Making waves

As a college volleyball setter, Alanna Gluhm helped control the tempo of the game, created the offense and maintained momentum for her team. She used those skills to win games then, and she's using them now as the corporate marketing director for Gates.

Gluhm, 28, is responsible for all of the marketing and public relations for the full-service real estate, development and construction firm, and she recently completed the daunting task of totally rebranding the company, which had been known as Gates-McVey.

"It took about a year for us to research, design and launch the new concept. It's a project that I'm very proud of," she says.

Gluhm, a Southwest Florida native, attended Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, where she still holds some Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference records in volleyball. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and an MBA in marketing and finance. "While I'm really good with numbers, I'm an extrovert and creative, so marketing just kind of fit," she says.

Gluhm moved back to Southwest Florida from Atlanta about two years ago to be near her family, whom she credits as her driving force. Soon after returning, a friend recommended her for a marketing position at Gates, and she was promoted to her current position this past spring.

"I'm passionate about making sure the area is going in the right direction, and this company does that. Gates allows us to be involved in things we believe in," she says. For Gluhm, that means donating time to multiple nonprofit organizations. "You can't help your community unless you know what's really happening around you. I'm making every effort to lead and be involved."