COVER STORY
possibility or opportunity when others see problems. Keep focused
on the 3 Ps in your portfolio – people, products and process. Leadership
you have to be able to be what you need to be in that moment, without
Tell us your favorite spot on the Treasure Coast to grab a bite to eat.
Wow. So tough. I am out and about in the community a lot. The
sliders and a recent concoction at Ocean Republic Brewery always
hits the spot. For quiet conversation, The Grille at Martin Landing
is perfect. Lola’s is great for the best seafood. Had a fantastic chile
infused espresso at Barista Creamery just last week for the first time.
So I love to explore. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the
incredible food truck scene – including ours here at the Boys & Girls
Clubs – and some of the incredible home cooking I have received
from our friends and supporters – nothing beats Ms. Delphina’s
marinated sliced avocado, conch fritters and fried shrimp right there
in Port Salerno.
How do you think people would communicate in a perfect world?
Transparently, making clear motive and intention without any
pretense. Focusing more on what’s right about our kids, our communities,
general orientation to navigate to yes and talk about what’s possible
instead of why something can’t be done. In a way that understands
privilege and position and perspective but uses all those things as a
way to build longer tables, not taller fences.
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is, as we know, rooted in values and integrity but is contextual so
comprising self or organization, to move the mission forward.
our world and less about what’s wrong with them. With a
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LARRY LEE
STATE FARM AGENT AND CO-OWNER OF WFLM
Larry Lee Jr. grew up in Fort Pierce, graduated
from Fort Pierce Central High School in 1972 and
received a degree in health and physical education
from Livingstone College in 1976. He married his college
sweetheart, Alice, and they have one daughter,
Dr. LaTasha Lee.
Lee owns a State Farm insurance agency and he and his wife own
WFLM radio station. He’s a graduate of Leadership Florida and is
featured in the book The Influentials by Jon Berry and Ed Keller. In
2002, he was inducted into the Livingstone College Football Hall of
Fame. And in 2004, he received the Leadership Florida Distinguished
Alumni Award.
In 2012, Larry was elected to the Florida House of Representa-
TRAVIS LEONARD
CEO AND MANAGING PARTNER OF A&G CONCRETE
POOLS
Travis Leonard, who was born in New Jersey,
moved to Florida in 1988 with his family.
Leonard was hired by A&G in 1999 for in-house
sales and design and was promoted to sales manager
in 2006. In 2008, he accepted a partnership in the
company and obtained a state license in commercial and residential
swimming pool construction in early 2009.
Today A&G is a leader in the swimming pool industry with more
than 100 full-time employees. It constructs more than 400 pools
yearly.
In 2021, he was selected by Gov. Ron DeSantis to be a St. Lucie
County Fire Board commissioner. Leonard also has been on the St.
Lucie County Licensing Board since 2016 and was elected its chairman
this year.
He married his high school sweetheart, Genia, in 2001 and they
have two daughters.
If given $50,000 to start a new business, what type of business
would you start and why?
A trade school. Being in the construction industry and seeing the
skilled tradesman aging and retiring each day truly scares me. They
have an amazing talent and decades of experience that needs to
be passed on. Having young people be able to learn a trade and be
proud of that trade would make me happy.
Have you ever watched a movie and gained a new perspective on
life? What movie was it and what did you learn?
Limitless. Every shortcut has its shortfalls, shortcuts to success, if they
work at all they do not last long. Too often in today’s world everyone is
looking for the quick buck and wind up failing. Hard work and determination,
along with persistence, have allowed me to be so successful.
What was the first leadership role you can remember being in
and how has it shaped how you lead today?
Through high school I worked at Capri Pizza delivering pizzas to
start and quickly worked my way up to pizzaiolo. Having this position
made me responsible for staff, preparing food to be ready for the
evening rush, and how to get the best out of the team we had.
CHAD OLSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA
REGION FOR BENCHMARK HOSPITALITY
Chad Olson joined Benchmark in October 2015
as general manager of Costa d’ Este Beach Resort
& Spa and Cardozo South Beach. He was promoted
to managing director of the South Florida
Region in 2019 with direct oversight of four hotels.
Prior to joining Benchmark, Olson worked for more than 25 years in
California for companies such as JRK Hotels, Joie de Vivre Hospitality
and Woodside Hospitality
What was the first leadership role you can remember being in
and how did the experience shape how you lead today?
Assistant front office manager at a resort in Arizona. I was a
complete failure in my approach on how to interact and lead a team
but through lots of failures and the open mindedness and humble
pie, I learned.
What is your favorite spot on the Treasure Coast to grab a bite to eat?
Depends on the mood but in either case, I enjoy patronizing the
independent restaurants. From the casual end of the spectrum, Little
Jim’s in Fort Pierce, to my favorite, Fire and Wine in Vero Beach.
What leadership skills do you find most useful?
Servant leadership, humility, risk taking and overly communicating.
tives becoming the first Black state representative in the history of
St. Lucie County. He has served on several bank boards. He is the
co-founder of the Ave D Boys Choir, the Jazz & Blues Society and Boy
Scouts Troop 772.
His passion for helping youth and senior citizens led him to found
the Lighthouse Foundation to serve those populations on Florida’s
Treasure Coast and later created the Restoring the Village Initiative to
help improve the neighborhood he grew up in, Lincoln Park.
If given $50,000 to start a new business, what type of business
would you start and why?
If given $50,000 to start a new business, it would be a business that
helps create entrepreneurship for youth. I feel that we need to invest
more in our youth.
If you could choose one song to play every time you walked into a
room for the rest of your life, what song would you choose and why?
My favorite song is Wake Up Everybody by Harold Melvin and The
Blue Notes. That song has a powerful message. It was made during
my senior year in college, but its message is as strong today as it was
in 1975.
What was the first leadership role you can remember being in
and how did it shape you today?
My first leadership role occurred during my junior year in college.
I was co-captain of the football team. During my senior year at Livingstone
College, while serving as captain of the team, we had the
No. 1 defense in the nation among small colleges. Playing football
taught me so much about teambuilding. It helped me learn how to
build a successful insurance agency, a political career and a not-forprofit
foundation.
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