Member News

Araba Ladies
2020 Flower Show/Vendor Boutique
Sunday, March 15, 2020
12:30pm    Shopping and Cash Bar
1pm   Flower Show, vendors open
 
Araba Shriner’s Temple
2010 Hanson St, Fort Myers FL 33901

FORT MYERS, Fla. (January 28, 2020) – Interior Plant Scapes, Southwest Florida’s most respected plant care company, brings their expertise home with Pool & Patio Scapes.   The company’s Living Ambiance Plant program is now transforming residential pool and patio spaces.
 
“Living in Southwest Florida means spending a lot of time enjoying our outdoor spaces,” said Brad Miller, founder and president of Interior Plant Scapes and Pool & Patio Scapes. “Our Pool & Patio Scapes designers work with homeowners to create their dream patio. Gorgeous plants and planters are delivered, installed and cared for by our trained gardeners.  Best of all, every plant is 100% guaranteed.”
 
Pool & Patio Scapes Living Ambiance Plant program includes:

• Expert design and groupings
• Grade ‘A’ fancy foliage
• Stunning decorative containers
• Meticulous installation
• Professional plant care gardeners
• Unconditional plant guarantee

 
A home-grown business founded by Brad Miller, Interior Plant Scapes has been creating ambiance and a sense of arrival to commercial properties since 1983.  Today, Interior Plant Scapes has grown to include more than 400 of Southwest Florida’s most prominent businesses.   Interior Plant Scapes has more than two acres of greenhouses in South Fort Myers which means a huge inventory of gorgeous plants.
 
For more information call (239) 481-9100 or email [email protected] for a complimentary consultation.  Or visit www.poolandpatioscapes.com and request a free idea guide:  Pool & Patio Scapes Idea Guide and Portfolio – Ideas to Enhance Your Outdoor Living Spaces.  Pool & Patio Scapes is a division of Interior Plant Scapes — Creating Ambiance and Beautiful Spaces www.IPSplants.com
 
 
 
 
Elly Hagen
Elly Hagen Marketing & Public Relations
(239) 994.3927
[email protected]
 

Norman Love Confections date nights offers a sweet way to spend Valentine’s Day with the one you love

 
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2020) – Norman Love Confections is offering a lovely way to spend the most romantic time of the year with three days of Valentine’s Day date night indulgences.
The esteemed chocolatier offers date nights, allowing couples to partake in an elegant tasting menu of sweet and savory offerings, wine, and of course signature dessert creations before, during and after Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day Date Nights will be offered at specific seating times Thursday, Feb. 13, Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15 at the McGregor Chocolate & Dessert Salon, 13261 McGregor Blvd., Suite 105, in Fort Myers. Seatings Feb. 13 are 2:30, 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. and Feb. 14 and 15 at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Seating is limited, and reservations are required by calling 239-672-8797. Prices are $65 per couple without wine, $75 per couple with two glasses of wine and $80 per couple with a bottle of wine. Date night includes:

• A choice of red, white or sparkling wine

• A charcuterie cheese board featuring salami, prosciutto, coppa, rosemary ham, French brie, Pecorino Romano, herb goat cheese, cornichons, Kalamata olives, green olives and focaccia bread
• A vegetable quiche
• An elegant pastry for two
• A gift box featuring four heart-shaped pieces from the 2020 Norman Love Confections Valentine’s Day Collection
• Two dark chocolate-dipped strawberries
• A rose for each couple

Norman Love Confections also has introduced its limited-edition 2020 Valentine’s Day Collection featuring ultra-premium, hand-crafted white chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate confections with an artisanal twist. Flavors include: Caramel Passionfruit, Peanut Butter Caramel, Mango Orange, Raspberry Marzipan, Lemon Raspberry, Chipotle Lime, Coffee Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate Strawberry, Pineapple Rum and Vanilla Rum.
The Valentine’s Day Collection is available through Feb. 14 at NormanLoveConfections.com or in Norman Love Confections’ chocolate salons in Fort Myers, Naples and Estero. An assortment of the flavors along with a selection of Norman Love’s award-winning signature flavors will be included in a 10-piece heart-shaped box, 24- piece heart-shaped gift box, and 5- and 50-piece green signature gift boxes. The gift boxes are priced from $13.75 to $100. In addition, gift baskets filled with a variety of gourmet chocolate items will also be available, including the monthly “mystery boxes” filled with a themed assortment of four to five chocolate treats and limited-edition offerings, delivered to the recipient’s home. Gift towers filled with love and sweet Valentine’s Day desserts and chocolate-covered strawberries are available. Pre-order specialty desserts and custom cakes at least 48 hours in advance to ensure availability.
About Norman Love Confections
Founded in 2001 by Norman and Mary Love, Norman Love Confections creates and distributes handcrafted artisanal chocolates from its corporate headquarters at 11380 Lindbergh Blvd. in Fort Myers, Florida. The award-winning Fort Myers-based chocolatier has been lauded more than a dozen times by a leading consumer ratings magazine, including recognition six times for producing the best ultra-premium chocolates in the nation. Forbes.com included Norman Love Confections BLACK line on its list of the nation’s top 10 truffles; The Huffington Post listed it among the six best U.S. destinations in its Chocolate Lover’s Travel Guide; and USA Today named Love as one of its top 10 entrepreneurs for 2014. Love was named the inaugural inductee of Dessert Professional Magazine’s Chocolatier Hall of Fame, partnered with local chefs to present a six-course meal at the James Beard House in New York and Norman Love Confections was ranked among the top 10 shops in the world for chocolate lovers by U.K. media outlet Daily Telegraph.
Norman Love Confections has Chocolate Salons in Fort Myers, Estero and Naples, including a pastry shop and café at Whole Foods Market in Fort Myers salon. Chocolates, gift baskets, sipping chocolate and Love’s book, “Artistry in Chocolate, A Story of Love,” also can be ordered online at www.normanloveconfections.com. In addition, Norman Love Confections chocolates and desserts are offered on 18 Princess Cruises’ ships through the “Chocolate Journeys” partnership and at independent retail locations throughout the U.S. For more information visit www.normanloveconfections.com or call 239-561-7215.
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Media Contacts
Holly Boldrin, APR, CPRC, Priority Marketing, 239-267-2638, 239-887-9335 (cell) or [email protected]
Teri Hansen, APR, Priority Marketing, 239-267-2638, 239-849-3300 (cell) or [email protected]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2020) – Shell Point Retirement Community’s 2019-2020 Fine and Performing Arts Series continues its Performing Arts program with a performance entitled “Embraceable You: The Music of George Gershwin” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 at The Village Church auditorium on The Island at Shell Point, 15100 Shell Point Blvd. in Fort Myers. Tickets for this event cost $40 and can be purchased online at www.shellpoint.org/concerts or by phone at 239-454-2067.
 
