Southwest Florida Business Today is Florida’s only award-winning business newspaper … a biweekly, business-to-busines publication serving Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Here on this Web site you’ll find …

1. Recent features covering emerging trends, current issues and companies that are succeeding in this economy (and we find out how … and what makes them tick - so you can apply their secrets to your business).

2. Columns written by experts who dispense strategies and advice on how to boost your business’s visibility and bottom line.

3. News from a variety of industries … real estate, construction and development, banking and finance, health care and more … covering.

4. A virtual libray of online  resources to numerous business organizations and companies … where you’ll find the support and knowledge to help your business grow.

And it’s all free.

What you WON’T find are the latest articles and news items appearing in the most current issue of SWFBT … or the latest on new hires and promotions, recent projects, award winners, new businesses and other hot topics. That timely, valuable information is only available in our print edition.

So just click our Subscribe Now section on the right … and subscribe today. You won’t want to miss a single issue. Because if you’re driven to achieve success, we’ll provide the map to help you get there.

Prominent area architect Bruce T. Gora passed away Dec. 16, 2008.

He opened a firm as a sole practitioner in 1981. The firm became Gora/McGahey Associates in Architecture in 1986. As a principal of the firm, he was responsible for project and firm management, with an emphasis on planning and design. Gora/McGahey shares the philosophy of its founder: “We take the responsibility of our impact on the community’s built environment very seriously. Every decision our firm makes during the design process has a direct effect on our client’s success. Design and planning decisions also will have a permanent effect on our environment and the community’s quality of life.”
As founder and design principal, Gora’s project involvement spanned all project types encountered by the firm for over 26 years. He has developed various project types into firm specialties such as medical office buildings, fire stations, banks and mixed use developments.
Over the years, Gora blended service to the community and the architectural profession. He served in all American Institute of Architects offices and chair positions in the AIA SW Florida Chapter. He also served AIA Florida as chairman of various committees.
He served on the boards of the Calusa Nature Center and Lee County Alliance for the Arts. He has also served on the City of Fort Myers planning board from 1991 to 1998 and on the City’s Historic Preservation board from 1994 through 1998.
Gora also served as the chairman of the Horizon Council which is Lee County’s public/private advisory organization which partners with the County Office of Economic Development. The Horizon Council advises the Lee County Board of Commissioners regarding issues impacting the business climate.
Gora was awarded the 2006 W.R. Frizzell Medal of Honor from the AIA Florida Southwest Chapter. This the highest individual award, given for sustained service to the professional community.

In addition to his artistry in the field of architecture, Mr.Gora was also an incredibly talented photographer, musician and fine artist.

Mr. Gora is survived by his wife Carolyn, daughter Julie, daughter Natalie Schultz and son-in-law Brian Schultz.

By SARA FITZPATRICK
Associate Editor

Accuse Don Paight of being an idealist, and he’ll probably laugh in agreement.

But for the executive director of the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency, it’s an asset, not a liability.

“I’m the eternal optimist,” he said. “I’ve been at this for over 20 years now, but I always see the bright side of it.”

He says optimism is requisite for his position – especially with his plate being as full as it currently is.

He knows the utilities and streetscape improvement project has been grueling for River District businesses. The economic downturn doesn’t make it any easier.

Now that First Street is open, however, Paight is confident he’s not the only one who can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The end of a trying time for downtown businesses is finally within sight.

But setting all these bricks also sets into motion a bold new vision for the area.

Signs of life

Construction on the utilities and streetscape project began in November 2005. During the construction, streets became unusable to the public, the process of parking became something of a scavenger hunt, and access to storefronts was provided by a labyrinth of temporary walkways. Less than hardy souls were sometimes dissuaded from visiting the area.

The FMRA anticipated these difficulties, and provided rent subsidies and devised advertising and promotional programs to help businesses ride out the situation.

Sadly, some businesses permanently closed their doors despite that support.

Paight estimates the project is roughly 65- to 75-percent complete.

“The nice thing is,” he said, “by January, we’ll pretty much have the whole core area completed.”

As things wind down, he sees improvements already.

“We can see the difference – just since we opened up First Street – the amount of traffic, the amount of people on the streets,” Paight said. “Even the amount of people looking to open a business down here has increased since First Street’s been opened up, so that’s very encouraging.”

Those prospects include a photography studio relocating from New York City. Architects and designers are attracted to the proximity of government agencies where they can secure permitting. The River District’s big push, though, is for retailers. The idea is to let property values naturally increase, as retailers take up street-level storefronts, encouraging attorneys and other agencies to rent upstairs.

