Fort Myers magazine 108604 SWFL brochure - web | Page 72

A Community in the
Spotlight
By Tessa LeSage,
Southwest Florida Community Foundation
T
here is no doubt about it. Lee
County has taken center stage.
After more than five years of
economic downturn and real estate
market challenges arguably second to
no other community in the U.S., Lee
County is back on the national stage
with a new twist. Headlines about
foreclosures and job loss are replaced
with celebrations of a Fortune 300
Company corporate headquarter
relocation and new opportunities
to fund 70 miles of a long-awaited,
multi-modal transportation system.
So what’s drawing the nation’s
attention to Lee County? The answer
is simple. It’s quality of life.
Protecting and capitalizing on
the qualities that make residents,
students, a workforce, and businesses
choose to invest here over anywhere
else promotes the community’s long-
term sustainability. Rather than
being stagnant during the recent
tough economic times, local leaders
focused on rethinking business as
usual and re-evaluating what sets this
community apart.
In May 2013, the Hertz Corporation
announced plans to move t he
company’s corporate headquarters
to Lee County. With more than 700
planned jobs at an average wage of
$102,000, Hertz intends to build a
300,000 square foot headquarters
office building at an estimated cost of
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more than $68 million. In terms of
tourism and car rentals, Florida is an
obvious choice for Hertz. However,
maintaining a focus on providing a
unique combination of community
assets and values is required for
businesses to choose Lee County now
and into the future.
The Hertz Corporation, like
many companies big and small,
is using sustainability as part of a
long-term business management
tool. This includes incorporating
industry best practices, protecting
the environment, and creating
community benefits. In Lee’s case,
our strategy is about supporting a
good quality of life that promotes