As the On The Table event at Seed & Bean Market began, so did the conversation on the development of downtown Fort Myers. Bob Megazzini, general manager of the Luminary Hotel spoke on the behalf of the soon to be hotel, the progress of the project and the economic impact it will bring to our community.
“The building is on schedule to open in August of next year [2020]” Bob said.
Bob went on to share that the hotel will be hiring about 250 people for positions ranging from cooks to servers, managers, supervisors, front desk clerks, and housekeeping.
Cole Peacock, founder of Seed & Bean Market asks Bob, “What drove you to downtown Fort Myers?”.
The three main reasons for Bob’s move to downtown Fort Myers was the company and the leaders he works for, the amount of restaurant opportunity and the charm of Fort Myers.
“I grew up in a small town, Springfield Massachusetts, very similar to Fort Myers and it just feels like home here and I’ve only been here for 3 months. It’s just a great community that I want to be a part of.” said Bob.
Mike Flanders, President & CEO of Edison Ford Winter Estates and former city councilman, chimed in
“as the project is evolved and now being built, being a multi-use, multi-layered idea, I think it’s a great fit. That’s what downtown is really all about.”
Founder, Cole Peacock, then spoke at our first On The Table event on behalf of Seed & Bean Market as he explained our unique concept.
Opening our doors April 1st, 2019, Seed & Bean Market is the first CBD marketplace in the state of Florida! Cole explained that our marketplace is stocked with hemp protein, cannabis beers and CBD products. Seed & Bean Market is here to help you achieve your cannabis wellness and lifestyle goals.
Serving a variety of customers from people to pets, for a variety of reasons, Cole explains:
“-when you see the city manager, county commissioner, or city council person, sheriff deputy or police officer, having lunch and having conversations about ‘my dogs’ anxiety’ well we can help you out.” -Cole Peacock, Founder of Seed & Bean Market
As Mike Flanders joined the conversation,
“I remember when the first brick was put in on first street, …They started to renovate, the street was a mess, businesses were suffering because of the construction, and over [at] Fords Garage, [the general manager] was gluing pennies to the wall for the background of his bar and I thought ‘ah we got a long way to go.’”
Mike Flanders and Cole Peacock walked down memory lane during the conversation as they saw how far the city has come and look forward to where it is going.
“it has just really evolved and we are on the uphill swing” says Mike Flanders.
Finally, Greg Longenhagen, Artistic Director of the Florida Reparatory Theatre, joined our On The Table conversation at Seed & Bean Market. Greg spoke about his history with the theatre and their plans for expansion, both physically and impactfully, speaking on projects ranging from property renovations to summer camps. Greg has been with the Florida Rep since they started out in 1980 and is a very familiar face in the community as he makes it a mission to unite businesses and community members in a unique and effective way.
“The Florida Rep and Greg Longenhagn’s impact on the community has been something that cannot be measured on economic impact alone. The creativity of the people from around the country with skillsets in directing, acting and set design are world class individuals and they have made such an impact in the downtown environment” kind words of Terry Tincher, General Manager of Seed & Bean Market.