There have also been inquiries from developers interested in building class A office space downtown.

Also in the works is a venture with the county to move the library into a larger building in the core of downtown, perhaps even on First Street.

All these considerations are aimed at making downtown a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. It will still be the county seat’s government center, which will offer convenience rather than being the main draw.

If you build it, they will park

Of course, bringing people downtown means bringing cars downtown.

With parking already at a premium, and the impending periodic loss of the Harborside Convention Center’s lot to outdoor events, it would seem an almost impossible situation.

But not to an optimist, who’s also a realist.

“We know if we get more office buildings coming in, we’re going to need more parking,” Paight said.

He and the FMRA are working with the city and county to find off-premise parking solutions for their employees to free up space in the existing parking garages. Both garages have waiting lists, which are close to being depopulated, according to Paight.

Additionally, the three entities are partnering with a private law firm to build a new parking facility. Of further help will be a new 800-car parking garage currently under construction for the Justice Center that will help get county employees’ cars out of the metered spaces.

“We think we’re getting the parking situation pretty well under control,” Paight said. “We’re still going to keep free parking in the core area. Everything from Bay Street down to Second Street and Monroe Street over, pretty much to Jackson, is free parking for two hours at a time.”

Putting the River in District

As the dust is starting to settle, the FMRA is helping business owners with some finishing touches. The agency is offering to pay 75 percent of the cost of installation and maintenance of potted plants, as many as the owner wants.

“It looks nice with the brick and the lights and palm trees,” Paight said, “but it’s nice to have the plants right at the sidewalk level, dressing up the storefronts.”

The plants are also meant as an alternative to chains and posts for defining sidewalk cafe areas.

The streetscape project, as involved and important as it is, is only a preliminary phase in downtown’s makeover.

At press time the FMRA was finalizing contract negotiations for the waterfront master plan.

Paight likes Acquest Realty Development out of Bloomfield, Mich.

“Number one, they’re very experienced,” he said.

He also likes that they work with HOK Architects, who designed the City of Palms Park stadium. John Boorn, who was project manager on some of the premiere festival marketplaces in the country, including Faneuil Hall in Boston and Inner Harbor in Baltimore, rounds out the team.

The team is dedicated to involving the public, Paight said. It will host week-long planning charettes, in which people can indicate what they want and don’t want on the waterfront.

Pending the city council’s OK based on pricing considerations, planning for the waterfront is scheduled to commence in January 2009.

Paight has asked the team to show nothing as far as renderings. He wanted only to see what has worked in other cities with similar circumstances. He thought the fewer preconceived ideas, the better – and the more meaningful the public’s contribution can be.

Paight’s goal is to create more activity on the waterfront and have the benefits spill into the historic district’s businesses.

Count on seven or eight months total planning time.

Multitasking

The FMRA was previously called the Downtown Redevelopment Agency. Priority Marketing won multiple awards for the name change, which was necessary because downtown is only part of Paight’s responsibility.

Also in the works is a beautification project along U.S. 41 from the city limits to Colonial Boulevard. The FMRA is landscaping medians where they exist and working to get permission from the Department of Transportation to put in new medians that could be landscaped.

The agency’s districts number 15 all together, and include all of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Palm Beach Boulevard and East Fort Myers including the Dunbar-Michigan area, where it is working with the Bonita Bay Group to create a mixed-use area called Eastwood Village.

With the Red Sox moving out of downtown, the FMRA is also looking to attract another ball team.

The end goal of all these projects is to enhance Fort Myers’ identity, pride and prosperity.

With every new bit of visible progress, maybe River District businesses can afford to indulge in a little optimism. And if you need a little extra, the FMRA probably has some to spare.

By ANNIE LINDSTROM
Business Writer

We’re not the Space Coast. We’re not the Research Coast. We’re not the Heartland Region or the Tampa Bay Partnership.

Southwest Florida may be the only major region in the state without a readily recognizable identity.

But that’s about to change – soon.

Demonstrating just how serious they are about pursuing economic development as a region, each of the economic development offices in the six-county area (Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota) and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) banded together this year to form Southwest Florida Economic Development Partners (SWFEDP). The group’s initial goal is to create a brand and unified marketing campaign that will help its members showcase Southwest Florida to companies that have the potential to bring high-skill, high-wage jobs into the region’s economy, according to Jennifer Berg, communications specialist for the Lee County Office of Economic Development.

