Men & Women of the Year

I cannot turn down chocolate.

Personal hero:

My wife, Pam, the hardest-working person I've ever met. She is 100-percent substance and 0-percent fluff.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My waistline.

Quality you admire most in others:

Honesty, forthrightness and a healthy dose of humor.

Quality you dislike most in others:

Whiners. People who only complain, but won't participate to help find a solution.

What keeps you up at night?

Projects we are working on or should be working on.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

Eight-lane I-75 immediately!

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Buy property. It's not getting any cheaper. Register to vote and exercise that right every time you can.

Lois Thome

This WINK-TV news anchor, lauded for her professionalism, sincerity and warmth, has won respect along the Gulfshore for putting her heart and soul into spotlighting local schools and their potential for curing many of society's ills in her ongoing "Eye on Education" series.

Born Dec. 29, 1964, Chilton, Wisconsin.

How did you choose your calling?

I didn't choose my career. It chose me. I went to college with dreams of becoming a dentist, but after four semesters of science, it lost its appeal.

Most important achievement:

My marriage. It requires hard work and lots of compromise, but having my husband tell me he loves me fuels me like nothing else in life.

Best trait:

I care-about the work I do, the kind of wife I am, and most important, the type of person I am.

Worst trait:

Sometimes I have a hard time admitting I am wrong.

Personal hero:

My parents. They are honest, loving and faith-filled.

Unfulfilled dream:

To be a mother.

Quality you most admire in others:

Honesty. In this cutthroat world, so many people have blurred the edges of what is truth and what is a lie.

What book made the biggest impression on you?

This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti. When you work in television, sometimes life is blown out of proportion. You're constantly at risk of thinking you're more important than you are. This book reminded me that humility and faith are two things you need if you want to feel truly content.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I am a farm girl. When I worked at a CBS affiliate in Green Bay, Wisconsin, I used to anchor the morning news, then drive to the farm to help my dad bale hay.

What's your favorite spot here?

Captiva Island. One good sunset will cure all that ails you.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

Even out the haves and have-nots. Too many people in this world struggle for just the basics in life.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Always leave 10 minutes early. Nothing is more frustrating than to be late for something because of the heavy season traffic.

Ed Carlson

Founding member of the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed Land and Water Trust, South Florida area manager for the National Audubon Society, and director of the 11,000-acre Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, he simply describes himself as a swamp rat. His greatest accomplishment may have been completing a six-year project to build new visitor facilities that showcase the natural beauty, rare wildlife and crucial environmental importance of this stretch of old-growth cypress and wetlands northeast of Naples.

Born March 9, 1950, Jamestown, New York.

Best trait:

Horse sense.

Worst trait:

Hopeless optimism.

Unfulfilled dream:

To write a classic book about the deep, magical connection of human life and nature.

Quality you admire most in others:

Compassion.

Quality you dislike most in others:

Indifference.

What saying made the biggest impression on you?

"Know you're right, then go ahead." Daniel Boone's advice reminds me to think before I act.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I prefer colder climates.

What is your favorite spot here?

The giant cypress forest at Corkscrew.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

De-beak the mosquitoes.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don't take the natural beauty here for granted. Actively protect it!

Mary Susan Gallien-Clinton

Chairman and founder of two companies-a wildlife documentary firm called Gallien Global Vision and Renaitre.Com Clinical Skin Care-Gallien-Clinton wasn't content to rest on her business laurels, but helped organize two of Naples' most popular charitable events. The Community School of Naples' Angel Ball has raised more than $425,000 in financial aid for students, and the Naples Winter Wine Festival, the second biggest affair of its kind in the nation, has brought in millions of dollars for philanthropies in Collier County.

Born Jan. 29, 1962, Savannah, Tennessee.

Best trait:

Versatility.

Worst trait:

A tie between always being late, and spontaneity.

Unfulfilled dream:

To be on this planet to love, ensure a sense of morality in, and give sustenance to my sons through their adulthood.

Quality you most admire in others:

Genuine friendship. It is rare.

Quality you most dislike in others:

Superficial friendship. Unfortunately, it is prevalent.

What book made the biggest impression on you:

The Bible. It is my first reading every morning.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I own and drive a big, green John Deere tractor (of course, it has air conditioning and a CD player), and I am a notable Southern soul-food cook.

Favorite spot here:

The unmitigated nostalgia of Old Naples. It is surreal.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

Slow all expansion so we could avoid becoming more densely populated. Population is required to support much of what we enjoy about our area, but there is a point where there are diminishing returns.

John R. Wood

Founder and chairman of the board of John R. Wood Realty, one of Naples' premier property purveyors, Wood is the dean of local realtors and a past president of the National Association of Realtors and two-term president of the Naples Board of Realtors. He's donated his expertise in housing and administration to a good cause as president of St. Matthew's House, a shelter that helps put local homeless back on their feet.

Born Sept. 17, 1929, Star City, Arkansas.

Best trait:

I love people, particularly children.

Worst trait:

Insufficient self-discipline.

Personal hero:

Gandhi. He was able to free his nation with strong convictions, self-sacrifice, spiritual beliefs and non-violence. And he loved the poor, the downtrodden, the sick and suffering of the world.

Quality you most admire in others:

Those who have respect and love for all others, no matter their status, race, creed, color or religion.

Quality you dislike most in others:

Lack of respect for those who cannot help them in any way.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

That I am really only 47 years old and that Phillip Wood and I are identical twins.

What keeps you up at night?

Jennifer Lopez (J. Lo) movies on TV.

If you could do one thing to improve the region, what would it be?

The number-one problem that Southwest Florida has is traffic caused by lack of connecting roads both east-west and north-south. I would do my best to get all government agencies to provide for such connector roads. This would mean that new subdivisions would have to be platted in a manner that would not block east-west and north-south roads.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Accept the fact that Southwest Florida, particularly the greater Naples area, will continue to grow whether we like it or not. Recognize and accept that about 99 percent of the residents and business community want the same goal-to have the highest quality of life for a community that is now known all over the world.

Ben Hill Griffin III

Scion of a powerful Florida ranching and citrus family, this CEO and chairman of one of the Gulfshore's top publicly traded corporations planted the seed for the region's first state university, Florida Gulf Coast University, with a gift of 760 acres of prime land and millions of dollars-a long-term commitment to the Gulfshore's economic, intellectual and athletic future.

Born March 3, 1942, Lake Wales, Florida.

Best trait:

I like to make decisions.

Worst trait:

Staying at my desk too long.

Personal hero:

My father, Ben Hill Griffin Jr. He had strong perseverance.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Remember names better.

Still-unfulfilled dream:

Airplane pilot. I love to fly.

Quality you most admire in others:

Honesty.

Quality you most dislike in others:

Not being themselves.

What writing made the biggest impression on you?

A Message to Garcia, because it told of being dependable.

If you could give newcomers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Buy land now.

Janet Watermeier

A veteran of the public and private sectors, Lee County Economic Development's executive director was the first female vice president at Westinghouse Communities (a forerunner of premier local homebuilder WCI Communities) and helped forge Lee County's two economic development councils into one. She's using her business and government savvy to wean the county from its dependence on tourism and help develop a more mature, diverse economy.

Born April 11, 1952, Buffalo, New York.

Best trait:

The ability to view a situation from both sides.

Worst trait:

Impatience.

Personal hero:

My mother. She inspires me to live my life with integrity, trying to do the best I can at whatever I choose to do, and is always there to help pick up the pieces when I fall apart.