Entrepreneur, Rebecca Maddox, receives her award marking her induction into the Business Hall of Fame. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

Four successful Southwest Florida business leaders did not merely make money and run big businesses—they are inspiring the next generation of business leaders.

​They are Jerri Hoffmann and David Hoffmann, founders of Hoffmann Family of Companies; entrepreneur Rebecca Maddox, a revolutionary who changed Bayshore through food, wine and a private social club; and Ryan Carter, president and owner of Scotlynn, a Fort Myers-based transportation and logistics firm. They were each just inducted into Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida’s Business Hall of Fame. They join 101 others who have been inducted since the local chapter was founded in 1994.

​“They are recognized for what they are doing in the community,” said Cheryl Kunkle, CEO and president of Junior Achievement. “They emulate the opportunities that are available for students as they head into the workforce. One thing that we are really focusing on is our durable transferable skills that students will need as they grow into adulthood. As they go into this rapidly changing environment like AI, I think what they can learn from our laureates are some of those durable skills, like adaptivity and resilience. It is those cognitive thinking skills we want to develop in those students, so they can have that vision.”

​Kunkle and Vicki Tracy, Junior Achievement Hall of Fame committee chairwoman, each declared that this year’s recipients embody that.

Founders of Hoffmann Family of Companies, David & Jerri Hoffmann at the podium. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

​“The Hoffmanns, they saw the business opportunity here, but they didn’t just buy up a bunch of businesses. They got involved philanthropically,” Tracy began. “They highly engage with the community. To have the impact they have had in such a short period of time is amazing. They talk to the guy driving a bus the same way they would talk to the CEO. They have a really Midwestern attitude. They show you can be successful and humble at the same time.”

​Kunkle said Carter demonstrates how to overcome business challenges, such as how to get fruits and veggies to other parts of the country without rotting.

“His leadership helped grow a global logistics company while retaining a strong commitment to the community force,” Kunkle said. “He went from a small start-up to one of the largest logistics companies in Florida. He is employing hundreds of people in Southwest Florida. His business is one of the largest in the country.”

Tracy said Maddox shows tomorrow’s leaders how a vision can lead to success.

“[Maddox] single-handedly reformed a business district,” Tracy described of the Bayshore area of Naples. “Back 20 years, no way people thought anything would happen on Bayshore Drive, and now it is a hub of growth. It is fabulous. [Maddox] had a vision for a variety of things. She saw areas that could be transformed into what is now a thriving arts and entertainment district. She had a vision for that area, so she started in an area that people said ‘no way’. Then she built Celebration Park, another area where people thought nobody is going to go there; and now it is fun entertainment for families. She embodies the entrepreneurial spirit. For these young girls looking at their futures, it is beneficial to have somebody like that and see how she did it.”

Tracy said the newest Hall of Fame members are perfect for the honor.

“We look to them because they help us inspire our next generation of leaders,” she concluded.

During the induction reception, dinner and ceremony, the honorees were humble about their work and appeared shocked to be receiving awards.

Ryan Carter mingles with guests during the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame induction reception in Naples on Tuesday, March 24. -ANDREA STETSON / FLORIDA WEEKLY

Jerri Hoffmann said being generous is something ingrained in them since childhood.

“It is the way Dave and I have been everywhere we are,” said Jerri Hoffmann, who is originally from Washington, Missouri. “We came from a small community of 8,000 people where everybody knew everybody. It is the sense of family. It is the only way we know how to do things. It is such a wonderful honor to get this wonderful award. It is all about the kids. It is what Dave and I care about in our hearts, so profoundly.”

Jerri Hoffmann had just opened the doors to The Augusta Clothing Company on Fifth Avenue South and Sixth Street South in Naples days before receiving the award and being inducted into the Business Hall of Fame. Augusta is named after the town, just about 10 miles from where she lived in Washington, Missouri. That original location of the boutique opened in 2022.

Still, the thing she is most proud of is family.

“One of the things I am the proudest of is my happy marriage and my beautiful family,” she stressed. “That is my greatest achievement.”

