Whatever the source of their power, the real movers and shakers exercise those personal resources along with their talents and intelligence to make a difference in their business and their community, whether it be geographical, professional, jurisdictional or otherwise.

So who are Southwest Florida’s power players? We consulted with a number of sources and came up with the following list of 50 people. Not all are high-profile individuals, although their accomplishments—or charisma—might attract public attention.

Of course, any list of this kind is subjective. We know that not everyone will agree with all of the choices. However, this isn’t intended to be a roster of the most important, popular or recognizable figures—or the nicest. It is a compilation of the most powerful people in Southwest Florida right now.

See if you agree.

1. Arthur Allen
More than 40 years of experience led Allen, president and CEO of Naples-based ASG Software Solutions, to his spot among software industry leaders. He has built ASG into a multinational corporation with more than 90 offices worldwide. He hosts international business and political leaders and supports local causes.

2. Jack Antaramian
The prolific real estate developer is widely credited for the renaissance of downtown Naples. He embraced the mixed-use concept before it was fashionable (at least in Southwest Florida), and placed residences over commercial spaces along Naples’ Fifth Avenue South. The streetwise Massachusetts native has several other upscale developments in Naples and on Marco Island.

3. Dr. Mark Asperilla
An infectious disease specialist, this Port Charlotte physician has been nationally recognized for his humanitarian efforts. He established a local biowarfare response team and travels abroad to treat the underserved via ACCESS Care, a nonprofit organization he founded. Developing a new Microtel Inn & Suites Hotel in Port Charlotte is one of his many business ventures.

4. George Beasley
Founder and CEO of Naples-based Beasley Broadcast Group, he was named one of the "40 Most Powerful People in Radio" by Radio Ink magazine in 2006. He has grown his company from one station in Benson, N.C., in 1961 to a publicly traded company with $125.2 million in annual revenues and 44 stations in 11 markets, including Philadelphia, Miami, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

5. Samira Beckwith
A cancer survivor, the president and CEO of Hope Hospice and Community Services is dedicated to improving end-of-life care. She expanded her influence on public policy and education in 2004 as national director of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. She participates in national health policy forums and provides expert testimony before government bodies, including the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.

6. Lucas Benitez
By staging a successful, nationwide boycott of Taco Bell, the executive of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers pressured tomato growers to improve the working conditions and wages of tomato pickers. Benitez, who once worked in the local fields, helped lead a similar protest against McDonald’s, which also agreed to the fair labor terms. Next on the list? Burger King.

7. Wilson Bradshaw
Since becoming president of Florida Gulf Coast University in November, Bradshaw has taken decisive actions, removing the university’s provost and firing a controversial coach. He believes boosting athletics and expanding online course offerings will raise the school’s profile, and has near-term plans to spend $2 million on new faculty.

8. James Browder
Tapped as superintendent of the Lee County School District in 2003, Browder has been credited with smoothing the famously contentious relationship between superintendent and school board and has helped bring stability to the fast-growing district.

9. Joe Catti
Known for community leadership in such organizations as FGCU, Lee Memorial Health System and Southwest Florida Community Foundation, Catti served as president of Northern Trust in Fort Myers. In 2006, he took steps to launch FineMark National Bank and Trust. Under his reign as president and CEO, assets under trust department management broke $100 million in less than a year.

10. Todd Gates
The gentlemanly builder is known to volunteer his time and money to myriad community causes. The Virginia native is also a tough critic of officials when he feels they’re not giving his industry a fair shake. His Naples-based company, GATES, sells and manages real estate, is responsible for the construction of multimillion-dollar projects in the region, and has expanded into Panama.

11. Sam Galloway Jr.
His influence extends far beyond his family’s car dealership dynasty. Galloway is president of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates Foundation, among other community affiliations. With strong convictions and a forceful personality, he carries political weight, hosting fundraisers for state and national candidates.

12. Dennis Gilkey
He is known for his 23 years as a Bonita Bay Group exec as well as for his service to the Horizon Council, local Urban Land Institute and other organizations. Last year, he struck out on his own and started Gilkey Organization, a land-use consulting company that already represents some of the region’s biggest land owners. He stands out for an ability to bring together environmental and development interests.

13. J. Dudley Goodlette
A leader in local economic development efforts and the founding of FGCU, the former State Representative championed high-profile causes such as transportation, as well as judicial rights of indigent families. Since terming-out of the Legislature in 2006, he has returned to the Naples law firm he founded and become a lobbyist with the national firm Southern Strategy Group.

