b'A Look AheadWhat a difference a year makes. RecoveryJohn Gardner I If I had only known last year when I wrote this letter and called it Resiliency, what the year would bring. To say the community has changed would be an understatement. Suddenly North Fort Myers has exploded and there seems to be no end in sight to our growth.Natural disasters like hurricanes are devastating but one thing I have witnessed over my 30 years in the insurance industry is that devastation brings opportunity and change. I will confess that I do not like change unless I elect it and I did not elect to lose my house AND office in the storm and no one else did either. What is still difficult to grasp is the extent of change this storm has brought to the community and region. While Sanibel & Fort Myers Beach got all the attention and media coverage, our little neck of the woods suffered very bad damage as well. Nearly 18 months later Recovery is beyond measure and while the inflation rate is out of control there is no stopping the migration of new residents to our area.I am not oblivious to the fact that recovery was not as good for some, or that many have sold and left the area. Some wanted to seek less storm prone areas, some taking advantage of sales prices and equity value to cash out now. The influx of new residents is an opportunity for businesses like yours. Whatever your product or service is, you have an entirely new audience to get in front of.This is where the Chamber can help. We are the voice of the business community. We have the contacts in both local, state, and federal levels to invoke change on behalf of businesses and the community, so we all have a brighter and bigger opportunity.Growth brings opportunities. Change happens when people with the same collective ideas unite and invoke that change. Your Chamber is deeply involved with the focus on our future communi-ty and how the need for infrastructure including roadways, water, wastewater, sidewalks, schools, and the never-ending environmental discussions bring a better standard of living and communi-ty appeal to our area.So, what is next for North Fort Myers? Last year there were many projects in the planning phase, this year they are moving dirt and building. We currently have over 15,000 residential units in permitting, just in North Fort Myers. That means they are GOING to happen. We finally saw the demo of the old Walmart property formerly known as Hancock Square and just this week the old Shoneys AKA Osullivans was also torn down. This clears the way for the renewal of what is often considered the town center, for over 380 apartments and commercial uses. Merchants Crossing also cleared the old Kmart/Sears building for 375 garden style apartments making that a mixed-use community. The national builders are well on their way to bringing multiple levels of new homes and also rental communities from workforce to multi-million-dollar homes.Last year I reported that your Chamber was stronger than ever, and I am happy to report that It is even better this year. While she stays busy behind the scenes our CEO/Executive Director, Wen-dy Murray, is what makes it all happen. She deserves kudos for the growth in membership, reve-nue and the activities that happen every month. She is always pushing North Fort Myers and she puts her heart into everything she does. In fact, she is hounding me by text to finish this article so she can go to print. Reach out to Wendy to see how you can get more involved in the Chamber. Like any good organization, you must engage to find out what you can get out of it.The future is bright if you want it to be. You just need to open your eyes and look ahead instead of living in the past. You can only change the future. #onwardJohn Gardner,Chamber President4 North Fort Myers Chamber 2024 www.nfmchamber.org'