Gulfshore Business Magazine’s Best of Business readers’ poll, now in its fifth year, generated record-setting participation, with more than 7,000 unique votes cast for hundreds of businesses—an increase of roughly 1,600 more than those submitted in 2016.

Online polling was conducted at www.SurveyMonkey.com, where respondents were required to provide a valid name and email address so that people could cast only one vote. The winners in each category are listed as well as the immediate runners-up (in alphabetical order).

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FINANCE/INSURANCE

BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM: With offices in Fort Myers and Naples, Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., P.A. helps clients navigate the complexities of accounting and finance by offering a range of services including individual and business tax planning and preparation, litigation support, forensic accounting and human resources consulting.

FINALISTS 
HILL, BARTH, & KING LLC
WIEBEL, HENNELS & CARUFE, PLLC

BEST FINANCIAL ADVISORY FIRM: Doug Conroy works as an Edward Jones financial advisor who helps a select group of families, business owners, and professionals and executives on their finances and investments. His specialties include retirement planning, tax advantaged investment strategies, estate planning, and portfolio design.

FINALISTS 
ANDREW HILL INVESTMENT ADVISORS INC.
HBKS WEALTH ADVISORS

BEST INSURANCE BROKERAGE COMPANY: Baldwin Krystyn Sherman, which has offices in Naples and Fort Myers, is an independent insurance brokerage firm providing private risk management, commercial risk management and employee benefits programs. It is one of the largest privately held firms in Florida.

FINALISTS 
BROWN AND BROWN INSURANCE
GULFSHORE INSURANCE

BEST REGIONAL BANK: Regions Bank offers customers a personal banking experience, with stability, ease of mind and expertise that showcases their services. As a member of the S&P 500 Index, Regions is one of the largest full-service banking providers in the nation with nearly 1,500 banking offices and 1,900 ATMs.

FINALISTS 
IBERIABANK

SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION

BEST COMMUNITY BANK: First Florida Integrity Bank has seven full-service offices, with $1.3 billion in assets as of March. Headquartered in Naples, it was founded in 2009 by banking veterans Gary Tice and Garrett Richter.

FINALISTS 
EDISON NATIONAL BANK
SANIBEL/CAPTIVA COMMUNITY BANK

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BUILDING/REAL ESTATE

BEST ARCHITECTURE FIRM: Weber Design Group has created residential architecture for clients since its start in 1991. With a boom in commercial requests, the company has expanded its professional services to include projects such as Grassland Professional Park in Lakeland and Eurocar Car Dealership in the Cayman Islands.

FINALISTS 
MHK ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING
STUDIO +

BEST COMMERCIAL BUILDER: DeAngelis Diamond, founded in 1996, is headquartered in Naples and works with a variety of public and private building types, from healthcare and educational centers to corporate and public spaces. The company also specializes in green building.

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DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: DeAngelis Diamond, which was founded in 1996 by John DeAngelis (left) and David Diamond (right), is headquartered in Naples and works with a variety of public and private building types, from healthcare and educational centers to corporate and public spaces. The company also specializes in green building.

FINALISTS 
GATES CONSTRUCTION
GCG CONSTRUCTION

BEST RESIDENTIAL BUILDER: BCB Homes has been building custom homes in Naples, Collier County, Lee County and the surrounding Southwest Florida area since 1993. Its services also include renovations, additions, green building and routine home maintenance.

FINALISTS:
LONDON BAY HOMES
STOCK DEVELOPMENT

BEST COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENCY: Premiere Plus Realty Co. helps clients find commercial real estate in Southwest Florida. The company provides sales and leasing services in Lee and Collier counties.

FINALISTS 
CRE CONSULTANTS, LLC
LANDQWEST COMMERCIAL

BEST RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENCY: John R. Wood Properties opened in 1958 to serve the entire Southwest Florida region. The firm also has a network of independent brokers globally with 4,100 offices and more than 130,000 sales associates in 65 countries.

FINALISTS 
DENNY GRIMES & CO.
PREMIERE PLUS REALTY CO.

EST ENGINEERING FIRM: GFA International Inc. is an engineering and geological consulting organization that focuses on environmental, geotechnical, constructing materials testing, inspections and code compliance services for a broad spectrum of industries.

FINALISTS 
FORGE ENGINEERING INC.
VELOCITY INC.

