40 Under 40

Movers and shakers, rising stars, the new guard. Call them what you will-Southwest Florida's future is in the hands of these dynamic young professionals. For the third straight year, we're saluting an exceptional group of individuals under 40 years old. Executives, educators, public servants and many other professionals make up this year's diverse list. We sought people who have distinguished themselves on the job and in the community-folks who will help usher our bustling region into the future and overcome the challenges that will be encountered along the way.

Our editors reviewed a multitude of worthy nominees-and they had to make some tough calls. So if you didn't make the final cut, you might just see yourself on the list next year. We're confident this year's 40 under 40 will be the ones to help maintain Southwest Florida's fine quality of life and set standards for new generations of leaders. Read on and catch a glimpse of our future.

Cindi Alpert

Talent, ambition and a winning personality have fueled the career of WAVV general sales manager Cindi Alpert, 34, who got into radio as an on-air morning traffic reporter in Columbus, Ohio, while she was still a college student.

"I went up in the traffic helicopter every day before classes started," says Alpert, who soon was known by such nicknames as Hel-en Wheels, E-laine Change and I-Vanna Merge. While she enjoyed being an on-air personality, her true love is sales, which she's done for WAVV since 1997.

But her sales focus hasn't kept her out of the limelight. In addition to participating in charity tournaments for the Executive Women's Golf Association of Naples, Alpert regularly sings the national anthem to open games for the Florida Everblades and the Miami Heat. Her latest goal: rising to the challenges of working mom after the recent birth of daughter Caroline.

-Pamela Krol

Brad Black

With a passion for real estate, an interest in business development and a bit of luck, Brad Black, 33, helped lead Stock Development from a startup in 2001 to a company with $608 million in revenues in 2004.

Black moved to Southwest Florida in 1994 and worked in land development before joining Stock. "It was pretty much me and Brian [Stock] at his kitchen table," he says. As chief financial officer and chief operating officer, Black credits Stock's ability to make quick decisions and buy property at good prices as the reasons for its success. He enjoys being involved in all aspects of the business, which has more than 500 employees.

"The most exciting thing is seeing our employees grow and come to work where everybody feels it's not a job," he says.

He saw that last September, when for three weeks, Stock's staff, including its country-club cooks, fed at least 500 hurricane victims a day. "We still have people sending letters and pictures saying thank you," he says.

-Lori Johnston

Brandee Bryant

Although Brandee Bryant has lived in Southwest Florida for only a year, she now oversees one of Fort Myers' most important annual events-February's Edison Festival of Light. At 26, she's the youngest executive director in history; and although her youth might initially cause some hesitation from others, "as soon as anyone gets to know me, there's no problem. I'm definitely a go-getter," she says.

"She came into the job with skills and talent beyond her years," says Tom Smoot, president of the festival's board of directors. "She has been instrumental in dramatically expanding the capabilities of our organization."

Previously a promoter for Feld Entertainment, Bryant works year-round to produce the homage to Thomas Edison. "I don't think people realize the amount of preparation that goes into this event-and that my job is not over at the end of February," she says. "But I'm lucky to have the opportunity to bring Edison to the forefront of people's minds. The more I learn about him, the more fascinated I am."

-Beth Luberecki

Jason Camp

Succeeding in professional sports, whether as an athlete or a business professional, requires toil and perseverance. Jason Camp knows the drill well.

"The harder I work, the luckier I get," says Camp, 32, tournament director of the ACE Group Classic. Under Camp's guidance, the Naples golf tourney drew record crowds and yielded more than $330,000 for local charities.

Camp has worked his way up through several sports positions, including serving as assistant director of spring training for the Florida Marlins in 1997, the year they won the World Series. He became the youngest vice president in the NHL when he was with the Florida Panthers from 1999 to 2003.

Camp, who began his career working as an intern for the Marlins while attending the University of Florida, cites honesty and the ability to grow partnerships as keys to success in his field.

