Alumni Inspirations - March 2019

Andres Paz (GAIN '15)
Local Sales Manager for Media Vista Group, Vice-Chair of this year’s GAIN class, and GAIN 2015 alumnus, Andres Paz is proud to call Collier County home. Andres often expresses his appreciation for his participation in the GAIN program and is now focusing much of his volunteer efforts with LCF, working to promote the GAIN, YLC, and Leadership Collier programs through new and different media. His goal: To encourage more diverse applicants so that classes more closely resemble Collier County’s demographic makeup.  He is especially excited to spark the interest of Hispanic professionals so they apply to LCF programs. 

“Many Hispanics that I know of have never heard of any LCF programs,” Andres said. “I’m inspired to spread the word so that more Hispanics can go through programs like GAIN and enjoy the benefits of being an LCF alumnus.”

Elected by his GAIN classmates to represent them as graduation speaker, Andres says the program for emerging leaders had a huge impact on his life, both personally and professionally. Andres credits GAIN with providing valuable connections who have shaped his business relationships and friendships. He says, “the quality of my fellow GAIN 2015 Gold-Standards is outstanding,” crediting several of his classmates with inspiring him to “become a better person” and “opening doors” to new opportunities, organizations, and entities. 

Even with a busy career, Andres finds time to give back to the community. Andres says GAIN “was a game changer for me,” connecting him to the young professionals who are working every day to make Collier County the best place to live, work, and visit. GAIN inspired him to dig in and volunteer more, surrounding him with new opportunities to give back that he never would have known existed.
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Because of GAIN, you can call Andres a fairy godfather for children at Youth Haven, Southwest Florida’s only emergency and residential shelter for boys and girls ages 6-18 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Andres has collaborated with fellow LCF alumni, including Denise Murphy (GAIN ‘15) and Danny Pate (LC ‘16), to provide unique opportunities for children at the shelter. Just this month, he took a group to the Collier County Fair for a night of fun and games. In past years, Andres organized a night out at the movie theater. 
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A fan of our envious weather, Andres enjoys the opportunity Naples’ climate offers for him to play soccer and ride his bicycle year-round. While some complain about traffic during season, he doesn’t mind it and is appreciative of the economic impact our snowbirds and tourists have on the local economy. ​

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