Berg said about 30 companies bid to create the campaign, but the SWFEDP ultimately selected Chisano Marketing Group in Dayton, Ohio. Chisano will serve the SWFEDP from its largest office in Longwood, Fla., which is just outside Orlando. During the past 25 years, Chisano has served Florida-based clients such as Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resort and Ron Jon Surf Shop.

The SWFEDP will take the first step toward creating a brand for the region at a meeting tentatively scheduled toward the end of the month – or perhaps in December. It’s all a matter of trying to round up all the necessary parties to appear in one place at one time.

Joe Bouch, president of Chisano, and his staff will use information they have been collecting from SWFEDP members, local leaders and other resources to lead a two-day “brain dump” workshop.

“Our job is to foster open discussion based on the information that we are filtering through prior to the session,” Bouch said, “so we can drill down and discover just who we really are.”

If everything goes according to plan, the session will bear the fruit Chisano needs to present several branding concepts to the SWFEDP’s board for evaluation some time in January, Bouch said. Once the branding and positioning is complete, the group will move to step two, which is developing the marketing and communications plan.

But the branding effort is only one facet of an economically engineered machine.

The writing on the regional wall

If it looks any brighter outside than usual, you could probably chalk it up to the many economic development efforts launched in 2008 that are putting the spotlight on Southwest Florida as a great place to start up or relocate a business.

This year, a host of economic development groups, educational institutions and other interests scattered across the six-county region became convinced of the benefits of working together. They realized that selling Southwest Florida as a region, rather than as a county or city, to companies whose products are offered nationally and internationally, in addition to locally or regionally, is likely to bring them the best return on their investment, according to Tammie Nemecek, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of Collier County (EDC).

“While we want things to happen for us locally, we realize we are better off to present ourselves as a region in order to attract these kinds of businesses,” Nemecek said.

She and others at the EDC saw the regional writing on the wall about two years ago when they hired a consultant to enhance the EDC’s marketing efforts with site selection consultants. He explained that site selection consultants look at potential markets as regions rather than at the county level, so they needed to be able to promote themselves as a region in order to compete. Other economic development agencies across the region arrived at the same conclusion in a similar time frame, she added.

Tech support

Another outgrowth of region-think is the Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership (SWFRTP). The group grew its wings in late 2007 when academic, technology and business-minded audience members began networking after a Software Technologies Distinguished Lecture at FGCU, according to Kevin Barnhill, SWFRTP chairman. When the group held its first general membership meeting in May 2008, approximately 150 people from economic development councils, government agencies and local colleges and universities as well as 90 companies were in attendance. The group has been going strong ever since, he added.

The SWFRTP’s three main goals are to develop and sustain a vibrant community of technologically diverse professionals, be the leading resource to foster success for technology-oriented organizations and professionals in Southwest Florida, and establish an innovation and technology cluster in the area.

“I often hear people say there is no technology here, but there is,” Barnhill said. Examples include Neighborhood America, which built the Web site for the Twin Towers memorial, and Allen Systems Group Inc., which is one of the top three companies in the computing industry.

And there is plenty of room for more, Barnhill added.

In an effort to highlight Southwest Florida’s hi-tech prowess to people within and outside of Southwest Florida, the group’s next big event will be an awards ceremony in March 2009, said Barnhill. Awards will be given to individuals in education (students and professors), government, workforce and industry.

“It takes all of these types of people to create awareness and growth of hi-tech,” he explained.

Angels, we have heard

Another regional initiative that took off in 2008 is the Southwest Florida Regional Angel Fund. A partnership between the SWFEDP, Gulf Coast Venture Forum and regional educational institutions, the fund is an effort to better organize seed capital in Southwest Florida. Members currently are working to raise $3 million, and secure a matching grant for the same amount from Florida’s Opportunity Fund, Nemecek said. The money will be used to help fund start-up and entrepreneurial high-tech enterprises in Southwest Florida. Some funding could begin to be awarded within a year’s time.

Also this year, the SWFEDP began working together with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council to raise matching dollars to do a feasibility study for a Regional Incubator Network. Earlier this month, the groups selected FGCU to do the study, Nemecek said. The incubator network would help establish high-tech businesses in the region and help create companies that could be spun off from research or discoveries at local universities, she explains.

