Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida will induct Teri Hansen, APR, owner and president of Priority Marketing, and Sandy Stilwell, CEO and owner of Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group, into the 2017 Business Hall of Fame, Lee County, during a dinner and awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 2 with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs.
The prestigious award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who serve as role models for youth through their professional accomplishments and commitment to the community. Hansen and Stilwell will join a distinguished group of individuals who have been inducted into the Business Hall of Fame since it was founded in 1999. To learn more about the upcoming event, or for information on sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets, visit www.JASWFL.org.
Hansen is owner and president of Priority Marketing, the region’s largest full service marketing, advertising and public relations firm, which she founded in 1992. A native of Fort Myers, her 32-year marketing career has earned her a reputation for exceptional integrity, leadership and spirit. During her career, she has been the recipient of many honors. In 1992, she was the first person to be named Marketing Director of the Year by the Lee Building Industry Association, and she was the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA)’s PR Professional of the Year in 1999. In all, Hansen has been honored with more than 150 local, state, national and international awards.
In addition to her personal accomplishments, Hansen is Accredited in Public Relations and one of the founding members of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the FPRA, a member of FPRA’s Counselor’s Network and has served the organization at the state and local levels. Hansen is a charter board member and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lee BIA Builders Care and is a founding member, past-president and former chairman of the board for the Lakes Park Enrichment Foundation. She is a charter member of the Tiger Bay Club and also serves on the board for Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties.
Hansen is passionate about serving her clients, and her business philosophy is based on a genuine interest in their success. This, in part, has led to her firm being named multiple times as THE BEST of Business by Gulfshore Business Magazine in three categories: Best PR Firm, Best Ad Agency and Best Web Development Company and having earned hundreds of local, national and international industry awards for marketing, public relations and advertising campaigns.
Over the past 25 years, Hansen has led Priority Marketing in providing quality professional public relations and marketing services to philanthropic organizations within the community. In the past five years alone, Priority Marketing has donated more than $700,000 to nonprofit and community organizations to help support their mission and fundraising. Hansen also routinely mentors young professionals and local students to help them realize their full potential and achieve success.
Stilwell is the CEO and owner of Stilwell Enterprises & Restaurant Group. She owns Keylime Bistro, Sunshine Seafood Café and Wine Bar, RC Otter’s Island Eats, Latte Da Coffee Shop, Captiva Island Inn, Celebration Center of Captiva, Paradise Shopping Center, and Cantina Captiva on Captiva Island, and Summerlin Jake’s Seafood & Steaks in Fort Myers.
She serves as immediate past-chairman of the board of PACE Center for Girls of Lee County, and sits on the board of trustees for Hodges University and Hope Healthcare Board of Directors. Stilwell is a trustee and treasurer of Children’s Charities of Southwest Florida. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Florida Gulf Coast University School of Resort & Hospitality, Gulfshore Life Magazine, Stonegate Bank and Uncommon Friends Foundation, and serves on the Captiva Community Panel and the Healthy Lee Steering Committee.
Past activities include co-chairman of the 2016 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest, chairman of Salvation Army of Lee & Hendry Counties, Lee County Heart Association Board and 2007 Lee County Heart Ball chairman, vice chairman of The Florida Repertory Theatre, president of The Ronald McDonald House, chairman of Arts for ACT benefiting the Abuse Counseling Treatment Center, chairman of Hope Hospice Celebration of Women, Lee County School Board’s Golden Apple Teacher Selection Committee, District Advisory Council of the Lee County School Board, vice president of Uncommon Friends Foundation, education chairman and vice chairman of the Building Committee and Capital Campaign Chairman of her church, board member of Junior League of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce. She also co-authored the Uncommon Friends Character Education Curriculum that is taught in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties, sat on the Lee Mental Health Vista project and volunteered in the Sea Turtle program for Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Stilwell was voted Citizen of the Year in 2010 for the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, 2008 Humanitarian of the year for the Florida Hotel and Restaurant Association, 2008 Philanthropist of the Year for Gulfshore Life Magazine, and 2006 Men and Women of the Year for Gulfshore Life Magazine. She was the first recipient of the Apex Award for Women in Business, a professional group of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, and was the 2006 Junior League’s Community Service Award Winner. Stilwell Enterprises was awarded the Industry Appreciation Award in 2008 for The Horizon Council in the area of Tourism, and the Hall of Fame in 2011.
About Junior Achievement:
Junior Achievement is the world’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches 4.8 million students per year in more than 100 markets across the United States, with an additional 5.6 million students served by operations over 100 other countries worldwide. Locally, Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida partnered with more than 150 classroom business volunteers during the 2015-2016 school year to provide more than 8,700 students with Junior Achievement programs in more than 360 classes throughout Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties. For more information on Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida visit www.JASWFL.org, call 239-225-2590 or email info@jaswfl.org.