David Hoffmann wants to inspire youngsters. He wants them to see how even those from very humble beginnings can achieve greatness.

“I grew up without hot running water,” he described. “I want them to understand that everything is possible in America.”

Hoffmann started out with success as founder of a headhunting firm for executives, DHR. He had several business investments flop. Then investments in California oil, mergers and numerous other business investments led to success peaking as he lives in Naples the past several years, now with more than 17,000 employees and more than 120 brands with 400-plus locations in 30 countries. Florida Weekly is one of more than 30 businesses Hoffmann has purchased in the Naples area.

Hoffmann said his goal is to inspire and help future leaders.

“The community has given so much to us, and we want to give back to the community,” he stressed. It is more fun giving back to the community than making money.”

During his speech, Hoffmann told the younger generation to dream big.

Hundreds of people were at the reception and dinner during the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame induction on Tuesday, March 24 at the Naples Grande. -ANDREA STETSON / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“I just ask the Junior Achievement folks here tonight, close your eyes for just a few seconds and dream about what you want to be,” he said. “You know what, in America, you can do that. You can be whatever you want to be. My father drove a milk truck. We didn’t have hot running water until I was a sophomore in high school, so you can do anything you want in the great United States of America and the great Naples, Florida.”

Carter said the award represents all the good work by people in the community and the power of giving back has on this area.

“Without the kids of the community being successful and inspired, we are never going to have success,” he began. “It represents what is important to the community. It is really important to give back to the community.”

​After accepting the award, Carter told the audience that he hopes to not only inspire youngsters, but also other businesses.

​“Sixteen years ago, I came down here, and I didn’t know anything about this community, but what I did quickly realize is that it is full of people that truly care about the future of Southwest Florida,” he said. “So, you have to think about how you preserve that, how do you create a better future. It really is with our children. So, investing in our youth, inspiring our kids and helping them feel confident is really the key. It is essential, and I hope it is an inspiration for other organizations. In order to keep living in this wonderful place that we are in, we do have to take care of our youth.”

​Maddox said she was shocked to be chosen for the honor.

​“I just bought the first property and got up every day and worked hard, and it turned into something,” she described. “I want them to see that hard work and character really does pay off.”

​Maddox told a story about how no one wanted to invest with her when she bought property on Bayshore Drive in 2010. They didn’t want to invest in her plans for what is now Celebration Park.

President of Scotlynn, Ryan Carter, receives his award marking his induction into the Business Hall of Fame from Sandy Stilwell Youngquist, a member of the JA of SWFL board, left. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY

“No one would invest with me because they said the numbers didn’t work. It wasn’t bankable,” she described.

She understood that it looked bad on paper. Celebration Park was only .75 acre, and only .49 acre were usable. There were homeless people living under the bridge there.

“I deep down understood. But here we are,” she said. “I had a little pixie dust in my pocket. I had to figure out what to do on that property. Years later, all of the investors and developers say, ‘Wow, you got so lucky.’ Now I do feel lucky. I feel amazingly lucky to be standing up here.”

Vicki Tracy, Junior Achievement Hall of Fame committee chairwoman and Jason Brewer, chairman of Junior Achievement, congratulate David Hoffmann and Jerri Hoffman for their induction on Tuesday, March 24 in Naples. -ANDREA STETSON / FLORIDA WEEKLY

The newest members of the Hall of Fame are credited with being influential and visionary leaders and significantly impacting the educational landscape for youngsters in Southwest Florida, especially in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy. Each year, the Hall of Fame Committee selects influential leaders from Lee and Collier counties who exemplify the organization’s mission of empowering today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders.

The induction also served as a fundraiser. This year it raised $447,000. Junior Achievement, which was originally founded in 1919 in Springfield, Mass., is the world’s largest organization dedicated to preparing young people to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make informed academic and financial decisions.

Learn more about Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida, Inc., online at southwestflorida.ja.org, located at 13241 University Drive, Suite 102, Fort Myers, 239-225-2590.