The area’s life sciences industry also got a big boost this year with the creation of a southwest chapter of Bio Florida, Nemecek said. The statewide trade association for the bioscience industry, BioFlorida provides companies with resources they need to establish a strong marketing presence both locally and internationally. The group also provides members with the ability to network with one another as well as regional and statewide industry-specific programs and educational forums.

Life sciences is among three other industries that have shown growth and expansion trends here in Southwest Florida during the past few years, according to Stuart Doyle, director of communications for Enterprise Florida Inc. The others are aviation, information technology and manufacturing.

More to come

In addition to the benefits the new region-focused groups bring to Southwest Florida in and of themselves, the good news is that the region has so much more than ever before to offer companies looking to relocate or stay in the area.

“It used to be lifestyle was all we had to sell,” said Dick Botthof, executive director of the Regional Business Alliance of Southwest Florida, “but we have so much more to offer right now.”

Southwest Florida International Airport, fast growing highly acclaimed colleges and universities, premier cultural venues, water resources, up-to-date infrastructure and the ability to grow additional infrastructure are “all building blocks that we can put together to create a sustainable and vibrant economy,” he added.

In tough economy, “gently loved” gains greater appeal

By SARA FITZPATRICK
Associate Editor

Storefronts plastered with “out of business” signs compose an increasingly familiar ghost town landscape of Southwest Florida’s retail districts. 

Among the tumbleweeds, though, is an oasis. It’s not a mirage; one retail sector really is booming: Consignment shops, secondhand stores and other resellers are seeing an increase in traffic and actual sales.

Don’t call them thrift stores

The National Association of Resale and Thrift Stores (NARTS) surveyed its members to compare sales figures between August 2007 and August 2008. It found 62.5 percent of respondents had increased sales averaging about 30 percent over last year. Between January and August of this  year, sales increased for 66.2 percent of stores at an average of about 35 percent.

Most telling, perhaps, is 85 percent of the stores experienced an increase in new customers, and 74.5 percent had an increase in new consignors or sellers.

These numbers include thrift shops that support nonprofit organizations. However, many local resellers would take issue with being lumped in with those establishments. Instead, these retailers like to be known for selling quality items at a value price. Southwest Florida boasts a wealth of upscale resellers whose recent performance also bears out the numbers from the NARTS survey.

“We didn’t have our best summer but we certainly survived it,” said Sondra Reid, owner of Brittany and Sondra’s Consignments in Fort Myers Beach. However, she said, “We’ve been real busy since September.”

Season has started earlier this year for the shop, which shares its space with an antiques and collectibles store. Having different stores in one location helps bring in customers. Reid says the locals are loyal and keep them going during the summer – when, starting in May, everything in the shop goes on sale – and the snow birds are always supportive during season.

Other treasures

When times are slower, Brittany and Sondra’s diversified offering of services helps keep it comfortably afloat. Mexican and Vietnamese pottery represent a new feature for the store. A furniture reupholstering service is a natural fit, as well. Whether people want to update their indoor or outdoor furniture, reupholstering offers an economical alternative to buying new.

More Taste Than Money in Fort Myers is another upscale consignment shop that offers more than furniture and knickknacks. Gina and David Rosenberg own the shop and also present seminars on selling on eBay, as well as hosting events such as gold selling parties.

These activities help acquaint potential customers with the shop and its services and promote public engagement.

Something old is something new

Gina Rosenberg believes she is seeing more first-time customers in the shop because of the economy. “I’m not sure if it’s just because it’s that time of year again but we’re noticing although our regular customers are still coming as well, we’re getting a lot of newbies everyday.”

Young people are learning the value of a dollar at Plato’s Closet in Fort Myers. A locally owned franchise, the store brings a new concept to the area. It is a reseller of gently used designer clothing, focusing mostly on teens, though it does carry some men’s and women’s items.

“The wonderful thing here is that as teens are outgrowing their clothes that they don’t wear very long, they can bring them back in, sell them to us, get cash on the spot,” said owner Jan Held.

A catchphrase at the store is “the wow factor.” The concept is teens can change their wardrobe with designer clothes as quickly as they can change their minds – undoubtedly an adolescent dream come true.

Plato’s Closet opened in August of this year, allowing eight weeks before the general opening to buy its inventory from the public. To say opening day was a success would be an understatement.

“We actually had to hire a policeman,” said Held, “because we had a line around the plaza. We opened at 10 in the morning, and it wasn’t until 12:30 that we could let people freely come and go. It was quite an experience, really.”

Now, she said, “There’s hardly a time when there isn’t someone in the store. That is a rare thing, and I think that’s exceptional in today’s economy.”

