Bob Swindell, who for more than two decades helped Broward County become a prime destination for businesses seeking a new home or a landing spot for expansion, is retiring as president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance in 2027, the agency announced on Tuesday.
Under his leadership, the private-public agency oversaw the creation of more than 62,000 jobs and $3.5 billion in private investment in the county. Swindell was in the vanguard of campaigns by the Alliance and its private and public sector partners to help attract, retain, and support companies such as Amazon, American Express, AutoNation, Chewy, JetBlue Airways, Kaplan and Royal Caribbean.
His retirement announcement comes one day before the Alliance’s annual meeting, which is designed to showcase the organization’s accomplishments during its latest fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. Those achievements included the announced location of a company headquarters by GXO Logistics, which is establishing operations in Fort Lauderdale’s revamped FAT Village neighborhood.
Swindell told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he’s looking forward to traveling and also counseling college and high school students about career opportunities at area companies.
“I’d love to spend some time talking to high school and college students,” he said, adding he’d like to engage in that role through the Broward County school system. “If you can recycle a retired executive, I’d love to talk to students about the companies that are here and the opportunities that are here.”
A lifelong county resident and graduate of Boyd Anderson High School, Swindell, 65, joined the Alliance in 2003 as senior vice president of business development; he became president and CEO in 2009.
“During his tenure, the Alliance supported major company expansions and relocations, strengthened partnerships across the county’s 31 municipalities, and advanced efforts to grow high-skill, high-wage jobs,” the agency said in a news release after its executive committee was informed of Swindell’s retirement plans.
Swindell took the top job in 2009, when the housing crash was in full swing and the county had cut the agency’s budget. Over time the agency focused on so-called “targeted industries,” led by aviation and aerospace, financial services, healthcare, global logistics, headquarters relocations, healthcare life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance President and CEO Bob Swindell at his Fort Lauderdale office. He has announced his retirement from the economic development agency. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Swindell said it was important to focus on “sticky” industries, meaning those that required infrastructure that couldn’t be dismantled right away.
Over the years, the Alliance came to be a partner of sorts with its counterparts in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties — the Beacon Council and Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. The three teamed to tout South Florida as a site for Amazon’s national HQ2 project, where metropolitan areas around the country competed to become the site of a second company headquarters. South Florida didn’t win, but all three organizations agreed the exercise enhanced the tri-county area’s profile as a preferred place to do business.
“Greater Fort Lauderdale’s success has always been a team effort and everything we’ve accomplished has been based on partnership,” Swindell said. “I’ve had the privilege of working with people who believe deeply in this community and are willing to do the hard work of building its future. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited about what comes next for Broward County and the Alliance.”
“Bob has been an extraordinary champion for Greater Fort Lauderdale,” said Brian Huseman, who serves as this year’s Alliance Chairman and is vice president of Public Policy and Community Engagement for Amazon. “His leadership has made a lasting and strong impact for Broward County businesses and residents, and we are grateful for his more than two decades of service to the Alliance.”
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said, “Bob has built relationships that have turned ambitious ideas into real opportunities for our residents and businesses. We are grateful for his leadership and for the strong foundation he has created for the future of the
Alliance. I wish Bob the very best in the next chapter of his life.”
National search for successor imminent
Huseman told the Sun Sentinel the Alliance will begin a nationwide search to find a successor after it conducts a survey of local “stakeholders” about the credentials they would like to see from the organization’s next leader.
He said he expects the actual search will occur between February and July 2027.
The job’s annual compensation, according to a recent IRS filing: $383,284.
Swindell said he would remain on the job until a replacement is named, and would be available to assist any newcomer who accepts the position.
He said the Alliance is well-positioned to attract successor candidates as the agency is strong financially and the county itself enjoys a national and international reputation as a leading business destination. The agency’s annual revenue: $4.5 million.
“When making a significant leadership transition, it is best to do it from a position of strength,” Swindell said. “Today the Alliance benefits from a robust project pipeline of new and expanding companies that rivals previous years. It maintains its strongest financial position in its history, and our market is one of the top business destinations in the world. The combined strength of our collaborative partnerships across our county, many cities and targeted industries make this the opportune time to recruit the most qualified chief executive to lead the Alliance in the future.”
Portfolio of community service
Before joining the Alliance, Swindell spent 18 years as president of Champion Manufacturing, an industrial supply company based in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
His wide array of community activities included service as vice chair of United Way of Broward County and board memberships at the Alan B. Levan | Nova Southeastern University (NSU) Broward Center of Innovation, Winterfest, NSU Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, CareerSource Broward and the City of Fort Lauderdale Marine Advisory Board.
He is also a past chair of the Florida Economic Development Council and former board member of Enterprise Florida. In 1992, Swindell chaired the local American Red Cross board during Hurricane Andrew and, in 2013, graduated from Leadership Florida Class XXXI.
Swindell helped establish the South Florida Marine Research Hub, bringing university researchers, businesses, and innovators together around opportunities in the ocean economy. The Marine Industries Association of South Florida recognized his contribution with its Golden Anchor lifetime achievement award in 2023.