Fort Myers: City of Palms—A Contemporary Portrait

FORT MYERS 

CITY OF PALMS—A CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT 

Photography by Ilene Safron 

Text by Amy Bennett Williams 

A publication of the office of 

Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr.

Thank you for your interest in this HPNbooks publication. For more information about other HPNbooks publications, or 

information about producing your own book with us, please visit www.hpnbooks.com.

CITY OF PALMS—A CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT 

Photography by Ilene Safron 

Text by Amy Bennett Williams 

HPNbooks 

A division of Lammert Incorporated 

San Antonio, Texas 

A publication of the office of 

Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr.

First Edition 

Copyright © 2017 HPNbooks 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. 

All inquiries should be addressed to HPNbooks, 11535 Galm Road, Suite 101, San Antonio, Texas, 78254. Phone (800) 749-9790, www.hpnbooks.com. 

ISBN: 978-1-944891-28-2 

Library of Congress: 2017934039 

Fort Myers: City of Palms—A Contemporary Portrait 

photographer: Ilene Safron 

author: Amy Bennett Williams 

designer: Glenda Tarazon Krouse 

contributing writer for Fort Myers partners: Scott Williams 

FORT MYERS: City of Palms—A Contemporary Portrait 

2 

HPNbooks 

president: Ron Lammert 

project managers: Mary Hanley, Barry Black 

administration: Donna M. Mata, Lori K. Smith, Melissa G. Quinn 

book sales: Joe Neely 

production: Colin Hart, Evelyn Hart, Tim Lippard, Tony Quinn, Christopher D. Sturdevant

Contents 

Legacy Sponsors ...........................................................................................4 

A Mayor’s‐Eye View by Fort Myers Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr. ...6 

Fort Myers City Council.................................................................................8 

Introduction.................................................................................................10 

Chapter 1 

Building Blocks of the Past....................................12 

Chapter 2 Fueling a Dynamic Economy ...............................20 

Chapter 3 Celebrating Fascinating Places..........................36 

Chapter 4 Living the Dream in Subtropical Style...........74 

Chapter 5 Fort Myers People....................................................106 

Fort Myers Partners...................................................................................132 

About the Photographer..........................................................................190 

About the Author.......................................................................................191 

Sponsors ....................................................................................................192 

CONTENTS 

3

LEGACY SPONSORS 

Through their generous support, these companies 

helped to make this project possible. 

Lee Health 

P.O. Box 2218 

Fort Myers, Florida 33902 

239-343-2000 

www.LeeHealth.org 

Mark Loren Designs, Inc. 

13351 McGregor Boulevard 


239-482-4664 

www.marklorendesigns.com 

Dean Steel Buildings, Inc. 

2929 Industrial Avenue 


239-334-1051 

www.deansteelbuildings.com 


4

Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. 

1715 Monroe Street 


239-344-1100 

www.henlaw.com 

Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. 



239-332-1171 

www.pmsarch.com 

Victory Layne Chevrolet 

3980 Fowler Street 


239-603-7069 

www.victorylaynechevrolet.com 

Aim Engineering & Surveying, Inc. 

5300 Lee Boulevard 

Lehigh Acres, Florida 33971 

239-332-4569 

www.aimengineering.com 

T3 Communications, Inc. 

2401 First Street, Suite 300 


239.333.0000 

www.t3com.com 

Barraco and Associates, Inc. 



239-461-3170 

www.barraco.net 

LEGACY SPONSORS 

5

A mayor’s-eye view 

It seems fitting that I started falling in love with Fort Myers 

at an airport, because now, as mayor, one of my great joys 

as a pilot is surveying the city from above. 

From the air, it all unfolds before me—the place I first saw 

in 1976 as a nineteen-year-old undergrad who had awakened 

in the frozen grey chill of North Carolina, hopped a plane to 

visit his girlfriend, then stepped onto the Page Field tarmac 

and into Fort Myers’ sunny, seventy-degree embrace. 

As fate would have it, I would end up falling in love 

with the girl I had come to visit as well as her hometown, 

so I made it my business to secure a job in Fort Myers, 

then convince Virginia (Ginny) to marry me. I felt like I had 

died and gone to heaven when I won both. 

How my adopted city has grown and what it has become 

in the following four decades, from a place with a small 

local airport to a major destination served by the regional 

Southwest International Airport (as well as a still-vital Page 

Field) is the subject of this book. 

It is a snapshot of the city I commonly refer to as our 

paradise. The faces in its pages reveal the beauty of the 

citizens who share a city connected to the Gulf of Mexico by 

the magnificent Caloosahatchee River. You can get everywhere 

from here! 

Thomas Edison knew he had found treasure in Fort 

Myers, so he made it his winter home, where his working 

vacations added to his list of inventions and our collective 

body of knowledge. The Wizard was one of the pioneers 

of the “live, work, play” concept now prevalent in modern 

city visioning and planning. It was Edison who said, 

“There is only one Fort Myers, and ninety million people 

are going to find out,” yet I am sure by now, even given his 

genius, that number is an underestimation. 

Contemporary Fort Myers features a diverse, rich culture, 

growing in the arts, spawned by modern development and 

merged with historically significant features in the core of 

the city known as the River District. You will see this in 

these pages, and I know you will feel the allure of this 

great city. As my colleague on city council, resident architect 

Mike Flanders likes to say, the River District is everyone’s 

living room. 

The bustling downtown fronts one of the most beautiful 

intercoastal waterways in the country: the Caloosahatchee 

River. With its endless regional network of tributaries, 

creeks and canals, Fort Myers is among the most attractive 

water communities in the world, boasting some of the best 

boating, beaches and sport fishing in the world. 

Whether you are here to find love, start a family, build 

a business or find a new path through life, you will never 

regret discovering Fort Myers, Florida. Thank you for 

your interest in our city, and I trust you will find this book, 

which presents its portrait, extraordinary and inspiring. 

I want to express my appreciation to The United States 

Conference of Mayors, where I learned of the opportunity 

to highlight my city in this book. I want to thank the 

publisher, for their patience and steadfast pursuit of 

the book. I hand-picked two of the finest professionals 

I know for its production, photographer Ilene Safron, 

and writer Amy Bennett Williams, who stayed with this 

project through thick and thin to assure we had the best 

product available. 

Finally, the Fort Myers City Council: my colleagues. 

Teresa Watkins-Brown, Johnny Streets, Terolyn Watson, 

Mike Flanders, Forrest Banks, and Gaile Anthony, are 

among the finest political professionals and leaders I 

have ever known. This team has demonstrated their love 

of our city through hard work and dedication. I respect 

them. There is always more to do, and this will be the 

case throughout history, as leaders labor to leave the city 

a better place than when they arrived. 

I must also acknowledge City Manager Saeed Kazemi, 

and his team of professionals for implementing the 

council’s policy by planning for a livable, walkable city. 

Don Paight, a thirty-year-veteran of city planning, best 

practices implementation (and one of the finest minds 

in the nation on developing modern, relevant cities), 

has left a huge mark on ours. And my heartfelt gratitude 

to the countless volunteers who dedicate their time and 

resources to make Fort Myers better. That there are too 

many to mention here speaks volumes about the quality of 

our citizens. 

Please note the legacy and new business participants in 

the book’s production. You will see the faces and stories of 

those who not only love Fort Myers, but have contributed, 

and continue to contribute, to the ongoing growth and 

beauty of this city we call home. 

Randall P. Henderson, Jr. 

Mayor, City of Fort Myers 


6

❖ 

Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr. 

“When I set out to become a public servant, I had the encouragement, confidence and counsel 

of two of the finest women I have ever known. With their support, I have been able to face this 

office’s daily challenges, and I owe them a debt of gratitude and recognition. We lost our beloved 

Mrs. Corbin on November 16, 2016; Ginny was her caregiver to the end. Ginny is quite simply 

the love of my life: partner, co-pilot, flight engineer and much more. There is nothing else I 

can say. These two beloved First Ladies have given much to the citizens of Fort Myers—quietly, 

deliberately, and unconditionally.” 

–Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr. 

Left: Left to right, Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr., with two Fort Myers First Ladies, 

the late Wilhelmina Mathis Corbin, wife of the late Fort Myers Mayor Oscar Corbin, 

who served 1967-1976 and Virginia “Ginny” Corbin Henderson. 

A MAYOR’S—EYE VIEW 

7

Fort Myers City Council 

2014 

The faces in this photo reflect the genuine spirit of the elected leadership for our city in this snapshot of time. It is one 

of my favorite photos of all the time I have served. It is respectful, hopeful and confident. Civility is not a sign of weakness; 

it is a demonstration of leadership, statesmanship and respect for others—including all citizens that reach out to our city. 

Left to right: Johnny W. Streets, Jr., Mike Flanders, Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr., Teresa Watkins-Brown, Forrest Banks and 

Tom Leonardo. 


8

Fort Myers City Council 

2017 

Fort Myers has benefited from political cohesiveness and collegial governance. While discussions are sometimes spirited 

and robust, there is always respect and heartfelt deliberation. Citizens benefit from political stability and predictability. 

If you want people to come to your city, this approach will accommodate and encourage growth and interest from all. 

Left to right: Mike Flanders, Terolyn Watson, Teresa Watkins-Brown, Mayor Randall P. Henderson, Jr., Johnny W. Streets, Jr., 

Gaile Anthony and Forrest Banks. 

FORT MYERS CITY COUNCIL 

9

Introduction 

Fort Myers: City of Palms—A Contemporary Portrait 

Illuminating the life, times and people of the Fort Myers area, the book’s 

richly illustrated narrative showcases the region’s dynamic heritage, cultural 

offerings, stunning environment and diverse economy. 

Perilous as depending on first impressions can sometimes 

be, an elevated one-glance sweep of Fort Myers’ downtown 

is truly telling. 

First seen: the Caloosahatchee, a storied river that flows 

to the Gulf of Mexico and the region’s alluring islands and 

beaches. The river defines the city’s heart and its heritage. 

The river is what brought people here in the first place, 

beginning with the Native Americans who settled its banks 

long before soldiers and European explorers staked their 

claims as well. And the river’s waters remain key to the city’s 

vibrant life and the cultural/commercial district that bears 

its name. 

Next, tall buildings, shouldering against the sky, filled 

with those who have chosen a downtown home. Most of 

them arrivals from other places, their presence speaks to 

the city’s powerful appeal to outsiders who come, settle and 

make the region theirs. 

Buttressing the towers, the sturdy sweep of government 

buildings, courthouses, commission chambers (Fort Myers 

is Lee County’s seat), justice centers, tax collectors, administrative 

hubs and city hall. Here is where the people’s official 

business is done, in handsome, often historic buildings. 

Those historic buildings are another of the city’s distinct 

assets. Perhaps more than any other city in South Florida, 

the physical foundation of Fort Myers remains. The presence 

of the past is everywhere downtown. People lunch in an 

airy 1800s courtyard, watch independent films in a restored 

Works Progress Administration federal building, worship 

in churches built by city fathers and mothers and sign 

contracts in offices bordering cobbled streets oxcarts once 

rumbled over. 

Ribboned throughout the cityscape, the green of trees 

and subtropical foliage. Fort Myers’ trademark palm trees, 

to be sure, but also stately live oaks, sprawling banyans, a 

fruit salad of mangos, guavas, tamarinds and kaleidoscopic 

poincianas, jacarandas and bombax. 

And finally, people, the city’s lifeblood and future—some 

75,000 in Fort Myers, part of the growing county’s 680,000. 

Walking their dogs, taking in plays, buying sweet corn 

or checking out library books, they enliven and sustain 

Fort Myers and Southwest Florida. Midwesterners, descendants 

of slaves, Florida Crackers and Europeans—laughing, 

arguing, worshipping, playing, but inextricably bound 

together, all drawn and held by this singular city. 

Caloosahatchee River sunset. 

—Amy Bennett Williams 


10

INTRODUCTION 

11

Building Blocks 

of the Past 

❖ 

Financed by Fort Myers matriarch Tootie McGregor and named in honor 

of her son, the 115-year-old Bradford Hotel was the largest building in 

Fort Myers in its day, providing its guests with ground-floor stores, 

electric-lit rooms and modern conveniences. 

Fort Myers is justly proud of its rich heritage and history. 

Once a remote outpost where cattle roamed the streets, its subtropical climate made it a haven for well-heeled winter visitors 

and new residents who helped it develop into a bustling city that retains its small-town charm. Fort Myers’ past is remarkably 

well-preserved in a riverfront downtown rich with historic buildings and treasures like the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. 

Though a relatively young city (Europeans began to populate it in earnest in the mid-1800s) Fort Myers continues to reinvent 

itself while cherishing the best of its history. 

chapter 


12

❖ 

THEN: The Leon Building back in 

the day. 

❖ 

NOW: The first floor of the 1905 exotic revival Leon Building 

has housed a bank, a clothing store and a pharmacy 

in its lifetime, as well as a popular British café. 

Once a hotel, the second story now 

contains residences. 

❖ 

Left: Framed view of the Leon Building from the Bradford Hotel. 

CHAPTER 1 

13


14

❖ 

Opposite: Wreathed by bougainvillea, the fountain commonly (though mistakenly) known as 

Rachel at the Well graces the McGregor Boulevard entrance to Edison Park. Created by sculptor 

Helmut von Zengen, its official title is The Spirit of Fort Myers. 

Opposite, bottom: Left is the depot where Atlantic Coastline Railroad’s Gulf Coast Special once stopped; 

the City of Fort Myers still owns the Mediterranean revival building. 

Right: Fort Myers Senior High: Fort Myers High School, one of the oldest in Florida, has been educating 

“Greenies” since 1911, while consistently earning high honors in national rankings of publications 

including Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. 

Bottom, left: For nine decades, the Dunbar High School building has been the educational heart of 

the mostly-black community on the city’s east side. Built during segregation, it was later replaced by a 

nearby integrated Dunbar High, but the graceful Mediterranean revival school, which is on the National 

Register of Historic Places, continues to serve its community as an adult education center. 

Bottom, right: In 1926, Thomas Edison, whose winter home is nearby, attended the cornerstone-laying of 

the Edison Park Elementary School, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and is still open 

today, with an emphasis on the arts. 

The city began its life as a series of military strongholds 

in the Seminole Wars. It was reactivated as a Union fort in 

the Civil War, and one of the southernmost battles of the 

conflict was fought on its shores. 

That marriage of present and past gives it a unique identity, 

rooted in tradition but embracing a dynamic future. 

Situated on the shore of a subtropical river that flows to 

the Gulf of Mexico, the City of Palms is an unabashed beauty. 

Its appeal is elemental. Water, warmth and sun are the 

dependable constants that have drawn people here for 

centuries, starting with the Calusa, the ancient tribe that lent 

their name to the city’s defining river, the Caloosahatchee. 

CHAPTER 1 

15

Those who have come since have created a vibrantly 

diverse community, with multi-generational families and 

a steady stream of new arrivals seeking the abundant 

pleasures and economic opportunity the region offers. 

The seat of Lee County, Fort Myers is the region’s 

government and cultural center. 

With signature palms shading its brick-paved streets, 

its handsome downtown, known as The River District, 

mixes modern and abundant historic buildings. Law 

offices and banks alternate with galleries and theaters. 

Coveted apartments atop shops overlook it all. Tourists 

mix with locals at open-air cafés. Deals are sealed in offices 

with stunning views of the river. 

Riverfront Centennial Park hosts festivals and farmers 

markets alike. Business and commerce happen here, of 

course, but against a unique backdrop. 


16

❖ 

Opposite, top: The Lee County Courthouse. 

Opposite, bottom: A tropical fountain splashes in front of city hall, named for former Fort Myers Mayor 

Oscar M. Corbin, Jr., as its mirrored front reflects the brickwork of the building across the street. 

Left: Built of now-protected Florida Keys coral-rock limestone, this Depression-era masterpiece was an 

open-air post office, a federal courthouse and now the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. 

Below: Come nightfall, a pair of illuminated bronze cylinders, The Caloosahatchee Manuscripts, 

by artist Jim Sanborn spangle the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center with native American legend and 

plant names. 

CHAPTER 1 

17


18

❖ 

Left: If those leaves could talk, what tales this nearly century-old banyan tree could tell. It has shaded Lee County’s old courthouse, which now holds its commission chambers, since the 1920s. 

Above: Anchored by the Florida Repertory Theatre company, the century-old Arcade building is one of the River District’s cultural and shopping mainstays. 

CHAPTER 1 

19

Fueling a 

Dynamic Economy 

❖ 

Left: For more than four decades, the Fort Myers Boat Show has brought 

the best on the water to the River District. 

Opposite, top: Southwest Florida International Airport. 

Opposite, bottom: Since World War II, pilots have been flying in and out 

of Fort Myers’ Page Field. Now serving primarily business and private 

plane-owning customers, the newly constructed complex offers flight 

school, charters, aircraft maintenance and hangar rentals. 

The region’s economy is powered by tourism, healthcare, education, retail trade and an educated, productive workforce. 

Visitors are the economy’s cornerstone, and the tourism and hospitality industry is the region’s most important, with some three million 

people staying in Lee County’s accommodations annually, bringing in some $3 billion to the county and funding at least 40,000 jobs. 


20

CHAPTER 2 

21

❖ 

Left: Even the littlest players get hands-on attention from Rich Lamb, the longtime Fort Myers Country Club Director of Golf, who has 

trained generations of PGA and LPGA professionals. 

Below: Thomas Edison himself played on the historic 1917 Fort Myers Country Club Golf Course, created by legendary designer 

Donald Ross. In 2014, after six months and $5.8 million in renovations by Steve Smyers, the course reopened with enhanced turf, six new 

water hazards and filter marshes that use environmental best practices to store and clean stormwater before it enters the Caloosahatchee. 

Opposite: Would-be Olympians churn through the water at the Open Water National Championship at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club. 


22

CHAPTER 2 

23

❖ 

Southwest Florida produces winter tomatoes that feed the nation, 

and for generations, Lipman Family Farms has led the industry. 

The largest field tomato grower in the U.S., Limpan scientists work to 

improve the flavor, sustainability and yield of the company’s produce 

offerings, which include cucumbers, peppers, potatoes and watermelon. 


24

❖ 

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Shari Skinner 

uses state-of-the-art technology to treat a patient. 

CHAPTER 2 

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26

Outside of the urban centers, agriculture remains a key part of the region’s economic picture. 

Citrus farming, cattle ranching and row crops all contribute, and Southwest Florida remains the nation’s winter tomato 

capital, providing more than ninety percent of the nation’s supply during the cold season. 

The region offers a number of public and private institutions of higher learning, including Florida Gulf Coast University, 

Florida SouthWestern State College, Barry University, Hodges University and others. 

And several international firms have chosen the Southwest Florida region as their corporate home, including Hertz, 

Chico’s FAS and U.S. Sugar. 

❖ 

Opposite: A number of area high schools hold graduation ceremonies 

at downtown’s Harborside Event Center; this is Cypress Lake High School’s 

senior class. 

Above: True Tours with Florida Gulf Coast University students. 

CHAPTER 2 

27

❖ 

Right: On Little Hickory Island, FGCU’s Vester Marine and Environmental Science Research Field Station 

serves as the waterfront base for the university’s marine science programs. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FGCU. 

BELOW: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FGCU. 

Bottom, right: The FGCU Eagles keep the crowds gasping as they pull off a one-point win against the 

U Mass Minutemen, winning 77-76 at the final buzzer. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FGCU. 


28

Florida Gulf Coast 

University 

❖ 

Top: Life’s a beach at FGCU’s student housing. 

Where else do dorm rooms overlook sunlit sands? Just one advantage of studying in paradise. 

Bottom: They do not ask FGC-who? anymore. After charging into 2013’s Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division I men’s 

basketball championships, Florida Gulf Coast University earned a new nickname: Dunk City. For locals, though, the university has 

been a cultural and educational mainstay since 1997. For Florida Gulf Coast University, the state’s tenth, ecological sustainability is a core value. 

Some 400 acres of its campus, many of them wetlands, are environmental preserves functioning as living laboratories of natural systems management. Before graduating, 

each of its more than 15,000 students must complete a multidisciplinary colloquium course: “A Sustainable Future” focusing on sense-of-place, the environment and the future. 

CHAPTER 2 

29

Florida SouthWestern 

State College 

❖ 

Since 1962, Florida SouthWestern State College has been preparing 

students for the future. Originally called Edison Junior College, it now 

offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Baccalaureate degrees, 

plus certificate programs at its Thomas Edison Campus in Fort Myers, 

as well as others in Charlotte, Collier, and Hendry Counties. 

Opposite: Florida SouthWestern student athletes warm up before a 

softball game at City of Palms Park. 


30

CHAPTER 2 

31

Every spring, Fort Myers becomes a baseball mecca, as the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins 

and legions of their fans move in to warm up for the baseball season. The Red Sox train at JetBlue 

Park, affectionately known as Fenway South, and the Twins play at CenturyLink Sports Complex. 

❖ 

Fort Myers becomes Fenway South as the Boston Red Sox move in to warm up for the baseball season at JetBlue Park. 

Like its namesake, the field boasts a “Green Monster,” a manual scoreboard and the chance for fans to greet their favorite players. 

Opposite: Though it retains many of the charms of its vintage namesake, JetBlue Park, which can accommodate some 11,000 fans, 

is an architecturally striking state-of-the-art year-round facility with six outlying training fields. 


32

CHAPTER 2 

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34

❖ 

Opposite: Anchored by Hammond Stadium, which seats 9,300, the refurbished 

CenturyLink Sports Complex, where the Minnesota Twins spend spring training, offers a 

360-degree boardwalk, a player development academy and five other fields used by the 

team’s minor league affiliates, including the Fort Myers Miracle. 

When Minnesota is still famously frozen, the Twins and their fans are enjoying the 

Southwest Florida sunshine as the team works out in Hammond Stadium. 

CHAPTER 2 

35

Celebrating 

Fascinating Places 

Stroll scenic, palm-lined streets, enjoy world-class shopping or 

take in a game—leisure pursuits in the Fort Myers area abound. 

❖ 

Lee County’s Manatee Park is not just home to the gentle giants 

who are attracted to the warm water discharged by the nearby 

Florida Power & Light Plant; it is a showcase for many 

native plant communities, including rare rosemary scrub. 

chapter 


36

❖ 

With an elegant Victorian-style glass conservatory, complemented by shopping 

and dining, the Butterfly Estates have helped power the revitalization of the city’s 

Gardner’s Park neighborhood. Visitors are treated to an array of flowering 

plants populated by colorful clouds of the attraction’s namesake critters. 

CHAPTER 3 

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38

❖ 

Opposite, top: Concertgoers head to their seats at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. 

Opposite, bottom: Under the baton of Maestro Nir Kabaretti, the Southwest Florida Symphony plays to a packed house at the 

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. 

Above: Screenings at the Fort Myers Film Festival often include a lively question-and-answer session with the audience. 

Left: Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson joins Fort Myers Film Festival hosts Melissa Tschari DeHaven and Eric Raddatz. 

CHAPTER 3 

39

❖ 

From Ireland to Fort Myers: The Screaming Orphans wow a crowd 

at one of the Lee County Alliance for the Arts’ regular outdoor concerts. 

Opposite: A string quartet serenades shoppers at the Alliance for the 

Arts’ Saturday GreenMarket. 


40

CHAPTER 3 

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42

Fine arts options include symphonies, professional 

theaters, galleries and museums that cater to kids, history 

buffs and science enthusiasts. 

❖ 

Opposite: Art is everywhere downtown—during the city’s annual ArtFest, 

which draws artists from around the nation to the River District. 

Above and top, right: The River District’s regular Art Walks always hold 

surprises—whether the gallery debut of a soon-to-be-discovered artist or 

performance pieces featuring live “mannequins.” 

Right: Art exhibit at the Alliance for the Arts. 

CHAPTER 3 

43

❖ 

Left: Performers at Music Walk are as diverse stylistically as they are in age. 

Above: Law offices by day, the front of the historic Edison Theater building transforms into an open-air Latin jazz club come Music Walk. 

Opposite: Live music and art blend seamlessly at Music Walk nights in the River District. 


44

CHAPTER 3 

45

❖ 

As one of USA TODAY’s Top Ten Must See Holiday Historic Homes, visitors to the 

Edison & Ford Winter Estates Holiday Nights events will enjoy lights, decorations, music and food. 

Opposite: On winter evenings, when nighttime temperatures hover around sixty degrees, audience 

members enjoy Fort Myers Film Festival al fresco screenings in front of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. 


46

CHAPTER 3 

47

❖ 

Visitors to Thomas Edison’s winter estate can walk the 

floorboards the inventor once did—and even read his mail. 


48

❖ 

Built in 1928, Thomas Edison’s newly 

refurbished Botanic Research Laboratory 

is a National Historic Chemical Landmark 

showcasing the work he did in pursuit of a 

source of domestic rubber. 

