First Gold Buyers opens

First Gold Buyers of America Inc. has opened a precious metals buying store located at 3515 Del Prado Blvd., #102, in Cape Coral. First Gold pays the highest for gold, silver, platinum and diamonds. It also buys new, used, broken and unwanted items.

Learn about gold parties – a great way to have fun and make money for the host and guests.

For more information, call 220-5540.

New web design company opens in Cape Coral

Crystal Clear Solutions

now open in Cape

Crystal Clear Solutions, a technology company, has opened in Cape Coral.

Owned by Loretta Rinaldi, former owner of Crystal Clear Technologies, LLC in Louisiana, this technology company offers web design, search engine marketing and custom software development services.

For more information, call (225) 291-9001 or visit their website at “http://www.swflwebdesigners.com”>www.swflwebdesigners.com.

Strait earns public

relations accreditation

The Florida Public Relations Association has announced that Angie Strait has earned the designation of Accredited in Public Relations. Strait is a public affairs coordinator for the Lee County Port Authority.

Strait is the fourth member of the FPRA Southwest Florida Chapter to earn the APR credential in the last year. She joins more than 4,300 active public relations professionals worldwide who represent an elite group of highly skilled professionals committed to practicing with exemplary ethical standards.

A Cape Coral resident, Strait is a member of the Lee County Port Authority’s public affairs team. Her department is responsible for the promotion of Southwest Florida International Airport and Page Field, through media relations and public information/marketing communications, special events, community relations programs, corporate citizenship and employee communications.

For more information on the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, visit www.fpraswfl.org.

Edward Jones earns top spot on list

of ‘Best Companies to Work for in Florida’

The financial-services firm Edward Jones recently was named the No. 2 large company on the “Best Companies to Work for in Florida” ranking, according to Edward Jones financial advisors.

Florida Trend teamed up with the Best Companies Group of Harrisburg, Pa., to rank the state’s best employers. One hundred companies were named Best Companies to Work for in Florida for 2011, divided into 31 large companies, 38 medium-sized companies and 31 small companies by the number of people they employ in Florida.

The ranking was based on an employer inventory of practices and an anonymous survey of employees, who were asked to agree or disagree with dozens of statements about the firm, teamwork and their individual experience at the firm. On the 2010 list, Edward Jones ranked No. 8.

Edward Jones has 383 branches throughout Florida.

Advocacy Telecom Group, Commercial

Telephone Voice & Data merge

The Advocacy Telecom Group and Commercial Telephone Voice & Data recently announced the merger of their two telecommunications companies. The merger will provide customers with increased savings on both telecommunications services and equipment.

The Advocacy Group brings decades of expertise in analyzing, negotiating and reducing expenses associated with service providers such as Verizon, AT&T, Century Link and T-1/PRI providers. Commercial Telephone Voice & Data brings its extensive knowledge of telephone and data communications equipment and technologies such as Voice over IP or SIP trunking.

For further information, contact Patricia Russell at prussell@theadvogroupswfl.com or Patrick Carey at 239-939-0059 or at: CVOICEDATA@aol.com

Murray now a CCIO

Phillip Murray, department director of information technologies for the Lee County Port Authority, recently became a Certified Chief Information Officer from the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University by successfully completing a rigorous certification as part of the Certified Public Technology Leadership program.

In order to complete the CCIO certification, Murray had to first complete the Certified Public Technology Manager program that focuses on managing the technical environment within a local government setting. The CCIO program builds upon the CPTM program to address organization, governance, management and strategic planning issues from the executive leadership perspective.

Murray joined the Lee County Port Authority in 2008 and is responsible for the operation and improvement of the airport’s telecommunications services, computer systems and networking, as well as providing oversight and guidance to information technology staff.

For more information about the Lee County Port Authority, log onto www.flylcpa.com.

J Brooks & Associates

opens new, larger office

J Brooks & Associates Inc. has announced the grand opening of its new main office in Fort Myers, located in the Alico Commercial Park, at 17041 Alico Commerce Court, Suite 1, Fort Myers. Outgrowing its Cape Coral office, the new 4,100-square-foot main office is centrally located to help service all the clients from south Collier to Sarasota counties.

The company has also opened new satellite offices in Cape Coral and Sarasota.

Contact J Brooks & Associates Inc. at (239) 313-7129 for more information.

Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival

partnering with O’Brien Subaru

The Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival has announced a partnership with Fort Myers-based O’Brien Subaru. This year’s festival, scheduled for Nov. 3-6, offers seminars, on-water instruction, demos, races, a film festival and social events for paddling enthusiasts throughout Florida and the nation.

O’Brien Subaru is located at 2850 Colonial Blvd., in Fort Myers.

