Member News

FORT MYERS, FLA., January 13, 2020– The most successful opera company in Europe and the U.S. will be in Fort Myers February 3 to perform La Traviata, one of the world’s most famous stories of unrequited love.
Teatro Lirico D’Europa will perform at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on the Fort Myers campus of Florida SouthWestern State College, as part of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association 2018 season.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are available at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall by visiting https://barbarabmann.ticketsoffice.org or by calling the box office at 239-481-4849.
Prices are $35 for lower balcony and $25 for upper balcony seats.  A limited number of orchestra and mezzanine seating is available at $55 each.
“This is an amazing and very rare opportunity to hear these musicians in concert,” said Fort Myers Community Association President Mary Lee Mann.  “La Traviata has been playing to rave reviews throughout the country.”
La Traviata is the classic tale of unrequited love taking place in and aroiund Paris during the 1840s. Teatro Lirico D’Europa travels with a full orchestra of 47 to 50 members and a chorus of 40 singers.
Teatro Lirico D’Europa was created in 1988 by the late Yves Josse, a former ballet dancer and French arts promoter, and George Lalva, a young Bulgarian opera singer.  The collaboration was a huge success in a very short time, resulting in tours with more than 250 performances in a single season throughout France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Sicily and Portugal.
La Traviata is the third of five classical performances to be presented this season by the Fort Myers Community Concert Association.
The two remaining concerts are:

• Russian State Symphony Orchestra – February 10, 2020
• Russian National Ballet – March 2, 2020

The Fort Myers Community Concert Association, now in its 71st concert season, is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the legendary Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,700 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers in the past by the association include The Israel Ballet, Violinist Itzhak Perlman, The Boston Brass, Minnesota Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Pianist Andre Watts, Violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and many others.  For Community Concert Association membership information, visit www.fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org.
 
About the Fort Myers Community Concert Association
The Fort Myers Community Concert Association is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the legendary Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,700 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers in the past by the association include The Israel Ballet, The Boston Brass, Minnesota Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Violinist Itzhak Perlman, Flutist James Galway, Pianist Andre Watts, Violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and many others.