CHAPTER 3 

49

❖ 

Do not let the name fool you—the Shell Factory & Nature Park 

is all that and more—by a factor of ten. This vintage attraction is 

part museum, part amusement park, part zoo and part indoor mall 

with a handful of eateries to round it out. 


50

❖ 

Housed in a former water plant, the Imaginarium Science Center offers 

hands-on discovery for all ages, with permanent and rotating exhibits featuring 

technology, meteorology, physics, touchable sea creatures and baby alligators. 

Visitors include such notables as Florida Governor Rick Scott. 

CHAPTER 3 

51


52

❖ 

Opposite: Once home to a 1930s hardware emporium, this Art Deco-style building (one of only a few downtown) is now a one-of-a-kind 

potpourri of shops, micro-galleries and teeny boutiques that also regularly hosts live music and other cultural events. 

Below: Held at the foot of the Caloosahatchee bridge, the popular downtown Thursday Farmer’s Market 

is as much a friendly gathering place as it is a showcase for the freshest local produce. 

CHAPTER 3 

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54

❖ 

Opposite: Just a short stroll from the River District, 

vintage bungalows and cozy cottages line the palm-shaded 

streets of the historic Dean Park neighborhood. 

In season, the popular River District Trollies carry 

shoppers, revelers and sightseers to stops downtown. 

CHAPTER 3 

55

❖ 

The historic Post Office Arcade, 

built in 1925, also serves as the 

main entrance for the Hotel Indigo. 


56

❖ 

Firmly embracing the library-as-cultural-center concept, Cornog Plaza is 

the outdoor extension of the downtown library’s mission, and regularly hosts 

traveling art exhibits (this giant horse sculpture is part of one such show), 

poetry readings and gourmet food trucks. 

CHAPTER 3 

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58

❖ 

Opposite and below: Thousands convene at Centennial Park for fun, fellowship and a healthy 

cardio workout as part of the American Heart Association’s annual Lee County Heart Walk. 

CHAPTER 3 

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60

The great outdoors beckons with beaches, waterways and plenty 

of watchable wildlife. Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 program 

offers a variety of parks and preserves, including some for kayakers 

and equestrians. 

❖ 

Opposite: On the banks of the Caloosahatchee, the nonprofit Edison Sailing Center 

has been teaching people to ply the water safely for more than three decades. 

Below: Aerial view of Whiskey Creek. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MIKE SHAPIRO. 

CHAPTER 3 

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62

❖ 

Bridges slice across the Caloosahatchee from 

downtown Fort Myers to North Fort Myers. 

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63

❖ 

Four-stories of historic brick house The Firestone, a cosmopolitan blend of 

cocktails and fine dining topped by its Sky Bar’s incomparable river view. 

Opposite: With its expansive view of the Caloosahatchee and its fountained 

inlet along Edwards Drive, The Firestone’s Sky Bar is a favorite place to 

gather and watch the river. 


64

CHAPTER 3 

65

❖ 

The 1929 Castianos are not the only things smokin’ 

at the World Famous Cigar Bar, the comfortably elegant 

Hendry Street venue also regularly hosts live bands. 


66

❖ 

Not only has he helped power the River District’s live music renaissance, 

Raimond Aulen, who has owned the popular Indigo Room since 1995, 

plays a mean guitar. 

CHAPTER 3 

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68

❖ 

Opposite: Fronting historic First Street, The Lodge is a dazzling blend 

of up-North woodlands aesthetics with locally sourced meat and 

produce and a wide array of craft beer. 

Clockwise, starting from the top: 

Downtown’s Hotel Indigo hosts a number of up-and-coming acts during 

the annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest. 

Performers include local favorite Sheena Brook, playing here at the 

Twisted Vine Bistro. 

Participants in the annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest mingle at the 

Twisted Vine Bistro, one of the free event’s venues. 

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❖ 

New Year’s Eve is a family- and flip-flop-friendly event in downtown Fort Myers. 

Opposite: Painted-on fireworks are just the start of fun during the 

River District’s Independence Day celebration. 


70

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71

❖ 

The historic courtyard’s live alligators 

are gone, but the Patio de Leon remains 

a favorite space to shop, sip and dine. 


72

❖ 

Downtown’s Caloosahatchee inlet is not just a lovely place for a stroll; the almost 

two-acre water basin helps clean the streets’ rainfall runoff before it reaches the river. 

CHAPTER 3 

73

Living the Dream 

in Subtropical Style 

❖ 

Evening settles over homes lining the Caloosahatchee. 

Opposite, top: Scenic McGregor Boulevard figures into the favorite route of 

many joggers. 

Opposite, bottom: Events throughout Thomas Edison’s birthday month 

of February include a 5K race through downtown that attracts 

runners from around the world, as well as a kids’ version. 

chapter 

Lifestyle choices run the gamut in Southwest Florida—sports, boating, fishing, water and beach recreation, 

festivals, arts, culture, and faith. 

And they always have. 


74

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76

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Opposite: Bikers pass the holiday-lit Burroughs Home as they head downtown. Motorcycle-friendly Fort Myers regularly hosts bike nights. 

Above: The Fort Myers Track Club sponsors a kids’ race as part of the Edison Festival events. 

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77

❖ 

Groups of bicyclists, most notably Critical Mass, work to make the city’s 

streets more bike-friendly and regularly meet for group rides. 


78

❖ 

More than just brightly lit outings, the nighttime rides sponsored by Critical Mass create 

solidarity in the biking community and emphasize the need for safe streets. 

CHAPTER 4 

79

Food lovers flock to the city’s diverse range of restaurants and farmers’ markets. They can enjoy 

fried green tomatoes or tableside Caesar salads in the historic Veranda, sample fresh-caught “pink gold” 

(wild Gulf shrimp) on Fort Myers Beach or eat tacos al pastor on Palm Beach Boulevard. 

❖ 

Once the grand Morgan Hotel, the historic Dean building is now home to the popular Ford’s Garage 

as well as residences and executive and commercial suites. 


80

More than a century ago, this is how the Fort Myers Press (precursor to its contemporary News-Press) described the region’s 

charms in a 1913 front-page story headlined “Mecca for lovers of outdoor life, fishing and hunting—yachts dot harbor.” 

The article began: “America has no duplicate of the Fort Myers section.... Here in Fort Myers, a man is alive every moment 

of his time and he plans for enjoyment with a zest equal to that he feels in his winter sports in the North.” 

Those words ring true today, where the region is graced with whole communities focused on golf, tennis or boating. 

CHAPTER 4 

81

❖ 

Before integration, Fort Myers’ white people had their parade and pageant honoring Thomas 

Edison every February. And while African-Americans were not barred per se, if they wanted to 

march, they had to do it at the very back of the parade—behind the horses, even, says historian 

Nina Denson-Rogers. So Evelyn Sams Canady took it upon herself to give the Dunbar community 

its own springtime tradition. A well-loved third-grade teacher and dedicated churchwoman, 

Sams was married to Walter Canady, a Negro League baseball player. Though she never had 

children of her own, Sams regularly took in kids who needed a home. And it was that love of 

children that led her to found the Dunbar Easter Parade in 1945. It remains a celebration of 

faith and of Fort Myers’ African-American residents. 


82

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83


84

❖ 

Opposite: Every year, a junior set of royalty is chosen to preside 

over the Edison Pageant of Light. 

Though it is certainly the highlight, February’s annual Edison 

Festival of Light is much more than a nighttime parade. 

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86

❖ 

Opposite: Kids also get their own parade, 

presided over by the junior King and Queen 

of Edisonia and their royal court. 

The King and Queen of Light reign over the 

mythical kingdom of Edisonia, waving to 

their subjects from an illuminated float in 

the Festival of Light’s Grand Parade. 

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88

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Young singers from one of the city’s youth groups lift their voices. 

CHAPTER 4 

89

❖ 

Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson helps judge the popular Mutt Strutt. 

This Edison Festival event is a chance for dog owners to parade their pets. 

It also includes wiener dog races and obedience trials. 


90

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91

❖ 

Beach volleyball downtown? Absolutely. 

It is just one of Centennial Park’s many surprises. 


92

❖ 

Hundreds gather along Centennial Park’s riverfront for Yoga on the Steps, 

a morning of fundraising for breast cancer sponsored by Chico’s, 

which is headquartered in Fort Myers. 

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94

❖ 

Opposite: A repurposed fish house makes the perfect setting for a boys’ angling adventure in Pine Island Sound. 

Above: Once upon a time, Pine Island Sound’s historic fish houses were the outposts to which fishermen brought 

their catch, which was then dumped on ice and boated to the mainland. Pine Island Sound’s fish houses are now 

mostly weekend retreats. 

Right: With its abundant sea grass beds and low-tide shallows, Pine Island Sound is a favorite with anglers of 

all ages. 

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96

❖ 

Opposite: Kayakers gear up to paddle out of Cayo Costa—a kiss for luck, then they are on their way. 

Above: Cayo Costa is a favorite getaway. Its wide beaches offer superlative shelling and its interior hides a quiet lagoon. 

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97

❖ 

With its gentle surf and silver sand, Fort Myers Beach 

brings out the happy kid inside most visitors. 

Opposite: Cayo Costa sand. 


98

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99

❖ 

Above: Beachgoers enjoy another splendid day on Fort Myers Beach both in and out of the water. 

Right: Whether zipping around on a Jet Ski or strolling in search of shells, visitors to Fort Myers 

Beach have myriad ways to get around. 


100

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101


102

❖ 

Opposite: Inspired by jazz music sculptor David Black heard 

while in Centennial Park, Fire Dance has graced the park’s 

Edison Circle since 2012. 

Below: Not only does the city’s Caloosahatchee riverfront inspire 

romance, it makes a perfect backdrop for a wedding celebration. 

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103

❖ 

Left: Roseate spoonbills rest on a rookery island in the Caloosahatchee, 

just minutes from the River District. 

Below: Wood storks and an anhinga gather in the mangroves of a Caloosahatchee Island 

close to downtown Fort Myers. 


104

For the last twenty-five years, Fort Myers has been recognized by the 

National Arbor Day Foundation as part of its Tree City USA program, and 

no wonder. Beyond its “City of Palms” nickname, Fort Myers is graced by a 

myriad of trees: venerable live oaks that create green tunnels, stately avenues of 

mahoganies and trees that flower in a rainbow of shades throughout the year. 

❖ 

Top, left: This tropical tree’s many common names speak to its clarion brightness, but whether you call it 

golden rain or silver trumpet, Tabebuia aurea is a streetside highlight. 

Top, right: The city’s royal poincianas blaze with color, making another of their common names quite 

understandable: flamboyant tree. 

Right: The brilliant bougainvillea hedge at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates that spreads over the 

eastern garden entrance was installed by the late renowned landscape architect and Edison Ford Trustee, 

Helen Johnson Hendry. 

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105

People Who 

Made Fort Myers 

What it is Today 

Fort Myers is shaped by its people—they create the character of the 

area through their diversity and shared values. Here are portraits of 

some of the region’s residents, though it is only the briefest sampling 

of Southwest Florida’s most precious resource: its residents. 

❖ 

chapter 

Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson presenting 

Olivia Williams with the key to the city. 


106

O LIVIA 

W ILLIAMS 

For more than three decades, Olivia Williams has been 

the sweet soul of the Farmer’s Market, another venerable 

Fort Myers institution. Famous for her sweet potato pies 

and rock‐solid culinary skills, cooking has been central to her 

life since she was twelve and learning at her mother’s side. 

In recognition of how many stomachs and hearts she has 

filled over the years, Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson 

recently presented her with the key to the city, and she 

presented him with a radiant smile for the ages. 

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107

S AEED 

K AZEMI 

RIVER DISTRICT VISIONARIES 

He is the calm in the center of occasional chaos, the one who keeps his focus 

on the city’s goals while moving deliberately forward. That methodical progression 

mirrors the arc of his own career. From city engineer to director of public works to 

interim city manager to the unanimously selected permanent holder of that office, 

Kazemi has worked his way up the administrative ladder, learning from each step. 

The challenges he faces include strengthening the citizenry’s sometimes‐troubled 

relationships with law enforcement and continuing redevelopment momentum. 

But his work is powered by the greatest force of all. “I love this city,” he says. 

“And I want to give back.” 


108

D ON 

P AIGHT 

Like downtown Fort Myers? Thank Don Paight, who has spent the last three 

decades making it work. As founding director of the Fort Myers Community 

Redevelopment Agency, the steady, soft‐spoken Paight has shouldered 

plenty of blame for slow progress, conflicting visions and cumbersome 

construction. Now, finally, he can bask in some on the credit for the River 

District’s renewed vibrancy. Scout, matchmaker, referee, cheerleader and 

always its champion. Paight’s genial service under five different mayors speaks 

to his diplomatic acumen, and the crowds that now fill the city’s once‐echoey 

streets, restaurants, offices and condos testify to the power of his vision. 

J ARED 

B ECK 

Jared Beck can do a lot of things: guide development, create consensus, and engineer alliances. But there is one thing 

he cannot do, and that is walk down First Street without smiling. Seriously. The man is so taken with its historic‐yet‐vibrant 

mix of cafes, shops, homes and landscape that no matter what else is going on, he has to grin. For Beck, a professional 

planner who also runs the River District Alliance, the city’s ongoing success is as gratifying professionally as it is personally. 

“My friends couldn’t understand it when I moved here from Naples,” he says, “but I can’t imagine being anywhere else.” 

CHAPTER 5 

109

RIVER DISTRICT DIVAS 

S TEPHANIE D AVIS 

DOWNTOWN DIVA 

To anyone who has consumed media in Southwest Florida for any 

length of time, the voice is unmistakable. Not just because it is heard 

on local radio waves and ringing from area theater stages, Stephanie 

Davis’ clever lilt of a voice is perhaps clearest on the printed page, 

where she (right) is best‐known as the Downtown Diva. The Diva is 

that hilariously incisive friend we all wish we had—brilliant, always 

ready for fun, yet kindhearted to a fault. Her wildly popular society 

columns, accompanied by her own expert photography, radiate her 

singular wit and charm. But Davis photographs more than people. 

She frequently turns her iPhone lens on downtown Fort Myers— 

“my beautiful neighborhood”—then shares the images on her equally 

popular Facebook and Instagram accounts. 


110

S HARON M C A LLISTER 

ART DIVA 

One of the tricks up arts whirlwind Sharon McAllister’s 

colorful sleeve is an uncanny ability to avoid the word 

“no.” That ability, skillfully deployed, has helped her 

make ArtFest Fort Myers the city’s signature annual 

celebration of fine art. But the multi‐day event, which 

she directs, is more than a collection of two‐ and threedimensional 

pieces from artists around the country—it 

is music, fine food, educational kids’ activities and a 

colorful street party. Thanks to McAllister’s philanthropic 

vision, the festival, which draws some 85,000 visitors 

downtown each year, has become a powerful engine for 

philanthropy, providing arts education to young people 

with competitions, grants and classes. 

CHAPTER 5 

111

RIVER DISTRICT DIVA 

G INA T AYLOR 

HISTORY DIVA 

Maybe it has happened to you: You pass an old building hundreds 

of times without ever really seeing it, let alone knowing 

its history. Gina Taylor’s mission is to change that—at least in 

downtown Fort Myers. With True Tours, Taylor and her corps of 

guides lead guests through the city’s past. But make no mistake: 

This history is far from dry or dusty; it is infused with the richness 

of the characters that created it. Taylor’s business fits into a 

key downtown niche—heritage tourism, a growing sector of 

the visitor economy. Taylor, who led the nonprofit Lee Trust for 

Historic Preservation before striking out on her own, points out 

the city has the largest concentration of historic buildings in 

Southwest Florida. “This gives us a secondary revenue source 

instead of just the beaches.” 


112

L YDIA 

B LACK 

As the poised ringmaster of a swirling cultural hub, 

Lydia Black keeps the Alliance for the Arts spinning. The 

ten acre campus includes galleries, classes and theater 

space, sure, but her vision also encompasses a thriving 

green market, poetry slams and rockin’ food festivals. 

Black takes the arts’ place in society very seriously. 

In 2011, she helped spearhead a county‐wide economic 

impact study and is working to enrich the alliance 

even further by adding more theater, classroom and 

administrative space. Bottom line, she says: “(The) arts 

are essential to the health and vitality of our Southwest 

Florida communities.” 

CHAPTER 5 

113

E ARNEST 

G RAHAM 

Once a hometown hero, always a hometown hero. After a sterling football 

career with the University of Florida and the Tampa Bay Bucs as a running back, 

Earnest Graham is now shaping the next generation of greats as head coach at 

North Fort Myers High School. He is also now president of Pro Player Insurance 

Group in downtown Fort Myers. That seems a perfect fit for a player one of 

his own coaches once nicknamed “Insurance” because he could always 

be counted on. A dedicated philanthropist, Graham also started the nonprofit 

Giving in Earnest, which aims to support and mentor at‐risk girls. 


114

S AM G ALLOWAY, JR . 

Since 1927, the Galloway family has been a linchpin 

in the Fort Myers economy. They owned the city’s 

first Ford dealership, providing cars via Henry Ford to 

Thomas Edison. Now helmed by the third‐generation 

of Galloways, Sam, Jr., a Fort Myers native and Fort 

Myers High School graduate, is the president of the 

Galloway Family of Dealerships. But his influence extends 

far beyond the business community. A dedicated 

philanthropist, he is a senior advisor of the Southwest 

Florida Community Foundation and has served as president 

of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates Foundation, 

the Edison Festival of Light, Community Cooperative, 

the Salvation Army and many others. So it is hardly a 

surprise that when Lee Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers 

named their inaugural Altruist of the Year Award in 

2000, they honored Sam Galloway, Jr. 

CHAPTER 5 

115

R OBERT 

C ACIOPPO 

In a trade notorious for its volatility, Robert Cacioppo 

has managed the nearly impossible: stability. Powered by 

a passion as intense as his gaze, he and his wife, Carrie 

Lund Cacioppo run the Florida Repertory Theatre in the 

River District. Sure, there have been good and bad years, 

but for more than two decades, Cacioppo and crew have 

been a dependably high‐profile force in Southwest Florida 

theater. His top‐flight company (the Wall Street Journal 

called it “one of America’s top repertory companies”) 

makes its home in the historic Arcade building, where 

Thomas Edison once caught shows, and has become a 

mainstay of downtown culture, proving that yes, the arts 

can make very good business sense in Fort Myers. 


116

W ILLIAM 

G LOVER 

His strength radiates from his faith and his servant’s heart—a heart he says God has fashioned into the shape of Africa, mother 

continent to humanity. As senior pastor of Mount Hermon Ministries, Inc., Dr. William L. Glover ministers to one of the Dunbar 

neighborhood’s oldest and best‐attended churches, but he also tends the wider community. As co‐president of Lee Interfaith 

for Empowerment, he works with other congregations and nonprofits to improve the justice system. And as a board member 

of Lee Community Healthcare, he works to keep bodies thriving as well. That mission recently got decidedly (and amusingly) 

personal, as a series of videos his wife, Cheryl, shot of him singing during their exercise walks went viral on Facebook. CHAPTER 5 

117

A BDUL’HAQ 

M UHAMMED 

Since stepping foot in Fort Myers some thirty years ago, 

Abdul’Haq Muhammed has worked to make strides for the 

city’s black community. After a successful business and real 

estate career in the Bronx, he turned his attention south, to a 

city once called the region’s most segregated. He founded the 

Quality Life Center—fondly referred to as “The Q” twenty‐five 

years ago as an incubator for at‐risk kids. It is a place where they 

can get a big hug or a talking‐to, depending in what they need, 

from a corps of dedicated grown‐ups who also teach them 

everything from dance to personal finance. Says Muhammed: 

“It’s all about erasing the victim mentality and replacing it with 

self‐respect and dignity.” 


118

J IM 

G RIFFITH 

It is hard to imagine the River District without Jim Griffith’s 

contributions and connections. The thriving cultural hub that is 

the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center would not have happened 

without his dogged pursuit of a vision marrying cultural progressiveness 

to historic preservation. Griffith marshalled the team 

and the money to convert an elegant‐but‐moldering post‐officeturned‐federal‐courthouse 

into a downtown jewel. A Juilliardtrained 

violist who happened onto his instrument (and his 

future) in a Cape Coral Middle School band class, Griffith spent 

college summers working construction, which helped as he 

piloted the building’s transformation. And in the process, 

Jim Griffith’s unwavering determination helped put Fort Myers 

firmly on the cultural map. 

CHAPTER 5 

119

C HRIS 

P ENDLETON 

As president and CEO since 2001, Chris Pendleton has been 

the keeper of one of Fort Myers most precious treasures: 

the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. Bringing several decades 

of museum administration in science, history and art history, 

she quickly reformed the mission to encompass the legacy 

of the inventors. Think children’s science camps, garden 

workshops, art and history coming to life and other creative 

uses. As one of the nation’s top ten most visited historic 

home sites; it is visited annually by upwards of 275,000 

people. Today, the site has won top awards from the 

National Trust, National Garden Club of America and achieved 

landmark status for lab restoration and stewardship. Boil 

it down and her mission has been to illuminate, invent 

and sustain the site. The estates’ original owners would 

be justly proud as the site looks forward to a great future. 


120

D ANIEL 

K EARNS 

Daniel Kearns and his team at Kearns Restaurant Group 

are a Fort Myers success story writ large—very large. After 

a strong track record of owning/operating restaurants and 

nightclubs in Connecticut, Kearns seized the opportunity 

to remake the venerable Fort Myers Country Club’s eatery 

into The Edison, before turning his attention to the 

historic downtown, where he opened the popular Ford’s 

Garage (now with multiple locations) followed by The 

Firestone Wood Fired Grille, Martini Bar & SkyBar, The 

Lodge, Los Cabos Cantina, and Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza 

(and creating upwards of 500 jobs in the process). Not 

surprisingly the Kearns’ destination dining concept has 

caught fire and is expanding nationwide. 

CHAPTER 5 

121

T ERRY 

T INCHER 

He is the other mayor of Fort Myers—the informal 

one—working for his beloved city not in budget workshops 

or council chambers, but at gallery openings and 

café tables. With his arty spectacles and megawatt grin, 

Tincher is one of the most recognizable of River District 

characters, and also one of its most authentic. As art 

dealer, businessman and boulevardier, Tincher has made 

it his mission to create and sustain cultural conversations. 

Not only did he help create the city’s well‐loved ArtWalk, 

he was in the vanguard of urban re‐settlers, taking up 

residence in a historic downtown building. 


122

J ARRETT 

E ADY 

Jarrett Eady did not have to come back. Florida State 

University’s one‐time student government president and 

Senior Hall of Famer could have rocketed to a bright future 

somewhere in a big city, but instead, the fourth‐generation 

Fort Myers resident returned to teach middle schoolers, before 

getting kicked upstairs to the district, where he is now a 

professional development and leadership specialist—and that 

is just his 9‐to‐5. In his spare time, Eady (among other things) 

chairs the Lee County Black History Society, serves on the 

Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory 

Board and the Dunbar Festival Committee and attends historic 

Friendship Baptist Church. 

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123

M ADELINE 

B OHANNON 

Want to know something—anything—about tropical 

fruit? Fort Myers grower Madeline Bohannon can 

tell you. And she will probably offer you a bite of it to 

go with your newfound knowledge. On her jungly 

acreage that wraps around Billy’s Creek, Bohannon 

cultivates a dazzling array of exotica ranging from 

the expected mango and guava to the decidedly 

uncommon: monstera, cecropia and gak. Though she 

does sell much of what she grows (“Those macadamia 

trees are my retirement fund,” she jokes) Bohannon 

also shares generously with friends and neighbors, 

and less willingly, with appreciative squirrels. 


124

J OE 

P LEDGER 

The tradition of riverboat captaining may be rooted in history, but Joe Pledger adds 

twenty‐first‐century expertise to create singular experiences for passengers aboard the 

three‐level, 130‐foot‐long Capt. JP. 

Pledger calls his paddlewheeler a banquet hall with ever‐changing scenery, but it is 

also transport to another time, when the Caloosahatchee was an engine of commerce. 

Going on half a century, Pledger’s family has launched from the Fort Myers Yacht Basin, and 

before that, they operated the popular Jungle Cruise boat on the Orange River. Pledger’s 

wife, sister, and sons work at the family business as well. He is grateful for that, as well as 

a career that has given him unparalleled knowledge of the river. Perhaps best of all, he says, 

is the satisfaction of having “given a lot of people enjoyment and cherished memories.” 