Green money

Economics aside, Held points to environmental consciousness as another reason for the store’s success.

“The young people today are very environmentally conscious, and they don’t necessarily want to buy all new,” she said. “I think at this time, we’re just a really good answer for a lot of difference reasons, not only for the economy. People want to save the environment.”

Rosenberg agrees consignment is becoming more popular for green reasons.

“It’s a wonderful way to recycle,” she said.

She added that stores like hers make it easier for people to part with items in which they’ve invested emotional capital.

“People are bringing in things because they’re downsizing, maybe they’re moving into assisted living. They have all their beautiful treasures around them and they feel awful about giving them up, but they feel a lot better bringing them here and knowing someone else is going to treasure it.”

She said she goes out of the way to tell some customers where their items end up and how they bring joy to the new owners.

Everybody likes a bargain

With the volatility in the financial systems, people are looking for creative new ways to make an extra income. Consignment and resellers offer a safe, quick and easy way to do just that.

“Every year I’ll get about 400 new consignors,” Reid notes. “We’re over 3,600 consignors right now.”

However, she hasn’t noticed a direct effect from the current economic state.

“We do get people that say that they’re doing consignment because of the economy, but not many. Most people tend to want to do it anyway. Everybody likes a bargain.”

Reid said the shop keeps prices below those at other consignment shops, which helps keep the customers coming through the door. Part of their charm, she said, is they are very eclectic.

“You can’t just sell one thing. You have to sell what people want. And every year you have to figure out what they want this year that they didn’t want last year.”

Whether to save a dollar, or save the earth, customers are finding their way into consignment shops and resellers. Once inside, they’re finding quality, value and items they wouldn’t come across anywhere else.

And store owners are finding a loyal following and security in their niche within an otherwise troubled marketplace.

Specific words and phrases should come to mind when you think about Southwest Florida Business Today.

Award-winning.

Comprehensive.

Timely.

Local.

Business news.

SWFBT cut, carved and created its niche, market and image over the past year. “We’re all business” is our tagline – and we prove it. Every issue is a tool chest chock full of news and information used by business owners and executives throughout Southwest Florida. SWFBT provides the “tools of the trade” to both build and grow your business in our region.

With the recent addition of its dynamic Web site, www.swfloridabusinesstoday.com, SWFBT is poised to be the “regional business authority” for Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. The biweekly print edition alone reaches an average of 4,000 businesses – about 12,000 readers – each issue. And the number of online visitors is growing every month.

Both in-print and online, SWFBT provides the ideal marketplace for business people to exchange the most current news and information of specific interest to the Southwest Florida business community. Serving as the barometer of economic change in our own backyard, SWFBT bridges buyer and seller, reader and reporter.

Recently I have been “bridging” out with SWFBT to the business community in a different way – by partaking in, and sponsoring, marketing seminars throughout the area. I felt it was time to do this because too many business people I’ve met over the past several months seem to be taking the path of least resistance in keeping their businesses going. They’re “waiting on the economy to improve” – in other words, doing nothing.

How can that possibly be the best course of action to take to keep your business not only going, but growing during these challenging times?

I’ve referred to this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, speaking in 1903, many times over the last several weeks, not only in reference to our country today but to our very own local business community:

“The country needs, and unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

Like many of you, SWFBT has come this far on passion, persistence, perspiration, purpose and a plan – one step at a time. Each issue is pulled together, prodded and pushed to publication with extraordinary skill and care given by an exceptional team – one step at a time. By supporting each other, as well as each other’s businesses, “This too shall pass.”

We shall prevail – all of us – by working together as a team in our business community and TAKING ACTION – one step at a time.

By VINCE CREW

“There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.” — Gen. Douglas MacArthur

America is the land of opportunity. The opportunity to succeed, be whatever you want to be – or not. In other words, failure is an option. In fact, it is the option of two extremes: those who see themselves as victims and those who see themselves above it all. The streets are filled with the homeless while unscrupulous ex-corporate chieftains are the heartless of our nation.

Writing this on the heels of the Bear Stearns debacle ($29 billion), the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac poster children of government efficiency ($200 billion), the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, and the world-spinning, $85 billion bailout of AIG, it begs the ethical question: When did the rules change on who wins and who loses?

When payment comes due

I was raised understanding that you get in the race, play by the rules, and the best man wins. A simple childhood lesson that carries us through adulthood has, at the heart of it, the concept that you practice hard, play your heart out and – win or lose – it’s a 50-50 proposition. No guarantees, just opportunity. No last minute favorable rule changes on your behalf.

