Florida Man gets very few breaks. A running joke in some quarters, “Florida Man” refers to news stories about those Floridians, usually of the male persuasion, who get into some crazy trouble. Think “Florida Man hops on baggage carousel to avoid airport security” or “Florida Man shoots invasive lionfish with Glock 9mm.” You get the picture.
That newsfeeds don’t similarly highlight stories pertaining to Massachusetts Man or Minnesota Man is, it seems to me, due to media bias or because interesting people have long since left those states. Many must have, because Florida has been a capital and labor magnet for decades, as both factors of production are more profitable here than elsewhere. As an independent country, Florida’s current GDP of almost $1.4 trillion would exceed those of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, Sweden and Austria.
All of which is another way of saying that productive people are productive here—something that would not surprise this year’s Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 designees. Many of them could have created value elsewhere, but decided to put down roots in Southwest Florida, expanding the scope of economic opportunity and value for themselves and our region.
This would have been less the case in past decades. When I graduated from high school in the Southwest Florida of the 1980s, the general assumption was that if you were going to college, you might return when you retired. A nascent entrepreneurial culture centered (as I recall) on many community bank ventures that came and went. There were no medical device or supply chain industries, to say nothing of high-tech corridors similar to the ones currently forming along Alico Road or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers.
It’s quite different today. Many locals stay here because career options are now better. Higher education played a role in all of this, as increased human capital justified increased physical capital investment to the region. Florida Gulf Coast University’s arrival in 1997 spurred this transformation, as did Florida SouthWestern State College, Ave Maria University and Hodges University.
In short, Southwest Florida now supports economic opportunities such that a 40 Under 40 list is even possible. This year’s designees, and those of past years, are true role models showcasing virtues, such as achievement, intelligence, humility, honesty, dedication and self-control. These are qualities required to weather life’s inevitable trials and bring the region to new heights.
Consider the 40 Under 40 honoree with whom I am most familiar, my colleague Meagan Baskin. A new member of FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business, Meagan directs its Southwest Florida Leadership Institute, through which she promotes leadership development and training. The institute provides support and certifications for firms and nonprofits, while also assisting with the implementation of the many Chamber of Commerce leadership programs so important to our region.
These are real contributions for which there would have been less demand in previous years. That Meagan serves this role while also maintaining an impressive media presence and rigorous research and teaching activities is admirable. The positive and long-lasting impact she and her institute colleagues will have on future generations of business students and on the formation of our region’s leadership classes will be exciting to see.
Meagan’s roots in Pasadena remind me of the old joke about what to call a productive Californian. (Answer: a Floridian.) We live in a region rich with talent, and people still come here to produce better outcomes than they could elsewhere. They epitomize Florida Man—and Florida Woman—as we know them, in contrast to those outliers favored by the newsfeeds.
Congratulations to the 2023 Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40 class.
Christopher Westley is dean of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lutgert College of Business.
