Brainpower Brokers

Some of the nation’s top thinkers, including Nobel Prize winners, noted authors and experts in a variety of disciplines, will gather in Naples Feb. 22 and 23 for a conference aimed at stimulating a dialogue on critical issues.  

Sponsored by the Searching for Solutions Institute (SFSI), the event brings together 40 speakers who can energize a brain trust of experienced business and social leaders to develop solutions for problems involving the economy, education, environment, energy, education and health care. At least 600 people are expected to participate.

The institute is a newly created organization chaired by co-founder Tom Everist, a part-time Naples resident who’s also president of The Everist Co., a construction materials business in South Dakota. Seeing Southwest Florida as a unique repository of residents and visitors with business and financial success stories, Everist says he realized “it’s time to turn that energy and ability toward solving problems. Collectively we can do great things, and the people here want to do that. We want to bring them all together, with great speakers to energize them, and work toward solutions. Will we solve the world’s problems overnight? No. But we can certainly move the ball ahead.”

Everist discussed the organization and conference during a recent interview.

Q: What is the purpose of the conference?
The Imagine Solutions Conference, the first of what’s hoped to be an annual event, is designed to bring together the experienced brainpower and proven leadership concentrated in Southwest Florida with some of our most innovative thinkers, and develop ways to address major issues of our society.