BEST OF BUSINESS VOTING EXTENDED
Voting for Gulfshore Business‘s 2020 Best of Business Awards has been extended from April 15 to May 15. The winners of the 2020 awards will now appear in our August issue. There are 6 sections of voting and within each section there are multiple questions. The main categories include Best in Business Finance & Insurance, Best in Legal, Best in Marketing, Best in Commercial Building & Real Estate, Best in Business Services, and Best in Business Dining & Drinks. To vote, click here.
CARES ACT RESOURCES
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated $350 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid the pandemic and economic downturn. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued the guide here to help small businesses and self-employed individuals prepare to file for a loan. More details here.
IRS DEPOSITS FIRST WAVE OF STIMULUS CHECKS INTO AMERICANS’ ACCOUNTS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out the first wave of economic stimulus checks to Americans on Saturday, the agency said. Deposits will continue this week, starting with people who have filed tax returns for 2018 or 2019 and authorized direct deposit. Others—including people who haven’t filed returns or authorized direct deposits—will probably have to wait weeks or months before seeing their money. The distributions are part of the $2.2 trillion economic relief package passed by Congress in March. Under the economic relief package because of the coronavirus pandemic, individuals are due up to $1,200 and couples will receive up to $2,400—plus $500 per child. Payments start phasing out for individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $75,000. Story reported by WINK News.
Video courtesy of WINK News
NCH HOSPITAL RECEIVES MORE RAPID TESTS, BUT MORE NEEDED
NCH Healthcare System said it received a limited number of tests for COVID-19 that can get results back in 45 minutes. A doctor at NCH told WINK News the local hospital received 60 rapid testing kits Friday, but 60 won’t last long. “Ultimately, we need thousands,” said Dr. David Linder, the NCH medical director leading the COVID-19 response. “If I could turn around 100 to 200 a day, not only could I test all patients, but also patients who are asymptomatic carriers.” The 45-minute testing tells health professionals responding to coronavirus patients if individuals have the virus or already had the virus. Story reported by WINK News.
Photo by WINK News
FGCU BOWER SCHOOL OF MUSIC CLOSES AFTER STUDENT TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has temporarily closed its Bower School of Music & the Arts after a student at the music hall tested positive for the coronavirus. The university says the student is in isolation following the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. The student was last at the music hall on April 7, and the Bower complex is now receiving decontamination cleaning, according to FGCU. Story reported by WINK News.
SBDC OFFERS CORONAVIRUS-RELATED SEMINARS, RESOURCES
The Florida Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University (FSBDC at FGCU) is hosting “Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): Live Q&A with 5/3 Bank,” from 2-3 p.m. on April 16. The FSBDC at FGCU has also gathered small business resources, especially in the area of pandemic planning, preparation, response and recovery. View the resources here. Past webinars are also available for replaying, including “CARES Act & Government Contracting” and “NonProfit (NPO) Webinar.”
NEXTGEN SPEAKER SERIES’ FIRST VIRTUAL SESSION HELD FRIDAY
The NextGen Speaker Series is offering its first virtual session at 9 a.m. on Friday. This online session, “Successfully Managing Your Business Through Crisis,” will highlight key strategies and advice from past NextGen speakers, including Fortune 500 CEOs, and other business leaders. Registration is now open at NextGenNaples.com/register. The NextGen Speaker Series, founded and presented by Benson Blackburn, was created to foster leadership, mentorship, empowerment and philanthropy. Considering this uncertain time, NextGen is offering this information free of charge, thanks to support from its Visionary Sponsors.
Alico Center
ALICO OFFICE CENTER SELLS AMIDST PANDEMIC
Kingdom Development Ft Myers LLC recently acquired the 25,794-square-foot Fort Myers ‘Alico Center’ at 10070 Daniels Interstate Court for $5.875 million. The class-A office building with high-end finishes was 100% occupied at the time of sale with tenants including Northwestern Mutual, Scott Fisher Enterprises, Industrial Service Solutions, and Alico Inc. Palmer represented the buyer in this transaction. Chris DeVeso with TC Group represented the seller, Max FM, LLC.
Naples Reserve
NAPLES RESERVE SALES CONTINUE
Naples Reserve, iStar’s 688-acre community, continues to sell. Amenities are nearly complete and Phase III sales have begun, just weeks after opening to buyers. There were 19 sales during March alone, bringing the entire community, which is planned for 1,088 homes, to more than 64% sold. Naples Reserve offers 18 fully decorated models available for viewing built by Southwest Florida homebuilders including Ashton Woods, D.R. Horton, Florida Lifestyle Homes, KTS Homes, Lundstrom Development, Marvin Development, McGarvey Custom Homes and Stock Signature Homes. Homes are priced from the low $300,000s to more than $1 million. For more information, visit naplesreserve.com.
CHARITABLE NOTES
Community-minded corporations come together support coronavirus relief
The Community Foundation of Collier County’s Collier Comes Together Coronavirus Relief Fund is receiving a huge boost thanks to a $50,000 gift from Fifth Third Foundation, a $25,000 gift from Bank of America, and $10,000 from Florida Power & Light Co. Thanks to their donations, along with community support, the Community Foundation of Collier County has distributed $340,000 to date. Funds for food, basic needs, housing assistance, medical supplies, and technology have been distributed to organizations working on the frontlines of the crisis such as Salvation Army Naples, Collier County Public Schools, NCH Healthcare System, Collier County Emergency Management and Legal Aid of Collier County. Donations to the Collier Comes Together Fund can be made online at cfcollier.org or by mailing a check to the Community Foundation of Collier County at 1110 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 200, Naples, FL 34108. If sending a check, please enter “Collier Comes Together” in the memo line.
Mark Maner, founder and president of Dr. Kool Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, says his company is donating more than $2,000 in local-restaurant gift cards to Southwest Florida health care heroes on the front lines of the pandemic.
Kool Kards feed health workers
For the month of April, Dr. Kool Air Conditioning & Refrigeration is donating more than $2,000 in local-restaurant gift cards to hospital workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. For every service call Dr. Kool makes, the company donates a Kool Kard restaurant gift card to a doctor, nurse or hospital employee. Dr. Kool is donating Kool Kard gift cards to FK Your Diet Restaurant in Lee County and Joey D’s Italian Restaurant in Collier County, the two counties where the air conditioning contractor services residential and commercial customers. To schedule a service call that will benefit Southwest Florida health workers, call (239) 405-8797 or visit drkoolac.com.
Sails Restaurant delivering thousands of donated meals to NCH
Sails Restaurant, 301 Fifth Ave. South, is partnering with William Raveis Real Estate in Naples to show appreciation to the staff at NCH Healthcare System. On Saturday, the restaurant in downtown Naples delivered 150 dinners from its special “We Care” menu to the local hospital. The goal is to soon reach all of the nearly 3,500 employees who are working around the clock away from their families because of these challenging times during the pandemic, said Sails co-owners Veljko Pavicevic and Corinne Ryan.
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile of Collier County
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program provides vaccines to infants
Due to COVID-19, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program is operating a little differently. The 40-foot mobile units are temporarily providing important first-year vaccines. In Collier County, the Care Mobile can be found outside Healthcare Network’s Pediatric office in Immokalee, Monday – Thursday. In Lee County, Family Health Centers is providing the immunizations outside of their offices in Lehigh on Mondays, downtown Fort Myers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Cape Coral on Wednesdays. For more information regarding Collier County appointments, call (239) 658-3000, and for Lee County appointments, call (239) 800-4707. To learn more about RMHC SWFL and how to get involved, click here.
