The Power Players

The leaders who help guide and enrich Southwest Florida’s communities are found in an array of organizations, such as educational institutions, large corporations, small businesses, healthcare, media and nonprofits. But when it comes to power, these folks have a great deal in common. These are individuals whose knowledge and authority can yield critical and timely results, sometimes without question. We call them “power players,” and this year we’ve chosen 54 to highlight.

To help arrive at the current list, we invited nominations from readers, and they didn’t disappoint. We received dozens of suggestions, which were examined by our judges, who ultimately settled on the final roster. For our lineup of Gulfshore Business power players, we tended to focus on those individuals who influence our own communities and who gained attention during the year for their accomplishments. The 2011 grouping contains many of the people we featured last year, but there are also a significant number of newcomers.

Patti Allen

Hired as the general manager of Fisherman’s Village in 2004, Allen was immediately challenged by Hurricane Charley. She rallied her team and was able to re-open some vendors within days of the hurricane. Putting her heart and soul into everything in Punta Gorda, Allen serves on the Chamber Government Affairs Committee as an associate director.

Lucas Benitez

The co-director of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ Campaign for Fair Food has successfully battled McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway and Taco Bell for an industry-wide net penny-per-pound surcharge to increase wages for all Florida tomato harvesters. The organization is currently focusing on Publix.

Samira Beckwith