Too big to fail? How about too lousy to succeed?

I have owned a business since 1997. As any business owner knows, some years are better than others. When times are good, however, you must remember when they weren’t, and – instead of spending everything you make and acting on other reckless tendencies such as arrogance, fiscal irresponsibility and cavalier management – you save, plan and strengthen your operations in order to succeed regardless of the next unforeseen setback. The problem with the aforementioned, high-profile, multi-billion dollar disasters is that the setbacks, the downfalls, the last-minute surprise endings were actually predictable. The lying, cheating, deceitful practices of these institutions’ so-called leaders, boards, shareholders, auditors, and government regulatory overseers were all either complicit, complacent or incompetent in their governance, risk, compliance and everyday ethical decision making and conduct.

And the worst part of it all?

WE pay for it.

Taxpaying, law-abiding, hard-working, honest citizens pay for the decisions of the politicos’ decisions to decide which firms are too big to fail or too big to be saved.

Measuring success the old-fashioned way

Failure or success is not based on size, but merit. Merit is based on performance. Performance is based on principled conduct.

So let’s imagine this giant leap: Good performance based on good practices should win – bad performance based on bad practices should lose.

Hello, U.S. government. Maybe you’re better served to remember the lessons learned in grade school rather than grad school – or the school of political profitability and favoritism. You seem eager to create the mechanisms to forgive mismanagement but not the character to remember that failure teaches great lessons.

Everyone who has experienced a setback has the choice to try again or give up. If you never try again, you’re not a bad person; you’re simply a quitter.

In the scope of the shenanigans going on with these companies’ failure – together with the politicians’ and chief economic pinheads’ selective response – we’re learning that it’s not your performance, but your influence that matters.

What a sad lesson Washington is teaching the rest of America – and the world.

Florida Gulf Coast University contributed $389 million in expenditures to Southwest Florida’s economy last year, according to an analysis by Gary Jackson, director of the Regional Economic Research Institute in the Lutgert College of Business.

The study determined that the overall economic impact in the five-county service area (Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Glade and Hendry counties) for fiscal 2007-08 amounted to $389 million in total expenditures, the creation of 3,525 jobs and $162 million in labor income.

Jackson’s study estimated the direct and indirect economic impact of the university on the five-county Southwest Florida service area using IMPLAN, an input/output economic model.

The analysis illustrates that the tremendous growth in enrollment and infrastructure in the university’s 11-year history has had a significant positive impact upon the region’s economy. Student enrollment rose to 10,220 in fall 2008, an increase of 7 percent from the previous fall. The employees and infrastructure required to support that growth are responsible for the substantial economic impact on the region.

Staff and facilities

According to the study, fiscal year 2007-08 university expenditures for salaries and benefits of more than $71 million accounted for 55 percent of the operating budget. FGCU employed 1,751 people, including faculty, staff, students and temporary workers, with an average full-time salary of $55,467, which is substantially higher than average for the local economy.

Capital expenditures for new buildings, facilities and infrastructure amounted to more than $71 million in 2007-08. The buildings included Everglades Hall, providing housing for 400 students; Lutgert Hall, home to the Lutgert College of Business; work on Holmes Hall, which houses the U.A. Whitaker School of Engineering; Sugden Hall, housing the University’s Resort and Hospitality Management programs; the central energy plant and other infrastructure projects. Capital expenditures for the current year are expected to total more than $31 million and include a new solar energy field that will generate a portion of the university’s power needs, as well as a new academic building, an addition to Sugden Hall and additional infrastructure.

Student expenditures, opportunities

FGCU’s students also contribute to the economy, the analysis determined. When the number of students who come to the area for college is combined with the number who remain in Southwest Florida rather than attend an out-of-area institution, their impact amounts to $30 million, Jackson calculated. That money was spent on food, housing, clothing, transportation, health care, entertainment and other goods and services.

Beyond the immediate money they contribute, “students gain more career options, better promotional opportunities and higher earnings and fill community needs for highly skilled employees in our area,” Jackson said.

A study by the U.S. Census found that the median 2005 income of a high school graduate was $21,079. Those with bachelor’s degrees earned a median income of $40,166 while those with master’s degrees earned $51,509.

The spending generated by the university benefitted a wide range of businesses, creating additional employment and income for some 150 types of businesses, including the food and beverage industry, entertainment facilities, retail stores, performing arts venues, hotels, medical services, dry cleaning, laundry services and more.

