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Karen Moore is publisher of Southwest Florida Business Today. After a recent story about the American Rescue Plan funds distributed in Lee County, listeners requested Moore go into more detail about the result of how those funds were used She spoke with Carolyn Johnson with Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida, which was one of five other regional organizations to administer the funds.
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As regional economic recovery continues from COVID19 and Hurricane Ian, I caught up with Charlotte County Economic Development Director Dave Gammon, who recently spoke to a group of Southwest Florida commercial realtors.
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Post-Ian, it's been and will continue to be a challenging time for the hospitality industry and for the Southwest Florida community, particularly the restaurants. Without the hotels that we normally have on the coast full of guests, it's really challenging for the restaurants to function. In, Lee County, tourism employs 1 out of every 5 people. The area typically receives nearly 4.5 million visitors a year spending more than $4 billion. This year the numbers will be very different, according to Lee County Visitors & Convention Bureau Executive Director Tamara Pigott . But it's not all bad news.
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Karen Moore, Southwest Florida Business Today publisher, spoke with Tatum Walker, senior business developer for the Lee County Economic Development Office, about the $149 million that Lee County received from American Rescue Plan Act and where it was distributed.
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Lee County business and community leaders recently attended a meeting led by Small Business Administration executives. It was the first report card, if you will, for local SBA management, on how the SBA has done and is doing with helping Lee County businesses get back on their feet, and to better address and manage the recovery process moving forward.
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Locally and globally, the job category known as “the trades,” has been decreasing in employee numbers over the past several decades. This includes plumbers, HVAC and auto repair techs, as well as those working in some manufacturing positions, like machinists. The Southwest Regional Manufacturing Association is addressing this issue with a “Manufacturing Discovery Camp,” where people can learn about opportunities in the manufacturing field.
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Doesn’t it seem like we’ve been hearing a lot more about Artificial Intelligence in recent months? I mean, not that it’s coming, like we’ve been hearing for years—but that it’s actually here, now. I recently attended a presentation on AI given by 37-year technology veteran and local business owner, Joe Goldstein, who is also the best-selling co-author of “Tech Up or Lose out: How To Use Technology As A Competitive Advantage In Your Business."
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All eyes and ears were on the mayors of both Fort Myers Beach, Dan Allers, and Sanibel, Richard Johnson, when they recently shared island updates 7 months post-Hurricane Ian at a local commercial real estate meeting.
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For 10 years, Skyplex at the regional airport in Fort Myers has been heralded as a commercial zone that would change the region. To date, only a few office buildings by major players have been built there. Karen Moore reports on the latest updates provided by the head of commercial real estate firm Cushman Wakefield.
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The Lee County Long-Term Recovery Task Force hosted 19 community townhalls to hear directly from citizens on what the county could have done better to withstand and recover from Hurricane Ian. Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane shared the purpose of the task force with a group from the Southwest Florida Chamber of Commerce.