Lead Photo: D.R. Horton has purchased homesites in Royal Palm. Details below.
PopStroke
TIGER WOODS-DESIGNED POPSTROKE LAUNCHES IN FORT MYERS
Eat. Putt. Drink. That’s the tagline of PopStroke, a new family entertainment center built around two 18-hole putting courses designed by Tiger Woods and his TGR Design team. The ribbon-cutting was Thursday morning for the Fort Myers location, which officially opens Saturday at 5531 Six Mile Cypress Court. Not your traditional miniature golf venue, these realistic courses introduce people of all ages to the game of golf with synthetic turfs, fairways, bunkers, rough and even real trees. A 6,900-square foot concession area built by Stevens Construction includes a full-service outdoor dining area with a menu of 10-inch pizzas, salads, ice cream and small bites such as wings, potstickers, meatballs and fried calamari. The sports bar serves specialty cocktails, wine and beer on tap and in bottles. In addition to the golf courses, PopStroke includes a playground and other family activities such as cornhole, ping pong and foosball. The Fort Myers location is the second for PopStroke, which launched its first last year in Port St. Lucie. Additional locations are planned on the Gulf Coast. The new local business is open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. For more information call 239-323-4653 or go to PopStroke.com.
CITY OF CAPE CORAL, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PARTNER ON CORONAVIRUS RELIEF
Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties has announced plans to manage the application process and disbursement of nearly $600,000 of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) funding to residents of Cape Coral for mortgage and rental assistance. Homeowners and renters of property within the city of Cape Coral who meet income guidelines and are experiencing loss of income directly related to COVID-19 may be qualified to receive assistance in the form of a grant from the city. In July, Cape Coral received a special allocation authorized by the CARES Act to respond to the growing effects of this historic public health crisis. This unique circumstance compelled city staff to request to partner with Habitat for Humanity. The city has advertised to the public that funding is available and has created a contact list of those who wish to apply. Application intake will run until Sept. 22 with funds expected to run out within that timeframe.
SEPTEMBER AIRPORT MEETING CHANGES
The Lee County Port Authority Airports Special Management Committee (ASMC) meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 at Southwest Florida International Airport’s Training and Conference Center. Pursuant to the governor’s executive orders and guidance from the Florida Department of Health, the Sept. 15 ASMC meeting will be conducted subject to gathering size and social distancing limitations. Due to the size and configuration of the meeting room, seating will be extremely limited. Members of the public who wish to speak at the meeting may be asked to wait outside the meeting room until called. In lieu of personal attendance, other interested persons are encouraged to request an audio recording from Victoria Moreland, chief communications and marketing officer, at 239-590-4502 or vbmoreland@flylcpa.com, following the meeting. For more information, visit flylcpa.com.
Aldo Castillo
ALDO CASTILLO GALLERY TO OPEN ON FIFTH AVENUE SOUTH IN NAPLES
Fifth Avenue South in Naples will be the new home to the Aldo Castillo Gallery. Aldo Castillo Gallery is an internationally recognized contemporary art gallery offering paintings, photography, drawings, sculpture, works on paper, digital art and new media installations. The new gallery, located at 634 Fifth Ave. S., represents established international artists, and serves private collectors, museum collections and design professionals. The debut of the gallery will showcase special commissioned artworks. The director and founder is Aldo Castillo, an international art dealer, curator, artist, and human rights activist. For more information, visit aldocastillogallery.com.
VIRTUAL VENUE NAPLES LAUNCHES
Upscale event space Venue Naples has announced that the team is taking their talents virtually, partnering with Crave Culinaire, Scott Robertson Virtual Fundraising Consultants/Auctioneers and PJ Fuerstman and the Virtual Pzazz Productions Team to provide turnkey services for charity events, business and individual celebrations. The Venue Naples team can customize any event, whether it is in a physical location or virtual. To learn more about events by Virtual Venue Naples, visit virtualvenuenaples.com.
SEAGATE DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES WORK ON SCOTLYNN HQ
Seagate Development Group is just weeks away from the panel tilt-up and structural steel components of Scotlynn USA Division Inc.’s North American corporate headquarters. The multinational transportation and logistics firm broke ground last month at 9597 Gulf Research Lane in Fort Myers. Crews have poured the slab and casting pads to form wall panels and ultimately connect structural steel. By the end of this year, Seagate is slated to top off the third deck of the Scotlynn headquarters as well as begin interior construction and an industrial-feel design of the first, second and third floors. As the three-story, 60,000-square-foot headquarters nears completion in 2021, leaders will hire at least 140 people for management and operations positions. Contributing to the mission of world-class freight transportation, workers will conduct business in a fully amenitized facility. Features include a gym, basketball court, cafeteria, walking track, and an indoor/outdoor recreational space with an eating area.
Shelby model
D.R. HORTON PURCHASES HOMESITES IN ROYAL PALM
D.R. Horton Southwest Florida has purchased approximately 70 homesites in Royal Palm Golf Estates — a gated community planned for 343 single-family, all-age-inspired homes. The community is located on U.S. 41, six miles southeast of Collier Boulevard and minutes from Olde Naples and Marco Island. D.R. Horton is offering five open-concept, one-story floor plans in Royal Palm, ranging from 2,197 to 2,540 square feet and priced from the low $400,000s to the mid $500,000s. The floor plans offered include three to four bedrooms, two to three-and-a-half resort-style bathrooms, and a three-car garage. Scheduled to open this fall, the Shelby model home offers 2,221 square feet of living space. In addition to the Shelby model, three homes are also underway and scheduled to be move-in ready later this fall.
Bethany Janney
NORMAN LOVE CONFECTIONS HIRES JANNEY
Norman Love Confections has hired Bethany S. Janney, a seasoned sales and food and beverage executive, as local sales manager serving Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Janney will be responsible for sales strategies and community outreach throughout Southwest Florida. Janney joins Norman Love Confections with expertise in catering sales, meetings and special events at high-end hotels, most recently at the Westin Cape Coral Resort. Other hotels where she has worked during her nearly 15-year career include the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Virgin Hotels in Chicago, Sheraton Times Square, and Westin properties in Bellevue, Washington, and Rosemont, Illinois. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management from the University of Delaware.
CHARITABLE NOTES
CHEF provides $42,000 in scholarships and sets 2021 event date
CHEF, the Culinary & Hospitality Education Foundation of Southwest Florida, will distribute a minimum of $42,000 in grants and scholarships to Collier and Lee County students who are pursuing degrees and careers in the culinary arts and hospitality industry. Additional grants are pending, bringing the total closer to $50,000 being distributed in 2020. Scholarship funds were raised at the Culinary CHEF Showdown event and auction held on Jan. 6 at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, where Chef Asif Sayed of 21 Spices by Chef Asif bested Chef Jason Goddard, corporate executive chef of the Aielli Restaurant Group, by only a few points. Both chefs had 30 minutes to create and present an appetizer dish using mystery basket ingredients to the judging panel comprised of industry experts. Save the Date for the Culinary CHEF Showdown to be held virtually on March 22, 2021. This virtual event will feature Chef Jason Goddard versus a challenger, in an appetizer competition using mystery basket ingredients curated by the award-winning culinary team at Sails Restaurant in Naples. More event details and the challenger will be announced shortly. For details on CHEF’s mission, visit ChefSWFL.org.