BEST INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM: Dwayne Bergmann Interiors consists of conceptual artists and offers a full range of conception-to-completion services—architecture, building and visionary interior design—for planning a new home from the ground up or remodeling.

EXCELLENCE BY DESIGN: DWAYNE BERGMANN INTERIORS boasts a design team of conceptual artists and offers a full range of conception-to-completion services—architecture, building and visionary interior design—for planning a new home from the ground up or remodeling.

FINALISTS 
DESIGN WEST
STUDIO +

BEST REMODELING COMPANY: BCB Homes has a remodeling division to help clients with various types of projects from rebuilding the entire interior of a home, to moving walls and bringing the home up-to-date with current Florida Code requirements, to simply remodeling a bathroom.

FINALISTS 
GCG CONSTRUCTION INC.
KGT REMODELING

BEST LANDSCAPE COMPANY: Greenscapes has been providing landscape management services in Collier and Lee counties since 1962 and has since expanded its reach into Charlotte County. Its team includes state-certified landscape contractors, a horticulturist consultant, pest control specialists and an irrigation contractor.

FINALISTS 
BLUE LANDSCAPE CONTRACTING GROUP
JUNIPER LANDSCAPING

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COMPANY

BEST LARGE COMPANY:  Sunshine Ace Hardware is a family-owned hardware store that delivers quality service to customers in Southwest Florida. In 2011, the Ace Hardware Corporation awarded it the “Coolest Hardware Store” award. Today, it continues the tradition of being your hardware store of choice.

FINALISTS 
ARTHREX

DEANGELIS DIAMOND

BEST SMALL COMPANY: Premiere Plus Realty Co. moved into the Naples market in October of 2003 after 40-plus years of family real estate businesses in the Northeast U.S. The firm has offices in downtown Naples, North Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs and Cape Coral.

FINALISTS 
ABOVE BOARD CHAMBER OF FLORIDA
PLC CLOSETS

BEST FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESS: Larson Educational Services, with 30 years of real estate training and professional education experience, is based in Fort Myers and is an approved Florida Real Estate School, Florida CAM School, Florida Insurance School and NMLS Approved Course Provider.

FINALISTS 
PREMIERE PLUS REALTY CO.
SUNSHINE ACE HARDWARE

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FOOD/HOSPITALITY/ENTERTAINMENT

BEST CATERER: Created by Chef Brian Roland in 2012, Crave Culinaire has become a success through its vision of gastronomy. It offers conventional catering, with personal chef concierge services through in-home dining, cooking classes, customized event catering and more.

FINALISTS 
ARTICHOKE AND CO.
SAGE EVENTS, LLC

BEST AFTER-WORK GATHERING PLACE: Cru is a recognized restaurant-bar at the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers that is known for
its American tapas. Its menu includes sweet and sour octopus, dried aged duck breast and buffalo bolognese.

FINALISTS 
7TH AVENUE SOCIAL
SOUTH STREET CITY OVEN AND GRILL

BEST INDEPENDENTLY OWNED RESTAURANT: Bleu Provence is an award-winning French restaurant with a cottage-style decor. Its slow-cooked menu includes boneless wagyu short ribs, duck leg confit and pork shank. The restaurant has been open since 1999 and has a selection of more than 30,000 bottles.

FINALISTS 
EL GAUCHO INCA RESTAURANT
SUMMERLIN JAKE’S
SEAFOOD AND STEAKS

BEST POWER LUNCH: Shula’s Steak House is located in Naples. The restaurant is part of former football coach Don Shulas’s steakhouse chain and is well-known for its aged beef.

FINALISTS 
EL GAUCHO INCA RESTAURANT
USS NEMO’S

VERANDA

BEST ENTERTAINMENT VENUE: Artis—Naples is the home to the Naples Philharmonic and The Baker Museum. The venue is Florida’s hub for visual and performing arts, hosting more than 800 concerts, performances, exhibitions and education events for children and adults.

FINALISTS 
BARBARA B. MANN PERFORMING ARTS HALL

SIX BENDS HARLEY-DAVIDSON

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CREATIVE

BEST JEWLER: Mark Loren has been creating custom-designed jewelry at Mark Loren Designs since founding the company in 1982. The firm has a goldsmithing studio and gallery in Fort Myers. Services include jewelry inspection and cleaning, diamond setting and re-cutting, and watch repair and batteries.