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125

W OODY 

H ANSON 

Native son? Where Woody Hanson is concerned, it is more like native great‐great‐grandson. Few can claim the bilateral 

family ties to Fort Myers that Hanson can. His maternal great‐great grandfather, Captain Manuel A. Gonzalez, was one 

of the original pioneers who repurposed the Union Civil War fort for his first home near the Caloosahatchee. On his 

father’s side, the real estate broker and appraiser traces his lineage to Dr. William Hanson, his great‐grandfather, 

who helped forge the family’s deep ties to the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes (great‐great grandpa Manuel traded 

with them also). Woody, who recently earned a master’s degree in Florida studies, is now the keeper of his family’s rich 

and massive archive—which is the region’s good fortune. 


126

M ARCUS 

J ANSEN 

As a Gulf War veteran who once sold his wares on 

the street, Marcus Jansen may seem an unlikely fine art 

ambassador, but then again, that gritty pedigree makes 

him the perfect champion of Urban Expressionism, an 

art movement he pioneered. His work, hailed by critics 

around the globe, is vividly disturbing and achingly 

thought‐provoking. Calling his downtown Fort Myers 

studio, UNIT A, his world headquarters is no hyperbole 

either. In recent years, Jansen’s shows and exhibits 

have taken him to New York, Italy and Germany, and 

he was recently the subject of a documentary film: 

Examine and Report. 

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127

E MAD 

S ALMAN 

To the children who count on him to save their 

lives, the state‐of‐the‐art medicine and therapies 

Dr. Emad Salman deploys are almost as important 

as his loving heart. Almost. Always quick with a 

hug or a gentle smile, Salman’s trademark hightech/high‐touch 

philosophy has helped make the 

Hematology/Oncology department he directs at the 

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida 

the premiere treatment destination in the region 

for children with cancer and blood disorders. And 

Dr. Salman’s plainspoken kindliness is a profound 

comfort for his patients’ often anxious parents. 


128

I SRAEL 

S UAREZ 

Social service dynamo and ordained minister Israel Suarez founded his nonprofit 

Nations Association in 1978, and has been doing a world of good ever 

since. Though it has changed focus over the decades, one thing has remained 

consistent: Suarez’ relentless energy and enormous heart. Over the years, 

Nations has run a soup kitchen and a thrift store, housed the homeless, found 

jobs for teens, taught English, counseled runaways, taken kids on field trips 

and readied them for college. Not bad for a Puerto Rican shoeshine boy who 

came to New York as a teenager and ran a laundromat as a young man. 

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129

W ANDA 

L UNGER 

She is the plainspoken queen of a Fort Myers classic: City Fish. Yet Wanda 

Lunger’s homespun market offers fare fit for royalty: the freshest gifts of the sea, 

served up with sweet tea and boiled peanuts. Need blue crabs or a mess of mullet? 

Fresh‐fried shrimp? Tender hushpuppies? Lunger’s got you covered. City Fish has 

been feeding Fort Myers since 1944, when it was on a sliver of what was then 

called Anderson Avenue—now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Located just 

over the railroad tracks in a storefront in the gritty State Farmer’s Market, the 

fare is not fancy, but what it may lack in elegance, it more than makes up with 

authenticity. Lunger’s food, her kitchen and her customers are all the real deal. 


130

D AVE 

M OODY 

In a place where fifth‐generation businesses are rare as snowfall, Futral’s Feed Store has pulled it off, with more than seven 

decades of provisioning critters and their humans. While a downtown feed store might seem a tad incongruous, Futral’s fits 

as comfortably as a pair of old boots, mixing cow feed with vegan dog kibble. Never mind that traditional farming in Lee County 

has all but disappeared, Futral’s remains the informal headquarters of the region’s country community, where transplants are 

greeted as warmly as old‐timers by David Moody, Jr., who is following in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps. 

CHAPTER 5 

131


132

FORT MYERS PARTNERS 

Profiles of businesses, organizations, and families that have 

contributed to the development and economic base of Fort Myers 

Lee Memorial Health System..................................................................................134 

LeeSar, Inc. ........................................................................................................140 

Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. .....................................................................144 

Dean Steel Buildings, Inc. .....................................................................................146 

Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. ...............................................................148 

Southwest Florida International Airport ..................................................................150 

Page Field ..........................................................................................................151 

Galloway Auto.....................................................................................................152 

Mark Loren Designs, Inc. ......................................................................................154 

Florida SouthWestern State College.........................................................................156 

Alliance for the Arts ............................................................................................158 

AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc..........................................................................160 

Victory Layne Chevrolet........................................................................................162 

Barraco and Associates, Inc. ..................................................................................164 

T3 Communications, Inc........................................................................................166 

Hope Healthcare ..................................................................................................168 

Fort Myers .........................................................................................................170 

Johnson Engineering, Inc. ......................................................................................172 

Ad-Ler Roofing, Inc..............................................................................................173 

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre ..............................................................................174 

Chico’s FAS, Inc. .................................................................................................175 

Canterbury School ...............................................................................................176 

Boylan Environmental Consultants, Inc....................................................................177 

The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties............................................178 

Fischler Property Company....................................................................................179 

Hotel Indigo, Fort Myers Downtown River District ....................................................180 

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall....................................................................181 

WCI Communities, Inc. .........................................................................................182 

Delta Sigma Theta ...............................................................................................183 

Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., P.A. .........................................................184 

Gulfcoast Coin & Jewelry, . ...................................................................................185 

Edison & Ford Winter Estates ................................................................................186 

Corbin Henderson Company...................................................................................187 

Allure and ONE...................................................................................................188 

Main Sail Video Productions, Inc............................................................................189 


133

❖ 

Right: Early 1900s, First Street. 

Below: The original Lee Memorial Hospital, c. 1916. 

LEE MEMORIAL 

HEALTH SYSTEM 

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

AND LEE MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM. 

From humble beginnings, Lee Memorial Health System 

grew with and evolved to meet the healthcare needs of our 

community. As we celebrate 100 years of caring, we are 

proud to share a brief history that showcases our evolution 

and our unwavering commitment to leading-edge, high 

quality, patient-centered care. 

The Lee Memorial Health System origins in the early 

twentieth century include a bonfire, a shotgun toting county 

commissioner, a gang of 150 men, numerous meetings 

and more. 

Much of the history happened before the hospital’s doors 

first opened on October 3, 1916, in a wood frame, two story 

building at the corner of Grand and Victoria Avenues in 

what is now downtown Fort Myers. 

What twenty-first century Lee County residents know as 

a state-of-the art health system with gleaming buildings, 

high-tech medical wizardry and thousands of highly-trained 

and skilled employees began in a much different world. 

Before the hospital opened, it took four years of meetings, 

planning, fundraising and other activity to make Lee 

Memorial a reality. 

The town of Fort Myers was growing in the 1910s and 

so was the need for medical care. The U.S. census counted 

2,463 people in Fort Myers in 1910 and all of Lee County, 

which then included land that is now Collier and Hendry 

Counties, contained 6,294 people. 

To put that in perspective, in 2015 the Lee Memorial 

Health System employed 11,800 people, another 4,089 

people volunteered and Lee County’s population was 

more than 600,000. That does not include Collier and 

Hendry Counties, which were carved out of Lee County in 

the 1920s. 

By 1912, when a hospital organizing committee first met, 

the town was on its way to becoming a city and needed a 

suitable hospital. 

Not everybody, though, thought a hospital was needed, 

according to a 1984 history of Lee Memorial that appeared 

in a publication called Tampa Bay History. Writer Alberta C. 

Rawchuck noted, “That some citizens clung to the belief 

that a hospital was only a place to go and die.” 

Many other citizens, though, thought otherwise. The Lee 

County Hospital Association held its first meeting in 1912. 

The Fort Myers Press celebrated the group in an editorial 

on January 11, 1912, nine days after the first meeting. 

“It certainly is gratifying to see a public movement 

command such enthusiastic support as is being accorded 

the proposition to establish in Fort Myers an emergency 

hospital,” the paper wrote in that editorial. “At the meeting 

in the council chamber Tuesday night, the greatest interest 

was displayed and there was unanimity of opinion in 

favor of pushing the project to as speedy a consummation 

as possible.” 

It took more than four years from that meeting 

to consummation. 

As the hospital committee inched closer to building a 

hospital, one of the most dramatic incidents in Lee County 

history occurred. 


134

The minutes of the April 3, 1915, hospital board meeting 

provide a clue. From those minutes: “The material of the 

old courthouse was donated by the county. The laborers 

donated part of their wages. The merchants and material 

men furnished everything at wholesale prices.” 

On October 24, 1914, the Lee County Commission 

voted 3:2 to build a new courthouse, replacing one built 

in 1894. Although the commission voted in favor of the 

new courthouse, a faction of businessmen in town, led by 

Harvie Heitman, were opposed to the new courthouse. So, 

his supporters boarded a 4 p.m. train for Arcadia where 

they hoped to get a court injunction to stop the project. 

While Heitman’s faction traveled to Arcadia, Commission 

Chairman William Towles gathered 150 men. Their mission 

was to dismantle the old courthouse overnight, working by 

the light of a bonfire. 

In a 1949 book, The Story of Fort Myers, author Karl 

Grismer detailed the event. 

“A huge crowd gathered,” Grismer wrote. “Men, women 

and children cheered the workmen on. It was great sport. 

Never before had anything like this happened in Florida. 

Old-timers’ say Towles sat on steps nearby with a shotgun 

in his hands.” 

The lumber from the old courthouse was set aside and 

used to build a hospital. By the fall of 1916, the four years 

of work, planning and fundraising had paid off. Lee County 

had a hospital. 

Here’s a headline in the Fort Myers Press from October 3, 

1916: “Large Donation Is Received.” The paper reported 

that Walter G. Langford, president of First National Bank, 

donated the “equivalent” of several hundred dollars. 

From the newspaper: “The donation, which consists of 

a complete and up-to-date surgical equipment for the 

operating room of the new hospital, recently completed by 

the association and which it is understood will shortly be 

opened for active service, is held as an endorsement of the 

work accomplished by the association, and those who have 

been identified with the work of completing.” 

The paper reported that the gift was the largest the 

association had by then received. The paper added: “It is 

understood that Mr. Langford at first refused to allow the 

mention of his name in connection with the gift.” 

The paper closed its report with this: “It is stated that 

cases will be taken up to the capacity of the building, which 

at present is limited to fifteen, including accommodations 

available in the wards. Private rooms will also be available to 

those desiring such accommodations the charges for which 

will be placed at a minimum.” 

What Sam Thompson needed to do and how the hospital 

responded set a pattern of care and commitment that has not 

wavered in 100 years and counting. Thompson, then thirtynine, 

was on horseback in the woods near LaBelle on a fall 

day in 1916 when he was gripped with pain. He rode his horse 

to a new Fort Myers hospital, which was not yet finished. 

The only available surgeon was Dr. Daniel McSwain of 

Arcadia. Dr. McSwain boarded a train in Arcadia around 

❖ 

Above: Lee Memorial Hospital’s first nursing staff. 

Left: Dr. Daniel McSwain, Lee Memorial Hospital’s first surgeon, c. 1916. 


135

❖ 

Above: Mattie and Sam Thompson (first patient). 

Right: Groundbreaking for Lee Memorial Hospital on 

Cleveland Avenue, 1939. 

10 p.m. He arrived at the hospital about an hour later and 

using kerosene lamps for light, he operated on Thompson. 

Then at 7 a.m., Dr. McSwain boarded a train for the return 

trip to Arcadia. 

The appendix operation was a success and Thompson 

lived into his eighties. He was a hearty man and successful 

in many ways. He started a grocery store, served as guide 

on hunting trips, worked as a game warden by oxen and 

horseback and helped lay the first telephone lines from 

Fort Myers to Buckingham. 

Like Thompson, the other patients who entered what 

evolved into the Lee Memorial Health System, knew they 

could rely on the men and women, the doctors, nurses, 

administrators and volunteers who make the system run. 

Whether appendicitis or childbirth or heart surgery or 

broken bones, they have trooped through the hospital’s 

doors, either at its first location or one of its current 

locations throughout Lee County, from HealthPark Medical 

Center to Cape Coral Hospital to Gulf Coast Medical Center 

in south Fort Myers and the new Golisano Children’s 

Hospital of Southwest Florida and more. 

The wooden structure at Victoria and Grand was all 

there was of Lee Memorial Hospital until 1943 when 

a new building opened on 

Cleveland Avenue. 

This was a huge news story 

in Fort Myers and The News- 

Press lavishly covered it in 

the days leading up to and 

following its April 18, 1943, 

opening. The new hospital 

was described in the paper as 

a “handsome structure of buff 

brick on Cleveland Avenue 

near Katherine Street.” 

A grand opening celebration was held on a Sunday 

and the public was invited to the new $200,000 facility. 

News-Press reporter Rufe Daughtrey was given a tour a 

couple days earlier and his account was published the day 

before the opening ceremony. 

“That new hospital out on Cleveland Avenue is just about 

the nicest place imaginable to be sick in,” Daughtrey wrote. 

“It’s got just about everything from magnificent sun decks 

to a cozy parlor where you can play cards in front of a log 

fire on a chilly evening.” 

He provided a description. 

“Here is how the plant looked on a rehearsal tour yesterday,” 

Daughtrey wrote. “To begin with, the front is in back 

and the back is in front. In other words, that side facing 

Cleveland Avenue is in the back. To get to the front you 

follow a winding road around under the pines to the offside 

of the building. 

“From your car you step onto a narrow porch and into 

the big reception room. That’s the room that has the oldfashioned 

fireplace and would make a good place for gettogethers 

on chill evenings. Joining the reception room is 

the bookkeeper’s office and the office of the superintendent 

of nurses. 


136

“The office opens into a wide corridor. To the right is a 

long wing. This wing fronts on Cleveland Avenue—in fact 

they all do, the two wings downstairs and the two upstairs. 

They are faced with solid windows of glass from floor to 

ceiling, a perfect sun deck.” 

The reporter described numerous details of the hospital’s 

appearance concluding with the operating room. 

“And last but not least is the operating room,” Daughtrey 

wrote. “This is the pride and joy of the new hospital. It really 

is an eye-full. Walls and floors to the ceiling are a restful 

green. In the center is the latest in operating tables where 

doctors can cut you open and with special lights so they can 

see what makes you tick. 

“This operating table is something like a glorified barber 

chair. With it, doctors can stand you on your head, double 

you into a ball or turn you sideways. After seeing this you 

may be glad you can walk out under your own power.” 

The community’s growth, though, soon outpaced the 

building so in 1968 a bigger Lee Memorial Hospital building 

opened. It was a $5.5 million project. 

The building alone cost $4.2 million and the rest of the 

cost went to the architect ($267,000), land purchase 

($140,000), equipment ($800,000) and another $51,300 for 

what was listed as “miscellaneous.” 

“The opening of the new Lee Memorial Hospital represents 

another milestone in the development of Lee County, 

signaling the assumption of public responsibility for the 

provision of healthcare facilities for the first time,” the 

News-Press reported on October 16, 1968. 

Then, the paper put the building in perspective. 

“The new hospital, a gleaming white $4.5 million 

structure—is not yet the hospital that many people would 

have it be, but it is far better than Lee County ever had 

before,” the paper reported. 

But it was not done growing. 

In 1991, HealthPark Medical Center opened several 

miles away with 220 beds. Of those 220 beds, seventy-five 

were dedicated to pediatrics and named the Children’s 

Hospital of Southwest Florida. 

The contrast between the two-story wood building that 

opened in 1916 and HealthPark Medical Center was striking. 

The facility included a tiled courtyard, trees, glass elevators 

and plush furniture. The original hospital did not even have 

an elevator. HealthPark’s corridors and patient rooms were 

festooned with artworks. 

❖ 

Above: Lee Memorial Hospital, 1955. 

Left: Future site of HealthPark Medical Center, 1985. 


137

❖ 

Right: Cape Coral Hospital. 

Below: Gulf Coast Medical Center. 

HealthPark’s four-story atrium was taller than the original 

hospital. It looked more like a hotel than a hospital. 

“The idea is that you won’t feel like you’re coming to 

a hospital, but to a multiservice facility that happens to 

have a hospital buried inside it,” Lee Memorial Hospital 

President Jim Nathan told the News-Press before HealthPark 

opened. “The traditional hospital is confining in its nature. 

You see patients on gurneys and doctors and nurses hustling 

down the hallways. All that adds to the emotion of going to 

the hospital.” 

HealthPark’s grand opening was a big deal. The News-Press 

covered the event with a story carrying this headline: 

“HealthPark leaves visitors in awe.” 

In 1996, with the acquisition of Cape Coral Hospital, 

all the hospitals became part of what is now known as Lee 

Memorial Health System. 

In 2006, Gulf Coast Hospital and Southwest Florida 

Regional Medical Center were merged into the Lee Memorial 

Health System and in 2009 they were consolidated into one 

hospital. That one hospital is Gulf Coast Medical Center, 

which is located on Daniels Parkway in south Fort Myers. 

In 2014, Lee Memorial announced plans for a $140 

million health campus in south Lee County. It would 

include a freestanding emergency room, outpatient surgical 

center, doctors’ offices, imaging, and rehabilitation services. 

Plans called for the facility to be built on a thirty-acre site 

just south of the upscale Coconut Point Mall. 

The expansions and acquisitions were needed to keep 

pace with Lee County’s growth. The county was growing by 

more people per year than lived in it when Lee Memorial 

opened in 1916. 

From 2002 to 2003, for example, Lee County’s population 

grew from 475,073 to 497,022. That is an increase of 21,949, 

a 4.6 percent rise. 


138

To put the growth in perspective, the addition of 21,949 

new residents in that year was nearly the equal of the county’s 

population in 1950, 23,404. 

Hospitals do not appear by waving magic wands. That 

was true in the years from 1912 to 1916 when Lee County 

residents met, planned, worked and raised money to build 

the county’s first hospital. 

That has been the case since the 1990s as work has 

progressed on building the $244 million, 128-bed Golisano 

Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. By the summer of 

2015 the Golisano Children’s Hospital was halfway finished. 

“Miracles happen here,” Jim Nathan said in September of 

2015 as hospital construction reached its halfway point. 

“People said you couldn’t do this. But we said, ‘We have to.’” 

It was done in many ways. One was raising more than 

$100 million in private donations. The biggest individual 

chunk came from Naples billionaire B. Thomas Golisano, 

who donated $20 million to the project. Golisano made 

the offer contingent on if other private donors could match 

that total. 

“When I announced my commitment in 2012 I hoped 

that it would leverage support from everyone in the 

community, that it would motivate everyone to contribute 

in a meaningful way to this important endeavor,” Golisano 

said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the hospital. 

Although Golisano’s gift was the largest; huge sums 

came from others. The Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest 

donated $10 million up to that point. Lee HealthCare 

Resources had chipped in $5 million and another $10 

million came from Sanibel Captiva Cares. 

The Anderson Family Foundation gave a sum identified 

by the system as greater than $1 million. Chico’s FAS donated 

$1 million. Local businessman Jim Doyle gave $1 million 

in 2013. 

It is not mere good luck that all those people and organizations 

donated to Lee Memorial Health System. 

“Donors give to winners,” Nathan said. 

“Donors don’t usually give to losers. They 

give because they trust the people that they’re 

donating to and they trust the mission of 

what they’re doing. And when you look 

through the entire history of Lee Memorial, 

we have been blessed even in those small 

dollar amounts by today’s terms, but they were 

large dollar amounts by yesterday’s terms.” 

Although the world is vastly different than 

it was when the hospital first opened in 1916, 

some things remain the same. 

“The commitment to the community 

doesn’t change,” said Dr. Larry Antonucci, 

Lee Memorial’s chief operating officer. “The 

numbers are bigger and the scale is bigger. 

But the people wanting to do the right thing for their community 

and raising the money and the gathering the wood 

and building the facility is not unlike what happens today.” 

❖ 

Left: Pediatric patient, early 1980s. 

Below: Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Golisano Children’s Hospital of 

Southwest Florida, 2014. 


139

LEESAR, INC. 

In 1998, with healthcare costs continuing to climb, 

Jim Nathan, president of Lee Memorial Healthcare System, 

and Dr. Duncan Finlay, then-president of Sarasota Memorial 

Healthcare System, met to discuss an innovative idea they 

believed would save the hospitals millions of dollars every 

year. The idea was to create two separate organizations 

owned by the two hospital systems that would negotiate 

with and buy directly from suppliers and resell to the two 

hospital systems. 

In other words: Eliminate the middle man. 

Eliminating the middle man is a time-honored business 

strategy that sounds like a no-lose proposition. Buy directly 

from the supplier, eliminate the profit charged by the 

middle man, and save. The problem with this strategy is 

executing it is often more difficult than one might imagine, 

and that is exactly what happened in the first two years 

after LeeSar (named for the two hospitals) and Cooperative 

Services of Florida, which handles negotiations and 

contracting, went into business. 

LeeSar’s troubles stemmed from the fact that they initially 

outsourced the management of the two corporations. In 

the beginning, LeeSar’s fill rate (a measure of the percentage 

of orders correctly filled) was around sixty-four percent, 

and because its performance was so low the company 

grew slowly or not at all, operating only two departments 

and employing no more than thirty people. 

Today, LeeSar/Cooperative Services of Florida, which 

operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 

boasts more than twenty departments, employs more 

than 400 people, opened a 205,000 square foot regional 

service center in Fort Myers in 2012, and has plans to 

add another 100,000 square feet to accommodate its 

growing business. LeeSar provides hospitals, physicians 

offices, and ambulatory and outpatient surgical centers 

with a variety of healthcare supply chain services including 

the acquisition and distribution of medical supplies; 

packaging of pharmaceuticals; surgical instrument 

sterilization; surgical pack manufacturing; repair and 

express delivery of surgical instruments; food preparation; 

centralized purchasing; and contract management 

and negotiations. 

What happened to spark such a turnaround? Much of 

the credit goes to President and CEO Bob Simpson, 

whom LeeSar hired to run its operations in 2002. Unlike 

his predecessors, Simpson, a true visionary, quickly 

applied business principles to operations. Within three 

months, fill rates improved to the ninety-eight percent 

level and today remain consistently above ninetynine 

percent. 


140

Since Simpson joined the company, LeeSar/CSF has 

grown at an annual rate of eighteen to twenty percent. 

Original members Lee Memorial Healthcare System and 

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System have been joined 

by Central Florida Health Alliance and Huntsville Hospital 

in Huntsville, Alabama. Each of the four members has 

representatives on LeeSar’s and/or CSFs board of directors. 

Both members and non-members (referred to as participants) 

receive requested services and are then billed at a 

lower overall cost than if the members and participants 

attempted to acquire them from other providers. Members 

and participants benefit from LeeSar’s straightforward 

mission to: “provide the right product and service at the 

right time to the right patient at the lowest possible cost.” 

LeeSar’s approach is more efficient, accessible, and affordable. 

It also allows hospitals and other providers to free up 

space so they can perform their most important task: taking 

care of patients. 


141

The process of saving money for its members and 

customers begins with Cooperative Services of Florida 

(CSF), which is housed inside LeeSar Regional Service 

Center. CSF exists to contract directly between members 

and manufacturers of supplies, equipment, and services. 

It believes in driving value at both ends of the healthcare 

supply chain, meaning that both clinicians and suppliers 

benefit. Clinicians benefit from getting supplies they want 

at lower costs, and suppliers benefit from lower costs 

and an easily-forecasted sales stream and market share. 

Audited results show CSF has been so successful in 

direct negotiations with manufacturers that their costs to 

clients are among the lowest three percent in the nation 

when compared to similar-sized operations. 

The next step is building an inventory of supplies, equipment, 

and service providers who can respond to member and 

customer needs quickly and accurately. Much of that takes 

place at the LeeSar Regional Service Center, which manages 

and houses mission-critical healthcare operational services 

for healthcare organizations. The benefits of such a system are 

numerous. Many hospitals have a large, central supply room 

where nurses or nurses’ aides go to get supplies. Sometimes 

the supplies are out of date or someone has already taken 

the last item and no one has had time to reorder. Removing 

this process from the healthcare provider reduces waste and 

the hospital’s liability and increases space for patient care. 

Reducing waste is one of the factors behind a recently 

added service known as reposable reprocessing. One reason 

healthcare costs have been so high in the past is that items 

were used once and discarded even when it was safe to reuse 

them. Studies by the Food and Drug Administration have 

found that many items can be reused under the right conditions. 

At LeeSar, approved items at Lee Memorial Hospital 

and Sarasota Memorial Hospital are collected, cleaned, 

tested, sterilized, repackaged, and resold at a highly reduced 

cost, resulting in savings and less waste in area landfills. 

That sort of innovative thinking is what sets LeeSar apart. 

