Tony McClure (LC ‘15)
Tony McClure, a partner in the litigation department at the law firm of Porter Wright, hales from Ohio. When he relocated with his family to Naples in 2012, not only was he looking to make his mark professionally in his new hometown, he was also searching for opportunities to have an impact and connect with like-minded people.

Leadership Collier was the perfect fit for his pursuits, and the friendships and opportunities that followed have fulfilled him in ways he never imagined were possible when he started the program in 2015.
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For Tony, Leadership Collier IS community. He shares, “It’s a group of people from all types of industries and backgrounds coming together to learn more about Collier County and to learn more about each other. That’s what community is all about.”

Tony was hooked from the very first session, and the rewards just kept coming. He said, “The entire day was aimed at allowing us to get to know each other better. By the end of the day, I already had the beginning of so many good friendships – which I still have to this day.”

Tony, whose son has special needs, quickly found a home to apply his leadership skills, passion for community and love for his son, when he joined the Board of Directors for Naples Therapeutic Riding Center (NTRC) in 2015. His son benefits from their therapeutic horseback riding lessons.

Tony is also finding ways to give back to the next generation and the LCF Alumni Association through the Leadership Collier Mentor Program, which pairs Youth Leadership Collier participants with GAIN and Leadership Collier alumni working in an industry where the mentee has an interest. He also serves on the Public Policy Committee of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Pro Bono Committee for the 20th Judicial District of Florida.

Tony’s advice to fellow alumni, “Use those friendships you’ve made and build on them. These are people with whom you’ve shared countless memories. Accept this gift and continue to build those great relationships. Your life will be richer for it.”

In addition to these fulfilling leadership opportunities that have come his way as a result of his LC experience, Tony shares that some of his best friends are LCF alumni – two of whom recently married and now have a child. Talk about a richer life?! 
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Now President of the NTRC Board, this month Tony was invited to share his leadership expertise on board development at the LCF Get Involved Collier Volunteer Expo. Never one to shy away from an opportunity to connect his LCF friends and his passion for special needs, Tony invites alumni to join him in support of NTRC’s signature fundraiser, The Bootstrap Boogie Barn Dance, on November 9th.

Among those were JDRF and Help a Diabetic, two organizations supporting and advocating for people living with diabetes. It’s a cause close to Timur’s heart, since his son has Type 1 diabetes.

“I would like to help them with our own experiences,” he said.

Exhibitors, who were able to connect with potential volunteers, also found the event beneficial.

Steve Kissinger, the chief operating officer at Meals of Hope, said he thought it was a great opportunity for community members to learn more about his organization.

Kissinger has attended the Expo with other organizations in the past, and said he was hopeful it would help Meals of Hope “gain exposure to a newer, broader community.”

“We need to leverage 35,000 volunteers a year, so this will help to get the word out,” he said.

Being that link in the community is a big part of why the LCF continues to host the Volunteer Expo year after year.
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“The Volunteer Expo is our way of providing a natural connection point for volunteers and nonprofits in Collier County,” said Amanda Beights, vice president of the LCF. “The Foundation wants to educate and engage our community members to inspire collective impact. The expo is a great place for individuals to see the full scope of volunteer and board opportunities while supporting matching needs for local organizations in our community.”

Another reason why the LCF hosts the Volunteer Expo is because it knows volunteering—from serving on a board of directors to cleaning up a public park—has been proven to promote overall happiness as an employee and a community member. In fact, a paper published by Harvard Health suggests that weekly volunteering leads to happiness levels comparable to receiving a significant raise. It also states that when people collaborate as volunteers, they begin to build connections based on shared values, creating a stronger community.  

For the first time this year, the LCF invited expo attendees to participate in three breakout sessions led by various community leaders that explored different volunteer-related topics.

John DeAngelis, co-founder of DeAngelis Diamond, led a session on building an intentional company culture that includes volunteer initiatives to support talent development and retention.

“Not only is volunteerism the right thing to do, it is good for business,” said DeAngelis. “It helps you attract the right team members, and it assists in creating a culture of empowerment and opportunity.”

Another breakout session—featuring Missy Lamont, executive director, and Anthony McClure, president of the board of directors, from Naples Therapeutic Riding Center—explored how organizations can build successful boards as well as how individuals can make the most of their board experiences.

“Board members are the fiduciaries who steer the organization toward a sustainable future,” said McClure. “We as board members owe it to our organization the duty of care, loyalty and obedience.”

Spencer Smith, director of programs for United Way of Collier County, led the final breakout session on best practices for connecting with volunteer opportunities.

“The value of connection is the most important component of volunteering,” said Smith. “The connection makes people feel more engaged and content in their community.”

The Volunteer Expo is proud to have facilitated connections between 300+ community members and 75 local nonprofits dedicated to serving needs in Collier County. Here’s to a more connected, content and engaged community.

Click here for a list of organizations that participated in the 2019 Volunteer Expo.

To learn more about LCF, visit  www.NaplesChamber.org/leadership. 

Advanced Hurricane Technology (AHT) is Collier County’s largest manufacturer and wholesaler of hurricane shutters and parts. In fact, they sell to most local shutter companies. So, if you have shutters in Southwest Florida, chances are that at least one part came from AHT!
 
Jaime Zabala, the company’s founder, immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s with his family to follow his own American Dream. He began his first hurricane shutter company, Imagen USA Inc., in 1993. By 1998 he was awarded a patent for the first true End Retention shutter, a system now adopted as the standard in the industry, but he found that all the major suppliers for this market weren’t local.
 
In 2003, Advanced Hurricane Technology was born, with the notion of supplying the local shutter market by putting quality and customer service above all else. Over the last 16 years, competitors have come and gone, but AHT has continued to innovate and grow. Today, the company’s footprint has spread throughout much of the southeastern United States and the Caribbean.
 
The company is now being managed by the next generation – Jaime Zabala Jr. (Zabala’s son) and Andy Zabala (Zabala’s nephew). Jaime Zabala Jr. and Andy Zabala kindly gave Greater Naples Chamber staff a facility tour. The Chamber team learned all about the company’s history, hard work and success, and the start of a strategic succession plan.
 
The cousins are taking the business to the next level by incorporating new technology into the winning formula established over 25 years ago: quality above all else. Together they own and operate the company according to their family values: “If it's worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”
 
Interested in becoming a chamber member? Contact Susan Kuhar at susan@napleschamber.org

Fellowship Provided State and Local Chambers with Opportunities to Engage Nationally on Critical Education and Workforce Issues
 
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced Alex Breault, director of work-based learning of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce graduated from its premier business leadership program. The inaugural Business Leads Fellowship Program trained and equipped leaders from state and local chambers of commerce with resources, access to experts, and a network of peers to build their capacity to address the most pressing education and workforce challenges.