FINALISTS 
BIGHAM JEWELERS
DIAMOND DISTRICT

BEST FLORIST: Gene’s 5th Ave. Florist has been serving the Naples area since 1974. It is family owned and operated with two locations. Voted Best Florists in Gulfshore Life magazine, Gene’s offers floral arrangements and gifts.

FINALISTS 
FLORAL ARTISTRY
FORT MYERS FLORIST

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MEETING/LODGING

BEST CONFERENCE OR MEETING CENTER (HOTEL): Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa has more than 73,000 square feet of function space, including 31,000 square feet of indoor space, 42,000 square feet of outdoor space and 7,261 square feet of pre-function space.

FINALISTS 
HILTON NAPLES
THE RITZ-CARLTON

BEST CONFERENCE OR MEETING CENTER (NON-HOTEL): Endeavor Innovative Workspaces offers private offices, co-working spaces and conference rooms, laid out to promote collaboration. Other perks include reception and guest check-in, a shared kitchen and high-speed fiber-optic Internet.

MEETING OF MINDS:  ENDEAVOR INNOVATIVE WORKSPACES features private offices, co-working spaces and conference rooms, laid out to promote collaboration. Other perks offered by Endeavor, led by Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Bupp (left) and owner Bjorn Rosinus (right), include reception and guest check-in, high-speed fiber-optic Internet, a shared kitchen and even showers.

FINALISTS 
HARBORSIDE EVENT CENTER
VENUE NAPLES

BEST BUSINESS HOTEL: Hilton Naples is a full-service, four-diamond hotel with more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space that offers a complete conference, catering and audio-visual team. Guests receive complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access and onsite garage parking.

FINALISTS 
HYATT REGENCY COCONUT POINT RESORT AND SPA
THE RITZ-CARLTON BEACH RESORT

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LEGAL

BEST LARGE LAW FIRM: Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, PA is
one of the largest law firms between Tampa and Miami, with 55 attorneys. Founded in Fort Myers in 1924, it currently operates offices there and in Bonita Springs, Sanibel and Naples.

FINALISTS 
PAVESE LAW FIRM
QUARLES AND BRADY LLP

BEST SMALL LAW FIRM: Founded in 2010, Woods, Weidenmiller, Michetti, Rudnick & Galbraith offers digital business technologies that simplify, safeguard and organize client account data, documents and communications for optimum management and timely filings, as well as updates and retrieval. The firm has offices in Naples, Florida and Indianapolis.

FINALISTS 
BARBARA M. PIZZOLATO
FAMILY FIRST LEGAL GROUP

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HEALTH/EDUCATION/CHARITY

BEST MEDICAL CENTER: NCH Baker Hospital Downtown offers advanced heart, cancer, obstetric, newborn, orthopedic and pediatric care. It is part of the two-hospital NCH Healthcare System, which has a total of 716 beds and provides care for more than 40,000 patients.

FINALISTS
GULF COAST REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
HEALTHPARK MEDICAL CENTER

BEST VETERINARIAN/ANIMAL HOSPITAL: Serving the community
since 2008, Angel Animal Hospital and Boarding offers a wide variety of veterinary care that includes general wellness exams, laser therapy and laser surgery, senior
pet wellness and grooming services.

FINALISTS 
GULF COAST HUMANE SOCIETY
HARBORSIDE ANIMAL CLINIC

BEST RETIREMENT COMMUNITY: Vi at Bentley Village is a senior living community in Naples, where residents have access to a private 18-hole golf course, two clubhouses, a care center and walking trails.

FINALISTS 
MOORINGS PARK
SHELL POINT RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

BEST CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION: Foundation for Lee County Public Schools is a nonprofit foundation that focuses on helping Lee County schools acquire the necessary resources to provide students and educators with the tools needed to reach success.

BEST IN CLASS: FOUNDATION FOR LEE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS is a nonprofit organization helmed by President and CEO Marshall T. Bower (center) that focuses on helping Lee County schools acquire the necessary resources to provide students and educators with the tools needed to reach success.

FINALISTS 
GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INC.
NAPLES CHILDREN & EDUCATION FOUNDATION

BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL: Canterbury School in Fort Myers is an independent, college-preparatory school founded on academics, leadership, character and service. In 2014, Canterbury School celebrated its 50th anniversary.

