Cory O’Donnell, the marketing manager of Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company (O‑A‑K) Florida, has joined the Leadership SWFL Class of 2023. O’Donnell, along with thirty-four area professionals, has committed to dive deeper and lead stronger in Southwest Florida by joining Leadership SWFL, the region’s premier community immersion program dedicated to providing business professionals with a greater understanding of the community and creating a cohort of individuals ready to serve as effective leaders in the region.

“I am excited to connect with other area leaders and better understand how the region works,” said O’Donnell. “I am also looking forward to learning how to get more engaged and make a bigger difference in Southwest Florida.”

Founded in 1999, this program includes nine day-long sessions and an overnight retreat between May and December. Each session provides attendees an in-depth look at a different aspect of Southwest Florida, from infrastructure to tourism. Graduates will build essential relationships and foster a better understanding of the inner workings of Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties.

O’Donnell joined O‑A‑K Florida in 2021. His goal at O‑A‑K is to keep the project stakeholders up-to-date and in the know. He is responsible for community outreach, including websites, Facebook pages, flyers, handouts, and hard hat tours. Groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies are a vital part of his role. He joined O‑A‑K after serving 15 years in the Southwest Florida news industry. His experience includes running news websites as a digital director, plus managing social media channels and digital marketing strategies for news organizations. In addition, he has extensive experience with community outreach, marketing, grants, events, and keeping the public informed. O’Donnell championed young business leaders by co-founding The News-Press Young Professionals Advisory Board. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Central Missouri and is a graduate of the Cape Coral Leadership Class of 2018.

An employee-owned company, O‑A‑K Florida, Inc.’s board of directors comprises members from the company’s Florida operations. Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company has provided premier general contracting, design-build, and construction management services in Southwest Florida since 1982.

O‑A‑K’s Florida operation is an affiliate of its parent company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Florida operation has offices in Collier and Lee counties. Its Lee County office is at 11941 Fairway Lakes Drive in Fort Myers. Learn more about O‑A‑K at www.owen‑ames‑kimball.com or call (239) 561-4141.

Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company (O‑A‑K), a preeminent general contractor with a longstanding presence in Southwest Florida, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Lehigh Acres Elementary School on Wednesday, April 20. Amanecer (meaning sunrise in Spanish) Elementary School will be located on Sunrise Boulevard next to the Lehigh Acres Middle School. Construction began in April, and the school will be open for the first day of school in August 2023. O‑A‑K is the construction manager for the project.

Attendees included Lee County School Board members, Lee County Schools administration, elected officials and representatives from the construction team, architects, and engineers.

“Amanecer Elementary School will help us serve the rapidly-expanding population here in the East zone and prepare our children to reach their highest potential,” said Lee County School Board Member Gwynetta S. Gittens. “This is an exciting time for our community.”

“We are pleased to be a part of this project that will accommodate the rapid growth of students in Lee County,” said Matthew Zwack, president of O‑A‑K Florida. “We are proud to partner with The School District of Lee County again.”

The two-story building is a 127,745 square foot facility on 36 acres shared with Lehigh Acres Middle School. The schools will have a common access road, bus loop, and central energy plant. The campus will have 984 student stations and serve pre-k through fifth grade. The one-story building area is also designed to serve as a community hurricane shelter. The campus includes a covered play area and sports courts. In addition, it will have updated security measures, including a single point of entry access control and upgraded hardware on all classroom doors.

The O‑A‑K project manager is Alesha Watchowski, and the site superintendent is Tim Harkins. Ryan Propp is the director of field operations. Abel Natali is the director of preconstruction. The project architect is ADG Architecture, LLC. Johnson Engineering is the civil engineer, and TLC Engineering Solutions is the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineer. The structural engineer is TRC Worldwide Engineering.

An employee-owned company, O‑A‑K Florida, Inc.’s Board of Directors comprises members from the company’s Florida operations. Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company has provided premier general contracting, design-build, and construction management services in Southwest Florida since 1982.

O‑A‑K’s Florida operation is an affiliate of its parent company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Florida operation has offices in Collier and Lee counties. Its Lee County office is located at 11941 Fairway Lakes Drive in Fort Myers. Learn more about O‑A‑K at www.owen‑ames‑kimball.com.

Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company (O‑A‑K), a preeminent general contractor with a longstanding presence in Southwest Florida, has completed construction on Lucas Hall at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). The new structure is the home to the Daveler and Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship.

Located on the campus of FGCU, the innovative building will provide breakthrough technical capabilities and opportunities for students focusing on starting new businesses. Lucas Hall also gives entrepreneurial students a long-needed home to collaborate with their classmates. In addition to new classrooms, the 26,638 square-foot building includes three floors with classrooms, workspaces, and offices built specifically to aid and inspire students working on new ventures.

Lucas Hall houses the FineMark National Bank & Trust Incubator geared to help students collaborate with mentors and share ideas in communal workspaces and private conference rooms. It’s a space built to help spark new ways of thinking and guide students toward success.

The Rist Family Foundation Maker Space helps students create products for their businesses with 3D printers, a laser cutter, and virtual reality development kits. Lucas Hall also features a media lab with state-of-the-art video equipment and lighting to capture great moments and success stories for the students.

Since 2017, Dr. Sandra Kauanui, founding director of the school, has built FGCU’s entrepreneurship program from a minor to major, an institute to a school. With more than 600 majors, the school is now one of The Princeton Review’s and Entrepreneur magazine’s top 30 universities for undergraduate entrepreneurship studies. The school also just launched a new graduate program.

“Lucas Hall is going to infuse an entrepreneurial and innovative environment across Southwest Florida,” said Kauaniu. “Owen‑Ames‑Kimball, Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects and Rowe Architects were extremely helpful and cooperative. We are delighted they understood our vision and built what we were looking for. We were also able to move in on time for fall classes.”

The O‑A‑K project manager and chief estimator was Abel Natali, O‑A‑K vice president. The job site superintendent was Scott Reynolds, and Ryan Propp served as general superintendent. The architect was John Prokop in a joint venture with Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc. and Rowe Architects, Inc.

“Building a home for shaping young entrepreneurs helps shape the business community in Southwest Florida, and the team at O‑A‑K is proud to be a part of that legacy,” said Matthew Zwack, president of O‑A‑K. “Working with FGCU and their staff has been a great partnership, and we’re proud to join in the effort to help create small companies and work for the school’s brightest business minds.”

Owen‑Ames‑Kimball Company (O‑A‑K), a preeminent general contractor with a longstanding presence in Southwest Florida, has completed construction on the new Lehigh Acres Middle School (LAMS).

“The work from concept to a finished school is a massive undertaking, and the team at O‑A‑K worked seamlessly with the Lee County School District to build an exceptional school for these kids,” said Matthew Zwack, president of O‑A‑K Florida. “Our relationship with the school district staff was vital to completing this build, and we couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

“The new Lehigh Acres Middle School will help us serve the exploding population here in the East Zone. It also offers innovative opportunities that prepare our students for high school, college, and career with world-class academics and programs,” said Lee County School Board Member Gwynetta S. Gittens.

Located at 651 Sunrise Boulevard in Lehigh Acres, the state-of-the-art school provides students with STEAM opportunities to help shape and prepare them for a future in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. Established in 1983, Lehigh Acres Middle School moved into its new 42-acre campus and 167,103 square foot building in August, giving students and staff new tools to bring advanced tech to the classrooms. The school’s new construction offers 1,356 student stations, 46 classrooms, labs, a cafeteria serving 552 people, and a 490-seat gymnasium.

Students have access to premier STEAM learning with technology to match in many fields, including a video gaming lab, dance classes, and spacious music classrooms for vocals and band. Students can also build their skills in FUSE Studio lab programs, robotics as well as industry certifications. Additional academic programs include a sixth-grade academy, national AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), Cambridge Program, and Exceptional Student Education classes.

The O‑A‑K project manager was Alesha Watchowski. The job site superintendent was Tim Harkins, and Ryan Propp was the general superintendent. Abel Natali, O‑A‑K vice president, was the chief estimator. The architect was Ryan Richards of RG Architects PA.