Creativity and innovation are encouraged at LeeSar and 

senior management is allowed to be creative, try new 

things, and even to make mistakes. In recent years, LeeSar 

began carrying mothers’ milk for premature babies and 

for babies whose mothers are unable to nurse. They also do 

IV compounding using robots and provide pharmaceutical 

repackaging to free up hospital pharmacists to focus on 

more important work. Pharmaceutical repackaging involves 

taking a large amount of medicine—such as pills—and 

breaking them down into the smaller numbers needed 

for individual patients. This leads to less waste and fewer 

bedside medical errors. 


142

LeeSar provides record retention for 

members and customers, archiving patient 

records, X-rays, and other items and 

retrieving them when needed. 

LeeSar’s Culinary Solutions Department 

provides cook-and-chill services in which 

they cook foods, freeze them, and ship 

them to hospitals and other customers, 

which then finish preparing the food, 

place the food on a plate, and deliver it 

to patients. The department also provides 

catering for hospital events and fundraisers 

and some private outside events. 

Although most of its operations are 

based at the LeeSar Regional Service 

Center, the company also operates a 

nuclear pharmacy facility and custom 

surgical pack operation at other sites. 

Surgical pack operations involve assembling 

sterile packs that physicians open in 

the operating room to perform a surgical 

procedure. These packs are customized to 

meet each physician’s specifications. 

Since its inception in 1998, the company 

has been recognized for its innovation 

and progressive business practices with numerous awards 

and accolades. LeeSar received the Senator’s Choice Award, 

presented by Senator Michael Bennett, recognizing LeeSar 

as “The 2011 Most Innovative Company” in the State of 

Florida. In January 2016 it received the Pride of Florida 

Award from State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto. 

Although LeeSar is not a business-to-consumer entity, 

it believes in doing the right thing to support the communities 

in which it conducts business. LeeSar’s staff has 

been very active in a wide range of charities including the 

March of Dimes, Make A Wish Foundation, and efforts to 

support children’s hospitals. 

As for the future, LeeSar plans to continue growing while 

maintaining its ability to turn on a dime. The company will 

keep its finger on the healthcare industry’s pulse by keeping 

track of what the market and customers need and then 

moving to fill those needs. As reimbursement becomes more 

difficult for hospitals and other providers, LeeSar’s role will 

become even more critical in helping to ensure that the 

healthcare system is sustainable, affordable, and successful. 


143

❖ 

PARKER/MUDGETT/SMITH 

ARCHITECTS, INC. 

Edison Junior College, Lee County Campus. 

Since 1966, Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc., has 

provided professional planning and architectural services for 

clients throughout Southwest Florida. Beginning its fiftieth 

year in 2016, the firm now has four registered architects and 

nine employees. 

The roots of Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects were sown 

in 1952 when former principal Bolton McBryde moved 

from Tennessee to Florida and opened an office in downtown 

Fort Myers, where it remains to this day. During 

the 1950s, the firm established itself as a practice dedicated 

to educational, medical, commercial, and governmental 

clients. These early projects included the offices of the 

Naples Post Office and a major remodel of the Lee County 

Sheriff’s Station/Jail Complex at a cost of $50,000. 

Wiley M. Parker was raised in South Carolina and was 

working for an architectural firm in Atlanta when he 

connected with McBryde. The firm, at that time known as 

McBryde & Frizzell Architects, was embarking on the master 

plan for the newly established Edison Junior College. This 

project was the first of the firm’s strategic alliances with 

nationally esteemed architectural design firms. In 1962, 

Parker joined the firm as project manager and design 

architect for the Edison Junior College campus project. 

Upon the breakup of McBryde & Frizzell, Parker became 

a principal in 1966 and the business reflected the change 

as McBryde & Parker Architects, Inc., creating the present 

corporation. Parker, an avid sailor and conservationist, 

set the tone for the firm’s respect for nature and its vigilance 

for environmental concerns. 

The firm continued to thrive, producing a variety of public 

and private projects. Educational projects throughout 

Southwest Florida became a core competency, along with 

medical clinical facilities, and commercial office buildings. 

Many projects for the region’s school districts were products 

of the firm. As the area’s population and commerce expanded, 

office buildings were designed and constructed to meet 

growing demands. Many of the religious facilities designed 

by the firm, such as St. Michael’s Lutheran Church and 

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, remain fully functional landmarks. 

William A. Mudgett, an Illinois native, joined the firm 

in 1968, and he and Parker enjoyed a synergy few firms 

ever have. Residential work proliferated. Additionally, the 

partners’ shared passion for educational projects enabled 

the firm to grow into educational master planning, design, 

and construction experts. 

Mudgett became a principal in 1973 and for six years the 

group operated as McBryde/Parker/Mudgett Architects. When 

McBryde retired in 1979, the firm became Parker/Mudgett 

Architects. During the ensuing fifteen years, the firm’s portfolio 

of major educational projects grew to include additions to 

the Edison Junior College campus, five new high schools, 

and master planning of new middle and elementary schools 

throughout Southwest Florida. A serendipitous spinoff evolved 

into addressing athletic facilities, ushering in the era of modern 

sports facilities in and around Lee County. 

Roger L. Smith, a Lee County native, began his career as 

a general contractor. After gaining invaluable knowledge in 

the field, he joined the firm in 1972. Collaborations expanded 

in the size, scope and complexity of its projects. The firm’s 

portfolio of medical clinical projects grew. It established 

repeat clients specializing in oncology, radiology, family 

practice, and the dental arts. Smith became a principal in 

1987, which established the current name of the firm. 

W. Jeffrey Mudgett joined the firm in 1992. His passion 

increased the firm’s efforts related to the environment and 

historic preservation. The firm continues to be a leader in 

sustainability, providing highly efficient, cost-effective, 

award-winning facilities. These include the Archbold 

Biological Station Lodge & Learning Center, which received 

LEED Platinum, and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 


144

Interpretative Center, the first LEED-certified building in 

Lee County. Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects includes two 

staff members who have held the LEED AP BD+C credential 

since its inception by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

Mudgett became a principal in 2001, and a focus on 

historic preservation grew that year when the firm began 

its relationship with the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. The 

firm provided the master site plan and architectural services 

for the $10 million project that restored every portion of 

the estates. The buildings were painstakingly dismantled, 

restored or repaired, and reassembled to their original 1929 

configuration with close considerations of sustainability and 

conservation. Through the multiyear project, along with many 

awards, the firm won the respect and confidence of the estates 

staff and preservation organizations. 

The firm’s transition to a second generation of ownership 

truly began when Mudgett became president. The transition 

included an increase in the number and size of strategic 

alliances with internationally acclaimed architectural design 

firms. These collaborations have enabled Parker/Mudgett/Smith 

Architects to be completely immersed in large-scale projects, 

such as the redevelopment of downtown Fort Myers; JetBlue 

Park, spring training home for the Boston Red Sox; and 

Hammond Stadium at CenturyLink Park, spring training 

home of the Minnesota Twins. 

The core beliefs and philosophies of Parker/Mudgett/Smith 

Architects thrive today. Sean P. Gilmore and Tyler F. Patak 

became principals in 2016. Gilmore, who grew up in Lee 

County, holds the LEED AP BD+C credential. Patak, a 

Lee County resident since 1977, also is LEED AP BD+C 

credentialed. This expansion has enabled the firm to address 

security and safety realities of today’s world. Patak was 

one of the first twenty professionals nationwide to receive 

the professional Crime Prevention Through Environmental 

Design designation. 

Parker’s service on the Lee County Planning Commission 

in the 1970s and the Conservation 20/20 environmental 

movement established a corporate attitude of embracing 

the community. This legacy is sustained through service on 

a variety of committees, boards, and organizations. 

The firm’s business model ensures principal involvement 

at every stage of each project. Bill Mudgett, Roger Smith, 

Jeff Mudgett, Tyler Patak, and Sean Gilmore offer 150 

years of combined experience in Southwest Florida. This 

special combination of experience has served clients well 

in every aspect of individual projects, from the original 

conceptual design, through construction to completion. 

The company’s longevity and success are the result of 

its traditional architectural expertise combined with a 

committed respect for the environment and in-depth 

knowledge of the region’s construction industry. 

Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc., is located at 

2136 McGregor Boulevard, Ft. Myers, Florida 33901. 

Contact: (239) 332-1171 or PMSArch.com. 

❖ 

Top, left: The Archbold Biological Station Lodge & Learning Center. 

Top, right: Edison & Ford Winter Estates. 

Below: JetBlue Park. 


145

DEAN STEEL BUILDINGS,INC. 

❖ 

Left to right, the Metallic Building Company representative, 

Charles and Robert Dean sign the dealership contract in 1968. 

Dean Steel Buildings, Inc., is the largest manufacturer of 

metal building systems in Florida and continually works to 

increase its market share by providing outstanding customer 

service and experience in high-wind building designs. 

With annual sales of $15 million and climbing, Dean 

Steel Buildings, Inc., employs ninety to 100 people at 

facilities in Fort Myers; Cedartown and Thomasville, 

Georgia; and San José, Costa Rica. Principal customers are 

contractors and metal building installers throughout the 

Southeast United States and the Americas as well as direct 

sales to government agencies and end-use customers. 

The genesis for all this success goes back to Robert “Bob” 

Dean, a welder and son of a welder, who owned and operated 

a welding shop on Anderson Avenue in Fort Myers. In the 

early 1950s, Bob began selling and erecting pre-engineered 

metal buildings throughout the southern half of Florida, 

including the Florida Keys. Originally called Bob Dean Steel 

Buildings, Inc., the company purchased and installed metal 

buildings manufactured by Stran-Steel Buildings. 

His youngest son, Charles, a mechanical engineer, joined 

his father in the business in 1967, earned a contractor’s 

license, and with his father continued the practice of selling 

and erecting pre-engineered metal buildings. The company’s 

growth was not without obstacles. In the late 1960s, the 

City of Fort Myers refused to issue permits for metal roofs 

to be used on commercial buildings. Charles had to 

convince the head city building officials that if metal 

roofs were good enough for the early settlers—such as 

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford—they should be good 

enough for commercial buildings of that time. 

By 1971, operating under the name Dean Steel Buildings, 

Inc., the company purchased and installed metal buildings 

made primarily by Metallic Building Company. The company 

did so well that between 1970 and 1972, Dean Steel 

Buildings, Inc., was the largest volume builder in the 

country for Metallic Building Company. In 1973, Charles 

purchased the business from his father and was immediately 

confronted with a problem: A steel shortage forced Metallic 

Building Company to cancel orders placed by the company 

and other builders it worked with. 

To his credit, Charles saw an opportunity rather than 

just a problem and began traveling the state to meet 

with builders and ask them if they would buy from him 

if he started producing his own building line. The 

overwhelmingly positive response he received put Dean 

Steel Buildings in the manufacturing business for good. 

In 1985 the State of Florida mandated that all Florida 

counties develop a land-use plan that eventually required 

every commercial building in the state to go through a long 

permitting process. This occurred at the same time the economy 

began slipping into a recession. To remain competitive, 

a major modernization of equipment and processes began in 

1988, including the use of computer-aided drafting and the 

ability to electronically move information from drafting 

directly to the manufacturing machines. All work was done 

in-house, a process that continues to this day, allowing the 

company to be self-sufficient and highly efficient in its 

industry sector. 

It was about this time that Charles’ wife, Karen Dean, 

daughters, Nanette Dean, Julie Dean Fisher, Jeanie Dean 

Richards, Charlotte Dean Edwards, and sons-in-law Ken 

Fisher and Jeff Richards joined the organization in various 

roles. They joined Charles and Bob, who continued to work 

in a support role until Bob’s death in 2006. 

In 1992, while the rest of the industry went to China or 

India, the company started an engineering and drafting 

office in San José, Costa Rica. In a time when the Internet 

was still in its fledgling stage, Dean Steel Buildings was 

transmitting digital drawings and material lists through 

commercial servers in California. 


146

Today, Dean Steel Buildings, Inc., is a member of the Metal 

Building Manufacturers Association, is certified ISO 9001, 

and accredited to AC-472. Achieving ISO 9001 certification 

has allowed the company to focus its operations on: 

• Customer satisfaction, providing products with the highest 

quality standards possible. 

• Problem-solving techniques and continuous improvement 

of systems, procedures, products, and people. 

• Teamwork, continual training, and employee support. 

With the company’s innovative systems, advanced 

computer-aided design and manufacturing technology, 

there is no limit to its creativity. Dean Steel Buildings, Inc., 

has become the modern, economical form of construction 

for practically every building application. From large 

commercial and industrial facilities to neighborhood 

shopping centers, office buildings, commercial banks, and 

even private homes. 

The company has four decades of hands-on experience in 

every component and every system it produces. Its tradition 

of quality and reliability, combined with design flexibility 

and personalized service, allows Dean Steel 

Buildings to enjoy an outstanding reputation 

among architects and contractors. 

The company believes competence can only 

be achieved if the organization is capable 

of managing the training needs of its 

staff. The company makes every employee 

directly involved in each step of the 

process because it depends on its people, 

their experience, abilities, and knowledge. 

As for the future, Dean Steel Buildings, 

Inc., plans to welcome the next generation 

into this family owned business as Charles 

and Karen’s grandchildren join the company. Dean Steel 

Buildings, Inc., will continue providing the quality service 

and products its customers have come to expect while 

evolving into a more customer-centered business using social 

media and Internet advertising. As a result of these efforts 

and more, Dean Steel Buildings, Inc., is positioned to grow 

its business as the communities in which it operates grow. 

❖ 

Top, left: McArthur Farms. 

Top, right: Roi’s Bar-B-Que Restaurant. 

Above: Dollar General Store. 


147

❖ 

HENDERSON, FRANKLIN, 

STARNES & HOLT, P.A. 

Top, left: James A. Franklin, Sr. 

Top, right: Robert A. Henderson, Jr. 

Law firms do not usually come to mind when one 

recounts the history and growth of a city, county, or state, 

but without good legal advice growth takes place slowly, 

erratically, or not at all. Southwest Florida would not 

have grown as it has in the past century had it not been 

for Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., and the 

efforts of its two founders and the many talented attorneys 

who followed. 

The partnership that began in 1924 when James A. 

Franklin, Sr., moved to Fort Myers to join Robert A. 

Henderson, Jr., to practice general law has grown into 

Below: The Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt Building. 

one of the largest law firms between Tampa and Miami 

with more than fifty attorneys practicing in a wide range 

of legal specialties. The main office is set in a five-story 

building in the heart of downtown Fort Myers, across 

the street from the Lee County Justice Center and two 

blocks from the federal courthouse. Two additional offices 

are located on Sanibel Island and Bonita Springs. 

The firm’s original site was located on First Street 

where the two founders played important roles in shaping 

Fort Myers. Henderson helped organize the Caloosahatchee 

River Bridge Company, started the Fort Myers Building & 

Loan Company (later becoming First Federal Savings & 

Loan), and helped bring in the Atlantic Coastline Railroad. 

Franklin, Sr., served in both World Wars, in the state 

senate for three terms, and as president of the Florida 

Bar Association. He finished World War II as a lieutenant 

colonel after helping establish the military government in 

Frankfurt, Germany, and accepting the surrender of the 

Nazis. For his wartime efforts, Franklin, Sr., received a 

Bronze Star and four campaign ribbons. 

In 1942, F. E. Starnes and Parker Holt joined as partners 

and the firm took on the name it has maintained to 


148

this day. James A. Franklin, Jr., followed in his father’s 

footsteps by joining the firm in 1949, becoming its 

sixth lawyer. Holt later became city attorney for 

Fort Myers, which forced Franklin, Jr., into the role 

of trial lawyer, where he earned the moniker of the 

“Silver Fox.” 

In 1951 the firm moved to the second floor of the Lee 

County Bank Building at the corner of Main and Hendry 

Streets. Ten years later, a one-story office on Second Street 

was built to house its nine attorneys and support staff. 

A second story was added in 1964. During the 1970s, 

the office expanded more than once, and as the decade 

came to a close the firm boasted twenty attorneys. 

By 1988 the firm had broken ground on a five-story 

office building at 1715 Monroe Street adjacent to the 

Second Street building. The firm had become full service 

with sixteen legal practices and eventually grew to over 

sixty attorneys. In 2014, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes, & 

Holt celebrated its ninetieth anniversary. 

Such longevity does not come easily or by accident. 

It is the result of hard work, talented people, and a guiding 

philosophy that serves clients and enhances the legal 

professional. Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., 

holds itself to the highest standards of the profession. 

Its goal is to continually demonstrate the firm’s capabilities 

and experience and to build and maintain trust with 

its clients. 

The firm continues to uphold the principles of its 

founders and its commitment to the communities of 

Southwest Florida. Franklin, Sr., understood the importance 

of giving back to the community and worked to hire 

associates who were “imbued with high ideals and filled with 

the desire to be of service to the community.” 

Henderson Franklin follows that example to this day. 

It believes that to be real leaders its commitment must 

extend beyond work. Its attorneys have contributed to 

the communities of Southwest Florida by serving as city 

attorney, school board attorney, and as members of the 

Florida Legislature. Many of its attorneys have provided 

leadership to the Lee County Bar Association and the 

Florida Bar, serving as presidents, committee and section 

chairpersons, or both. Several of its attorneys have moved 

on to become judges in various courts. 

The firm takes pride in supporting charitable organizations 

throughout the region and helping others achieve 

success. Through the years, the firm and its staff have 

served on the boards of many community and philanthropic 

organizations, including the American Cancer Society, 

American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, 

Children’s Home Society, Community Cooperative, Foster 

Care Council of Southwest Florida, Habitat for Humanity, 

Harry Chapin Food Bank, Hope Hospice, Junior 

Achievement, March of Dimes, PACE Center for Girls of 

Lee County, Southwest Florida Community Foundation, 

United Way, and many others. The firm also provides 

scholarships to students at Florida Gulf Coast University, 

Florida SouthWestern State College, and for the City of 

Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship Fund. 

Henderson Franklin was named as an Industry 

Appreciation Honoree as part of an annual statewide celebration 

of business to raise public awareness of the positive 

contributions that industry makes to local communities. 

Its strict adherence to excellence, high ethical standards, 

and serving the interests of clients is the cornerstone 

of the firm’s practice and will serve it well in the 

future. Whether in the courtroom or the boardroom, 

the depth of Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt 

sets it apart so clients can enjoy the peace of mind that 

comes with experienced representation and exceptional 

client service. 


149

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA 

INTERNATIONAL 

AIRPORT 

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), operated 

by the Lee County Port Authority under the supervision of 

the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners, was certified 

for operation in May 1983 and is one of the newest airports 

in the nation. Located in Fort Myers, RSW is the front door 

to some of the most beautiful and unique destinations in 

the world along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Sanibel, 

Captiva, Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades. 

After decades of record-breaking growth, a 

new state-of-the-art terminal complex opened 

in 2005, offering travelers a spacious, bright, 

open terminal with 3 concourses and 28 gates, 

with future expansion to 65 gates. RSW has 

local and nationally branded food, beverage 

and retail establishments, ample charging 

stations, free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal 

and an on-site rental car service center. 

Recent projects completed to handle future 

growth and enhance the customer experience 

at RSW included the opening of the I-75 

Airport Direct Connect roadway and the addition 

of Airport Plaza, with a large cell phone 

lot adjacent to a gas station and convenience 

store. Long-term projects include widening 

the airport’s entrance road, as well as design and construction 

of a new Air Traffic Control Tower and second runway. 

RSW is a Class A Port of Entry with full-service customs 

and immigration services and an international transit lounge. 

The entire airport is designated as a Foreign Trade Zone, which 

provides special customs procedures advantageous to U.S. 

companies engaged in international trade-related activities. 

RSW also has significant land opportunities at Skyplex, 

which encompasses approximately 1,100 acres for commercial 

development including non-aviation and aviation businesses. 

Southwest Florida International Airport serves millions of 

travelers annually and is in the top fifty U.S. airports for 

passenger traffic. Major airlines serve RSW with nonstop 

service throughout the U.S. and multiple international 

flights to Canada and Germany, as well as convenient 

connections worldwide. 

Southwest Florida International Airport is a six-time 

recipient of the Florida Department of Transportation’s 

(FDOT) Commercial Service Airport of the Year Award. 

RSW also ranked highest in medium-sized airports for 

traveler satisfaction in the 2015 J.D. Power North American 

Airport Satisfaction Study. In addition, the airport has 

been recognized by regional, state and national industry 

organizations for its construction, environmental, safety and 

communications projects. 

A 2014 FDOT Economic Impact 

Study shows RSW’s total contribution 

to the region’s economy, through 

direct and indirect sources, is $4.3 

billion annually and 45,000 jobs. 

Southwest Florida International 

Airport is committed to providing 

the finest amenities and best travel 

experience to the millions of visitors 

who use the airport each year. 


150

Located in the heart of Fort Myers, Page Field (FMY) is 

Southwest Florida’s premier business and general aviation 

airport. The Lee County Port Authority, under the supervision 

of the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners, operates 

Page Field and provides services to corporate, commercial 

and private aviators through their business arm and 

fixed-base operator, Base Operations. As the reliever airport 

for the region’s commercial airport, Southwest Florida 

International Airport (RSW), Page Field is vital to the 

air transportation system in Southwest Florida. With an 

average of more than 87,000 annual operations, Page Field 

is a thriving community airport that is home to more than 

320 privately operated aircraft, 189 T-hangars, 3 bulk 

hangars and 16 on-field businesses. The total contribution 

from airport operations to the region’s economy is $109.3 

million annually and more than 1,000 jobs, according to 

the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) 2014 

Economic Impact Study. 

Page Field was certified for operation in 1927 and has a 

rich military history. The airport was named after Captain 

Channing Page, a local World War I fighter pilot and 

the first Floridian to receive commission into the Army 

Air Corps. During World War II, the airport was an 

important bomber and advanced fighter training base. After 

World War II, FMY served as Southwest Florida’s primary 

commercial service airport until RSW opened in 1983. 

The new 22,613-square-foot Base Operations at Page 

Field terminal opened in 2011. The facility was designed to 

honor the past, while providing modern, state-of-the-art 

amenities to support the future of business and general 

aviation. The project also included easy access from 

runways with a new parallel taxiway, a new 24,000-squarefoot 

itinerant aircraft hangar and 600,000 square feet 

of adjacent ramp space for business aircraft parking. 

The terminal building has a spacious lobby featuring 

World War II memorabilia, a weather briefing and flight 

planning room, pilot lounge, recreation room, snack room, 

pilot and gift shop, executive conference 

room and seminar facilities. The awardwinning 

team of experienced line service 

agents and helpful customer service 

representatives at Base Operations take 

pride in providing expert care for pilots, 

passengers and crews. 

Page Field has been awarded the FDOT 

General Aviation Airport of the Year three 

times. In addition, Base Operations at 

Page Field has been ranked among the top 

twenty percent of all fixed-base operators 

in the Americas by Aviation International 

News for four consecutive years. 

Page Field is proud of its storied past 

and today continues an impressive legacy 

of aviation services in world-class facilities. 

PAGE FIELD 


151

❖ 

GALLOWAY AUTO 

Above: Lee Motors, c. 1927. 

Below: Sam Galloway Ford located on Colonial Boulevard. 

In 1927, Fort Myers, Florida, was recovering from a 

devastating hurricane that had destroyed much of the 

city the previous year. It was a time of great growth and 

population boom. Gladiolus fields were abundant, farming 

was the primary industry, Model T’s ruled the road, and 

Fort Myers’ most famous residents were American icons 

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone. With 

the much-anticipated opening of Tamiami Trail connecting 

Miami to Fort Myers, Miami residents and business owners, 

Theresa and David Shackelford, purchased Tropical Motors 

in downtown Fort Myers. 

The business, which was 

located on Main Street 

where the Lee County 

Justice Center now sits, was 

renamed Lee Motors and 

became the first Ford dealership 

in Southwest Florida. 

Lee Motors prospered 

throughout much of its 

history. Having survived the 

Great Depression, the 1940s 

brought growth and change when Sam Galloway, Sr., 

married Theresa and David Shackelford’s daughter, Mary 

Ann, in 1943. Sam and Mary Ann married in Miami and 

immediately moved to Fort Myers where Sam accepted 

operating control of the dealership. 

In 1963, at the urging of the Ford Motor Company 

Lee Motors changed its name to Sam Galloway Ford and 

relocated from downtown Fort Myers to the corner of 

U.S. 41 and Colonial Boulevard. Sam, Sr., and Mary Ann 

remained owners of the dealership until 1970 when their 

eldest child, Sam Galloway, Jr., purchased the dealership 

at the age of twenty-six, becoming the youngest Ford 

dealer in America. Although young, Sam, Jr., did not lack 

experience. He grew up in the dealership and began 

working immediately upon graduating from Fort Myers 

Senior High School. He did everything from repairs to sales 

and everything in between working hard and gaining 

knowledge of the business as he went. Under Sam, Jr.’s 

leadership, Sam Galloway Ford grew from a small motor 

company to one the largest Ford dealerships in the United 

States and one of the largest employers in Lee County. 

