Southwest Florida's 50 Top Power Players

23. Colleen Kvetko
Former president of Fifth Third Bank (South Florida) and named by U.S. Banker magazine among the "25 Most Powerful Women in Banking," she left in the wake of a merger with First National Bank of Florida, but was soon asked to return. Now executive vice president of marketing and a bank board member, she is well known in Collier County’s business community and is key to the bank’s involvement in the community.

24. Bruce Laishley
The Laishley name is big in Charlotte County. Phil Laishley was a former Punta Gorda mayor who pioneered development, and his son, Bruce, has built upon that legacy. Southwest Land Developers, of which Bruce is vice president, owns a major industrial park adjacent to the Charlotte County Airport, and is involved in major public-private development projects.

25. David Lucas
He’s the board chairman of Bonita Bay Group, a developer of master-planned communities, and has been lauded for his contributions to environmental stewardship, public education and philanthropy. He and his wife, Linda, are the namesakes of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lucas Institute, which links the school’s College of Business and the real estate industry in Southwest Florida.

26. Scott Lutgert
The scion of Park Shore developer Raymond Lutgert leads the family business. Under Scott Lutgert’s charge, Naples-based Lutgert Companies develops properties in Southwest Florida and North Carolina and has holdings in Lutgert Insurance and Premier Properties of Southwest Florida Inc. Scott Lutgert also serves as chairman of Florida Gulf Coast University’s board of trustees.

27. Connie Mack IV
He was elected to his second term in the U.S. House in November 2006. Mack has been criticized for lacking a strong commitment to Southwest Florida. Nonetheless, he has successfully secured funding for local projects and initiatives, including $80 million for the expansion of I-75. He serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

28. Paul Marinelli
It’s said that nothing major happens in Collier County without the involvement of Barron Collier Companies and its president and CEO, Marinelli. For example, Marinelli was key in recruiting Tom Monaghan to Collier County to establish Ave Maria University, and his company is developing the affiliated town. Marinelli is also involved with the NCH Healthcare System, Economic Development Council of Collier County and other organizations.

29. Tina Matte
A partner in Gravina, Smith and Matte, she is connected with some of the region’s major political initiatives. She has the ear of people like Rep. Connie Mack and former Gov. Jeb Bush, and works with groups instrumental in shaping policy in Southwest Florida, including the Southwest Florida Transportation Initiative and the Alliance of Educational Leaders.

30. Robert "Bucky" McQueen
He and his family are major landowners in Charlotte County, and McQueen is well-known in business and government circles there. He exercises his influence behind the scenes in governmental and community organizations. President of the annual Florida International AirShow, McQueen developed the upscale Grassy Point community and was instrumental in the early development of Punta Gorda Isles.

31. Gerri Moll
She’s held various positions with Bank of America since it was Nations Bank, and Barnett Bank before that, and in 1997 she was transferred to Naples and became bank president. Dedicated to improving the skills young people will need in business, she was recently inducted into the Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida’s Business Leadership Hall of Fame.

32. Tom Monaghan
The founder of Domino’s Pizza and former owner of the Detroit Tigers created Ave Maria University after plans failed to expand Ave Maria College in Michigan, of which he was also a major funder. Ave Maria School of Law is also moving to Monaghan’s new campus. The university and its namesake town are being built with development partner Barron Collier Companies.

33. Jim Nathan
After years of watching his ill father’s medical treatments, Nathan realized that healthcare administration was his calling. He ran Lee Memorial Hospital for 16 years, and in 2000 became president and CEO of Lee Memorial Health System. After acquiring two competing hospitals, LMHS became the dominant healthcare provider in Lee County.

34. Harlan Parrish
The president and CEO of Colonial Bank’s Florida West Coast region has been behind the establishment of more than 20 full-service offices since he began in 1999, with assets totaling around $1.4 billion. He’s the only Florida executive to serve on the 22-member Bank Administration Institute Board of Directors, and he commits time and expertise to various civic and community organizations.