14. Porter Goss
He was a critical figure in the incorporation of Sanibel, which he served as its first mayor, and subsequently was a Lee County commissioner and U.S. Congressman. Best known as former director of the CIA, he retired in 2006 and returned to Sanibel. He continues to exercise his influence in environmental efforts, such as improving water quality in Southwest Florida’s delicate ecosystem.

15. Al Hanser
With more than four decades of investment and banking experience, Hanser pulled together a team of Sanibel and Captiva islands’ heavyweights as board members and formed the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company. Not only does the company now rank among the top in the state in terms of trust assets, chairman and CEO Hanser channels his influence toward numerous philanthropic initiatives.

16. Al Hoffman
The founder and chairman of WCI Communities retired as CEO of the Bonita Springs-based company in 2006, after being nominated by President Bush to serve as ambassador to Portugal. Hoffman returned last year to Fort Myers and now the former Republican National Committee finance chair is reportedly one of John McCain’s biggest fundraisers in Florida.

17. Carol Hudler
President and publisher of The News-Press, Hudler oversees Gannett-owned newspaper operations in Florida, Louisiana and Michigan. She is the current chair of Lee County’s Horizon Council and is sought after by civic and philanthropic organizations.

18. Carl Icahn
He’s been referred to as a billionaire financier and corporate raider, qualities demonstrated in his dust-up with Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities, once a powerhouse among luxury homebuilders. He tried to buy the failing company, only to be rebuffed by its board. A major shareholder, he then sought board control by campaigning for the election of his comrades. Eventually, a truce was called, and now he’s board chairman.

19. Nancy Keefer
Since becoming president and CEO of the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce in 1997, she has guided the chamber’s growth from about 600 to 1,300 members, making it one of the region’s largest chambers. Keefer served on former Gov. Jeb Bush’s task force on affordable health insurance, and is vice chair of the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals and a director of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

20. Syd Kitson
After the state tried for years and failed to buy the Babcock Ranch property, this professional football player-turned-developer reached a deal with the sellers, and then made a historic deal with the state and Lee and Charlotte counties to preserve 74,000 of the 91,000-acre property. His company, Kitson & Partners of West Palm Beach, plans to build a town of 45,000 people on the remaining 17,000 acres.

21. Kim Patrick Kobza
He is president and CEO of Neighborhood America, a Naples-based company that has established a foothold in the global market with its innovative, Web-based communications tools. Clients and projects include Fox News, the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center memorial.

22. Jeff Kottkamp
Florida’s lieutenant governor, the approachable attorney and former state representative remains active in Southwest Florida, despite a busy schedule in Tallahassee as chairman of the board of Space Florida, head of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and more. If, as has been speculated, Charlie Crist were to be tapped as a Republican vice presidential candidate, the governor’s seat would fall to Kottkamp.

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.

47. Bill Valenti
The pleasant, high-energy fellow, who has described himself as an "overactive adult," is founder of Florida Gulf Bank, a $90 million-asset company based in Fort Myers. Valenti has received numerous community accolades, including induction into the Junior Achievement’s Lee Business Leadership Hall of Fame.

48. Dolph von Arx
The former president and CEO of Planters LifeSavers Company hasn’t slowed down since retiring roughly 15 years ago. The Naples resident has been involved in leadership positions with NCH Healthcare System Foundation, the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts and other groups. Von Arx is a board member of the Regional Business Alliance of Southwest Florida, which seeks to recruit small-to medium-sized businesses to the area.

49. Janet Watermeier
As Lee County’s former economic development director, Watermeier established herself as an approachable and knowledgeable advocate for the region. Now an economic and real estate development consultant, she puts her expertise and influence to work on a local and state level to help shape the region and its future, serving organizations that include the Southwest Florida Regional Planning County and the state Transportation Commission.

50. Jerry Williams
He’s the straight-talking chief of Naples-based Orion Bancorp who built his company from a spot in the Keys into a $2.7 billion-asset powerhouse with 22 locations across South Florida. Last year, the American Bankers Association’s (ABA) Banking Journal ranked Orion fifth in the nation for outstanding financial performance. The native Texan’s leadership roles include chairman of the Florida Bankers Association and member of the ABA’s government relations council.