The 116-page study, completed in October 2008, can be found on the University Web site at www.fgcu.edu/cob/reri.

Business ownership is not for the faint of heart. The Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award program exists to recognize that fact. Every year, sponsor Oswald Trippe and Company Inc. celebrates local unsung heroes – the entrepreneurs who persevered because their dreams were stronger than the adversity they faced.

This year’s five nominees represent businesses as dissimilar as they are far-flung – located in Port Charlotte and Naples and points between. But they are united in a common purpose: to survive and thrive through difficult circumstances.

Kim and Gerard Campanella own The Bicycle Center of Port Charlotte, whose storefront was destroyed by Hurricane Charley in August 2004, leading to mounds of red tape and paperwork, a loan to rebuild, and a contractor who flew the coop. Upon hiring a new contractor, the original one sued them and the bank threatened to foreclose. They managed to move in to the new building and reopen in September 2007. Although some legal issues remain, their business is thriving, bringing in $650,000 in the past year, up from $468,000 prior to the hurricane.

Kristine and Bill Wishard are the owners of The Gateway Group in Punta Gorda, a condominium and homeowner association management firm, whose office was also destroyed by the hurricane. Upon becoming a home-based business for a time, Gateway took it as an opportunity to revise and streamline its operations. Through increasing efficiency, community involvement and employing good business practices, the company today manages 78 communities – up from 27 in 2004 – showing a revenue increase of 137 percent and a staffing increase of 164 percent.

David Oellerich and Peter Taylor own Mathews/Taylor Construction LLC in Punta Gorda, which was focused on public sector projects when Hurricane Charley swept through Charlotte County, damaging half of the county government’s 250 buildings. The firm, county officials, FEMA and insurance representatives teamed up to develop a program for restoring 140 structures. Matthews/Taylor developed an intensive training program and upgraded its communications systems. The company thrives today by insisting upon first-class customer service and encouraging community involvement.

Steve Weichelt began Naples Custom Cabinets & Millwork LLC as Naples Custom Cabinet & Furniture in 1994. By 2001, the company was thriving but Weichelt lost a finger and thumb in an accident at work; and his partner had multiple run-ins with the law, misappropriated funds and failed to pay $85,000 in state taxes. Weichelt formed the new company a new partner, completing all projects for former clients and going on to prosper. He formed Naples Custom Realty as a holding company for his businesses, and started Naples Custom Kitchens & Bath, and Naples Custom Contracting. Today, the firms are thriving.

This year’s Blue Chip Award winner was Raimond Aulen, owner of The Indigo Room in Fort Myers. Unable to find a place to rent and unable to qualify for a bank loan, he took out a private loan, bought a building with numerous code violations and set about fixing the place himself. He survived stops and starts in downtown’s construction efforts, even ordering the bricks himself to complete the facelift of Patio de Leon. Other impediments included the utilities and streetscape project, which obstructed the entrance to his establishment. By nurturing his regular customers, getting involved with community projects, being a full-time presence at the bar and living modestly, he’s managed to tough out the hard times and remains in business.

The nominees were honored at a luncheon on Nov. 6 at Harborside Convention Center.

Any for-profit business in existence for at least three years and employing five to 400 people is eligible for the annual award.

Business as usual is often not. These locally owned companies serve as role models in tough times, and should be recognized year-round for their significant contributions to Southwest Florida’s economic health.

 By Jessica Hehir

In the face of a bleak economy, many employees may find themselves huddled in groups trying to anticipate their boss’s next move. The uncertainty over job security is leading more people to be prone to gossip.

A new national survey suggests the consequences of the trend are far from positive.

Eighty-four percent of advertising and marketing executives polled said it’s common for employees to engage in office gossip, and nearly two-thirds (63 percent) said it has a negative effect on the workplace.

Here, there and everywhere

The study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service providing creative, advertising, marketing and Web professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. Of 250 telephone interviews, 125 were conducted with executives randomly selected from the nation’s 2,000 largest advertising agencies and 125 with senior marketing executives randomly selected from the nation’s 2,000 largest companies.
These executives were asked, “In your opinion, how common is it for employees to engage in office gossip?” More than 80 percent of the answers ranged from “somewhat” to “very common.”

“Gossip occurs in every workplace, but in times of economic uncertainty rumors can become more prevalent and negative in tone,” said Megan Slabinski, executive director of The Creative Group. “Employees may speculate about changes within their firms, and staff members who question their job security might spread rumors about coworkers with whom they feel competitive.”