FINALISTS 
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF NAPLES
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

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SERVICE

BEST CHARTER AIRLINE: With highly-certified pilots and accommodations to 48 states and the Bahamas and Caribbean, Naples Air Inc. provides business, vacation and air ambulance services to fit all needs. This company offers more than 100 years of combined flying experience with 12 years of local ownership and management.

FINALISTS 
AERONAUTICAL CHARTERS INC.
PARAGON CHARTER

BEST TRANSPORTATION COMPANY: Naples Transportation
& Tours has been a family business since 1990, providing transportation services in Southwest Florida 24/7, with more than 60 vehicles and 75 chauffeurs.

FINALISTS 
DOLPHIN TRANSPORTATION SPECIALISTS
ISLAND TRANSPORTATION

BEST DRY CLEANERS: Tide Dry Cleaners, which has locations in Bonita Springs and Naples, offers drive-thru valet and 24-hour services. Tide provides inspection of garments for stains, damage, missing or broken buttons, and caters to special instructions from its customers.

FINALISTS 
FASHION FRESH DRY CLEANING AND ALTERATIONS
PLATINUM DRY CLEANERS

BEST STAFFING FIRM: Bear Staffing Services recruits high qualifying candidates with a recruiting model that involves reducing the number of unqualified candidates into their system. The company focuses on skilled and semiskilled positions in historically high turnover industries.

FINALISTS 
BANYANBROWN EMPLOYMENT SOLUTIONS INC.
EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS

BEST HVAC COMPANY: Conditioned Air is one of the largest air conditioning contracting and service firms in the area, employing more than 330 people in Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties. The company serves both commercial and residential sectors, and was purchased by the present ownership in 1993.

FINALISTS 
BRUNO AIR

UNITED MECHANICAL INC.

BEST INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMPANY: Entech, headquartered in Fort Myers and in business for nearly 20 years, is a full-service technology solution provider specializing in Managed IT Services for businesses ranging from 20 users to enterprise organizations with hundreds of users.

FINALISTS 
CRS TECHNOLOGY CONSULTANTS
TEAMLOGIC IT NAPLES

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY: Preferred Travel of Naples, founded by President and CEO Wilma Boyd in 1984, has a team of more than 60 domestic and international travel specialists, and provides worldwide leisure and corporate travel services to individual clients and groups.

FINALISTS 
AAA

MAD TRAVEL/TRAVEL LEADERS

BEST COMMERCIAL MOVING COMPANY: The roots of William C. Huff date to 1908 when John Cote and a friend were hired by a neighbor to move a piano. Fifty years later, William Huff took over the small two-man moving business. Jim L. Henderson bought the company in 1988.

FINALISTS 
BEST MOVING AND STORAGE (TIE)
HILTON MOVING AND STORAGE (TIE)
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

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GOLF/WELLNESS

BEST COUNTRY CLUB: Windstar on Naples Bay is a members-owned club open to both residents and nonresidents. Amenities include an 18-holeTom Fazio championship golf course, tennis courts, waterfront dining, a wellness center and a 72-slip deep-water yacht basin.

FINALISTS 
FOREST COUNTRY CLUB
NAPLES LAKES COUNTRY CLUB

BEST YOGA STUDIO: Green Monkey is
a yoga studio that encourages customers to practice yoga and connect with their personal well-being. Currently, Green Monkey has two studios in Naples where individuals can train and empower their quality of life.

FINALISTS 
YOGA BIRD
YOGA LOFT

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ADVERTISING/PR/WEB

BEST ADVERTISING AGENCY (TIE): CONRIC PR & Marketing focuses on individuals and various sized businesses across Southwest Florida in need of creative branding, marketing, advertising, public relations and more.

The website design services at Quenzel & Associates deliver a user-centered website optimized for the visitor’s experience, major search engine algorithms and management.

FINALISTS 
ADSOURCE

SPIRO & ASSOCIATES

BEST PR FIRM: With 10 years of experience, Pushing the Envelope is a marketing communication firm that focuses on developing strategies to bring more business to clients. Its services include marketing and branding, public relations and digital marketing.

FINALISTS 
CONRIC PR & MARKETING
E. SUE HUFF & ASSOCIATES INC.

BEST WEB DESIGN FIRM: Quenzel & Associates is a marketing agency that focuses on advertising, branding and website design. The agency is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise.

FINALISTS 
B3 MARKETING LLC
FULLER ONLINE SOLUTIONS