PHOTO PROVIDED Rowdy Gaines

TRUST COMPANY TO HOST SPEAKER SERIES

The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company will kick off its Speaker Series on March 6 at 10 a.m. at BIG ARTS, at 900 Dunlop Road on Sanibel, with a continental breakfast to begin at 9:30 a.m.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Rowdy Gaines will present the program, “Gold Medal Memories and a Look to Paris 2024.”

A member of the U.S. Olympic and International Swimming Halls of Fame, he will tell tales from his competitive swimming days and his view from the press box for the past 30 years as NBC’s swimming analyst. A native of Florida, Gaines set 10 world records between 1978 and 1984. He has covered swimming at the Olympic Games since 1992.

The program is designed for people with $2 million and higher in investable assets.

SUNCOAST EQUITY MANAGEMENT From left, David Wright, Gabriela Bell, John Gee, Robin Cook and Chris Heidrick.

Registration is required.

To make a reservation, contact 239-472-8300 or festeger@sancaptrustco.com.

SUNCOAST HOSTS FINANCIAL PRESENTATION

Suncoast Prosperity Advisors Senior Vice President Robin Cook hosted a panel of local experts on Feb. 15 at The Community House on Sanibel to discuss real estate, insurance and mortgage lending strategies.

She was joined by panelists Realtor John Gee of John Gee & Co. Realtors, Heidrick and Company Insurance Agency Principal Chris Heidrick and Sanibel Captiva Community Bank Senior Vice President of Residential Lending David Wright.

RUSSELL K. PHOTO From left, Kevin Van Eck, Thad Wong, Natalie Hamrick, Corey McCloskey, Nikki Wood, Ron Howard and Mike Golden.

The panel shared its outlook and answered questions related to current and future market value of post-Hurricane Ian damaged homes, as well as anticipated insurance costs, lending opportunities and interest rate trends.

Suncoast Prosperity Advisors is a division of Suncoast Equity Management.

JOHN R. WOOD NAMED AFFILIATE OF YEAR

John R. Wood Christie’s International Real Estate has been named the Christie’s International Real Estate 2023 Affiliate of the Year.

The award recognizes that the affiliate has demonstrated an exceptional level of growth and innovation, positively impacted the Christie’s International Real Estate network and faithfully represented the brand’s ideals over the past 12 months.

Its first full year as an affiliate, the brokerage firm’s highlights included:

– Achieving $4.5 billion in closed sales volume, outselling its closest competitor by more than $1.4 billion.

– Adding more than 150 agents to the firm, representing almost $500 million in annual sales volume.

– Placing 43 luxury agents into the Christie’s International Real Estate Masters Circle.

Additionally, it recorded multiple notable transactions in 2023, including the $46.8 million sale of a single-family home — the highest non-beachfront residential sale in Port Royal and Collier County. Others included a single-family residence on Gulf Shore Boulevard South for $19 million and a Port Royal residence for $14.9 million.