success has always been a team effort<\/a> and everything we\u2019ve accomplished has been based on partnership,\u201d Swindell said. \u201cI\u2019ve 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\u2019m proud of what we\u2019ve accomplished together, and I\u2019m excited about what comes next for Broward County and the Alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cBob has been an extraordinary champion for Greater Fort Lauderdale,\u201d said Brian Huseman, who serves as this year\u2019s Alliance Chairman and is vice president of Public Policy and Community Engagement for Amazon. \u201cHis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said, \u201cBob 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
National search for successor imminent<\/p>\n
Huseman told the Sun Sentinel the Alliance will begin a nationwide search to find a successor after it conducts a survey of local \u201cstakeholders\u201d about the credentials they would like to see from the organization\u2019s next leader.<\/p>\n
He said he expects the actual search will occur between February and July 2027.<\/p>\n
The job\u2019s annual compensation, according to a recent IRS filing: $383,284.<\/p>\n
Swindell said he would remain on the job until a replacement is named, and would\u00a0 be available to assist any newcomer who accepts the position.<\/p>\n
He\u00a0 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\u2019s annual revenue: $4.5 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen making a significant leadership transition, it is best to do it from a position of strength,\u201d Swindell said. \u201cToday 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Portfolio of community service<\/p>\n
Before joining the Alliance, Swindell spent 18 years as president of Champion Manufacturing, an industrial supply company based in Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bob Swindell, who for more than two decades helped Broward County become a prime destination for businesses seeking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[506,558,740,28,29,249,251,250,114,266,115,109],"class_list":["post-426797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-broward-county","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-florida","tag-florida-news","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-social"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Greater](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/tfl-l-Bob-Swindell-1-101226.jpg\")
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)<\/p>\n