Straight from the Broadway stage, Dean Balkwill and Lisa Ferguson Balkwill are triple threats brimming with charm and charisma, performing the music of George and Ira Gershwin – musical comedy at its finest. During the performance, guests will enjoy dance numbers, nostalgic ballads and romantic comedy, all backed by live musicians and set in the post-war Paris of 1948.
 
About Shell Point Retirement Community
Shell Point Retirement Community, founded in 1968, is a nonprofit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers, Florida. Shell Point offers independent retirement living, assisted living, and skilled nursing for its 2,500 residents in an active, resort-style environment. Lifestyle amenities include deep-water boating access with free dockage, a championship 18-hole golf course, and other recreational and educational activities. To learn more, visit www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
 
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Emily Rose, Public Relations Coordinator, Shell Point Retirement Community, 239-454-8245 or [email protected]
Emily Golden, Priority Marketing, 239-267-2638, 239-565-1595 (cell) or [email protected]
 

CUTLINE: Aubu A

Aubuchon Team of Companies presents $12,500 to Lee BIA Builders Care

FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2020) – Lee BIA Builders Care, the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA), has received a $12,500 donation from Aubuchon Team of Companies.

Funds will support Builders Care in its mission to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means.

“This generous contribution from Aubuchon Team of Companies will truly impact the lives of the homeowners and families we serve,” said Becky Swift, executive director of Lee BIA Builders Care. “We are continually grateful for their partnership as we work together to change lives, one project at a time.”

The impactful donation is a result of funds raised through Aubuchon Team of Companies’ annual fundraising event, “Helping Hands for the Holidays.” To date, Aubuchon Team of Companies has donated more than $128,500 to Lee BIA Builders Care through this annual fundraiser, fueling Lee BIA Builder Care’s efforts to support local homeowners and their families.

About Lee BIA Builders Care

The mission of Lee BIA Builders Care is to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners, and their families, who cannot obtain repairs through traditional means. Lee BIA Builders Care offers a full range of no-cost emergency construction services to improve the safety and health for needy seniors and disabled individuals of all ages by enlisting the expertise and donated services and materials of contractors, sub-contractors and businesses. To date, Lee BIA Builders Care has put more than $4.75 million in construction services back into the community at no cost to homeowners in need. Builders Care is funded through financial donations, grants and donated services and materials to provide emergency construction services to qualified homeowners throughout the community. Lee BIA Builders Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization under the charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association. Lee BIA Builders Care is headquartered at 6835 International Center Blvd. #4 in Fort Myers. Donations can be made online at www.LeeBuildersCare.org. More information is available by calling 239-938-0056, and by following Builders Care at www.Facebook.com/LeeBuildersCare.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2020) – Shell Point Retirement Community’s 2019-2020 Fine and Performing Arts Series continues its Performing Arts program with a performance entitled “Embraceable You: The Music of George Gershwin” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 at The Village Church auditorium on The Island at Shell Point, 15100 Shell Point Blvd. in Fort Myers. Tickets for this event cost $40 and can be purchased online at www.shellpoint.org/concerts or by phone at 239-454-2067.
 
Straight from the Broadway stage, Dean Balkwill and Lisa Ferguson Balkwill are triple threats brimming with charm and charisma, performing the music of George and Ira Gershwin – musical comedy at its finest. During the performance, guests will enjoy dance numbers, nostalgic ballads and romantic comedy, all backed by live musicians and set in the post-war Paris of 1948.
 
About Shell Point Retirement Community
Shell Point Retirement Community, founded in 1968, is a nonprofit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers, Florida. Shell Point offers independent retirement living, assisted living, and skilled nursing for its 2,500 residents in an active, resort-style environment. Lifestyle amenities include deep-water boating access with free dockage, a championship 18-hole golf course, and other recreational and educational activities. To learn more, visit www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
 
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Emily Rose, Public Relations Coordinator, Shell Point Retirement Community, 239-454-8245 or [email protected]
Emily Golden, Priority Marketing, 239-267-2638, 239-565-1595 (cell) or [email protected]
 

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.