"A bad reputation can grow quickly in this industry," he says. "But so can a good one."

-Pamela Krol

Chris Cifatte

No story is too big-or too small-for WINK-TV news anchor Chris Cifatte, 38. While working his way up at stations in Greenville, S.C., and Salisbury, Md., he covered the sort of news events young reporters dream about-from the late Pope John Paul II's visit to Baltimore and the 2000 presidential debates to the death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt. But making an impact locally gives Cifatte the most satisfaction these days. As Channel 11's anchor, recently named to succeed retiring veteran Jim McLaughlin in the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts, Cifatte comes to the aid of wronged consumers with his Call for Action segment. And he's proud his recent reports on human trafficking in the area are helping to give viewers "top-of-mind awareness of the issue."

But for Cifatte, simply getting the word out isn't enough-it's about results: Since it first aired more than 15 years ago, Call for Action has recovered almost $2 million for Southwest Florida residents. "It's as close to directly helping people as you can get on television," he says.

-Hobart Rowland

Brian Dunn

During a late-night trip to the kitchen for some ice water, Brian Dunn, 38, closed his freezer door and saw some artwork by his niece fall off the refrigerator.

Dunn, chief executive officer of Serefex, figured he could fix it with a product that had already been developed by his company: a patented coating product called Attracta Magnet.

Dunn hopes his Fridge Tape, which is sticky on one side and magnetic on the other, will become a household name and ensure Serefex's survival. Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Do It Best sell the product, and Publix is the latest retailer to order Fridge Tape.

Dunn says Serefex still has a ways to go with Fridge Tape, and it's already taken hard work to turn around the Naples company, which was more than $2 million dollars in debt just a couple of years ago.

"There was a real heartfelt plea to make this work and save this company," says Dunn. "We're going to build this into a successful, growing company."

-Lori Johnston

Mike Early

As a founder of Synergy Networks, Mike Early, 37, has experienced many milestones with the fast-growing business Internet provider.

Last year's hurricane season was definitely one of those times. Among the customers using the company's data center and Internet access was Waterman Broadcasting, which saw its Web site traffic increase by 3,000 percent with its coverage of Hurricane Charley.

"We realized how many people used their Web site to see what was going on," says Early, Synergy's vice president of sales and marketing. "We got accolades because we never went down."

Founded in 1999, Fort Myers-based Synergy now has more than 2,500 customers in Florida, mostly businesses.

"It's been hard work," he says. "Our vision is building an organization where we believe in mentoring young businesspeople who want to come on board and learn from us," he says.

-Lori Johnston

Eric Feichthaler

To say that Eric Feichthaler was a dark horse in this year's Cape Coral mayoral race would be an understatement. A political novice, the 33-year-old tax attorney faced Arnold Kempe, an incumbent old enough to be his grandfather. Advocating can-do leadership and smoothing Cape Coral's rocky relationship with the rest of Lee County, Feichthaler poured $100,000 of his own money into the campaign. It paid off: He's now Cape Coral's second youngest mayor ever.

An only child in a poor household headed by a disabled father, Feichthaler relied on hard work and the generosity of others to advance. His college education-first at the University of Miami, then at Georgetown and New York universities-was paid for in part by scholarships from Cape Coral organizations. And while his law practice took him as far away as Melbourne, Australia, he found his way back home. "As far as I'm concerned, I've never left," he says, adding that he has no future political ambitions, "just to serve Cape Coral."

-Hobart Rowland

Ryan Goldberg

Ryan Goldberg, 33, credits the opportunities he's been given, along with a can-do attitude, for his business success. "I stay away from negativity. It's not about placing blame; it's about how we, as a team, can make things better," he stresses.

As regional president for AmSouth Bank, Goldberg leads 150 employees at 13 branches in Lee and Charlotte counties. He's been with the bank for 12 years and is responsible for all retail and consumer banking, small business and commercial mortgages, and wealth management.