By the mid-1990s, Lee County was in a major growth 

phase. Sam, Jr., saw the growth moving south and took a 

chance by purchasing a large parcel of land on the newly 

constructed Boy Scout Drive. In 1996, just shy of the 

organization’s seventieth anniversary, Sam Galloway Ford 

relocated from their iconic corner on U.S. 41 and Colonial 

Boulevard to their current location at 1800 Boy Scout Drive. 

There, the family tradition continues. Today, the fourth 

generation, made up of Sam, Jr., and Kathy Galloway’s 

three children, Sam Galloway III, Katherine Galloway 

Dougherty, and Robert Galloway are all partners in the 

family of dealerships known as Galloway Auto. 

Galloway Auto (as of 2016) is made up of Sam Galloway 

Ford Lincoln, Coconut Point Ford, and Galloway Direct. 


152

❖ 

Left: Galloway Ford located at 1800 Boy Scout Drive in Fort Myers. 

Below: Coconut Point Ford located at 22400 South Tamiami Trail in Estero. 

The Galloway Auto Group prides itself on the longstanding 

tradition of excellence that began with Lee Motors in 1927. 

Sam Galloway Ford has been a member of the Ford Motor 

Company’s One Hundred Club since the award’s inception. 

The One Hundred Club recognizes the Top 100 dealers 

in the country for distinguished sales performance each 

year. Coconut Point Ford in Estero (as of 2016) has 

won three consecutive President’s Awards, Ford Motor 

Company’s highest honor for customer satisfaction. The 

award that has the most meaning to the entire family 

and organization, however, is Sam Galloway Ford’s Salute 

To Dealers Award. Ford Motor Company recognizes 

select dealers with this award for their compassion and 

dedication to causes that make a significant difference in 

the lives of people in need. This recognition is especially 

meaningful to the family because it recognizes their efforts 

in philanthropy and community support, which has been 

a hallmark of both the Galloway family and businesses 

for four generations. Whether it is supporting the men and 

women of law enforcement, feeding the homeless and 

hungry, or providing shelter to abandoned and abused 

animals, the Galloway family feels compelled to support 

the community that they have belonged to for the better 

part of a century. Often times, they are asked why they serve 

their community so vigorously and their answer is simple: 

“It’s the right thing to do.” 


153

MARK LOREN DESIGNS, INC. 

Mark Loren Designs, Inc., is not the type of place people 

peruse for a few minutes on their way to some other place. 

It is a destination in and of itself. It is a place where people 

who enjoy jewelry, design, and art converge to revel in an 

environment that combines the quirky with the elegant. 

This award-winning jewelry and design gallery attracts 

people with curious minds and an appreciation for the 

aesthetic, whether it is at the 13351 McGregor Boulevard 

goldsmithing studio/gallery or the Mercato store that opened 

in Naples at 9118 Strada Place, Suite 8120, in 2012. At 

Mark Loren Designs, a talented team of expert artisans works 

to create treasured pieces that have earned them celebrity 

status with both industry critics and jewelry mavens. 

While other jewelers purchase parts and assemble them, 

Loren and his staff combine traditional jewelry with antique 

items they either find themselves or receive from customers. 

What often follows is a dialogue between customer and 

craftsman that results in a one-of-a-kind creation that often 

become beloved heirlooms. Commitment to creativity and 

design rather than an assembly-line attitude has led 

Southwest Floridians to designate Mark Loren Designs as the 

region’s favorite custom jewelry designer. It also has earned 

him and his staff a national reputation for offering unique 

and rare gemstones, innovative diamond rings, exceptional 

engagement and wedding bands, and items you will not find 

in traditional jewelry stores. 

Items such as fossils and minerals, antiquities, and Toe 

Touches–Mark Loren Designs’ exclusive custom-fit locking 

gold and diamond toe rings. A visit to either of their stores 

or their website at www.marklorendesigns.com will reveal a 

menagerie of necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings, along 

with pieces designed to appeal to men. Cufflinks, money 

clips, and knives are among the items popular with men 

along with less traditional pieces such as a pair of black jade 

dice with opal inlay. 

Words and phrases like “unique,” “one-of-a-kind,” and 

“works of art” do not do justice to the riches you will find 

here. A sampling of treasures reveals the following: 

• Viking bronze fibula (900 A.D.) paired with a glittering, 

pear-shaped rainbow titania agate druzy accented by 

diamonds and a brilliant trillion-cut peridot. 

• National award-winning 14-karat white-gold pendant set 

with Bernd Munsteiner-cut bi-color tourmaline accented 

with blue and white diamonds. 

• 14-karat rose gold hammered cuff bracelet with an 

ancient cross affixed with baguette diamonds. 

• hand-fabricated 14-karat gold ring created with an English 

gold sovereign minted in 1903 accenting a tension-set, 

lab-grown oval purple sapphire. 

• ancient Roman glass and pearl reverse wire earrings in 

14-karat white gold set with ancient Roman glass segments 

and black pearls, accented by Marquis-cut diamonds. 


154

Words cannot do justice to what you will see at Mark 

Loren Designs, and space does not permit a full sampling of 

the creations you will find there. A visit to one of his stores 

or to his website is mandatory to completely appreciate the 

variety, although it takes more than one visit to take it all in 

and new additions guarantee that each visit will be unique. 

Repeat customers make a pilgrimage to this mecca of 

creativity on a regular basis. Through the years, this 

Chicago native and his equally talented staff have won 

an array of awards, including several Spectrum Awards 

presented by the American Gem Trade Association. People 

in the industry equate winning a Spectrum Award to 

winning an Academy Award, and Loren’s skills continue 

to receive recognition. His work was included in 

Masters: Gemstones—Major Works by Leading Jewelers by 

Lark Books/Sterling Publishing Company, a publication 

featuring major works by thirty-nine master artists. 

Many of those who have discovered Mark Loren Designs 

are affiliated with local nonprofit organizations, and thus 

began a symbiotic relationship that endures decades after 

it began. Loren began donating items to charity auctions, 

and many of the people who attended these functions took 

note and began turning to him for their jewelry needs. 

He met many of his top clients through philanthropic 

work. The benefit to donating to worthy causes comes 

in helping nonprofits raise money to help people and 

improve the quality of life in Southwest Florida while 

sparking relationships with people with whom he already 

has something in common. 

Relationships are what keeps Mark Loren Designs 

thriving. Personal relationships. Business relationships. 

Relationships between like-minded craftsmen. Loren 

estimates he knows sixty percent of the customers who 

walk through his McGregor Boulevard doors, and he is 

getting to know a growing percentage of the clientele who 

regularly visit the Mercato in Naples. Open and friendly is 

the atmosphere Loren promotes, giving customers another 

reason to head to his stores excited and expectant. 

You never know what you will find at Mark Loren Designs, 

and this sense of discovery makes the journey all the 

more exciting. 


155

FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN 

STATE COLLEGE 

❖ 

The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers at the City of Palms Park 

playing a night baseball game. 

Over fifty years ago, the region’s first college was launched 

in Fort Myers. The original buildings, constructed in the 1960s, 

were surrounded by fields in an area that was considered 

the outskirts of a bustling and growing city. Today, Florida 

SouthWestern State College’s (FSW) campus, called the 

Thomas Edison Campus, continues to grow, not only in the 

number of students, but also in the variety of offerings. 

Florida SouthWestern State College is part of the economic 

engine that not only provides employment for 1,400 full and 

part-time professionals, but also impacts the lives of thousands 

of students and their families. FSW has nearly 22,000 students 

enrolled annually on campuses in Naples, Fort Myers, and 

Punta Gorda, and a regional center in LaBelle. The college’s 

region covers 5,448 square miles, and in Lee County alone, 

the overall economic impact is over $410.6M. 

Students can earn professional certifications, associate 

and bachelor degrees that are focused on workforce careers. 

At FSW, learning has no boundaries. The college launched its 

Center for International Education to enhance study abroad 

opportunities, in addition to actively recruiting students 

from this area and beyond. FSW also launched an office of 

sponsored programs to encourage faculty and student research 

opportunities. The college has faculty and students researching 

subjects from AIDS and its interference with human DNA to 

comparative politics that include trips to Managua, Nicaragua; 

students also have experienced French immersion in Annecy, 

France. Not only are students learning abroad, but also coming 

to FSW from other countries. 

FSW’s degrees and certifications are focused on workforce 

careers, from health professionals and teachers to business 

specialists, technology experts, and public safety administrators. 

The college has five schools: School of Health Professions; 

School of Business & Technology; School of Education; School 

of Pure & Applied Sciences; and School of Arts, Humanities and 

Social Sciences. Many of the college’s programs are nationally 

ranked. Graduates of FSW’s nationally accredited Associate 


156

of Science in Dental Hygiene program have had 100 percent 

passing rates on the National Board Dental Hygiene 

Examination for seventeen years. Graduates of FSW’s 

nationally accredited Associate of Science in Radiology 

Technology have had 100 percent passing rates on the 

certification examination for the past eight years. This passing 

rate ranks the program in the top fifteen percent nationally. 

FSW is the state leader in fiscal management for 

CareerSource’s FloridaFlex Grants. These grants are designed 

to support customized training for new hires and new 

businesses. In the past six years, FSW has managed $6.1M 

to train 3,500 new hires. 

The college is also known for its dedication to the arts. In 

2016, FSW celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Barbara 

B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, which is an integral part of the 

college. It is here where residents and visitors alike can enjoy 

a wide variety of world-class performances, from Broadway 

Series shows ranging from Phantom of the Opera, Jersey Boys, 

Dirty Dancing and 42nd Street, to The Sound of Music and 

Camelot. Concerts and performances range from Jay Leno, 

Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Martin to Harry Connick, Jr., Trisha 

Yearwood, Diana Ross and Tony Bennett to Styx and 

IL VOLVO. The Hall is also home to FSW’s Jazz Ensemble, 

Orchestra and Symphony. 

The Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at FSW includes numerous 

exhibits open to the public featuring artists of modern and 

contemporary art in all mediums, including the works of the 

late Rauschenberg and international names like Yoko Ono. 

Within the Richard H. Rush Library, we also have the Rush 

Collections Gallery on the ground floor. The Black Box 

Theatre is home to FSW’s stage productions. 

FSW has long offered students an exceptional academic 

experience and a vibrant student life with almost thirty clubs 

plus intramural sports. To give students the complete college 

experience, FSW has added intercollegiate athletics to its 

offerings. The Buccaneers baseball and softball teams played 

their first home games in recent times at City of Palms Park, 

which is the former spring training site for the Boston Red 

Sox. More recently, the Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the 

Fort Myers campus opened to serve as home to the men’s and 

women’s basketball teams and the women’s volleyball team. 

In addition to athletic events, the arena is home to community 

events, concerts, and graduation ceremonies. 

FSW has earned a Gold Tier ranking and scored perfectly 

in the areas of job placement and completer entry-level wages 

based on a recent state initiative to reward student outcomes 

instead of enrollment. FSW officials believe the rating 

validates what people in Southwest Florida have long known: 

Florida SouthWest State College is a leader in public higher 

education. The results highlight the talents of FSW’s faculty 

and staff, who encourage, inspire, and lead students to 

achieve greatness in the classroom today and in the 

community tomorrow. 

❖ 

Left: The Florida SouthWestern State Jazz Ensemble on stage at the 

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. 

Below: A Florida SouthWestern State student from the School of 

Health Professions. 


157

ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS 

Nestled on a ten-acre campus on historic McGregor 

Boulevard on the western edge of Fort Myers is an organization 

that has had a major impact on the culture of 

Lee County for more than forty years. Its mission is to 

connect people to the arts, and to each other. Its members, 

volunteers and staff believe those kinds of connections 

make people, and their community as a whole, stronger. 

They believe there is a direct correlation between the 

strength of the arts community and the overall quality of 

life of everyone who lives in Southwest Florida. 

Forty years ago, there was no unified arts community 

or venue where it all came together. So in 1975, a group of 

visionary leaders: Fort Myers Attorney Charles B. Edwards, 

Architect William R. Frizzell, Edison State College President 

David G. Robinson, Barbara B. Mann, Tom Walters and dance 

instructor Jeanne Bochette, donated land, raised funds for 

construction and organized an Alliance for the Arts, which 

opened officially in a small farmhouse in December of 1978. 

The farmhouse has been replaced by facilities that include 

three art galleries; which account for sixteen exhibits and a 

total of 325 exhibition days a year; a 150-seat theater which 

presents more than 100 theatrical performances annually, and 

an open-air amphitheater for concerts, plays and festivals. 

From its eight classrooms, the Alliance offers classes, camps, 

and other youth education programs that serve more than 

2,500 kids annually. Studio courses, workshops and adult 

education art classes that attract more than 1,000 students 

annually. Classroom, conference, and studio space for area 

artists, businesses, and other local organizations is available. 

On the grounds outside, even folks not inclined toward the 

arts enjoy fresh produce, gardening workshops, yoga, drum 

circles, and musical performances at the Alliance’s popular 

GreenMarket, as well as outdoor family movie nights, 

bluegrass concerts, and other large community festivals. 

Not only is the Alliance a venue where amateur and professional 

artists can obtain the instruction they need to hone 

and develop their skills and talent, it is a place where new 

generations of visual and performing artists, dancers, singers 


158

and musicians are inspired to pursue art-based careers. Since 

1989, Open Doors program has provided students referred 

by educational and social service organizations who demonstrate 

artistic talent or interest the ability to take art classes 

at no charge. The program gives students a venue to create 

and learn about art, express themselves freely, develop 

their creative potential, and exhibit their work all under the 

creative eyes of artist mentors. Since 2002 the Alliance has 

partnered with area art teachers to provide elementary, middle 

and high school students the chance to show their work 

in a month-long exhibit, giving them a chance to feel what it 

is like to have their artwork displayed in a formal gallery. 

The Alliance for the Arts entertains through concerts, 

plays, festivals and more. It educates through year-round 

classes for all ages and summer, winter and spring camps 

for kids. It provides opportunities for artists to display their 

work in three galleries, sell their work in its gift shop, 

and teach classes and workshops. It provides a space for 

organizations and clubs to get together for meetings and 

events. It is a community center where people from all walks 

of life come together to celebrate the arts. 

The Alliance is not just a host and presenter. It is also a vocal 

advocate for the importance of the arts beyond its campus. The 

Alliance for the Arts is the county’s state-designated Local Arts 

Agency. Together with its more than 1,200 members and fifty 

plus nonprofit arts partner organizations, the Alliance works to 

make the region’s economy broader and even stronger through 

the arts, benefitting tourists, residents, and local businesses. 

Thanks to data collected by a team of volunteers coordinated 

by the Alliance, we know that in 2010—at the height 

of the Great Recession—Lee County’s nonprofit arts and 

culture industry generated $68.3 million in economic activity, 

supported 2,038 full-time equivalent jobs and produced $9.4 

million in revenue for the City of Fort Myers, Lee County and 

the State of Florida. The Americans for the Arts & Economic 

Prosperity IV study found that Lee County’s nonprofit arts 

and culture organizations spent $23.2 million during fiscal 

year 2010, which included wages and salaries, supplies, 

contract services and related expenditures. Those dollars, in 

turn, generated $21.3 million in household income for local 

residents and $3.1 million in local and state government 

revenues. In other words, the arts mean business! 

The Alliance for the Arts is many things to many people. 

It works daily through its energetic and dedicated staff, 

volunteers and members to facilitate and nurture the 

creation, development, promotion and education of arts and 

culture in Lee County. They do it because it is their passion. 

They love the arts. They love Lee County. They love helping 

to create a community in which the arts and culture flourish. 

And it shows. 


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❖ 

AIM ENGINEERING & 

SURVEYING, INC. 

Right: AIM surveying the original I-75 bridges over the Peace River in 

Charlotte County. 

Below: Larry Bennett and James D. Hull, founders of AIM Engineering 

& Surveying, c. 1980. 

AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc., is synonymous with 

Florida’s growth, having started in 1980 as a partnership 

between two professional engineers and land surveyors 

licensed in the State of Florida. During the next threeplus 

decades, AIM played a major role in everything from 

surveying to flood control to construction management on 

a wide range of projects integral to the state’s growth. 

AIM is now a full-service planning, engineering, surveying 

and construction management company with multiple 

locations throughout Florida. The company offers a wide 

range of services to assist clients during all phases of project 

delivery from planning through construction and backs 

every project with experience, talented staff, and superior 

service. AIM, which backs its work with a corporate commitment 

to total quality management, has extensive experience 

working with federal, state, and local agencies. It has a 

successful history of providing innovative, cost-effective 

projects and is committed to providing economical, highquality 

services on every project. 

AIM’s mission is: “to cultivate a corporate culture and 

entrepreneurial spirt to maximize the capabilities and opportunities 

of our staff. Through this culture, AIM will develop 

the premier professional staff to provide our clients with 

the best value in the industry through innovation, superior 

quality, and personalized customer service.” 

Some of AIM’s specialties include: 

• Planning 

• Project Development & Environment 

• Surveying and Mapping 

• Transportation Design 

• General Site Civil 

• Water Resources (stormwater, water management, hydraulic 

analysis and modeling) 

• Marine and Coastal Engineering 

• Environmental and Permitting 

• Utility Design (potable water, sanitary sewer, reclaimed 

water systems, pumping/lift stations) 

• Subsurface Utility Engineering 

• Construction Management and Inspection 

• Public Outreach/Information 

AIM did not begin with such a wide-ranging repertoire of 

expertise. It began when Larry Bennet and James D. Hull, 

who were both engineers and surveyors, founded the 

company in 1980. Hull had retired after twenty years with 

the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) after 

helping build Interstate 75 in Southwest Florida in the 

late 1970s. He retired as assistant resident engineer for 

FDOT’s Fort Myers Construction Office. 

When AIM was founded, Fort Myers was not nearly as 

developed as it is now, so the company started out doing a 

lot of survey work. In 1986, AIM began doing construction 

engineering and inspection (CEI) for FDOT—some of the 

first consulting CEI work FDOT had ever done. 

AIM soon worked on the construction of I-595 in Fort 

Lauderdale—at the time, one of the largest infrastructure 

projects in the country—for many years then expanded 

around Florida doing FDOT work in CEI, surveying and 

design. As water resource work increased in importance, 

AIM expanded into that area, participating in projects 


160

designed to control water in the Everglades. Several flood 

control projects such as canals, water levies, and water control 

structures followed as flood control became increasingly 

important with projects in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent 

years, the purpose behind such work has been more about 

maintaining the correct water levels and environmental 

aspects of water control. AIM also worked for owners of 

many citrus groves after the freeze in the 1980s. 

Beginning in the late 1980s and into the 1990s, AIM experienced 

rapid growth because of all the FDOT work triggered 

by Florida’s rapid growth. AIM participated in work on water 

resources projects, such as flood control in the Caloosahatchee 

Basin. It also was involved in the design and construction 

of many major local roads and diversified to include more 

services such as environmental consulting, planning, project 

development and environment, subsurface utility engineering, 

hydrographic marine geomatics, and aerial photogrammetric 

capabilities. In an effort to further diversify, AIM also expanded 

into construction management at risk. 

AIM Construction Contracting, LLC, a sister company 

to AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc., is a relatively new 

venture that brings AIM’s expertise in civil engineering to 

the construction management field, especially infrastructure 

projects such as streets, street scraping, utility, roads, 

bridges, and transportation. The company started as 

the engineer/owner representatives due to its expertise in 

roads, civil projects, and water resource projects. AIM later 

expanded into working with traditional general contractors 

that build vertical buildings. 

AIM, originally headquartered in Lehigh Acres, moved to 

downtown Fort Myers in 2017. It has technical offices in 

Tampa and Bartow, a construction office in Fort Myers, 

and project offices throughout Florida. Today, the company 

is incorporated and is managed by President and Chief 

Executive Officer Jerron K. Hull, PE, and one of the company’s 

two founders, Chairman of the Board James D. Hull, PE, 

PLS, CGC. AIM employs more than 120 people and strives 

to maintain a family atmosphere and a place that provides 

great career opportunities. 

As for the future, AIM will continue playing an important 

role in Florida’s growth by providing clients with the best 

value in the industry while always striving to innovate, 

enhance quality, and provide unsurpassed personalized 

customer service. 

❖ 

Top: One of AIM’s early bridge surveying projects, c. 1980s. 

Above: AIM founder James D. Hull (left) inspecting the Sunshine Skyway 

Bridge in the early 1980s. 


161

VICTORY LAYNE CHEVROLET 

Victory Layne Chevrolet is more than just a clever 

name. The Layne family, now in its second generation of 

ownership, is committed to making the Chevrolet brand 

and the Fort Myers dealership that bears its name the 

number one car brand and dealership in the country. 

A commitment to its product and the people and community 

it serves permeates this Southwest Florida institution, 

bringing “victory” to everyone involved. 

President Jaime Layne and Manager Stacie Layne inherited 

their love of Chevrolets and the car business in general from 

their father, who worked at and later owned the dealership 

for thirty-eight years. Ronnie Layne, a Tennessee native 

who grew up in Flint, Michigan, was raised in a family that 

had very little from a financial standpoint, and although 

he never finished high school, he was a hard worker and 

ambitious so when he stopped into what was then known 

as Bill Branch Chevrolet in 1971 looking for a job, they 

hired him. 

He may not have had much education, but Ronnie 

was smart and wise and that wisdom combined with hard 

work allowed him to rise through the 

ranks and eventually purchase the 

dealership from Branch in 2004. 

Fortunately for him, his youngest 

daughter, Jaime, had fallen in love 

with the car business from the first 

time she went to work with him at 

age six, and his oldest daughter, Stacie 

followed suit. 

It was a Saturday morning when 

Jaime pleaded with her father, who at 

that time worked as manager, to go 

to work with him for the first time, 

and what she saw left her awestruck. 

Maybe it was the new car smell or 

the gleaming paint on the brand new 

cars, but regardless of the cause, Jaime 

found herself enamored with the 

business as well as the Chevy brand. 

She likes to tell people she “grew up 

Chevy” and that Chevy put food on her 

table and clothes on her son, Austin’s, 

back. She is proud to be affiliated with 

an iconic American car brand that has 

shaped the American culture. 


162

The Chevrolet Motor Company, formed in 1911 in a 

Flint, Michigan, garage, was a cooperative venture between 

Belgian-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet and William 

Durant, an entrepreneur and founder of General Motors. 

Despite early struggles with the first Chevrolet, Durant 

instinctively knew that a high style yet affordable car could 

challenge the domination of the utilitarian Ford Model T. 

Within ten years of joining the General Motors family 

in 1917, Chevy became the top-selling car brand in the 

United States. 

The Layne family’s love for Chevy has not been 

without its challenges. One of the greatest occurred in 

2009 when General Motors filed for reorganization under 

Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. As 

part of that plan, approximately 1,100 of the company’s 

6,000 dealerships would have to be closed, and no 

one knew for certain whether Victory Layne Chevrolet 

would survive. 

By that time, Jaime had taken over as president from 

her father, who passed away that year, and with the 

economy on the skids, General Motors on the verge 

of collapse, and the American automobile industry in 

peril, Jaime found herself in a tough predicament. 

Employees fretted over whether they would have a 

job after the closings were announced. Jaime felt as 

powerless as anyone in regard to the future, but she 

knew that she and her co-workers had done everything 

Chevrolet had ever asked them to do and that their sales 

were good. 

Employees spent the fateful day of the announcements 

by keeping an eye out for the Fed-Ex man, whom everyone 

thought would deliver the bad news. The day ticked 

past like a watch running in slow motion, and by the time 

the day ended the Fed-Ex man had not appeared and 

Victory Layne Chevrolet had survived. 

Today, Victory Layne Chevrolet is as strong as it has ever 

been, and the products Chevrolet produces keeps getting 

better and better. The dealership’s passion for the Chevy line 

is renewed whenever the new cars are introduced. Camaros, 

Corvettes, and Silverados, just to name a few, bring as much 

awe to the people who sell them as they do the people who 

buy them. 

Keeping the customer experience as friendly and comfortable 

as possible is one of the main reasons Victory Layne 

Chevrolet remodeled its dealership at 3980 Fowler Street in 

2013. The $1.8 million renovation, which allows customers 

to browse the selection of new and used cars and trucks 

in comfort, is part of a nationwide General Motors plan 

for its dealerships called Essential Brand Elements. 

Customers have no 

problem finding Victory 

Layne Chevrolet. They 

just look for the 1,800 

square foot U.S. flag 

that flies atop a 130- 

foot pole, a beacon that 

has guided customers 

to this family-owned 

dealership since 1984. 

