Marilyn Santiago, beaming with pride, held the glass trophy in her hands after accepting the APEX Award, one of seven awards presented Thursday night at the annual Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Awards at the downtown Caloosa Sound Convention Center.
“It is overwhelming,” said Santiago, a relative newcomer to the area, having moved here seven years ago. “I am very overwhelmed right now.”
Santiago owns two companies. As president of Sunshine Integrated Solutions, she promotes entertainers, authors and branded content. As partner and chief marketing officer of Creative Architectural Resin Products, she promotes a company that has become busier with the area’s many reconstruction projects after Hurricane Ian.
“We create architectural resin products,” Santiago said. “We replicate stone and wood out of polyurethane resin. We work with developers and construction companies, and we provide structural, architectural elements for the construction industry.”
Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman just finished his first year as president of the chamber. He emceed the awards ceremony, which had about 400 people in attendance.
Stefanie Ink Edwards accepted two awards. As CEO of Community Cooperative, which feeds those in need, she accepted both the Young Professional of the Year Award and the Non-Profit Excellence Award.
Will Prather, owner of Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, also fed those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and accepted the Community Impact Award.
“The past three years, if you start with [COVID-19] in 2020 and then Hurricane Ian, the entertainment industry has been very, very challenged,” Prather said. “But I’m very fortunate that the Broadway Palm has been here for 30 years. The community has been so supportive.”
Jen Whyte, co-owner of Fort Myers Brewing Co. and an APEX Award nominee this year, accepted the Entrepreneur of the Year Award on behalf of her husband, brewery co-owner Rob Whyte.
Spada Salon and Day Spa received the Small Business of the Year Award (50 or fewer employees), while Stevens Construction received the Large Business of the Year Award.
“Our industry was devastated through the hurricane,” said Stevens Construction Executive Vice President Dan Adams, who accepted the award. “Right now, supply chain, manpower, everything’s a problem. To have a little win this year, that’s great.”
