Business Notes
Muddell joins SanCap Trust Company
The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company recently announced the hire of Jeffrey A. Muddell.
As senior vice president of wealth services, he will meet with clients to discuss their financial and lifestyle needs and address how the company can best apply resources to uphold their goals.
Muddell joins the company after 12 years in nonprofit management and philanthropy, primarily in the health care sector. Most recently he served as system director of gift planning for the Lee Health Foundation, where he led strategic planning and management of the fundraising initiative and managed a staff of 13 development specialists. Muddell managed a portfolio of major gift individuals, corporate and foundation donors and prospects, and closed on major gifts in support of critical needs.
Prior to moving to Southwest Florida in 2017, he spent 18 years in the Orlando area where he led fundraising efforts at the Orlando Health Foundation, served as vice president at the Pace Center for Girls and senior fundraising consultant at Winkler Group. During his time in the nonprofit sector, Muddell served a variety of organizations in raising tens of millions of dollars, while building relationships with high net worth individuals and families from across the country.
He holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Florida’s Warrington School of Business and is in the process of earning his Certified Financial Planner designation. Muddell earned his bachelor’s in communications from the University of Miami and began his professional career in broadcasting and journalism. He can be found at the Sanibel office on Palm Ridge Road.
Stern named one of Chicago’s Notable Entrepreneurs
Drew Stern, son of residents Jerrold and Lynne Stern, was recently named one of Chicago’s Notable Entrepreneurs by Crain’s Chicago Business.
The honor follows the creation, growth and exit of his technology company, Esquify. As co-founder and chief executive officer, Stern led the growth of the AI tech platform which uses machine learning in the review of legal documents. The company was acquired in December by Xact Data Discovery, and he has since continued to run the platform.
Stern launched Esquify in 2014 and received venture-capital funding and awards, including winning the US LegalTech Venture Competition and Chicago Innovation Awards. The technology has been used by law firms and Fortune 100 companies. Having spent his career in high tech with Salesforce, American Express, Buddy Media and Sprout Social, he also has been named 40 Under 40 by M&A Adviser.
Stern grew up on Sanibel and attended Sanibel Elementary, Canterbury and Cypress Lake High School. He received his bachelor’s from Tufts University and his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. Stern serves on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League Midwest and StartOut Chicago.
Lee Health hospitals honored
The Florida Hospital Association recently awarded three Lee Health hospitals with Hospital Improvement Innovation Network awards, which honor outstanding achievement in creating a culture of patient safety, delivering value and executing evidence-based practices in daily operations.
Cape Coral Hospital received the HIIN “Chasing Zero” Award (250 beds and over) for outstanding work to reduce patient harm and readmissions. It is presented for achieving significant reductions in hospital-acquired infections, resulting in some of the lowest rates in the project.
Gulf Coast Medical Center and HealthPark Medical Center received HIIN Achievement Awards for outstanding work to reduce patient harm and readmissions. It goes to hospitals that meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services improvement goals on at least 80 percent of measures tracked as part of the program.
Segura joins SanCap Community Bank
Sanibel Captiva Community Bank recently announced the promotion of Kenneth Segura to vice president and office manager of the College Parkway location.
In his new role, he will manage daily operations and customer relationships, including business and consumer banking.
Segura has been with the bank for nearly three years, serving most recently as treasury management assistant. Before his role in treasury management he was assistant branch manager.
Prior to joining the bank, Segura worked at Wells Fargo Bank. He is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University.
Shell Point community earns multiple honors
Shell Point Retirement Community’s skilled nursing center, The Larsen Pavilion, recently earned multiple recognitions for its quality of care and overall performance ratings by Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Newsweek and global data research firm Statista Inc. evaluated more than 15,000 nursing homes to establish a ranking of “Best Nursing Homes” in the U.S. Factors included overall performance ratings, staffing, reputation and health inspections, as well as quality measures of resident care.
Among the 54 best nursing homes recognized in Florida, Shell Point ranked number four.
U.S. News & World Report included Shell Point’s 219-bed Larsen Pavilion in its 2019-2020 Best Nursing Homes report, which is based on the community’s high performance ratings in short-term and long-term care, as well as patient satisfaction.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services credited The Larsen Pavilion with a five out of five star rating overall, as well as five out of five stars in the categories of quality measures and staffing.
Cohen named FHA’s Trustee of the Year
Lee Health board member and former board chairman Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Cohen recently was named Florida Hospital Association’s Trustee of the Year at its annual Celebration of Achievement in Quality and Service Awards. Cohen has served on the Lee Health Board of Directors since 2013 and served as chairman from 2014 to 2017.
The FHA cited Cohen’s years of service within health care and education and his support of the construction of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida as key factors in honoring him. Cohen has increased transparency within Lee Health by pushing for better reporting of quality outcomes and has been instrumental in advancing physician-led teams such as the Physicians Leadership Council and the Clinical Collaboration Council.
The FHA’s Celebration of Achievement in Quality and Service Awards is held during its annual meeting to acknowledge leaders in the industry who have contributed to the mission of providing quality health care for the people of Florida.
Cohen earned his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1960. He served as chair of the Pediatrics Department at Wayne State University School of Medicine and chief of pediatrics for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Cohen also served as dean and the university’s provost before retiring as a professor.
Cohen served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and has an extensive history of community involvement in pediatric health care issues and research organizations.
Lee Health welcomes new VP
Darcy Allen has joined Lee Health as the vice president of operations and chief nurse executive at Lee Memorial Hospital.
In her new role, she joins Vice President of Operations and Chief Physician Executive Scott Wolf in a shared leadership model called a dyad. Together, they are focused on collaboration, standardization, quality, safety, reliability and patient experience at Lee Memorial Hospital.
