Tammie nemecek grew up in Naples, but her father's bohemian mindset, which kept her family on the move while she was growing up, formed her on-the-go attitude.

"We're gypsies," she says, laughing. "It actually factors into how I operate. It's this desire to experience new and different things."

As executive director of the Economic Development Council of Collier County, Nemecek most recently experienced a different culture during the group's first-ever trade mission to Poland. The trip is one of the ways Nemecek is working to recruit businesses, especially in targeted industries such as aviation, manufacturing, biomedical and information technology, to Collier.

Before joining the Collier EDC, Nemecek spent time at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg as well as in London. Moving back to Naples in 1993, she was searching for her place in the business world in Southwest Florida. She started volunteering with the Fifth Avenue Business Association, which was working on the redevelopment of Fifth Avenue South. A part-time opportunity then arose with the EDC.

That led to a full-time job with the private not-for-profit EDC. She was involved in all areas-operations, membership, public policy, marketing, and business retention and recruitment. Seeing the big picture for Collier's future, Nemecek became passionate about making a difference and making Collier a better place for the next generations. She began to develop her strategic thinking and problem-solving skills as well to learn how to engage people and get them excited about the EDC's mission to create and retain high wage, knowledge-based jobs throughout Collier.

"I consider myself to have grown up with the organization. When I came to the EDC there were three employees, and they were just beginning the process of doing strategic planning in order to take the EDC to the next level," says Nemecek, 36.

She earned the executive director position after Susan Pareigis was named director of the state's Agency for Workforce Innovation in 2002. The EDC now has a staff of nine. One of her proudest moments was achieving the top job as executive director. "It was something that I spent eight years working toward and being recognized by the leadership as the person that can take the EDC to the next level was a very important step for me," she says.

Waite says Nemecek was chosen because of her prominent role in the future of Collier and her contribution to changes currently occurring in the county.

As a mother of three, Nemecek believes it's important that her children see that she's a mom and successful businessperson, just as her mom demonstrated when she was growing up. Her mother owned an accounting firm, sometimes working from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

"My work ethic was definitely shaped by my mother," she says.

At the same time, Nemecek has struggled with working full time and having children. She recommends that working parents schedule regular fun time with the family, communicate schedules ahead of time, take time for family dinners and to participate in children's extra-curricular activities to show you support them and take "real" vacations that don't include a cell phone, computer or paperwork.

Another idea is to expose your children to the working environment. Nemecek said that if it's allowed, bring them into the office on a day off of school so they can understand where you spend so much of your time.

"For any working parent, being a mother or a father, it's difficult," she says. "It's even more difficult in today's world because it is so fast-paced and there are so many other influences out there than can come into play when you're not there."