalists for their remarkable achievements,” said Horizon Council Chairperson and the Mayor of the City of Sanibel Holly Smith. “The deep-rooted relationships between both public and private leaders are better than ever, and we see countless possibilities unfolding through strong partnerships in Lee County.”

Visit IndustryAppreciationAwards.com.