35. Cole Peacock
Officially, he’s director of corporate and governmental relations for Chico’s FAS, but Peacock’s political influence is much broader. With local and state-level connections, he is known as the one to call if you need political action. He is involved with more than two dozen local organizations, covering business, education, health and the environment, including the American Cancer Society and Healthy Start of Southwest Florida.

36. Fred Pezeshkan
For 30 years, he has helped Kraft Construction Co. grow into one of the largest firms in Florida. The Tehran native, who fled right before the Iranian Revolution of January 1979, is highly regarded in the community for his business acumen and philanthropy. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award, a national recognition of outstanding citizenship, personal achievement and community service.

37. Steve Pontius
The executive vice president and general manager of Waterman Broadcasting in Fort Myers, he oversees two of Southwest Florida’s four local news channels, NBC-2 and ABC-7. His community involvement includes the Lee County Horizon Council, and he won The Distinguished Citizen Award from the Southwest Florida Council of Boy Scouts of America for outstanding service to the community.

38. Alan Reynolds
The CEO of WilsonMiller recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with the firm, for which he’s served as planner for major communities in Southwest Florida, including the town of Ave Maria, Babcock Ranch, Bonita Bay and more. He helped pioneer the Rural Lands Stewardship Program, a growth management strategy that was written into Florida law in 2002 and laid the groundwork for Ave Maria and Big Cypress.

39. Robbie Roepstorff
As founder and president, she and husband Geoffrey have built Edison National Bank and Bank of the Islands into strong and reputable banks. Those who have worked with her cite her commitment not only to her staff, but also to the community organizations she supports—and there are a lot of them, including the Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva and the Uncommon Friends Foundation.

40. Mayela Rosales
Since the local media executive and TV personality moved to Naples from her native Venezuela in 1996, she’s become a person to watch, both on D’Latinos al Dia—a Spanish-language news and variety show—and in Southwest Florida’s Hispanic and business communities. She is executive vice president of Media Vista Corp., which won a Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award in 2007.

41. Bruce Sherman
A trustee of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, he is chief executive of Private Capital Management, which handles financial matters for some of Collier County’s wealthiest and most influential families. In 2005, he made headlines by demanding the sale of struggling Knight Ridder, of which he owned a substantial stake. By the middle of the following year, the furor had prompted the $4.5 billion purchase of the nation’s second-largest newspaper by McClatchy Co.

42. Steve Shimp
He molded Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. in Fort Myers into a major construction player. The company built Harborside Event Center and FGCU’s Student Union among other major projects. He recently stepped down as the company’s president but remains chairman. Shimp is big into public education and economic development initiatives, and he’s constantly being asked to serve on various boards.

43. Cliff Smith
You won’t often catch Cliff Smith in the spotlight. He’s usually the one shining it on others. As president of the United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties for nearly 15 years, Smith has grown the organization from 36 agencies in 1996 to 70 and extended United Way services to Hendry and Glades counties. Under his watch, fundraising has consistently reached annual goals and often increased by double digits from one year to the next.

44. Wilbur Smith
The Fort Myers native was elected to Fort Myers City Council from 1980 to 1988, and was the city’s mayor from 1988 to 1996 before retiring undefeated. He founded The Wilbur Smith Law Firm in 1970; clients include Eric Rivera Jr., who is accused in the shooting death of NFL player Sean Taylor. Smith is also the founder of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Lee County.

45. Fred Thomas
He’s been called the unofficial mayor of Immokalee. The Harlem, N.Y., native wants outsiders to know what a great place Immokalee is so it can overcome the second-class treatment it often receives. When he needs to get that message across to elected and government officials, he doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind at public meetings, and he usually can count on being heard.

46. Gary Trippe
He’s the affable founder and CEO of Fort Myers-based Oswald Trippe and Co., an independent insurance agency with several locations in Florida and North Carolina. Among his many charitable endeavors, he championed the Blue Chip Awards, an annual event that draws hundreds to recognize small businesses that have overcome adversity to achieve success.