LEADERSHIP NEXT TO STUDY FUNERAL BUSINESS
Advancing business leaders will have an opportunity to learn about death and the funeral business during the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership NEXT program beginning at 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Harvey-Englehardt Funeral & Cremation Services in Fort Myers. Harvey-Englehardt Managing Partner Tim Hauck and Funeral Director Rachel Schad will give attendees a tour of the Fort Myers facility, including the chapels, arrangement rooms, display rooms, crematory and preparation areas for embalming. After the tour, Pricilla Doyle, a forensic investigator at the District 21 Medical Examiner’s Office, will offer a presentation and discussion about her line of work. Following the formal discussions, attendees will enjoy networking opportunities, appetizers and refreshments at Harvey-Englehardt’s on-site banquet facility. Leadership NEXT is free to attend for members of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and $10 for nonmembers. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance at FortMyers.org.
LEE BIA BUILDERS CARE APPOINTS BOARD MEMBER
Lee BIA Builders Care, the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA), has appointed Steve Krystyniak to its board of directors. Krystyniak is a commercial lender with Preferred Community Bank (which is merging with Achieva Credit Union on Sept. 30) where he’s responsible for creating and sustaining relationships with commercial banking customers and providing commercial loans, deposit solutions and business banking services. He previously worked as a vice president with Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank and First National Bank of the Gulf Coast, and was a market president for Ameribank and unit vice president for Republic Security Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF LEE, HENDRY EARNS FOUR STARS
Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator. This is the sixth consecutive year that Habitat has earned this top distinction. Charity Navigator uses objective analysis to award the most fiscally responsible organizations a four-star rating. In 2011, Charity Navigator added 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to its ratings methodology. These accountability and transparency metrics, which account for 50 percent of a charity’s overall rating, reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders. For more information, visit www.charitynavigator.org.
SIMON JOINS BNY MELLON WEALTH MANAGEMENT
BNY Mellon Wealth Management has named Paul J. Simon as senior director, wealth manager in Naples. Simon will report to senior director and team leader David J. Maksymetz and be responsible for managing client relationships covering all aspects of wealth management advice. Prior to joining BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Simon was vice president and portfolio manager at Stoney Creek Advisors, where he managed multi-asset model portfolios. Prior to this role, Simon spent 12 years as chief investment officer for Tactical Allocation Group LLC, where he managed global tactical ETF portfolios. Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Wayne State University in Detroit. He is a Certified Investment Management Consultant (CIMC) from the Investments and Wealth Management Institute.
SWFL FPRA TO HOST OCTOBER LUNCHEON
The Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) will host a luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Holiday Inn Fort Myers Airport at Town Center in Fort Myers. The October program will provide FPRA members and those interested in membership with a comprehensive overview of the value that FPRA provides it members. Attendees will hear FPRA stories from three of the associations’ top membership experts, including Gordon Paulus, president of FPRA and senior communications specialist at Gulf Power Co. in Pensacola; Cheray Keyes-Shima, executive director of FPRA and principal of KSC in Sarasota; and Randy Mitchelson, vice president at iPartnerMedia Inc. in Bonita Springs and president-elect for the Southwest Florida Chapter of FPRA. Cost is $30 for FPRA members, $40 for nonmembers and $25 for students. Register for the luncheon at www.fpraswfl.org.
MARTINEZ JOINS PHYSICIANS’ PRIMARY CARE OF SWFL
Dr.Yesinia Martinez has joined Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida as a family medicine physician. Martinez earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. She completed residency at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York. Martinez has worked as a primary care physician and a consulting physician for telemedicine services in Fort Myers for the past five years. She also has worked as a health educator at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York, providing workshops to decrease infant mortality in the Bronx area of New York City. Martinez is a member of the American Board of Family Medicine, American Academy of Family Physicians and the Dominican Medical Association. She will see patients at the Lehigh Acres Family Medicine office.
MCTEAGUE JOINS PRIORITY MARKETING
Priority Marketing has hired Nicki McTeague as an account manager. As an account manager, McTeague works with the firm’s creative, public relations and digital teams to develop strategies to achieve the marketing goals for a variety of clients in the public and private sector. McTeague previously was a special event planner and marketing assistant for Lee Health Foundation, where she was directly responsible for all aspects of special events execution, which included identifying, cultivating and stewarding corporate, community and individual supporters. She also assisted in implementing strategies to enhance digital marketing, special events management, brand awareness and overall marketing communication for the foundation. McTeague’s prior positions include administrative specialist at Lee Health’s Regional Cancer Center and sports marketing intern with the Fort Myers Miracle. McTeague earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Florida Gulf Coast University.
CHARITABLE NOTES
Sip & Sample returns in November to benefit FFCF
The ninth annual Sip & Sample wine and appetizer event will be held from 5-7 pm. on Nov. 15 at The Village Shops on Venetian Bay. The annual event will benefit Friends of Foster Children Forever (FFCF) and their educational and mentoring programs for local foster children. The event, made possible by The Village Shops on Venetian Bay, will feature complimentary samplings of appetizers and drinks from the restaurants’ menus. The boutiques will also be participating in the event, offering treats, beverages, and in-store promotions while shopping their merchandise. From Nov. 15-18, 10 percent of all sales collected from receipts will benefit FFCF. Shoppers are asked to drop sales receipts in drop boxes located on the south side of The Village near Pratt’s Shoe Salon or on the north side near Panache. Sip & Sample passports may be purchased at www.friendsoffosterchildren.net for $40 per person in advance and $50 on the night of the event. Reservations are suggested. In case of rain, an alternate date has been set for Nov. 16.
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