FORT MYERS, FL – Jan. 29, 2020 – Grab your sweetheart and celebrate Valentine’s Day or get a gift for your Love one at Zoomers, Fort Myers’ premier indoor/outdoor family fun center. Zoomers is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special deal. Get two wristbands for unlimited rides, two entrée combo meals – for just $60!
Have fun this Valentine’s Day! Take a break from the dinner and roses. Race on the track until your heart’s content and enjoy refreshments at the Sidetracked Bar & Grill.
Have plans already buy it online between February 10^th and 14^th, use it before February 29^th.
President’s Day– Got an extra day for President’s Day and don’t know how to celebrate? Come to Zoomers and Purchase a Wristband for just $20 to enjoy all our awesome rides and attractions, including go- karts.
Have fun from 10 am to 9 pm valid only on Monday, February 17^th 2020.
For more information about Zoomers, visit ZoomersFun.com or call 239-481-ZOOM (9666).
ABOUT ZOOMERS
Zoomers is an indoor/outdoor family entertainment center offering a large assortment of games, rides, and attractions, ideal for everyone ages 3 to 103. Outside, you will find Sidetracked Bar & Grille featuring signature cocktails for both kids and adults, delicious food, and fun bar games. Zoomers offers two go-kart tracks, a rollercoaster, mini golf, Midway Rides and much more. Inside, Zoomers offers a Family Fun Arcade, featuring a Winner’s Circle where prizes can be won. Zoomers can host large or small events in their party rooms, which feature panoramic views of the park and surrounding areas, making it perfect for parties, retreats or meetings.
Zoomers is located at 17455 Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, Florida, just before Fort Myers Beach and the Islands of Sanibel and Captiva. For more information call (239) 481-9666.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fort Myers, Fla (January 28, 2020) – With more and more adventurers seeking programs that totally immerse them in learning a new skill, Offshore Sailing School is launching a new six-day/7-night experiential course called Fast Track to Sailing™ that provides a Bachelor of Sailing Certificate for new and returning sailors.
“This industry-first Fast Track to Sailing Course is a result of comments we have received from our Learn to Sail course graduates over the past year, asking for a more intense course over more days that takes them through the advanced sailing level. This new course would also be an excellent refresher for anyone who learned how to sail but hasn’t been able to enjoy the sport in a while,” states Doris Colgate, President of Offshore Sailing School.
Taught on the school’s signature, award-winning Colgate 26 sailboats, this comprehensive course covers basic sailing, coastal navigation and advanced daysailing/cruising skills in 44 hours over six days.
Except for 1-1/2 days of in-depth classroom navigation education involving using charts and electronic equipment, participants in this immersive program are in on-water training sessions all other days – starting with a classroom lecture each morning and six hours of hands-on instruction, with a lunch seminar ashore.
Designed by Offshore Sailing School founder, Steve Colgate, for training new sailors and those who want to get into sailboat racing, the Colgate 26 is a highly responsive keelboat with substantial safety features and adjustments normally found on larger cruising boats. “This makes moving on to live-aboard cruising courses easy and fun,” states Colgate because, “in addition to learning how to sail really well, Part III of our Fast Track to Sailing Course prepares students to skillfully handle weather and other issues that can occur with little warning.”
The inaugural start date for Fast Track to Sailing is June 7, 2020 at Offshore Sailing School’s Captiva Island, Florida location. Students will stay ashore each night at South Seas Island Resort, set on 360 eco-acres surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Pine Island Sound where dolphins, manatees and shore birds make their home. For more details on this course and the US Sailing certifications that students will earn, please view Offshore Sailing School’s website here.
Offshore Sailing School was founded in 1964 by Olympian, America’s Cup Sailor and National Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Colgate. The school provides a full range of sailing and boating instruction with US Sailing & Powerboat certification – from beginning sailing to racing, advanced cruising, and passage making – at six locations in Florida and the British Virgin Islands. Offshore Sailing School continues its decades-long commitment to the national Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by supporting 24 Leukemia Cup Regattas across the country and LLS Fantasy Sail weekends. In the past ten years, Offshore Sailing School has generated over $175,000 to help LLS find the cures for blood cancers. The company also supports several other philanthropic causes and organizations located in the areas where its employees live, work and play.
For more information and hi-res images, contact Beth Oliver, Director of Sales and Marketing at 239-985-7516.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 29, 2020) – Continuing to enhance its image as a digital marketing leader, Juliana Metzner has been named Digital Marketing Coordinator at CONRIC PR & Marketing, president and chief marketing officer Connie Ramos-Williams announced.
“Juliana’s leadership, knowledge and experience in digital marketing are standout qualities that we welcome to our team as we build on our reputation as an industry leader,” Ramos-Williams said. “We will continue to invest in the expansion of our internal digital marketing team in 2020 in order to address the growing online branding, marketing and advertising needs of our loyal customer base.”
Metzner will develop and implement strategic digital marketing plans that focus on key initiatives that include brand reputation management, audience reach, engagement, and lead generation. Measurable digital marketing campaigns will involve website landing pages, blogs, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Yelp and other popular platforms. She will work directly with CONRIC clients and team members to manage accounts and projects.
“I like to work in an environment where I can continue to learn and grow,” Metzner said. “After a few years working at other agencies, I decided to join CONRIC because of its reputation, family-like environment, large team of professionals and opportunities available to enhance my career. I am excited to work with the agency’s clients and team.”
Metzner received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Florida Gulf Coast University and earned a Master of Arts in communication from Southern New Hampshire University. She has gained valuable public relations and communications experience working for various marketing agencies around Southwest Florida over the last several years.
Like CONRIC, Metzner believes in giving back to her community and profession. She currently serves as the digital newsletter chair for the Florida Public Relations Association SWFL Chapter and does volunteer work for the MS Center of SWFL.
CONRIC PR & Marketing
CONRIC PR & Marketing was founded in 2007. The award-winning, full-service agency provides strategic brand awareness campaigns, integrated public relations programs, marketing development and consulting services, advertising concept and campaigns, media buys, custom and niche publishing, creative writing and design, digital marketing strategies, website development and crisis communications strategy and implementation. The firm serves clients in many industry sectors including banking, legal, medical, government, not-for-profit, restaurant, manufacturing, construction, building and development, real estate, professional association, hospitality and salon & spa. CONRIC is a recipient of multiple regional, state and national awards for its creative design, content, marketing, advertising and public relations campaigns. For more information, please call 239-690-9840 or visit ConricPR.com.

Golf Concept with putting courses by TGR Design is coming to Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 28, 2020) – Stevens Construction has started construction of PopStroke, a technology-infused golf concept merging putting courses designed by TGR Design with food and beverages, announced Mark Stevens, president, Stevens Construction, Inc.

Located at 5551 Six Mile Commercial Court, PopStroke launches in Southwest Florida with its first location in collaboration with TGR Design. PopStroke will also include a full-service restaurant and bar, golf simulators, playground, televisions and indoor and outdoor seating.

Scheduled for completion in summer of 2020, PopStroke features a technology platform with an iPutt ball enabling guests to receive scores via the custom PopStroke app. Guests can compete against other patrons in a dynamic and social environment, which is displayed on a Jumbotron leaderboard. Food and beverages are also available to order on the app for delivery directly to the courses.