The festival serves to highlight the Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail, a 190-mile marked-and-meandering saltwater trail that spans the coast and inland rivers along The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.

O’Brien Subaru will host the kick-off reception at Residence Inn by Marriott Fort Myers-Sanibel Thursday, Nov. 3, for festival participants, VIPs, sponsors and vendors.

Festival details are available at www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com and also on Facebook and Twitter. For trail information, visit.

Priority Marketing wins award

in public relations competition

The Florida Public Relations Association honored Priority Marketing with an award during the 2011 Golden Image Awards competition for the Navia.com Launch news release.

Golden Image Awards judges awarded the Navia.com Launch news release with an Award of Distinction for achieving outstanding results including garnering national media coverage, which led to placement in nearly 300 national media outlets that collectively reached 78 million readers.

Established in 1992, Priority Marketing is a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations firm. The company is located at 8200 College Parkway, suite 201 in Fort Myers. For more information call 239-267-2638 or visit www.prioritymarketing.com.

Scott Fischer Enterprises

earns recognition

Scott Fischer Enterprises has announced the Business Excel-lence Forum has named it the Best Overall Company with fewer than 500 employees. Sponsored by ActionCOACH, the awards are part of an annual two-day conference.

The Business Excellence Forum was created to recognize the “Best of the Best” in the small-and-medium sized business (SMB) sector. The exclusive 2-day event honors the accomplishments, value and contributions of small businesses and their owners worldwide.

The Business Excellence Awards honors the achievements of owners in industries and categories from around the world and is considered the premier awards for small businesses in the world. Scott Fischer Enterprises, led by local business and motorsports industry leader, Scott Fischer, was recognized with the top award Best Overall Company at the recently held event.

Scott Fischer Enterprises, and all their Harley-Davidson locations, have a strong commitment to motorcycle safety as well as the community. In business for over 20 years, they are regularly recognized as leaders in their industry and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. For more information, please visit www.SFE-US.com.

Free business

lending workshop Sept. 22

Find out what it takes to finance a business at a free workshop Thursday, Sept. 22. Hosted by Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company, P.A., the roundtable discussion will connect business owners and entrepreneurs with local banks and the U.S. Small Business Administration to learn how to get needed funds to start or expand a business.

Participants will hear about the types of loans available, application process, collateral requirements and criteria for sound loan consideration. The SBA will also discuss the specifics of their available loan programs.

Participating banks include Stonegate Bank, IronStone Bank, Wells Fargo, Encore National Bank and Florida Shores Bank.

The “Financing Your Business and How to Get a Commercial Loan” workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn in Fort Myers at 12600 University Drive. Pre-registration is required and seating is limited. Register at 239-433-5554 or csarlo@markham-norton.com.

Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company P.A. is a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Fort Myers and Naples. It offers a wide range of services including business consulting, technology consulting, technology management and support, tax preparation and planning, litigation, mediation, forensic accounting and elder services. For more information about the firm, call 239-433-5554 or visit www.markham-norton.com

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

to host charity day

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar is celebrating the remodeling of its South Fort Myers restaurant by hosting a charity day to benefit Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc.

Anyone who dines at the restaurant at Daniels Road and U.S. 41 on Saturday, Sept. 10, will have 15 percent of their total bill donated to Child Care of Southwest Florida by printing a flyer from the charity’s website and bringing it with them to Applebee’s that day. To obtain the flyer good for 15 percent donation to Child Care of Southwest Florida, visit www.ccswfl.org.

The 15 percent donation applies to all food and beverage sales, including alcohol, anytime during the day or night at the Daniels Road location only. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Currently, there are more than 2,000 Applebee’s restaurants operating in 49 states, 15 international countries and one U.S. territory. The Applebee’s system employs approximately 28,000 employees company-wide. For more information, visit www.applebees.com

Bockemuehl to coordinate

Junior League conference

Attorney Brooke Bockemuehl of Pavese Law Firm was selected to the State Public Affairs Committee for the Junior League of Fort Myers. In this role, Bockemuehl will assist in organizing a statewide conference for Junior League delegates to be held Sept. 9-11 at the Sanibel Harbor Resort. During the event, Junior League delegates, community partners and public officials throughout Florida will convene to debate and determine local, state and national issues as they relate to Junior League projects, programs and 2012 legislative priorities.

Bockemuehl, an associate in the civil litigation division, joined the Pavese Law Firm in May 2005. Her legal practice areas include general civil litigation with a focus on commercial litigation, real estate law, family law, community association law and bankruptcy creditor representation.

Bockemuehl is a member of the American Bar Association, Lee County Bar Association and President of the Lee County Association of Women Lawyers.