The Layne family wants 

people to feel like part 

of the Victory Layne 

Chevrolet family when 

they walk in the door, and by investing in an upgraded 

facility they are sending the message that they not only 

value their customers but are here to stay. They love the 

Fort Myers, Lee County, and Southwest Florida communities 

and hope to continue their successful relationship for 

many years to come. Victory Layne Chevrolet will continue 

to be the region’s GM award-winning Chevrolet dealer. 

❖ 

Above: Customers look for the 1,800 square foot U.S. flag that waves above 

the Victory Layne Chevrolet dealership. 

Left: The Layne family. 


163

❖ 

BARRACO AND 

ASSOCIATES, INC. 

Above: Left to right, Tom Holmlund and Carl Barraco, P.E. on their first 

business day. 

Barraco and Associates, Inc. (BAI), was established in 

1998 when three of the firm’s principals, who had worked 

together at the time for eleven years in Southwest Florida, 

decided to combine their expertise to start their own 

engineering firm featuring a controlled and cohesive work 

team built on trust and loyalty. 

This history of shared work experience of Carl Barraco, 

P.E., Tom Holmlund, and Chris Van Buskirk provided a 

solid foundation on which to build the firm and quickly 

established BAI as a regional leader of professional consulting 

firms in Southwest Florida. The three original founders 

had worked together on the design and construction of 

the six-lanes of Daniels Parkway from U.S. 41 to I-75 in 

the early 1990s, while Barraco, Van Buskirk, and Amy 

Fontaine, one of the firm’s three original employees, had 

worked together on construction of the Midpoint Bridge 

Corridor, connecting the City of Cape Coral to the City 

of Fort Myers. Both projects became—at the time of their 

completion—the largest capital improvement project in 

Lee County history. 

The three founders of 

the firm credit several 

factors to the success 

of the firm but with an 

emphasis on a few key 

people including their 

wives, Sandy Barraco, 

Doreen VanBuskirk and 

Toni Holmlund and 

Amy Fontaine (office 

administrator) and Scott 

Wheeler (vice-president 

surveying), who all 

played a key role in the 

company’s success. 

The BAI team consists of professional engineers, an 

AICP planner, professional surveyors, and LEED-accredited 

professionals. Professional services include civil engineering, 

land surveying, land planning, construction engineering 

inspection, and sustainable design for public and 

private clients. 

Barraco and Associates, Inc., is a professional and innovative 

team that continually strives to exceed expectations 

in service, quality, and integrity. Since its inception, BAI has 

been involved in the planning, design and surveying of 

some of the finest projects in Southwest Florida. BAI staff 

works in partnership with public and private sector clients 

locally and regionally to help plan and design new developments 

and infrastructure for the ever-growing Southwest 

Florida community. 

BAI offers clients an integrated service approach with a 

commitment to value and performance. Policy frameworks, 

regulatory requirements, public improvements, and the 

face of urban and suburban development are constantly 

changing. BAI helps their clients manage change in ways 

that transform communities and create opportunity. 

BAI’s mission is to assist clients achieving their project 

objectives by providing highly responsive, technically 

sound, cost-effective services. Barraco and Associates’ 

sincere commitment to consistently providing clients 

outstanding customer service is tied directly to its attention 

to detail and dedication to projects and clients. 

In the company’s first eighteen years, BAI won 

several prestigious awards for its work, including: 2014 

Lee Building Industry Association Summit Award for 

“Best Project for The Isles of Collier Preserve;” 2013 

Lee Building Industry Association Summit Award for “Civil 

Engineering Firm of the Year;” 2013 Lee Building Industry 

Association Summit Award for “Project Infrastructure 

for Bonita Isles;” First Place from the Citizens Panel for 


164

“Lee County Smart Growth Transit-Oriented Design;” 

and Second Place from the committee for “Lee County 

Smart Growth Transit-Oriented Design.” In recognition of 

their service and contributions to the Southwest Florida 

community, BAI has received Platinum and/or Gold 

Awards from the United Way of Lee County repeatedly 

since 2000, as well as a Community Service Award from 

the City of Fort Myers for participation in the city’s 

Adopt-A-Canal program. 

The first BAI office at 2121 West First Street in Fort 

Myers measured less than 900 square feet. In January 

2002 construction on the current site at 2271 McGregor 

Boulevard was completed. Due to its success, the firm 

initiated a significant expansion that included a second 

floor and additional first-floor office space. The expansion 

was completed in December 2007 and is now the working 

home of thirty-nine Southwest Florida residents. This is 

BAI’s only office and is conveniently located in the heart 

of Fort Myers, blocks from the City of Fort Myers City 

Hall and Lee County Public Works building, as well as 

other federal, state and local review agencies. 

Members of the BAI management team and staff 

members alike have served on numerous community 

and foundation boards of directors including the boards 

of Lee Health Resources, HealthPark Cypress Cove, 

Habitat for Humanity, Tiger Bay Club, United Way, 

Lee County’s Conservation 20/20 Advisory Committee, 

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Whitaker College of 

Engineering Advisory Committee, and Florida Engineering 

Society (FES) president; Fontaine serves on the board of 

directors of the United Way; Jennifer Sapen, AICP, 

was appointed to the Lee County Land Development 

Code Advisory Committee and is a member of the Urban 

Land Institute and the Women’s Leadership Initiative; 

Wes Kayne, P.E., served as an officer of FES, rising through 

the ranks to become president at the age of twenty-nine, 

as well as holding a position on the FGCU Department of 

Environmental and Civil Engineering Advisory Committee; 

and Carl Barraco, Jr., P.E., served on the City of Fort Myers’ 

Historical Preservation Committee, the board of directors 

of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA) and FGCU’s 

Lutgert College of Business Advisory Committee. 

BAI’s philosophy of giving back to the community in 

which its employees live and work is evidenced by its 

involvement in various charitable organizations and 

community projects. Among other things, BAI has 

volunteered to clean Billy’s Creek on a periodic basis 

through the City of Fort Myers Adopt-A-Canal program, 

donated to the United Way via employee payroll contributions 

and corporate contributions since the firm’s inception 

in 1998, employees volunteered their time and manpower 

building Habitat for Humanity homes, dispatched a team 

of volunteers to Charlotte County to help residents clear 

debris from Hurricane Charley in August 2004, as well as 

donated to food drives to stock food pantries and participated 

in food packaging events sponsored by the United Way. 

These events provide healthy pre-packaged meals to 

families in need. 

BAI employees also have participated in meal preparation 

events at the Ronald McDonald House at HealthPark 

Florida so families staying in the facility would have 

prepared meals when they return to the house after 

visiting their children in the hospital, provided Christmas 

stockings to less fortunate children in the community, and 

sponsored and coached numerous school and community 

athletic teams. 

BAI’s community commitment is an extension of the company’s 

values. Its success and reputation will continue to be 

maintained through exceptional client and employee relationships 

in an enjoyable, hard-working, family atmosphere. 

❖ 

Barraco and Associates, Inc., Habitat for Humanity crew, 2005. 


165

T3 COMMUNICATIONS, INC. 

T3 Communications, Inc., was founded to meet the 

needs of a growing business community, enabling them to 

communicate and compete in the global market from the 

local level. In 2002, a group of local business people came 

together and discussed what their telecommunications 

companies were providing them compared with what they, 

as business people, wanted and needed. 

The founders of T3 and a group of local investors committed 

themselves to the project of creating a successful 

telecommunications company and they soon succeeded in 

their endeavor. T3 is built on the principles of providing 

the best communications service and customer service, 

all the while bringing the newest advancements in telecommunication 

technologies to Southwest Florida. Over 

the years, the company has successfully weathered the 

economic storms to become the go-to telecommunications 

company for local businesses. T3 has established itself as 

a leader by employing people who understand their client’s 

needs for personal attention while also providing them 

world-class global communications services. 

T3’s current Board of Directors is made up of Chairman of 

the Board Steven C. Jones; the current City of Fort Myers 

Mayor is Vice Chairman Randall P. Henderson, Jr.; Director 

Stuart P. Conrad; Director Tad M. Yeatter; and President and 

CEO Josh P. Reel. Josh, who has over twenty-five years of 

telecommunications industry experience and has led several 

telecom companies to market leadership in the communities 

that they serve, joined the company in 2011. 

T3’s focus since its inception has been to meet the needs 

of Southwest Florida businesses and exceed the expectations 

of our clients with a robust selection of communications and 

IT solutions. Backed by cutting-edge technology, superior 

reliability, and unrivaled support, T3 Communications is the 

answer for voice and data solutions. Some of the current 

offerings from T3 Communications are: 

Cloud-Based Hosted PBX—Hosted Voice is a cloud-based 

phone system that makes your employees more productive 

and your business run smoother. 

Integrated Voice and Data—Business Class integrated voice 

and data solutions are flexible and affordable for any business. 

Broadband and Metro Ethernet—T3 employs multiple data 

technology options including Fiber, Fixed Wireless, T1, and 

DSL depending on specific speed and capacity needs and goals. 

Colocation and Disaster Recovery—T3’s data centers are 

specifically constructed as mission critical facilities with a 

combined 85,000 square feet of flexible colocation space at 

either of our Fort Myers or Orlando locations. With the 

annual threat of hurricanes, offsite backup facilities are a 

necessity for local businesses to keep their information safe 

from destruction. 

Secureboost—Secureboost equipment brings speed, reliability, 

and a feeling of security to your business Internet 

because it combines multiple Internet connections to 

failover to if one becomes unreliable. 

Accession Communicator Application—Allows you to 

receive calls from an app on your smartphone that will 

seamlessly connect customers calling your desk phone. 

Since its start in 2002, it has always been the core value 

of T3 to give back to the local community. They provide 

for nonprofit organizations in Southwest Florida in many 

diverse ways that range from donating funds and/or 

volunteering, to sponsoring local events, to providing communications 

services to them as a customer. T3 recognizes 

the only way to ensure growth in your local economy is to 

actively support each other. We would like to mention some 

of the organizations T3 has supported over the years and 

tell a few of their stories: 

2016: 239-333-GIVE has found a new home—Southwest 

Florida Community Foundation reached out to T3 

Communications to see if they could provide them a local 


166

number that spelled out “GIVE.” The only number they 

had fitting the criteria was being used by another T3 customer, 

Healthcare Coding and Consulting Services. T3 

contacted HCCS and they quickly and graciously agreed 

to give “GIVE” the number to Southwest Florida Community 

Foundation. T3 then assigned 239-333-GIVE (4483) 

to them and they use this easily remembered number 

when reaching out to the community and offering their 

support. This was a great example of local businesses 

working together to achieve a greater good! 

2016: 2-1-1 is the story that needs to be told—The United 

Way 2-1-1 service exists to help people navigate their way 

through the maze of human and social service agencies by 

providing the most adequate resources for the client’s situation. 

This process promotes prevention and self-sufficiency 

by giving the clients easy access to services they normally 

would not be aware of. T3 Communications recently provided 

a new communications system to help United Way of Lee, 

Hendry, and Glades Counties run their 2-1-1 service more 

efficiently. Through this process, T3 learned a lot about 

United Way’s 2-1-1 and the good that it provides in their 

community. It is not meant to be a secret, so please spread 

the word! Everyone knows someone who needs help. 

2015: When there is a need, you help—Last year T3 

made the decision to forgo sending holiday gifts of appreciation 

to their customers. T3 instead decided to dedicate that 

money and give it to a local charity. It was not easy selecting 

which charity to give to because there are many quality local 

charites that need community support. The one that came 

to the forefront was Children’s Advocacy of SWFL and their 

facility in Fort Myers. T3 was incredibly impressed with the 

services they provide and the dedication of the staff who 

work there, because of this they decided to help them reach 

their goal in 2015 of purchasing a van that was desperately 

needed. T3 also donated childrens’ clothing in various sizes 

for their clothes closet, which gets used when children 

are displaced. 

Other notable T3 contributions to the local economy: 

hosting blood drives through Lee Memorial Health System; 

volunteering to serve food to families at the Ronald 

McDonald House; hosting a Toys-for-Tots donation center, 

hosting a supply drive for the military; volunteering to sort 

donated food for the Harry Chapin Food Drive; hosting 

water stations at the Hooters Half-Marathon; volunteering 

assistance in building a Habitat for Humanity home; 

participating in the Susan G. Komen Stiletto Sprint to benefit 

Garden of Hope and Courage; and several sponsorship 

and/or monetary donations provided to other nonprofits. 

Growth does not occur by chance, it is usually the result 

of a vision and the efforts of diverse entities working together 

to join forces and bring their unique abilities and skills to 

succeed at a common goal. As T3 Communications continues 

to grow and progress, they intend to continue supporting 

their local community to help it grow and progress. They 

know it is their role to lend support to the local economy, 

businesses, and people that reside in their own backyard. 

❖ 

Above: Vice Chairman of T3 Communications, Fort Myers’ Mayor 

Randall P. Henderson, Jr., at his desk, c. 2003. 


167

❖ 

HOPE HEALTHCARE 

Right: Samira honors military veteran Joseph Pre-Genzer for his service to 

our country. 

Below: Lush landscaping surrounds the Hope Hospice Houses, located in 

Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Lehigh Acres. 

Through the passion and commitment of Fort Myers 

volunteers, H.O.P.E. Hospice—Hospice Oriented Program 

for Everyone—began providing care in 1979. Their goal was 

to help people remain at home during their last chapter of 

life. In these early years, community donations ensured the 

volunteer nurse had the gasoline needed to visit patients 

throughout the city. 

In 1984 the State of Florida provided licensure to Hope 

Hospice, and the organization’s twenty-nine volunteers 

welcomed nurses, aides, social workers, clergy and a physician. 

By 1989, Hope had grown to care for more than 100 individuals 

each day throughout Fort Myers. In 1991 the organization 

welcomed Samira K. Beckwith as president and CEO. 

“People asked me, ‘Why don’t you change the name? 

Don’t you provide care when it’s time to give up hope?’” said 

Beckwith. “But I always liked the name because no matter 

what phase of life we are in, there is always hope. It’s just 

what we hope for that changes.” 

She added, “For those who need our care, what they hope 

for most is relief. They hope for respite from pain or to breathe 

with ease. They hope to enjoy a meal again or have the energy 

to laugh with family and friends. What people want most when 

they come to Hope is an improved quality of life for the duration 

of the time they have left—however long that may be.” 

In addition to providing exceptional end-of-life care, 

dignity, and quality of life, Beckwith’s vision for Hope 

included the expansion of services for the elderly and for 

children. With the creation of these new services, Hope 

Hospice became Hope Healthcare. 

Today, Hope Healthcare serves more than 2,000 individuals 

and their families every day. The organization provides 

programs and services throughout seven counties in 

Southwest Florida. This comprehensive model of care has 

garnered the attention of healthcare agencies, policy makers, 

and associations around the country. 

The expansion of Hope’s services created a continuum of 

person-centered care, enabling adults to live comfortably 

through their later years and into their final chapter of life. The 

organization has given hope to children coping with complex 

medical issues, serious illness, and grief. With Hope’s support, 

isolated seniors can look forward to warm meals delivered to 

their home, caregivers who deliver medicine and monitor 

their health, and aides who provide housekeeping too. 

“We can still give people things to hope for. If not a cure, 

then quality days, quality experiences, quality conversations 

with their loved ones,’ said Beckwith. 

As healthcare continues to evolve in the future, the people 

of Southwest Florida can rest assured that Beckwith and the 

entire Hope Healthcare team will continue providing their 

unique brand of comforting, compassionate care. With the 

full support of this generous community, Hope can fulfill 

their mission of helping everyone with serious illness for 

decades to come. 


168

Programs and Services of Hope Healthcare include: 

• Hope Hospice—allows everyone to live the last phase of 

their life with dignity and in comfort, regardless of their 

financial circumstances. 

• Hope Palliative Care—provides help for those with 

serious illness as they navigate the complexities of care 

and treatment. Support is available from the time of 

diagnosis through the entire course of illness. 

• Hope Kids Care—offers comforting care for children 

with complex medical conditions and their families. 

We also provide Rainbow Trails Camp to help children 

cope with grief and loss. 

• Hope at Home—extends personalized services and 

assistance with daily activities for those who require 

home healthcare or private duty nursing. 

• Hope PACE ® —a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the 

Elderly, includes medical and dental care, therapies, personal 

care, medications, medical supplies, and essential 

transportation. With our help, participants can live safely 

in their own homes. 

• Hope Connections—provides practical support to the 

seniors of Hendry and Glades Counties through home 

delivered meals, social centers, transportation, housekeeping, 

and personal care. 

• Hope Parkinson Program—coordinates events, classes, 

and social opportunities for individuals with Parkinson’s 

disease and their care partners. We help people experience 

the best possible quality of life while coping with the 

effects of this chronic illness. 

• Hope Healing Hearts—supports individuals with grief 

issues or emotions related to experiences of change or 

loss. Professional bereavement counselors provide the 

tools needed to address difficult feelings and to continue 

along the path of healing. 

• Hope VALOR—honors veterans for their service to our 

country with a personalized recognition ceremony. By 

recognizing the unique needs of America’s veterans, Hope 

can guide them toward a more peaceful ending. 

• Hope Pet Program—allows furry friends to provide 

unconditional love, companionship, and comfort. 

• Hopeful Wishes—make life extra special at a unique 

moment. By granting heartfelt wishes, we can do 

more than provide medications and therapies—we can 

fulfill dreams. 

• Hope Expressive Therapies—provide an outlet for relaxation 

and stress relief. Through art, music, or massage 

therapy, individuals may gain insight into emotions, 

establish new pathways for healing, and experience peace 

of mind. 

Additional information is available at www.hopehcs.org. 

❖ 

Above: Hope volunteers Pam Hoctel and Truffles visit with Louise Cottrell to 

share stories and smiles. 

Left: Gavin Lowrey benefits from the Hope Kids Care program, designed to 

improve quality of life for children facing serious illness. 


169

FORT MYERS 

Recently, Fort Myers ranked No. 1, out of the top 20 

places people are moving to in the United States. Most 

likely, the reason is because it offers all the amenities 

of a twenty-first century urban city, combined with the 

quaintness and charm that comes from preserving its 

historic architecture. 

This city of more than 75,000 is nestled alongside the 

Caloosahatchee River in Southwest Florida. It has become 

a must-see Florida destination, with a variety of places 

to shop, dine, have cocktails, and be entertained. 

Known as the “City of Palms” for the tropical palm trees 

lining its main streets, Fort Myers features an attractive, 

lively downtown, with highly-rated accommodations, oneof-a-kind 

boutiques, outdoor cafes and themed restaurants. 

Throughout the city, there are museums, parades, festivals, 

theaters, music, parks, historical sites, and art galleries, 

providing an array of activities to enjoy throughout the 

year. Its major waterways wind their way to the Gulf of 

Mexico, offering plenty of recreational opportunities for 

boaters, kayakers, sailors and anglers. 

Fort Myers is the government center of Lee County. 

It owes much of its notoriety to two American legends, 

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, who were attracted to the 

warm climate and natural beauty. Both resided in winter 

homes, side-by-side, in Fort Myers where Edison worked 

on many of his important inventions. 

Fort Myers is now the home of the Edison & Ford Winter 

Estates, one of the top ten most visited historical homes 

in the United States. The grounds feature award-winning 

exhibits, including Edison’s original inventions and Ford’s 

antique cars, like the Model T. 

Prior to Edison and Ford’s arrival, Fort Myers enjoyed a 

long, storied history, beginning with Ponce de León, who 

explored the area during the 1500s. He preceded Spanish 

and Cuban settlers who were responsible for creating 

temporary fishing and farming camps along the coast. 

Fort Myers was constructed on the site of the Seminole War 

post Fort Harvie, which was built after Florida became a 

U.S. territory in 1821. In the mid 1800s, the site was 

renamed Fort Myers, after Colonel Abraham Myers. 

Following the Civil War, the fort was deactivated, and its 

officer’s quarters became some of the first houses of the 

Fort Myers settlement. By 1885, Fort Myers had grown 

into one of the largest Florida towns on the Gulf Coast, with 

cattle ranching and logging as the area’s primary industries. 

In 1886, it became incorporated as a city. 

Fort Myers continued to prosper until the Great 

Depression. It was later revived when U.S. military air 

bases were opened in the 1940s, bringing in thousands of 

military personnel, many who took up permanent residence 

after completing their service. 


170

Today, tourism is a significant economic engine for 

Fort Myers, thanks to its year-round tropical climate, 

well-maintained historical landmarks and easily navigable 

rivers that serve as a gateway to the world-renowned beaches 

on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel and Captiva islands. 

Southwest Florida International Airport has fourteen airline 

partners with non-stop service to forty-five cities throughout 

the United States, Canada and Germany. 

Fort Myers has the youngest population in Lee County 

with a median age of thirty-two. Married couples slightly 

outnumber singles, and more than twenty percent of 

its residents have incomes of $75,000 a year or greater. 

Thanks to the city’s commitment to making Fort Myers 

a great place to live and visit, the City of Palms boasts 

one of the most vibrant, cultural atmospheres on the 

Gulf Coast. The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts 

Hall, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, and the Florida 

Repertory Theatre are world-class venues for plays, 

musicals and concerts. 

With plenty of sunshine, warm temperatures and natural 

beauty, Fort Myers has attracted the attention of residents 

and visitors interested in active outdoor activities. City 

parks and attractions, like nature centers and butterfly 

gardens, along with ample public boat ramps and marinas, 

provide residents and visitors ways to enjoy quality 

family time. Historic downtown tours, museums for 

children and history buffs, cultural events, dining and 

shopping are among the top reasons people explore the 

Fort Myers downtown River District. Annual events like 

the Edison Festival of Light, honoring Thomas Edison, and 

major sports tournaments, bring people to Fort Myers from 

all over the country. 

Millions of visitors come to Fort Myers every year. 

Like so many, some decide to stay and make Fort Myers 

their home. That is because it is a great place to play, live, 

work, go to school, raise a family, or retire. 

If you would like more information about Fort Myers, 

go to www.cityftmyers.com. 

❖ 

Opposite, top: Historic photograph of Thomas Edison (left) and Henry Ford. 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE EDISON & FORD WINTER ESTATES. 

Opposite, bottom: Fort Myers Water Basin. 

Left: Fort Myers Golf Course at Fort Myers Country Club. 

Right: Downtown Fort Myers high rises. 


171

JOHNSON ENGINEERING, INC. 

❖ 

Right: Carl E. Johnson at the Carl E. Johnson Recreational Area in Lovers 

Key State Park. 

Below: Johnson Engineering Presidents, from left to right, Archie Grant, 

Forrest Banks, Steven Morrison and Lonnie Howard. 

The success that Johnson Engineering, Inc., has enjoyed in 

recent decades did not come easily or quickly. Like most 

prosperous businesses, it developed over time, the product of 

hard work, good people, and a dedication to excellence. Today, 

this civil engineering firm is a cohesive team of professionals 

helping guide city, county, and state government as well as private 

companies through the challenges that accompany growth. 

Johnson Engineering has participated in an extensive list 

of well-known Florida roads, shopping centers, schools, 

hospitals, residential communities, resorts, and commercial 

developments. Well-known projects such as the City of Fort 

Myers Downtown Basin, Fort Myers Country Club, Southwest 

Florida International Airport (RSW), Hammond Stadium, 

Jet Blue Park, Gulf Coast Town Center, and Lee Memorial 

HealthPark are a few products of Johnson Engineering’s local 

expertise in Lee County. 

No one could have predicted such success when Clewiston 

surveyor, Carl E. Johnson, purchased the assets of a local 

surveying company in 1946 and began working out of a small 

office on Main Street in Fort Myers. Johnson spent the next two 

decades surveying Florida lands and in the late 1960s came up 

with the idea of connecting the barrier islands with a causeway 

from the south end of Fort Myers Beach to Bonita Beach. 

Johnson helped convince several large landowners to donate 

land for the project and surveyed and designed the road, and 

today his legacy lives on through Lovers Key Carl E. Johnson 

State Park, a popular tourist attraction that each year attracts 

thousands of nature lovers and recreational enthusiasts. Each 

year since 2003, Johnson Engineering employees volunteer to 

help the state park with a variety of needed park repairs. 

Throughout its history, Johnson Engineering has benefitted 

from great leadership from the president’s position on down, 

and the company’s success combined with an enjoyable 

work environment has resulted in impressive longevity 

among its employees. The company employs second- and 

third-generation employees. The average employee tenure has 

remained consistently above 10 years, and many have been 

with the company for 20 years, 30 years, or more. 

The company has known only five presidents, Carl E. 

Johnson (1946-1968), Archie T. Grant (1968-1979), Forrest 

H. Banks (1979-1997), Steven K. Morrison (1997-2012), and 

Lonnie V. Howard, who became president in 2012. Each 

contributed significantly to the company’s development, but 

much credit for Johnson Engineering’s success goes to Grant, 

who put the company on sound financial footing and 

established it as the “go-to” firm for surface-water management. 