Allen brings nearly 20 years of nursing experience, including leadership roles to her position. Prior to joining Lee Health, she served as chief nursing officer at Inova Medical Center in Virginia, an acute care and academic, 400-bed hospital. Allen also spent seven years at Kaiser Permanente in California, where she held multiple positions, including assistant nurse manager, department manager, clinical adult service director and director of nursing.
She earned her associate degree at the University of Hawaii, Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Phoenix and Master of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare administration at Northeastern University. She is a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
Business Notes
Council taking applications for board vacancy
The Sanibel City Council is accepting applications to fill a Municipal Officers’ Pension Board of Trustees partial-term appointment with an expiration date of Sept. 30, 2022.
The board meets on the second Wednesday in February, May, August and November at 2 p.m.
Any resident wishing to serve can visit mysanibel.granicus.com/boards/w/7544dac3d80bbd3e to access the online Advisory Board Application. Click the green “Apply” button and complete the application. At the end of the application process, click the green “Submit” button, which will allow submission of the application to the Sanibel City Clerk.
SanCap Community Bank donates to FGCU
Florida Gulf Coast University recently held a special reception to announce a $25,000 donation made by Sanibel Captiva Community Bank designated for the College of Education and the official naming of the Sanibel Captiva Community Bank Courtyard.
The donation represents an ongoing public/private relationship demonstrating both organizations’ respective commitments to the development of future leaders and educators in Southwest Florida. Contributions from the gift will be used for a select number of College of Education students to cover their initial program expenses.
FYZICAL to welcome new employee
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers on Sanibel will welcome physical therapist Laura Holland to its operations on Dec. 2. She will help serve island residents in their rehabilitation needs this season.
Holland has been working as a physical therapist for eight years in outpatient clinics.
She has worked heavily with patients recovering from strokes, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, amputations, dizziness and balance issues, joint replacement surgeries (hips, knees, and shoulders), other post-surgical PT, chronic pain, post-concussions and athletic injuries.
Jennings-Rodriguez selected for 40 under 40
After 20 years in the vacation rental industry on Sanibel, Patience Jennings-Rodriguez of Select Vacation Properties recently was honored as one of the top 40 most influential business professionals under 40 by the Business Observer.
According to the nomination, Jennings-Rodriguez earned her place on the list the hard way – she worked for it. She started out in the vacation rental industry at the age of 19 answering telephones, and through diligence, perseverance and hard work, has become known throughout the islands and in the regional real estate industry.
Jennings-Rodriguez is the director of owner and guest relations and the senior reservation coordinator at Select Vacation Properties, which she helped launch in 2006. With the primary responsibility for acquiring and retaining properties, she has been instrumental in adding more than 90 units to the SVP rental program. Jennings-Rodriguez is a primary reason for the company’s immediate profitability in year one, and double-digit growth every year since inception
She has a significant role in the development of marketing strategies, social media, web development and other customer-facing components of the company. Jennings-Rodriguez was recently tasked with designing a five-year growth and expansion plan and is an active member and treasurer of the Sanibel Captiva Rental Managers Association, member of the Society for Human Resource Management and holds a real estate sales associate license.
In The Garden employees earn certification
Cindi Vos and Chris Stack, of In The Garden on Sanibel, recently became certified horticulture professionals through the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.
The eight-week Certified Horticulture Professional program is the industry’s only standard for measuring horticulture knowledge on everything from plant and pest identification to landscape management.
Candidates must pass a comprehensive four-part online written exam to demonstrate knowledge about plant identification, disease and insect control, plant biology and landscape management.
Vos is the general manager of In The Garden, while Stack works with customers, manages the grounds and plant stock, and coordinates installations of items purchased at the garden center.
SanCap Community Bank named award finalist
Sanibel Captiva Community Bank has been named a finalist for the Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award.
The award recognizes organizations that exemplify standards of high ethical behavior in conducting their daily operations, as well as during times of crises.
Nominations are reviewed by a panel of experts in the field of ethical business practices.
The winner will be announced at the annual Uncommon Evening Gala “Pearls of Wisdom,” set for Nov. 14 at The Burroughs Home in Fort Myers.
Fundraiser on FMB benefits CROW
Matanzas on the Bay’s family-friendly, Halloween and animal-themed Howl-O-Ween Wildlife Fundraiser raised $2,028 for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel.
Held on Fort Myers Beach on Oct. 26, the event featured an array of children’s activities, including face painting, pumpkin painting, games and animal-themed arts and crafts. Attendees enjoyed food, craft beer and live music, as well as interactive educational sessions led by CROW, with appearances from wildlife ambassadors Lola, the American kestrel, and GiGi, the Virginia opossum.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will help CROW continue to operate its teaching hospital to save the sick, injured and orphaned native and migratory wildlife of Southwest Florida and beyond. Through veterinary care, public education programs and its visitor center, CROW works to improve the health of the environment, humans and animals through wildlife medicine.
Business Notes
Greenstein obtains certification
The Sanibel Captiva Trust Company recently announced that Executive Vice President Steve Greenstein received his certification in Special Needs Trusts from the Cannon Financial Institute.
Cannon is recognized as one of the leading global consulting and professional development firms serving the financial services industry.
In a rapidly growing area of client concern, a Special Needs Trust is a specialized irrevocable trust that allows a disabled beneficiary to enjoy the use of property that is held in the trust for their benefit, while at the same time allowing that beneficiary to receive essential needs-based government benefits.
In order to properly address the concerns of special needs beneficiaries, it requires an understanding of planning and taxation issues, guardianship, and knowledge of the rules for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Greenstein is a J.D. and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor and he also maintains a Certificate in Behavioral Finance.