By any other name

Dan DeNisco, senior regional manager with Robert Half International, agrees.

“Gossip probably has been around since the onset of the water cooler,” he said. “It accelerates when you get into more uncertain times.”

Gossip generally takes on of two forms: rumors about company changes, such as mergers, layoffs, managerial promotions or staffing changes; and personal gossip about specific employees – who is doing well, who is having a baby or who may be getting a divorce.

DeNisco believes gossip by its very nature has a negative connotation. Conversation in the workplace, he says, can be classified as either job stuff or casual conversation.

“Good ideas can come from casual conversation. Gossip is usually negative, but some strategies could result from it. Employees are closest to a business, they are on the floor, and they know what is going on. But that is more casual conversation than gossip.”

Means of attack

The proliferation of instant messaging, Internet blogs and e-mail means rumors in the workplace spread faster and farther, and can do more lasting damage.

A motivating reason to squash the office gossip is potential and expensive lawsuits. Along with allowing gossip to go “viral,” the Internet and e-mail have created greater legal risk. Gossip that is posted on employee blogs can come back to haunt employers and employees. It can open employers up to liability. Rumors spread in e-mail can be used to support a defamation case. If an employee spreads malicious gossip via e-mail and the target of the gossip finds out, he or she could make a case for harassment or a hostile work environment claim.

Lawyers say they’re fielding new questions from corporate clients on what rights employers have to limit or discipline employees for work-related gossip.

“I’ve even seen rules about gossiping now in company handbooks,” says Bill Nolan, an employer lawyer at Squire Sanders & Dempsey in Columbus, Ohio.

But gossip can be hard to ban, because employees can’t legally be barred from discussing employment-related matters.

Malicious or excessive gossip disrupts production, lowers morale, and often targets individual employees. It can even cross the line into harassment or mobbing behaviors, and become a health and safety or even a human rights issue.

Coaxing it into the light

DeNisco says what’s important is to cut it off by addressing it.

“If it has a negative impact on the workplace, find out if one person is stirring it up. Generally, why are people chattering and why are they speculating? It becomes a leadership issue and the gossip can take on a life of its own. Morale suffers and the rumors can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Remind employees their e-mail communications are not private and may be recorded even after the delete button has been hit. This is standard practice now in many computer use policies, but it also reinforces the expectation that e-mail is not a medium in which to gossip about fellow employees.

DeNisco says the best way to stop rumors from blazing through the office is to take away the fuel. In other words, be honest with your employees.

“Let people know what is going on. At times you can’t lay out a total plan but can have candid open communication. If that is done, what is the reason for gossip? No matter how negative the information is, even if there are job cuts, let them have a solution, offer them contacts, a reference or a timeline to help them find a new job. Tough conversations are only tough because you didn’t have the easy one first.”

Smothering the flame

Slabinski noted that open communication is the best defense for an overactive rumor mill.

“Sharing information quickly and candidly can prevent employees from speculating,” she said. “It’s especially important during times of change to address concerns directly.”

The Creative Group offers some practical tips to help managers curb office gossip.

Check in. Visit one-on-one with staff members. Professionals may be more inclined to share concerns in an informal setting. Fill the void by communicating. Managers must set aside time to regularly deal with employees as a group, or one-on-one, to quickly reveal decisions that employees tend to anxiously anticipate such as office reallocation, promotions and layoffs. Where questions arise, and employees are unable to approach managers for information, the gossip mill will start spinning.

Open door policy

Keep doors open. Workers become anxious when managers speak behind closed doors and in hushed tones. Try to maintain as much accessibility as possible. Consider discussing sensitive issues in less visible locations.

Pick out bad apples. If there’s a single employee who continually spreads negative rumors or gossip, quickly address the issue with that person.

Lead by example. Avoid saying anything about others that you wouldn’t say to them personally, and let employees know you expect the same of them. Build a culture that is supportive and cooperative. Where mutual respect is modeled by managers, and rewarded by promotions and commendations, an organization is less likely to have to cope with the severity of malicious gossip.

Deal with rumors immediately. Create sessions with employees to clear the air. The more senior the management representative at these meetings, the more likely his or her pronouncements will squelch false or malicious rumors.

“Gossip is always going to be there but we can do a better job of having a positive environment,” said DeNisco. “We have control within our four walls especially when there are so many challenges outside the four walls.”