Through the years, the company has added new areas to 

its expertise and today is home to professional engineers, 

ecologists, scientists, geologists, surveyors and mappers, 

certified land planners and landscape architects, who 

continue to contribute to Florida’s growth and stability. 

Johnson Engineering’s present and future generations of 

professionals will continue to honor the company’s legacy 

while expanding into new specialties and fields of study as 

it continues to shape Florida’s communities. 


172

Ad-Ler Roofing, Inc., was built on generations of roofing 

experience in Southwest Florida. Family owned and operated, 

the company is a leader in the roofing industry. Ad-Ler 

Roofing not only follows industry best practices, but in many 

cases, created them. The Curriers represent the history of the 

making of concrete roof tile in Fort Myers since the 1960s! 

Eddie Currier III, president of Ad-Ler Roofing, learned the 

business from the bottom up. He worked in his family’s 

business throughout his teen years and earned his state 

certified roofing license in 1982. He then went on to serve 

as a director on the board of the roofing association. He has 

also assisted with writing some of the roofing codes that 

govern the way roofs are now installed. 

In 1980, Eddie married his sweetheart, Ann, and they 

had two sons. Eddie and Ann started Ad-Ler Roofing, Inc., in 

October 1988, naming the company after their sons—Adam 

and Tyler. They began the business in a bedroom in their 

home, with Ann handling the administrative side of the 

business and Eddie doing the actual repairs. In 2001, Adam 

continued the family tradition by joining the business. Their 

youngest son, Tyler, followed in 2008. Adam, and his wife, 

Krista, have started the fourth generation of roofers—Bailey 

and Dace. What started as a mom and pop company has 

grown into one of the largest residential roofing companies 

on the West Coast of Florida. It goes to show that the 

American Dream of building a successful business is still 

alive and well. 

Eddie and Adam have made it a priority to surround 

themselves with an incredibly competent staff. Many former 

employees learned the trade with Ad-Ler and have gone on 

to open their own businesses. 

Ad-Ler also has several employees who have been with 

them since they began their careers. Eddie has been the only 

boss they have ever known. 

Eddie, Ann, Adam and Tyler believe family is important. 

They believe in taking care of their employees and giving back 

to the community. Several years ago they started purchasing 

school supplies for their employees’ children, and now this 

is a yearly tradition. Ad-Ler also recently partnered with the 

Affordable Homeownership Foundation to donate materials 

and labor to reroof the houses of two veterans who were in 

danger of losing their homes. 

Ad-Ler Roofing was initially focused on repairs, 

maintenance, and reroofs. The company continues to 

grow and prosper and has now expanded into custom and 

tract new construction homes with tile or metal roofs. 

Geographically, the company has grown from one location 

in Fort Myers to three locations servicing from Tampa to 

Marco Island and east to Orlando. The future plans are to 

add a Tampa location and create a specialty design center. 

The focus now is “Building the future, restoring the past.” 

We want to thank SWFL for all of the business then and 

now that has made Ad-Ler a success in the roofing industry! 

AD-LER ROOFING, INC. 


173

BROADWAY PALM 

DINNER THEATRE 

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre is Southwest Florida’s 

most entertaining destination with two performance venues, 

an art gallery, a gift shop, and a bar. Since opening its doors 

in October 1993, this 36,000 square foot facility—renovated 

from a former Publix Supermarket—has hosted performances 

that entertained more than 3.3 million people. 

An estimated 1,000 motor coaches visit Broadway Palm 

each year with half originating from outside Lee County. 

More than one-third of these visitors include an overnight 

stay, making Broadway Palm one of Fort Myers’ top tourist 

attractions and an economic engine that drives the economy. 

The facility includes: 

• Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre: A 448-seat main stage 

venue featuring full-scale professional Broadway musicals 

and specialty concerts. Each year this venue hosts eight 

main stage shows, four children’s theatre productions, and 

numerous concerts, functions, meetings, and special events. 

• The Off Broadway Palm Theatre: A 100-seat black box 

theatre, which showcases five smaller-scale musical 

revues and comedies each season. 

• Café Cabaret: Opened in late 1994, offering Off Broadway 

and main stage overflow dining. It is available for rental 

for parties and events for as many as 125 people. It 

features a small stage with lighting and a sound system. 

• Broadway Palm Art Gallery: A display space for works 

by Southwest Florida artists. The exhibits change with 

each main stage show and may feature paintings, 

sculpture, basketry, wood working, weaving, collage, 

and other art forms. 

• Broadway Palm Gift Shop: A unique shop with a theatrical 

flair, which features one-of-a-kind gifts, including jewelry, 

collectibles, theatre memorabilia, and more. 

• Busty’s Bar: Named after long-time bartender, Sebastian 

“Busty” Lanza, the lobby’s full-service cocktail bar is 

open in the evenings, before the show, at intermission, 

and after the show. The bar features a selection of fine 

wines and specialty drinks. 

Broadway Palm has grown since it opened from twentyfive 

employees to approximately 125 today. Each musical 

production features a live orchestra and professional actors 

are hired from national auditions. Costume creation, set 

construction, and rehearsals take place on site. 

More than 250 private functions are held each year at 

Broadway Palm, including business meetings, training 

seminars, fundraisers, and social functions. Broadway Palm 

is a long-standing member of area chambers as well as a 

sanctioned Florida Attraction. Broadway Palm has helped 

many local charities by donating money, goods and services, 

and/or volunteer hours. 

More than two decades after its first opening curtain, 

Broadway Palm remains a top entertainment destination in 

Southwest Florida and is positioned to remain as such for 

many years to come. 

For more information on Broadway Palm, please visit 

www.broadwaypalm.com. 


174

Chico’s FAS, Inc., is a leading specialty retailer of 

women’s apparel and accessories. It’s three iconic and 

powerful brands, Chico’s, White House Black Market and 

Soma, are known for high quality, exclusively designed 

styles and exceptional customer service. 

Chico’s was founded by Marvin and Helene Gralnick. 

The couple met in 1972 while living in Guadalajara, 

Mexico. In 1983, after moving to Southwest Florida, they 

opened a tiny Mexican folk art gift shop in Periwinkle Place 

on Sanibel Island. They named the boutique “Chico’s Folk 

Art Specialties,” after Helene’s best friend’s parrot, Chico. 

At first, the store sold art and a few clothing items, including 

cotton sweaters, which soon outsold everything else. 

Chico’s quickly became a specialty fashion boutique, offering 

unique styles and a friendly atmosphere that connected with 

customers in a personal way. In 1985, Chico’s opened a second 

boutique on Captiva Island. Many more soon followed. 

Since its inception, Chico’s has been known for its 

original styles, flattering fits, and exclusive travel and 

active wear collections. Every piece is designed to help 

women look and feel fabulous. Chico’s is passionate about 

customer service, welcoming customers as friends and 

empowering them to create their own signature style. 

In 2003, White House Black Market was acquired by 

Chico’s FAS, Inc. Although named for the simplicity of its 

iconic black and white fashions, White House Black Market’s 

curated collections feature the latest colors, prints, and 

styles. White House Black Market’s style experts are dedicated 

to offering exceptional personal service and inspiring 

women to be stylishly successful in all that they do. 

In 2004, Soma became the third brand to join the 

Chico’s FAS family. Soma offers beautiful and sensual 

lingerie, loungewear and beauty. Home to the warmest 

personal service, Soma embraces women with luxuriously 

soft fabrics, innovative fashion and an always perfect fit. 

Chico’s FAS is built on a core set of values and guiding 

principles that support its commitment to women’s and 

children’s health, well-being, and education. Its charitable 

efforts focus on positively affecting the lives of its associates, 

customers, and communities. Through volunteer hours and 

monetary donations, Chico’s FAS directly supports many 

local organizations in Southwest Florida. On a national 

level, Chico’s FAS contributes and partners with several 

women’s and children’s philanthropic organizations. 

Even as Chico’s FAS has grown, its values remain at the 

heart of the company today; beautiful apparel, exceptional 

service and a deep appreciation for its customers. 

CHICO’S FAS, INC. 


175

❖ 

CANTERBURY SCHOOL 

Below: The school mascot, the Canterbury Cougars. 

Canterbury School, founded in 1964, is a Pre-K3 through 

grade 12 nonsectarian, independent, coeducational school 

that prepares students for academic and professional excellence 

within a caring and supportive community with a strong 

emphasis on character, leadership, and service. Canterbury 

School stresses individual growth, skill development, highcaliber 

instruction, collaboration, and standards of excellence. 

Canterbury School provides all of its students with an 

opportunity to challenge themselves and take risks in 

an atmosphere of mutual respect and partnership among 

students, parents, and teachers. The school’s talented and 

dedicated faculty work to build a close-knit community of 

learners where the whole child is nurtured and developed, 

and where the model of a liberal arts education thrives. 

Currently located at 8141 College Parkway, this thirtytwo-acre 

campus is a place where a strong athletic program 

and commitment to the arts combine with academic 

excellence in a secure and modern facility. The school’s vision 

is to prepare students of ability, promise, and diverse backgrounds 

for success in the art of leading a meaningful life. 

Canterbury school’s population of more than 630 

students is divided into three levels: Lower, Middle, and 

Upper School. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1 and an 

average class size of sixteen, students receive the individual 

attention they need to prepare them for the next step in 

their academic careers and to achieve success in the most 

demanding post-secondary institutions and professions. 

A wide range of honor societies are available to students, 

and the school is accredited by or a member of several 

prestigious academic associations. 

Athletics, clubs, and organizations play key roles in student 

life. Canterbury School offers football, soccer, baseball, 

basketball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, golf, cross-country, 

track and field, cheerleading, and lacrosse. Need-based financial 

aid is available and, on average, approximately one-fourth 

of Canterbury School students receive aid. Fifty percent of 

faculty hold advanced degrees with ten percent holding a 

doctorate. More than twenty percent of faculty have international 

teaching experience, and the average teacher has 

worked as a teacher for more than eighteen years. 

Students pursue a rigorous schedule of college preparatory 

classes for all four years in the Upper School. All classes are 

taught on the honors level with Advanced Placement (AP) 

and Independent Studies providing extra challenges. Students 

consistently test above Lee County, Florida, and national averages 

in both the SAT and ACT, and students are encouraged to 

participate in a school-wide community service program. 

College and university officials say Canterbury School 

students are prepared for college and academic success, 

representing a value to the college at the time of admission. 

The school stresses personal integrity and service and expects 

graduates to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens 

who are well-prepared to help shape a changing world. 


176

BOYLAN ENVIRONMENTAL 

CONSULTANTS, INC. 

Boylan Environmental Consultants, Inc., is an environmental 

consulting firm providing technical and economically feasible 

solutions to today’s environmental issues. The company offers 

a selection of services including due diligence environmental 

assessments, wetland and wildlife surveys, environmental planning 

services for zoning and development, environmental 

resource permitting applications, wetland impact assessments, 

habitat management plans, and design of mitigation and 

restoration projects. Located in Fort Myers, the company 

has provided a wide range of services on numerous projects 

throughout the state, including residential, commercial, industrial, 

agricultural, and governmental activities. 

Boylan Environmental Consultants, Inc., was founded by 

Rae Ann Boylan in 1989 and has been providing environmental 

consulting services to both private and governmental 

entities in South Florida ever since. Rae Ann continued to 

grow and operate the business until 2011, when she sold 

her interest in the company to her longstanding employee 

Kimberly (Kim) Schlachta. A native of Fort Myers, Kim 

began her career at Boylan in 1998 and now serves as 

president where she manages the company and continues 

to maintain the reputation and quality of work established 

over the years. The experienced gained as an employee is 

also reflected in the commitment and attention to the quality 

of the working environment for team members. 

Boylan remains committed to employ qualified environmental 

professionals with the experience needed to provide 

the specified ecological services required by today’s regulations. 

The staff has the necessary academic backgrounds 

for this field and participates in a range of continuing 

educational programs to remain current on the continuing 

changes in the scientific methodologies employed in the 

field and the regulatory rule changes. 

The team’s local knowledge and experience with South 

Florida have given Boylan Environmental Consultants, Inc., 

added expertise in this area. The advantages of this expertise 

ranges from specific knowledge of the flora and fauna of 

the area to a familiarity with the needs and requirements of 

the regulatory agencies. The staff provides all clients the 

required services in a timely and economic fashion. The 

quality of work is reflected by the many long term and repeat 

clients established and maintained over the years. 

The company also has a broad range of technical field 

equipment and programs to support its environmental programs. 

Its extensive computer capabilities include AutoCAD, 

ArcMap, a large database of GIS information, historical and 

current aerial photography, a large array of graphic programs 

along with complete Windows support software. 

The company has been certified as a Florida Minority/ 

Women Business Enterprise (MBE)/(WBE) and a Disadvantaged 

Business Enterprise (DBE) by the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT). Boylan is also a member of the Greater 

Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and supports the Florida 

Sherriff’s Association. Boylan also supports the America 

Cancer Society and other worthy causes. 

Moving forward, and as environmental issues continue to 

play a critical role in the future balance of responsible growth 

and conservation, Boylan is committed to continue its focus 

on expertise and quality of work and services in contributing to 

the environmentally sustainable future of Southwest Florida. 


177

THE SALVATION ARMY 

OF LEE, HENDRY AND 

GLADES COUNTIES 

The Salvation Army expanded to Fort Myers in 1951 

when Captains Arthur and Viola Sanders began leading 

efforts to minister to the poor from what was initially a small 

office and church. In the more than six decades since they 

arrived, The Salvation Army has grown into an extremely 

large organization that today serves more than 30,000 people 

annually in Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. 

The Salvation Army, an international movement founded 

in 1865 by a young British minister named William Booth, 

preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, meeting human needs in 

His name without discrimination. Working with his wife, 

Booth “reached for the worst” rather than ministering to the 

more comfortable, and the movement spread throughout 

the British Isles and, in 1880, arrived in the United States. 

Booth’s ministry recognized the interdependence of 

material, emotional, and spiritual needs. In addition to 

preaching the Gospel, Booth began providing food for the 

hungry, shelter for the homeless, and alcohol rehabilitation 

for the addicted. 

This same focus is present in The Salvation Army 

of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. In one year, 

The Salvation Army impacted 38,303 lives through a variety 

of outreach services ranging from help with utility 

bills to residential substance abuse programs for men. 

Utilizing a staff of approximately 175 employees and 

6,000 volunteers, The Salvation Army each year provides 

more than 250,000 meals and more than 12,000 bed 

nights. It also runs a thirty-five bed substance abuse 

treatment facility for men and a residential program 

for women and children. It also provides more than 

2,500 bed nights through its Medical Respite Unit and 

assistance to more than 150 clients in federal and state 

correctional facilities. 

The Salvation Army helps people attain their goals 

of housing and stable employment while fostering a sense 

of greater self-determination. They do this by providing 

vital services and programs and by connecting clients 

to local service providers. Approximately 350 of its 

volunteers are physicians who provide care to The Salvation 

Army’s clients through more than 6,000 hours at no cost. 

In all, The Salvation Army operates out of seventeen 

buildings in the three counties it serves, including three 

thrift stores and mission stations in Bonita Springs, Cape 

Coral, Clewiston, LaBelle, and Lehigh Acres. It also operates 

The Salvation Army Church, formerly home to McGregor 

Baptist Church, where a diverse population from the homeless 

to successful physicians worship together. 

The Salvation Army’s work would not be possible without 

the continued support from a generous Southwest Florida 

community. Its work is and always will be motivated by 

the love of God. It is that love that motivates the staff and 

volunteers to soldier on despite the obstacles, providing 

basic human necessities without discrimination in the name 

of Jesus Christ. 


178

Fischler Property Company is doing more than developing 

mixed-use, multifamily and commercial properties across 

the country. It is building a legacy in its community, among 

its clients and within the firm’s culture. 

Founded in 2009 by Phil Fischler, this Fort Myers-based 

company is a unique commercial real estate advisory firm 

known for taking on the most challenging projects, 

preserving the region’s history, and playing an instrumental 

role in the area’s growth. The company, its principals and 

its employees believe in projects that matter and enhance 

their communities. 

Fischler Property Company delivers services, buildings 

and outcomes it points to with pride. Its people strive 

to be innovative producers, impresarios, developers, 

instigators and creators. They identify opportunities, 

develop a vision for the future, and are driven to be 

resourceful, entrepreneurial and collaborative. 

The company’s experiences range from civil engineering 

to development to brokerage. Its people move confidently 

between several industry elements, including finance and 

investment, marketing and brokerage, construction and 

design, planning and entitlements, legal and technical, 

and leadership and client relations. The company celebrates 

opportunities to solve problems in an effective manner. 

To do so, it partners with superb industry leaders who 

offer unmatched talent and contribute enormously to the 

firm’s successes. 

Fischler Property Company is a privately held firm 

focused on three main areas: 

• Development: The company develops commercial 

properties for its own portfolio. It also provides fee 

development services to property owners and tenants. 

• Brokerage: The company provides brokerage services 

to a select group of clients looking for opportunities 

that leverage its approach: focused, strategic and 

relationship-driven. 

• Advisory services: The company brings a fresh perspective 

to its clients and is constantly seeking ways to assess, 

protect and multiply the value of its clients’ assets. 

Since its inception, the company has been involved in 

millions of square feet of mixed-use, multifamily and 

commercial properties. Much of its focus has been in 

Southwest Florida between Marco Island and North Tampa, 

west of I-75. The company has guided the acquisition and 

disposition of several high-profile waterfront and urban 

investment deals in downtown districts between Fort Myers 

and Bradenton. It has also guided several regional banks 

on commercial OREO portfolios and partnered with bank 

executives on their asset disposition approach. 

Fischler Property Company is passionate about urban 

revitalization. Its strategy focuses heavily on downtown 

redevelopment opportunities to best serve its clients, 

improve its communities and build a legacy. 

For additional information on Fischler Property Company, 

please visit www.fischlerco.com. 

FISCHLER 

PROPERTY COMPANY 


179

HOTEL INDIGO 

FORT MYERS DOWNTOWN 

RIVER DISTRICT 

Hotel Indigo, located in the Fort Myers Downtown 

River District, puts its guests in the heart of this historic 

neighborhood, near great shopping, attractions, and local 

businesses. Like other Hotel Indigo properties across 

the country, this Fort Myers hotel is inspired by the area’s 

creative community and serves as the only boutique hotel in 

the neighborhood. The adjoining Post Office Arcade, which 

serves as the entryway into the hotel’s main reception area, 

is a historic building housing restaurants and commercial 

office space. 

No two neighborhoods are alike, so neither are any two 

Hotel Indigo properties. When guests stay at a Hotel Indigo 

property, they are not just staying anywhere, they are staying 

somewhere—within a vibrant community, in a unique 

boutique hotel that combines authentic local experiences, 

modern design and intimate service, and yet with the 

peace of mind and consistency that comes from staying with 

one of the world’s largest hotel groups. The Hotel Indigo in 

Fort Myers is included as a stop on downtown’s monthly 

Music and Art Walks featuring local musicians and artists, 

and the colorful mural by our rooftop pool was created 

by a local artist. 

Back Bay Resorts SWF, LLC, is the company behind 

the Hotel Indigo Fort Myers Downtown River District. This 

Boston-based firm was founded in Massachusetts more than 

forty years ago, investing in apartment buildings, hotels, 

research and development space, land, and commercial 

buildings in and around Boston. In 2004 the first Hotel 

Indigo property opened its doors in Atlanta. Today, 

culturally rich communities all over the world are home 

to a Hotel Indigo, from New York to Paris, London to 

Shanghai, Hong Kong to Singapore—all the places people 

want to visit and do business in. 

Back Bay Resorts began searching for business opportunities 

in Florida in 2010-2011 and identified the Hotel 

Indigo property as a potential investment. It also recognized 

that Fort Myers offered visitors music, culture, and art 

events that attracted thousands of visitors and residents to 

downtown every month. It seemed only natural for Hotel 

Indigo to be a part of that experience. 

Each Hotel Indigo is as individual as its surroundings 

and is also a reflection of them. Guests can taste the local 

flavor on their menus and see it in the art and photography 

displayed on the walls. Guests get great advice from our 

team members on what to see and do in the neighborhood, 

meet locals in our hotel bars, and experience the relaxed and 

inviting feeling the makes Hotel Indigo a great place to stay. 

Team members go out of their way to make each stay 

memorable and neighborhoods easy to discover and 

appreciate. From must-see, hear, and eat experiences to 

hidden gems off the beaten path, guests can trust team 

members to provide great local recommendations. 

Hotel Indigo properties feature unique design at every 

turn without compromising guest comfort. A vibrant 

modern color palette, complemented by natural light and 

locally influenced design and decor, make for an inviting, 

stylish, and refreshing atmosphere. 


180

BARBARA B. MANN 

PERFORMING ARTS HALL 

The Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at Florida 

SouthWestern State College, which celebrated its thirtieth 

anniversary in 2016, serves as the entertainment showcase 

for Fort Myers and the rest of Southwest Florida, attracting 

National Touring, Tony ® Award-winning Broadway productions 

and providing a venue for world-class entertainers 

such as Jay Leno, Diana Ross, Ringo Starr and more. 

This 1,873-seat facility, located on the campus of Florida 

SouthWestern State College, is named for a remarkable 

woman who was involved in the creation of almost every 

arts organization in Southwest Florida, including the Fort 

Myers Symphony Orchestra and Lee County Alliance for 

the Arts, serving as the alliance’s charter president. In 1949, 

Barbara Mann founded Fort Myers Community Concert 

Association and served as its president for fifty-seven years. 

Each year, the association hosts five performances: a ballet, 

opera, symphony performance, and two recital pieces. 

The series began at area elementary schools before 

moving up to high schools and, beginning in 1986, to the 

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. 

Her son, Frank Mann, was instrumental in convincing the 

Florida Department of Education to appropriate the funds 

to build the hall on the campus of what was then known 

as Edison State College. Having played an important role in 

promoting the arts in the region, it seemed only fitting that 

the new facility should be named after Mann, who passed 

away in 2013 at the age of 100. 

The Hall is home to an average of 190 performances 

per year and annually attracts more than 200,000 visitors. It 

features the largest proscenium stage between Tampa and 

Miami, measuring twenty-nine feet high and fifty-six feet 

wide. The stage is forty-seven feet deep by 106 feet wide. In 

addition to serving as a performance venue for nationally and 

internationally renowned performers, the Hall is home to the 

Southwest Florida Symphony and the Gulf Coast Symphony. 

Major milestones for the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts 

Hall include launching the second national tour of Wicked 

and the national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In 1998 

the Hall was expanded to accommodate larger shows such 

as The Phantom of the Opera and renovating the backstage 

dressing rooms to provide more space. In 2014, the Hall’s 

original seats were replaced at a cost of $1.1 million. 

Through the years, almost every legendary entertainer has 

performed at the Hall such as: Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, 

Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, and the Moody Blues. The 

Hall plans to continue to provide Southwest Florida with the 

best in live entertainment. The Barbara B. Mann Performing 

Arts Hall at FSW—Where Broadway Comes to You! 


181

❖ 

WCI COMMUNITIES, INC. 

Below: Hampton Park. 

Bottom: The Pelican Preserve Plaza del Sol. 

WCI Communities has a long-standing tradition of 

excellence in Fort Myers and throughout Southwest Florida. 

With an established reputation and strong brand recognition 

for developing amenity-rich, lifestyle oriented masterplanned 

communities, WCI and its predecessor companies 

have a legacy that spans seventy years. 

A lifestyle community developer and luxury homebuilder 

of single and multifamily homes in coastal Florida, 

WCI has nearly 700 full-time employees, 

as well as relationships with approximately 

1,800 independent licensed real estate agents 

through their brokerage business. 

WCI prides itself on delivering exhilarating 

communities filled with championship golf, 

active clubhouses and sporting clubs, tennis, 

boating, beaches, health and wellness facilities, 

nature trails and more. WCI provides the highest 

quality construction and service for their 

valued customers. Today, more than 150,000 

residents call a WCI Community home. 

Recently earning the 49th spot on Builder 

Magazine’s annual Top 100 list, WCI offers 

a vast selection of primary, vacation and 

retirement homes—from the beachfront to the 

lakeside to the fairways—which encompass 

a broad spectrum of styles ranging from the 

mid-$100,000s to over $1 million. 

Arborwood Preserve, WCI’s newest 332-acre 

master-planned community in Fort Myers, 

offers a resort lifestyle for today’s active 

resident. Intimate neighborhoods present 

a selection of WCI’s popular home designs 

nestled among seventy-three acres of lakes 

and more than twenty acres of preserves—plus 

the convenience of a full-service town center. 

