A Year To Remember

If only for one day in September, the year 2001 will be permanently etched in the minds of Americans. In the business world, the attacks and the following war on terrorism created even more concern about an already uncertain economic future and the impact on the tourism trade that Southwest Florida relies upon. Companies that prior to Sept. 11 were looking ahead to growth and expansion immediately switched gears, focusing on staying afloat and holding off the unforeseen impacts.

But Southwest Florida did have its gains, too. In 2001, new businesses opened their doors and established businesses expanded. Companies continued to relocate to Collier and Lee counties, lured by the area’s quality of life and economic incentives. Residential development continued to surge. Key players in the local business world moved on while others took on new ventures. As the year comes to a close, take a moment to look back on what happened in Southwest Florida’s business arena over the past 12 months. From technology to health care to residential real estate to banking, changes abound.

January

Master Protection Corp., a provider of comprehensive fire safety and compliance solutions, announces plans to relocate its headquarters from Santa Monica, Calif., to Fort Myers.

Fort Myers-based engineering company Hole Montes Inc. relocates its Naples and Bonita Springs offices to a new headquarters in north Naples.

FNB Corp. acquires OneSource Group Inc.

Naples-based LJH Global Investments, which provides alternative investment advisory services and manages funds of alternative investment funds, starts investing in Israel, joining corporations such as Intel, Microsoft and Cisco.

February

The Bonita Community Health Center, a $20 million outpatient medical complex, opens at the entrance to The Brooks. A joint project of the NCH Healthcare System and Lee Memorial Health System, the 80,000-square-foot facility is expected to serve some 30,000 patients.

Banking veteran Bill Valenti, former president and chief executive of South Florida Bank, launches Florida Gulf Bank. Its first office opens on First Street in downtown Fort Myers.

The Bonita Bay Group announces plans to build The Retreat, a golf club with memberships costing $125,000. The golf course will cost $10 million to $12 million with the clubhouse and other amenities bringing the total investment to $20 million to $25 million.

Naples-based Florida Air begins commuter service to Florida cities. Florida Air’s chief executive officer is Rudi Dekkers, who also owns Huffman Aviation Inc., the Venice flight school where two of the terrorists in the September attacks allegedly trained.

SFBC Int., a Miami-based provider of specialized drug research to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, purchases all the assets of ClinSites/LeeCoast Research Center, a Fort Myers-based privately held research center. SFBC plans to expand the facility.

March

F.N.B. Corp. announces plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from Hermitage, Penn., to Naples.

The Bonita Bay Group unveils plans for Verandah—a new community located on 1,456 acres in northeastern Lee County and bordered by the Orange River.

Premier Community Bank of Southwest Florida breaks ground on a branch at Page Field Commons on Cleveland Avenue in Fort Myers. The bank works out of a temporary facility until September, when it moves into its new building.

Riverview Center, Colonial Bank’s new regional headquarters, opens.

Fort Myers-based NeoMedia, a print-to-technology firm, acquires the assets of Fort Lauderdale-based Qode.com.

Regal Discount Securities, a Chicago-based discount brokerage company, opens a new office in Fort Myers that will serve as the regional headquarters for InvesTrade, Regal’s deep discount Internet stock brokerage division.

April

The Cleveland Clinic-Florida opens a 170,000-square foot hospital in Naples.

Ginn Development Company, based in Flagler County’s Palm Coast, strikes a $112 million deal to acquire 4,500 acres east of Florida Gulf Coast University, with plans to build 1,600 homes on three golf courses.

The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples opens, offering $25,000 memberships.

Naples-based Beasley Broadcast Group Inc. acquires WKXC-FM and WSLT-FM in Augusta, Ga.

May

Joseph M. Wheeler is named president of the Southwest Florida Region for Atlantic States Bank, which has 15 branches in Lee and Collier counties.

TIB Financial Corp., holding company for TIB Bank of the Keys, announces that its Southwest Florida headquarters will be located in downtown Naples in a new 42,000-square-foot office building, which will be known as the TIB Financial Centre. MDG Capital Partners is the developer.

June

Watermark Communities celebrates the groundbreaking of Sun City Center Fort Myers, ) a 1,100-acre community for people ages 55 and over. SunCity Center will ultimately be home to 4,300 residents and will boast $30 million in recreational amenities.

Fort Myers-based Saftronics acquires Industrial Electronic Repair Inc., a Los Angeles-area company that sells, services, repairs and retrofits variable-speed drives and drive control panels.

