Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance




About The Alliance
The Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance (the Alliance) helps companies expand and grow in Southwest Florida, assisting with site location, incentives, talent attraction, process navigation, and regional data. Led by private industry, the Alliance understands what it takes to have a company be successful.
The Alliance serves as a non-parochial economic development coordinator to site selectors, real estate consultants and targeted companies, working in collaboration with the local economic development organizations.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected], or at 239.208.7627 or Toll Free: 844.707.SWFL (7935)
Board of Directors
The Alliance is governed by a Board of Directors of prominent local business and community leaders.
The Board of Directors is comprised of the following members:
Officers & Executive Committee
- Russell P. Schropp
Chair
Vice President
Attorney At Law
Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. - Gary Griffin
Chair-Elect
President
B & I - Alan D. Reynolds
Past Chair
Regional Business Leader
Stantec - Richard Grant
Secretary
Founding Partner
Grant, Fridkin, Pearson, P.A. - Michael Wynn
Treasurer
President
Sunshine Ace Hardware - Laura Holquist
Vice President
President
LAH Group Advisors, LLC - Susan Pareigis
President & CEO
Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance
Board Members
Board Members
- Roger Desjarlais
County Manager
Lee County - Dr. Robert Jones
Regional VP Economic and Community Development
Florida SouthWestern State College - Jason Korn
Managing Director
Cohen & Grigsby P.C. - John Manning
Commissioner – District 1
Lee County Board of Commissioners - Michael V. Martin, Ph.D.
President
Florida Gulf Coast University - John D. Meyer
President
Hodges University - Leo Ochs
County Manager
Collier County - Sarah Owen
President and Chief Executive Officer
SWFL Community Foundation - Fred Pezeshkan
Chairman
Summit Management Group, LLC - Christopher T. Spiro
Chief Creative Officer
Spiro & Associates - John Talmage
Director
Lee County Economic Development - Penny Taylor
Commissioner – District 4
Collier County Board of County Commissioners - Christopher Westley, Ph.D.
Director, Regional Economic Research Institute
Florida Gulf Coast University
The organization structure also includes two sub-committees reporting to the Executive Committee:
- The Marketing Advisory Committee comprised of participating local EDO directors.
- The Investor Advisory Committee includes cornerstone investors who wish to participate.

Susan Pareigis, Alliance President
The organization structure also includes four sub-committees reporting to the Executive Committee:
- The Budget / Finance
- Investor / Communications
- Marketing / Lead Generation
- Nominating