Residents of WCI’s Hampton Park enjoy the intimacy of 

their gated neighborhood, along with the added amenities 

of the surrounding 3,000-acre Gateway community—a 

combination that provides the ultimate live, work and play 

lifestyle. Hampton Park is convenient to major employers, 

neighborhood schools, parks and recreational attractions, 

including JetBlue Park, the wintertime home of the Boston 

Red Sox. Hampton Park residents quickly discover they 

never have to go far to have it all. 

Nearby, the intimate Timberwood Preserve combines the 

convenience of a Gateway location with the sought-after 

flexibility of WCI’s home designs. 

Pelican Preserve, WCI’s fifty-five and-better lifestyle 

community in Fort Myers, enjoy twenty-seven holes of 

Chip Powell-designed championship golf and a 24,500 

square foot Golf Club featuring fine and casual dining, a full 

calendar of events, and a fitness center with spa treatment 

rooms. The community’s town center offers nearly every 

imaginable activity—from indoor fitness and swimming, to 

arts and crafts studios and a ninety-nine seat theater. 

Cypress Bend at Shadow Wood Preserve where residents 

enjoy the outdoors close to home with an eighteen hole Arthur 

Hills-designed championship golf course and access to clubhouse, 

tennis courts, two miles of walking paths and fitness 

trails, a tot lot, and a canoe and kayak park. After a day of play, 

Cypress Bend is also minutes away from exciting shopping, 

entertainment and restaurant destinations at Coconut Point. 

For decades, WCI has set the standard in Fort Myers 

and beyond for building exceptional communities and 

developing amenities that challenge and exhilarate, while 

upholding an unwavering commitment to the places they 

call home. The company’s mission to “Think Boldly, Build 

Quality, Deliver Excellence, Enrich Lives and Create 

Value”—permeates every community they create. 

WCI Communities: Your Best Address. 


182

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., founded 1913 by 

twenty-two women students at Howard University in 

Washington, D.C., has distinguished itself as a publicservice 

organization that boldly confronts the challenges 

of African-Americans, and, hence, all Americans. The 

founders sought to use their collective strength to help 

society’s less fortunate. 

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is a private, nonprofit 

organization whose purpose is to provide services and 

programs to promote human welfare. As a sisterhood of 

more than 300,000 predominately Black, college-educated 

women, the sorority has more than 940 chapters nationwide 

and internationally in Germany, Haiti, England, Japan, 

Liberia, Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Republic of Korea, 

Jamaica and Nassau, Bahamas. The sorority’s focus is 

centered on the organization’s Five-Point Program: 

• Economic Development 

• Educational Development 

• International Awareness and Involvement 

• Physical and Mental Health 

• Political Awareness and Involvement/Social Action 

More than fifty years ago, thirteen dynamic women established 

a Delta Sigma Theta chapter in Lee County, Florida. 

The Fort Myers Alumnae Chapter (FMAC) was the first 

Greek letter organization in Southwest Florida, established 

on December 18, 1965. Charter members were: President 

Marie Mallory Ackord, Theora Hamilton Austin, Ida Speed 

Baker, Annette Johnson Booker, Alma Livington Cambridge, 

Mary Gillings Leon, Richardeen Ellis Jones, Ann Murphy 

Knight, Melvin Smallwood Morgan, Gwendolyn Primus 

Mosley, Geraldine Simpkins Ware, Constance White-Davis, 

and Celestene Johnson Williams. 

Many programs have been implemented in the Fort Myers 

communities, such as scholarship awards, breast cancer 

screening, Adopt-a-Black Business, Super Seniors Thanksgiving 

Luncheon, College and Career Conference, Adopt-a-Sister, 

Purple Soir`ee (domestic-violence education), Habitat For 

Humanity, Red Tea Awareness of heart disease; The Legal 

Clinic; Political Candidates Forums, Saving our Sons Forum; 

Public Forum, Featuring Senator Carrie Meek, E.M.B.O.D.I.; 

Dr. Ella Piper Christmas Toy Chest; Total Woman-Mind, Body 

& Spirit; Community Action Promoting Success Using Law 

Enforcement (C.A.P.S.U.L.E.); the Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta 

Academy; Dr. Jeanie Noble Delta G.E.M.S., International Day 

of Service (HIV Awareness); Omega Psi Phi Achievement 

Week 2014; and Walk2Connect Audit Program 2015. 

The FMAC has made financial contributions to groups 

such as United Negro College Fund, American Cancer Society, 

Love a Child Ministry, United Way and American Heart 

Association. The chapter has received several 

awards from local and regional organizations 

including the Quality Life Gulfshore; Life 

Award; Junior League of Fort Myers; Project 

Play; Zeta Phi Beta Organization of the Year 

Award; Alpha Kappa Alpha Accolades Service 

Award; Phi Delta Kappa Outstanding Service 

to Education Award; Lee County Community 

School Service Award; and Dr. Martin Luther 

King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Committee 

Service Award. On December 7, 2015, FMAC 

received a proclamation from Mayor Randall P. 

Henderson, Jr., declaring December 18th as 

the Fort Myers Alumnae Chapter of Delta 

Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Day. 

The FMAC is known for its annual 

fundraisers to support scholarships and 

organizations that improve human welfare: 

Sepia Fashion Revue, Miss Jabberwock, Delta 

Sweetheart/Esquire and Steppin Towards 

Greatness Step Show. 

DELTA SIGMA THETA 


183

MARKHAM NORTON 

MOSTELLER WRIGHT & 

CO., P.A. 

Since 1979 the partners and team members of Markham 

Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., P.A. (MNMW) have demonstrated 

a passion for serving their community and helping 

their clients realize financial success by providing personalized 

guidance and exceptional client service to individuals and 

businesses. MNMW is among the most respected CPA firms 

in Southwest Florida with offices in Fort Myers and Naples. 

With her perseverance and a vision for the future, L. Gail 

Markham, the firm’s founder, now works alongside three 

partners, Joni Norton, Karen Mosteller, and Randy Wright. 

Together, they have established a team of skilled professionals 

and have expanded their services to include tax planning, 

bookkeeping, general accounting, medical and dental 

practice consulting, and mediation services and forensic 

accounting services. The partners have always envisioned a 

unique client service-oriented culture for the firm and have 

worked diligently over the years to establish exactly that. 

MNMW is diverse in its active approach to community 

involvement, charities and special events. One of many 

examples is being an avid supporter of the United Way; the 

firm has been recognized as a pacesetter company for many 

years. As a testament to its team member’s commitment and 

values, the firm has also been recognized for numerous 

awards such as Florida Trend magazine’s “Best Places to 

Work” for the past several years, as well as “Best Accounting 

Firm” by Gulfshore Business magazine. The firm has also 

received the Uncommon Friends Foundation’s Business 

Ethics Award and the State of Florida Blue Chip Award. 

As trusted advisors, the team at MNMW maintains 

steadfast dedication to integrity, excellence, and responsibility. 

The team takes pride in their work, exhibited by their 

unwavering enthusiasm and uncompromising values. 

MNMW looks forward to many more successful years by 

exceeding their client’s expectations and making a positive 

impact by supporting the community. 


184

In the early 1970s, Mike Joyce and his partner, both college 

students at the time, began buying and selling rare coins in 

Tampa, Florida. From humble beginnings in a single-wide 

trailer, Gulfcoast Coin Brokers was born. In 1975, Gulfcoast 

Coin Brokers opened its doors in Fort Myers, Florida, dealing 

in rare coins, paper money, silver dollars, and gold coins. 

Gulfcoast also became dealers in all U.S. Mint products 

including proof sets, mint sets, stamps, and paper money. 

As the precious metals boomed, Gulfcoast Coin Brokers 

became, and still continues to be, a major bullion dealer in 

South African Krugerrands, Gold American Eagles, Canadian 

Maple Leafs, Austrian 100 Coronas, Mexican Fifty Pesos, 

Chinese Pandas, Platinum Nobles, as well as gold and 

platinum bars. Gulfcoast makes a market in silver bullion, 

U.S. 90 percent silver coins, 100-ounce bars, 10-ounce bars, 

one-ounce bars, war nickels, Franklin Mint silver, and all 

types of sterling silver flatware and hollowware. Gulfcoast 

now offers security—insured private depository for our 

clients to store their purchased valuables. The Gulfcoast 

private depository allows our clients to buy and sell all rare 

coins and precious metals without any security risks. 

After skyrocketing growth in the early 1980s, with gold 

and silver hitting $800 and $50 respectively, Gulfcoast had a 

name change and hired Denise Taylor (now Denise Joyce, 

managing partner) to manage the fine jewelry department. 

Denise dramatically expanded the jewelry and diamond 

department and turned Gulfcoast into Southwest Florida’s 

premier jewelry exchange. Denise is one of the foremost 

diamond and high-end watch dealers in the area. Her 

product knowledge and expert appraisal services are called 

upon frequently by attorneys, banks, and clients. 

In the 1990s, Gulfcoast Coin & Jewelry, LLC, started 

conducting local and international auctions. The auction 

business model was to bring intelligent buyers and sellers 

together to auction all types of high-end personal property. 

Being the first company to conduct international online 

monthly auctions gave clients the opportunity to offer 

valuable family heirlooms on the international stage and 

always receive top dollar. Auction items include rare coins, 

diamonds, paper money, estate jewelry, new jewelry, bridal, 

sterling, fine art, luxury apparel, firearms, antiques and 

furniture, and all types of high-end collectibles. 

Gulf Coast Coin & Jewelry, LLC, is one of the oldest and 

most respected precious metals dealers and numismatic firms 

in the country. Mike is one of the few numismatists to be 

inducted into the prestigious Professional Numismatic Guild, 

Accredited Precious Metals Dealers, International Society of 

Appraisers, Life Member American Numismatic Association, 

and Life Member Florida Auctioneers Association. 

With more than four decades of experience in the business 

of buying, selling, appraising, and auctioneering, Gulfcoast 

Coin & Jewelry, LLC, is where the educated consumer 

conducts business. 

❖ 

Left: Mike and Denise Joyce. 

GULFCOAST COIN & 

JEWELRY, LLC 


185

❖ 

Above: Chris Pendleton. 

EDISON & FORD 

WINTER ESTATES 

Over a century ago, Thomas Edison said “There is 

only one Fort Myers in the United States, and there 

are 90,000,000 people who are going to find it out.” There 

are a lot more people in the nation these days and 

they continue to discover the Edison & Ford Winter 

Estates, along with many more residents who regularly 

enjoy the site, plus an ever-growing worldwide tourist 

audience. Edison’s prediction has proven true as the latest 

visitation numbers show an annual visitation and usage 

of almost 270,000. 

Edison arrived in Fort Myers in 1885, and fell in love 

with the tiny town of less than 350. He immediately 

purchased thirteen and a half acres which spanned a cattle 

trail (now McGregor Boulevard) and fronted on the river. 

In 1916, his colleague, Henry Ford, also became enamored 

with Fort Myers and purchased the neighboring property. 

Together, the Edison and Ford families would create 

a residential and research site of more than twenty acres, 

with more than a dozen original buildings, beautiful and 

useful plants, and dazzling river frontage. 

Edison’s interest in bamboo as a filament for his light 

bulb, dynamos and self-sufficiency for his beloved property 

created a model and brought modern technology to 

Fort Myers. In 1885, Fort Myers incorporated as a city 

and more than a decade later, electricity, street lights and 

modern devices of the day were introduced. 

In 1916, Ford was already an automotive magnate and the 

Ford Motor Company was an international phenomenon. 

Ford helped to introduce automobiles and new roads 

to Southwest Florida. By 1929, the new Tamiami Trail 

(now U.S. Highway 41) connected Tampa to Miami, 

making Fort Myers and Naples increasingly accessible to 

the world. 

Edison received an astounding 1,093 patents, which were 

mind-boggling in their diversity, ushering in the new era of 

household conveniences and industrial technology to the 

world. Ford held 161 patents, which helped to introduce 

the world to an age of automobiles and airplanes. Together 

with their families, Edison and Ford were very influential 

on a global scale, and Fort Myers was one of the beneficiaries 

of that influence. 

The population of Fort Myers has grown from 350 

residents in 1885 to a bustling and growing population of 

75,000 today. The properties of Edison and Ford are 

now joined as the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Inc. 

Owned by Fort Myers and governed by a nonprofit board 

of trustees who manage the site and govern its preservation 

and expansion. The team includes a board of trustees, 

a paid staff of 70, over 250 volunteers, and more than 

7,000 members. The historic site is open daily and adds 

an economic impact to the community of more than 

$90 million. The Edison & Ford Winter Estates is listed 

on the National Historic Register, has been designated as 

a National Historic Chemical Landmark, and has received 

the top award for excellence from the National Trust for 

Historic Preservation and the National Garden Clubs. It is 

truly a treasure for the City of Fort Myers and the world 

and is to be visited, experienced and cherished. 

We know that Thomas and Mina Edison and Henry and 

Clara Ford would be very proud of the preservation of their 

homes and legacy here in Fort Myers. We also know that 

they would be very proud of the new developments and education 

programs that continue to add so much to the lives of our citizens 

and visitors and to the economy of the region. Over the past 

130 years, the Edison and Ford legacy in Fort Myers has 

meant a great deal to the development of this great little city 

and to Florida. There’s a very exciting future ahead for this 

property and for the City of Fort Myers. We are a unique 

public private partnership. 

–Chris Pendleton, president/CEO 


186

Corbin Henderson Company is a real estate brokerage, 

property management, and consulting firm in Fort Myers 

that combines a strong local knowledge of the real estate 

market with an equally strong understanding of its clients’ 

business. The company’s extensive entrepreneurial history 

in developing its own commercial projects enables the 

leadership group to look at its clients’ projects through the 

eyes of an owner. 

Local knowledge allows the firm to better serve its clients 

by finding the best real estate decision given their unique 

organizational requirements. Chartered as a Florida corporation 

in 1976 by Oscar M. Corbin, Jr., Corbin Henderson 

Company’s expertise also includes development of new 

projects as well as condominium and apartment projects of 

more than 200 units, office buildings, professional centers, 

warehouses, and other real estate-oriented activities. 

The leadership team at Corbin Henderson Company 

consists of Brokers Randall P. Henderson, Jr. and 

Virginia C. Henderson; Sales Associates John Carrington, 

Justin Stockman and Randall P. Henderson, Sr.; and Office 

Manager Ann LeFever. The experienced and knowledgeable 

team at Corbin Henderson helps developer and investor 

clients to identify market opportunities and to coordinate 

project designs that ensure a proposed project meets 

market demands. 

Broker Randall Henderson, Jr., left the banking industry 

in 1986 to become CEO of Corbin Henderson Company. 

As CEO for more than three decades, he has primarily 

been engaged in professional office facilities, multifamily 

housing, warehouse and light industrial real estate. 

Broker Virginia Henderson has been a company officer 

since 1983, serving in numerous capacities including professional 

office management, leasing, business administration 

and sales. She has been involved in Fort Myers community 

activities for many years, serving as past president of 

Edison Park Elementary PTA, Dunbar Middle School PTA, 

and Fort Myers Woman’s Community Club. 

Carrington joined Corbin Henderson Company in 2006, 

gaining local knowledge and prospective for Fort Myers 

area real estate investing. A commercial real estate agent 

in Fort Myers since 2004, Carrington became a certified 

commercial investment manager and is involved in the 

local community. 

Stockman joined the company in 2009. In 

addition to practicing real estate, Stockman 

practices law and is a partner at Geraghty, 

Dougherty, Edwards & Stockman, P.A. 

in downtown Fort Myers. He is actively 

involved in the community, including 

serving on the board of the Boys and Girls 

Clubs of Lee County as well as the City of 

Fort Myers Planning Board and as an alternate 

on the City of Fort Myers Abatement Board. 

Henderson, Sr. joined the team in 2014. 

He retired to Fort Myers from North Carolina 

after an extensive history in business development. 

He contributes to the leadership 

team’s high quality competitive services. 

LeFever brings a background of accounting 

and systems design to the firm. Her 

commercial management experience includes 

Class A office buildings, retail centers, and industrial 

parks. With Corbin Henderson Company since 2006, she is 

responsible for budget preparation, financial record-keeping 

and reporting, collections, and hiring and supervising 

contractors for both maintenance and construction. 

Corbin Henderson Company is excited to be a part of 

the history of Fort Myers. The team is committed to quality 

real estate services and making their contribution to the 

vibrant beautiful city of Fort Myers, Florida. 

❖ 

The Corbin Henderson Team. 

CORBIN HENDERSON 

COMPANY 


187

ALLURE AND ONE 

The luxury condominium projects known as Allure 

and ONE are the latest manifestation of a commitment to 

the Fort Myers area made by developer JAXI following 

the real estate bust in 2008. Headed by Abel Ramirez 

and Eduardo Caballero, the firm is an accomplished real 

estate developer with a wide range of experience in 

Southern Florida. 

JAXI was the first real estate development company to 

take a chance on the Fort Myers market after the economy 

hit bottom at the end of the millennium’s first decade. 

They saw opportunity where others saw risk and made a 

commitment to the area that is ongoing. In addition to Allure 

and ONE, JAXI is building two forty-unit condominium 

buildings in the Royal Pointe neighborhood of Majestic 

Palms, an existing gated community off Majestic Palms 

Boulevard in south Fort Myers. 

Prime locations on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River 

in the historic Fort Myers River District combined with 

stellar amenities make these properties the premier choice 

for condominium buyers in Southwest Florida. Residents 

will enjoy living in the midst of the charm the Gulf Coast’s 

treasured downtown Fort Myers has to offer. An array of 

shops and boutiques, popular restaurants, theaters, galleries, 

and nightspots line its brick streets. 

Allure, 2601 First Street, and ONE, 2583 First Street, 

offer residents choices in condominium ownership and the 

lifestyle that goes with it. Allure is more than a name. It is an 

acronym that makes a statement about the lifestyle offered 

there. Allure stands for Amazing, Luxury, Living, Unique, 

Relaxing, Experience. Allure features two thirty-two story 

towers with 292 for sale condominium residences with 

sweeping views of the river, while the boutique tower of 

ONE located next door features one fifteen story tower with 

twenty-four exclusive for sale condominium residences. 

Both projects boast cutting-edge designs and amenities inside 

residences and the buildings that hold them—all within 

a short walk or trolley ride of the Fort Myers River District. 

JAXI’s managing partners are committed to the long-term 

success of the Fort Myers River District. The company believes 

very strongly in the continued growth and popularity of this 

tropical urban paradise and plans to remain in the market 

for years to come. 


188

❖ 

MAIN SAIL VIDEO 

PRODUCTIONS, INC. 

LEFT: PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF AVA ROEDER. 

Below: Owner and videographer Ilene Safron up close at spring training. 

Bottom: Videotaping the triathalon event at the 2012 Summer Olympics 

in London. 

Main Sail Video Productions, Inc., is a full-service Emmy 

Award-winning professional video production, photography 

and design company, that can take a vision from concept 

through delivery. Based in Southwest Florida since 1989, 

Main Sail uses only the highest quality, cutting-edge technology, 

combined with personal service. 

Main Sail Video Productions, Inc., has created thousands 

of award winning video presentations, in Florida, nationally 

and around the world. The company has always been 

a leader in the video production industry, whether it is 

designing digital art and motion graphics, producing 

news and documentaries, or “going live” on social media. 

Services include promotional videos, video news segments, 

television commercials and documentaries. 

National clients include NBC Nightly News, CBS Sunday 

Morning, New England Sports Network/FOX Sports, PBS, 

E! Entertainment Television and VH1/MTV, the United 

States Olympic Committee NGBs, and many Fortune 500 

companies. Florida-based organizations and government 

agencies include the City of Fort Myers, the Lee County 

Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Town of Fort Myers Beach 

and Southwest Florida International Airport. 

Main Sail Video Productions, Inc. specializes in capturing 

compelling images and meticulously editing them 

together to bring about positive results. 

For more information on Main Sail Video Productions, 

Inc., call 239-337-5888 or visit www.mainsailvideo.com. 


189

About the Photographer 

I LENE 

S AFRON 

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MIKE SHAPIRO. 

With an eye for capturing the moment and the creative talent to add the flair, Videographer/Photographer Ilene Safron 

relies on her vivid pictures to tell the story. 

A thirty-five year television veteran, Ilene began her career at ABC Network News in New York. Her first assignment was 

carrying Barbara Walters’ mink coat. She worked her way up through ABC World News Tonight as a researcher, collaborating 

with Science Correspondent Jules Bergman and Environmental Correspondent Roger Caras. She went on to be a production 

associate, special assignments researcher and assistant field producer. 

After relocating to Southwest Florida, she joined the CBS affiliate (WINK-TV) in Fort Myers, Florida, and then was hired 

by the NBC affiliate (WFLA-TV) in Tampa, where she was a sports and news videographer. She later joined the team at 

Tampa Bay PM magazine (WTSP-TV), as a segment producer and videographer. This was the first of many jobs that led her to 

travel and take pictures all over the world. 

Since 1989, Ilene has been the president and owner of Main Sail Video Productions, Inc. She has worked with thousands 

of clients over the years and has won many prestigious regional, national and international awards. The list includes several 

“Communicator Awards”, Florida’s “Henry Flagler Governor’s” Award, Florida Public Relations “Golden Image” Awards, 

a Suncoast “Emmy” Award for Videography, an International “Louis Wolfson II Media History Center for Film and Video” 

Award, “The American Association of Museums” Award, as well as several “UPI” and “AP” Broadcast Awards. 

Ilene earned her Bachelor of Science degree in environmental biology with a focus on bio-photography from the University 

of Connecticut. That led to her success in creating award-winning videos on The Everglades and other natural locations 

across Florida. 

She and her husband, business attorney Guy Whitesman, and her children, Joey and Jena have enjoyed living in Fort Myers 

for over twenty years. 


190

About the Author 

A MY B ENNETT W ILLIAMS 

With a decidedly non-journalistic background in anthropology and Spanish, Amy Bennett Williams came to The News-Press 

in 1988 as an ashtray-emptying, obituary-writing clerk/reporter, then moved through a series of assignments at the paper, 

covering everything from cake contests to tuberculosis outbreaks. 

She left The News-Press to edit the regional magazine Gulfshore Life for four years. During that time, she was named Editor 

of the Year by the Florida magazine association. She returned to The News-Press as its Lifestyles editor in 1998. 

In 2001, Williams conceived the paper’s award-winning weekly Tropicalia magazine, where her column, Field Notes appears. 

Her current job title is the coolest she can imagine: watchdog and storyteller. 

Over the years, her work has won top honors from Gannett, the Florida Society of News Editors, the Florida Magazine 

Association and Public Radio News Directors, Inc. Her reporting ranges from sense-of-place essays to investigative reporting 

on child welfare, water quality issues and monkey farms. 

Along the Caloosahatchee River, Williams’ pictorial history book, was released by Arcadia publishing in 2011, and she is 

at work on a second. 

Her sense-of-place essays air weekly on local NPR affiliate WGCU. Williams lives in rural Alva with her husband, 

Roger (also a writer), two sons and an ever-changing menagerie. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

191

Sponsors 

Ad-Ler Roofing, Inc. ...........................................................173 

AIM Engineering & Surveying, Inc. .......................................160 

Alliance for the Arts...........................................................158 

Allure and ONE .................................................................188 

Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall ..................................181 

Barraco and Associates, Inc. ................................................164 

Boylan Environmental Consultants, Inc. .................................177 

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre ............................................174 

Canterbury School..............................................................176 

Chico’s FAS, Inc. ................................................................175 

Corbin Henderson Company .................................................187 

Dean Steel Buildings, Inc.....................................................146 

Delta Sigma Theta..............................................................183 

Edison & Ford Winter Estates ..............................................186 

Fischler Property Company ..................................................179 

Florida SouthWestern State College .......................................156 

Fort Myers........................................................................170 

Galloway Auto ...................................................................152 

Gulfcoast Coin & Jewelry, LLC .............................................185 

Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. .............................148 

Hotel Indigo, Fort Myers Downtown River District...................180 

Hope Healthcare ................................................................168 

Johnson Engineering, Inc. ....................................................172 

Lee Memorial Health System ................................................134 

LeeSar, Inc........................................................................140 

Main Sail Video Productions, Inc. .........................................189 

Mark Loren Designs, Inc......................................................154 

Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., P.A.........................184 

Page Field.........................................................................151 

Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. ...................................144 

Southwest Florida International Airport.................................150 

T3 Communications, Inc. .....................................................166 

The Salvation Army of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties ..........178 

Victory Layne Chevrolet ......................................................162 

WCI Communities, Inc. .......................................................182 


192

LEADERSHIP SPONSORS 

ISBN: 978-1-944891-28-2

Fort Myers: City of Palms—A Contemporary Portrait

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