The Stevens Construction team includes project manager, Mark Pelafas; superintendent, Brad Bowers; and project administrator, Sue Ziegenfus. MHK Architecture & Planning is the architect of record.

About Stevens Construction, Inc.

With offices in Fort Myers, Tampa and Orlando, Fla., Stevens Construction specializes in providing construction management, general contracting and consulting services to clients and design professionals. Other services include site and design team selection, budgeting, project scheduling, permitting, cost and quality control and warranty service. The company builds healthcare, commercial and hospitality facilities. For information, visit www.stevensconstructioninc.com or call 239-936-9006.

About PopStroke Entertainment Group
PopStroke is an experiential golf and casual dining concept merging a dynamic, technologically-advanced competitive golf environment with food and beverage. Headquartered in Jupiter, Florida, PopStroke has a dedicated team of experienced professionals in the food, beverage and hospitality fields. PopStroke offers an expansive variety of craft beer, wine, ice cream and food and infuses technology within the golf experience to create an interactive and competitive atmosphere for all participants. Unique to PopStroke is the PopStroke app and Jumbotron leaderboard that interacts with the soon-to-be released “iPutt” golf ball which will enable players to track their scores electronically after each stroke.

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Feb. 18th: Breakfast for Beautification
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What?
Join Keep Lee County Beautiful at its next networking event with special guest speaker Dr. Jennifer Jones, Director of the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education within The FGCU Water School. Dr. Jones will be speaking on the importance of outdoor learning in Southwest Florida and the initiatives of the Water School.
 
Enjoy a light breakfast as you connect with local businesses, individuals, civic organizations, and community leaders interested in keeping Lee County a pristine place to live, work, and play.
 
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Emergent Technologies Institute (ETI) at Florida Gulf Coast University
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Tuesday, February 18, 2020
7:30am – 8:30am
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Our mission is to inspire, educate, and engage the Lee County community in improving, beautifying, and protecting our environment.
 
Click the DONATE button to make a tax-deductible donation to become a member and support Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc.
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2020) – The Lee County Board of Port Commissioners elected Brian Hamman as chair for 2020 during its first meeting on Jan.16. Frank Mann was elected as vice chair. The board, composed of the five Lee County commissioners, meets bi-monthly as the Board of Port Commissioners to set policy and direct the operations of Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field in Fort Myers. The other commissioners include John E. Manning, Cecil L Pendergrass and Ray Sandelli.
Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 10.2 million passengers in 2019 and is one of the top 50 U.S. airports for passenger traffic. Page Field provides services to corporate, commercial and private aviators and accommodated more than 116,000 aircraft operations in 2019. No ad valorem (property) taxes are used for airport operation or construction and both airports are funded solely with revenue generated from their operations. For more information, please visit www.flylcpa.com or Like Us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/flyRSW.
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Please note:  Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from Port Authority employees and officials regarding Port Authority business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your email communication may be subject to public disclosure.
 