Scott Fischer opens his new Southwest Florida Harley-Davidson dealership—a 40,000-square-foot location on Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Brian Cobb, Larry D. Hart, Renee Lee, Bernard Lester, David Lucas, Scott Lutgert, Gerri Moll, Harry Moon, Ed Morton, Jerry Starkey, Linda Taylor, Michael Villalobos and Magali Solimano are appointed to Florida Gulf Coast University’s Board of Trustees.

Florida Gulf Bank opens its main office at College Pointe Court in Fort Myers.

VIP Realty Group Inc. opens its second and third offices in north Collier County.

F.N.B. Corporation and Promistar Financial Corporation announce plans for Promistar to merge into F.N.B.

Diamond Tours, a national travel tour operator based in New Jersey, relocates its operation to McGregor Lakes Center, an office park developed by Mel-Re Development Inc.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation and Covanta-Lee Inc. establishes a scholarship in memory of the late Bill Davis. The scholarship is part of the Uncommon Friends Foundation scholarship program.

July

WCI Communities Inc. ranks 18th among the nation’s builders, according to Builder magazine, a publication of the National Association of Homebuilders. In 1999, the company ranked 22nd on the Builder 100 list.

Cybercast Inc., a leading computer consulting and web applications development company, opens its headquarters in Naples and acquires the Fort Myers-based computer consulting company, Computer Help USA.

The Lee County Port Authority proposes an operating budget of $51.9 million for the 2001-2002 fiscal year for Southwest Florida International Airport (SWFIA) and Page Field General Aviation Airport. The proposed budget is approximately 2 percent higher than last year’s $50.4 million budget.

Colonial Bank Southwest Florida Region acquires two Union Planters offices located in Naples and Bonita Springs, increasing the bank’s Southwest Florida region to 14 offices. The bank also opens a specialty branch in Village Walk Gated Community.

The Board of Lee County Commissioners gives its first-ever Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement in project design, environmental quality and innovative technology to Town Center at The Brooks (The Bonita Bay Group, developer), Page Field Commons (Starwood Wasserman, developer, and Burner & Co., landscape architect), and Island Woods (duPont Builders, developer).

Naples-based Health Management Associates Inc. completes its purchase of a not-for-profit, 110-bed Carlisle, Penn., hospital for $43 million and a written guarantee that a new, $55 million hospital will be built in its place within five years.

August

Staff Leasing, one of the nation’s largest human resource solutions providers, changes its name to Gevity HR. Later in the month, Gevity HR and Bonita Springs-based ICaughtYou announce an alliance.

Naples-based SmartDisk co-signs agreements with major U.S. consumer electronics and computer software retailers, catalogers and distributors for nationwide sales of its SmartDisk MVP software. The agreements will place SmartDisk MVP in retail stores and catalogs.

The Cleveland Clinic Florida Foundation receives a $10 million leadership gift from the Krupa Family, which establishes a Krupa Endowment that will secure financial support for expansion and provide funding for a chair in neurology.

TIB Financial Corp.’s first full-service bank facility opens in Bonita Springs, at the entrance to The Brooks.

The Bonita Springs and south Fort Myers Friendly’s locations are shuttered unexpectedly and the buildings are put up for sale.

September

WCI Communities Inc. plans to go public, filing a registration statement with the Securities Exchange Commission.

The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa opens in Bonita, bringing a golf resort featuring a spa and meeting rooms to Bonita/Estero and fueling anticipation about future growth for the area. In conjunction with the new resort, Raptor Bay Golf Club opens.

The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon leave a nation in grief. Patriotism becomes hot, with flag makers stepping up production and retailers selling out of anything red, blue and white. But the attacks create even more uncertainty in an unsteady economy. The halt on air travel—which impacts local airports—causes major airlines to cut flights, shut down and lay off employees. Southwest Florida Regional International Airport reports a decrease in passenger traffic—breaking an 18-month record of traffic. Other national companies follow suit, adding to an already rocky business environment. Locally, there’s concern about the forthcoming tourist season, the impact on development and the overall economic outlook for Lee and Collier counties.

Former Collier County Commissioner Tim Hancock and Naples financier David Mobley are arrested in the Stadium Naples racketeering case.

Source Interlink Companies, a designer and manufacturer of front-end display fixtures for publishing and confectionary products, announces plans to relocate its headquarters from St. Louis to Bonita Springs. The move will create 240 new jobs, resulting in an estimated 322 indirect jobs, and is expected to have an economic impact of $19.1 million. The relocation is scheduled for completion by mid-2002.