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Resiliency, innovation and leadership can be found in Southwest Florida kegs of beer

Phil Fernandez
Fort Myers News-Press

Resiliency. Innovation. Leadership.

In a year like no other, these are some of the traits in the companies recognized Friday as part of the 29th Industry Appreciation Awards put together by the Lee County Economic Development Office and other groups.

COVID-19 sent companies scrambling to figure out ways to get through and in some cases, assist residents.

That was the case with Fort Myers Brewing Company, according to the development office, the Horizon Council and the Horizon Foundation, which handed out honors at Caloosa Sound Convention Center in downtown Fort Myers.

The brewers were among the pair of honorees to take home the Business Resiliency and Innovation Award, which saluted those that successfully pivoted operations, products and services and helped the community in response to the pandemic.

The Fort Myers Brewing Company was Southwest Florida’s first local brewery and opened in March of 2013. It now has plans to expand the tasting room and taps.

Lee County's first craft brewery, opened in 2013 by the Whyte family, shifted operations with canned beverages to go and converted a portion of the operation to produce hand sanitizer.

"My husband and I started talking about whether we were capable to produce hand sanitizer," Jennifer Whyte said. "We produced a wash, which then got transferred to the Wicked Dolphin facility in Cape Coral. They distilled that wash further, (and) hence turned it into hand sanitizer. To be able to do something productive while your business is 80% shutdown is an incredible morale boost."

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The company also created projects to boost staff income, and the owners cut their salaries to ensure staff continued to receive health benefits, according to the nominators.

The Fort Myers Brewing Company, with in-person fundraisers too difficult to host because of COVID-19, created a six-pack and label in honor of Adyn Pickett, who is battling leukemia.

To raise money for young Adyn Puckett's battle against leukemia, it created a six-pack and label in honor of the child.

Christopher Spiro, chair of the Horizon Council, capped the mid-day event off by leading a toast through the complimentary beers that were surprisingly distributed to the 600 or so in attendance.

"Looking across this room and seeing (the) successful businesses in here, I feel it is only proper and necessary to raise these great Fort Myers Brewing cans of beer and toast all our winners," Spiro said.

Both pictured here, John Wright became executive vice president, CFO and COO after David Hall retired at Sanibel Captiva Community Bank this year. Craig Albert, who is not in the image, has continued as bank president and CEO.

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The other taking home the hardware in this category was Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, which was chartered in 2003 and, despite coronavirus, proved to be flexible. Its leaders said it offered customers more personal engagement and processed millions of SBA funds with high efficiency, which was key for thousands of Lee County businesses and residents.

Here are the rest of the awards, according to the organizers:

♦ The Community Steward of the Year Award was given to Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida, which through financial, volunteer and active involvement created a better quality of business and civic life. The group supports and serves many nonprofit organizations including Junior Achievement, Champions 4 Children, Residential Options of Florida and PACE Center for Girls - Lee.

Gary Tasman is CEO and principal broker of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida.

♦ The Innovator of the Year Award was presented to Cigent Technology and Energy Harness Corp., recognizing those that develop advanced technologies that have a positive impact on the growing economy. Cigent provides cybersecurity products. Energy Harness expanded its product line to introduce the Active-Airflow UVC fixture, which eliminates airborne pathogens including COVID-19.

CTO Gregory Scasny, left, and CEO Brad Rowe are two of the top officials at Cigent, a Fort Myers-based cybersecurity company.

♦ The Manufacturer of the Year Award was presented to Storm Smart, honoring efforts that exhibit excellence and growth in leadership, performance, profitability and workforce relations. Debuting 25 years ago, it is the largest manufacturer and installer of code-approved hurricane protection products in North America.

Brian Rist, founder and executive chairman, Storm Smart

♦ The Startup of the Year Award was awarded to Two39 Work, a technology company founded in 2018 that was honored for promoting community, collaboration and innovation. It has been attracting mentors to relocate to Southwest Florida, supporting entrepreneurs in the region and helping those who lost jobs to connect with local opportunities.

Matt Bernhardt , Reema Bhatia and Josh Zachritz of Stickboy Creative are bringing AI-powered solutions to local and national companies.

♦ The Small Business of the Year Award was awarded to Stickboy Creative, which was founded in 2007. Although known for software development, website design and mobile app development, the company treats itself as an incubator, constantly fostering the adoption of new technologies including machine learning and big-data analytics.

Hope Preserve, the land has been cleared and waiting to be developed for a couple of years. This year, things will start to happen. Stevens Construction is preparing to build its new headquarters, and Orthopedic Specialists of Southwest Florida are planning to develop there as well. Those businesses will flank the planned Hope Hospice headquarters and a new hotel that's in the planning stages.

♦ The Large Business of the Year Award was presented to Stevens Construction, which is marking its 18th anniversary. In addition to its original Fort Myers office, Stevens Construction has expanded to include offices in Orlando, Tampa and Sarasota. The Lee Building Industry Association has named Stevens Construction Contractor of the Year nine times since 2007.

Gary Griffin is president and CEO of B & I Contractors Inc.

♦ A special Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Gary Griffin, president of B&I Contractors. Griffin has served as both president of the Horizon Foundation and chairman of the Horizon Council, which is a public-private board that advises the Lee County Commission on economic development issues. The foundation is a fundraising vehicle to support the council and the economic development office.

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.