March 10 event to recognize Marie Ackord, Marilyn Stout, Barbara Watt-Biggs
FORT MYERS, Fla., (Jan. 27, 2020) – Pace Center for Girls, Lee County has announced its 2020 Grande Dames Tea, which will honor three local women, Marie Ackord, Marilyn Stout and Barbara Watt-Biggs, for their roles in business, community and philanthropy. The three honorees will be recognized at Pace’s annual Grande Dames Tea celebration presented by the Gunterberg Charitable Foundation on Tuesday, March 10.
“This year’s Grande Dames are three phenomenal examples of women that have made great strides within their professions and who set the standard for community service through their years of impact right here in Southwest Florida,” said Meg M. Geltner, executive director at Pace Center for Girls, Lee County. “We look forward to celebrating Marie, Marilyn and Barbara for their wisdom, achievements and incredible life experiences at our 2020 Grande Dames Tea in March.”
Ackord, 81, was born the second of nine children to a sharecropper, living on a farm in Georgia before her family moved to Daytona Beach in 1943. From modest beginnings, she earned a scholarship to attend Bethune-Cookman College and was the first in her family to graduate from college. She moved to Southwest Florida in 1960 and started her 43-year career in education, over the years serving as a mathematics teacher at Carver High School in Naples and Dunbar High, North Fort Myers High and Dunbar Seventh Grade Center in Lee County, followed by a role as human relations specialist with the school district. An active member of the Southwest Florida community, Ackord was instrumental in establishing the Fort Myers Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Her leadership has guided the chapter in many achievements, including the foundation of its Deltas Life Development Center, which has provided college preparation services to thousands of local students since 1983. She has also served as a trustee and senior advisor and currently serves as a trustee emeritus of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, and is a member of Bethune-Cookman University Booster Club. She is a member of Saint John First Missionary Baptist Church where she serves on the board of directors and the Willing Workers Ministry.
Stout, 83, is a council member for the City of Cape Coral. Originally from Michigan, she worked as a secretary at the Selfridge Air Force Base and lived in six states and two foreign countries before moving to Cape Coral in 1982. Stout’s political career began in 1980, passing out literature for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign. Over the years, she has fulfilled many leadership roles for political organizations including the Republican Women’s Club of Cape Coral, Fort Myers Republican Women’s Club and the Florida Federation of Republican Women, also serving as a mentor for other local women beginning their careers in the political sector. Stout has a long history of community involvement, including serving 14 years on the board of Lee Health and organizations including Cape Coral Hospital Auxiliary, American Red Cross, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce and several others. She serves currently in many capacities, including as a deacon at Faith Presbyterian Church and on the board of directors for Cape Coral Kiwanis Club, the Cape Coral Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America and is concluding her run as president of the Uncommon Friends Foundation this year. She and her husband of 50 years, Tony, are together parents of four children and have many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Watt-Biggs, 83, is the founder of Century 21 Sunbelt Realty and philanthropist within the Cape Coral community. Watt-Biggs has called Cape Coral home since its population was only 30,000 and raised her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the area. With humble roots, she grew up on a small family farm in Oregon and toiled 20 years in the bar and restaurant industry in Alaska and Key West, with a short stint as a ship cook and deckhand with a fishing crew that sailed the deadly Bering Sea. She changed career paths when she was 47 years old, establishing Century 21 Sunbelt Realty in Cape Coral. Over the course of 36 years, she has grown the Sunbelt franchise from a four-person operation to a 400-person powerhouse covering Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Her leadership cultivated the company into the No. 1 Century 21 Real Estate office in the world in 2005, winning numerous awards and recognitions for her success. Watt-Biggs established a nonprofit foundation in her name, and over nine years has given hundreds of thousands to causes such as Easter Seals, no-kill animal shelters, police forces and several health care causes, including American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Hope Hospice and Lee Health.
The 12^th annual Grande Dames Tea event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 at Broadway Palm, 1380 Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers.
Ticket sales begin Feb. 3, with admission at $60 per person and $500 for tables of eight. Proceeds from the event benefit Pace and its strength-based, gender-specific programs that guide Pace girls in finding their voice and achieving their potential.
To learn more about the event and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee or call 239-425-2366.
About Pace Center for Girls, Lee County
Since 2007, Pace Center for Girls, Lee County has been providing girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training and advocacy. The gender-specific, strength-based program is one of 22 Centers throughout Florida, and is known throughout the nation as a best practices model for diverting girls from the juvenile justice system. Pace is a registered not-for-profit organization that relies on the support of individuals, businesses, civic/community organizations and churches in Lee County in order to serve girls and their families. Since its inception, Pace Center for Girls, Lee County has served more than 650 at-promise girls and young women, believing each one deserves an opportunity to find her voice, achieve her potential and celebrate a life defined by responsibility, dignity, serenity and grace. For more information on Pace Center for Girls, Lee County, call 239-425-2366 or visit www.pacecenter.org/locations/lee.
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FORT MYERS, FLA., January 23, 2020– The Siberian State Symphony Orchestra has canceled its Monday performance at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall due to a problem obtaining  visas to travel to the United States.
“We regret that the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra will not be here as planned.  We just received notification yesterday of the visa issue,” said Mary Lee Mann, president of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association, which was bringing the orchestra to Fort Myers as part of its 2020 concert series.
Mann said she worked throughout Wednesday to find a replacement for the cancelled performance and was able to secure the Siberian Virtuosi to perform March 19.  Ticket-holders for the January 27 performance can use their same tickets for the March 19 concert.
Ten violinists and a pianist comprise the award-winning Siberian Virtuosi, the State Ensemble of the Republic of Sakha, acclaimed for their energy, unique arrangements and virtuosity. The ensemble has gained an increasing popularity in Russia and around the world since it was founded in 1994, winning numerous international awards in Russia, France, Italy and Hungary. Their eclectic repertoire combines Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi with de Sarasate, Shor, Sibelius and many more.
The Fort Myers Community Concert Association, now in its 71st concert season, is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the legendary Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,700 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers in the past by the association include The Israel Ballet, Violinist Itzhak Perlman, The Boston Brass, Minnesota Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Pianist Andre Watts, Violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and many others.  For Community Concert Association membership information, visit www.fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org.