2006 Men & Women of the Year

You may feel that you already know them. Gulfshore Life’s 2006 Men & Women of the Year include faces that you might find smiling at you from a book jacket, decorating chocolates on the Today Show or making news in the business and philanthropic community. What we discovered, though, is that no matter how well we thought we knew them, it was nothing compared to how well they know themselves. No matter how seemingly diverse their backgrounds, all seven distinguished achievers here share a trust in their own instincts and talents. Some got it early and blazed straight ahead, and some returned to their passions after realizing they could be successful at something else—but chose not to. To a man—or woman—they’ve learned to realize their potential and use it to serve their communities with distinction.

Penny & Lee Anderson

As the founder and chairman of the St. Paul-based APi Group, named to the Forbes 500 list of largest private companies, Lee Anderson, 66, is often asked to share the secrets of his success. Along with the usual suspects—discipline, integrity, a willingness to make tough decisions—he always mentions a secret weapon: his wife, Penny, 63. Their 41-year marriage has provided the backbone for the company’s growth, he says, adding, "I never met anyone who didn’t like Penny." The Andersons, who have two children and six grandchildren, have been generous donors for causes that help local children, including Naples Children and Education Foundation and its Naples Winter Wine Festival as well as Trinity-by-the-Cove’s annual antiques show, a 50-plus-year-old fundraiser for local nonprofits. Earlier this year, Lee Anderson was recognized with the Thomas Jefferson Award for philanthropy at his alma mater, West Point.

Birthplaces Her, Chester, Pa.; him, Minneapolis. Their heroes Each other. Her wished-for trait Patience. Qualities he admires most in others Loyalty and strong values. Her must-see movie Dr. Zhivago. I love love stories. What they won’t talk about at cocktail parties Him, the shortcomings of other people; her, money. Message to his younger self Use what other people know to make better decisions. Message to her younger self Always be positive. What people would be surprised to know about him That I’m not a small talker. I wish I were. Her guilty pleasure Collecting antiques. His secret obsession I love success. I enjoy working and want to stay engaged to the end.

Robin Cook

Decades before bioterrorism and bird flu became household words, Robin Cook, 66, was spinning medical what-ifs into thrillers that both captivated and terrified readers. The Columbia- and Harvard-trained physician was still making medical rounds when his first novel, Coma (1977), became a bestseller and then a film. Five or six novels later, his fictional enterprise required more attention, but he’s still never officially given up his day job, instead opting to be on indefinite leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Cook stays current in his field and jokes, "If I stop getting ideas, I can always go back to brain surgery." More seriously, he says that even if he could have predicted his writing success, he wouldn’t—or couldn’t—have skipped the real-world insights into medical crises. The writer/doctor hyphenate also includes real-estate magnate: The part-time Naples resident and architectural buff has bought, renovated and resold properties all over the world.

Birthplace New York (Brooklyn). Person he admires most Nelson Mandela, for the ability to keep his beliefs in the face of imprisonment and then to forgive in the true sense of the word. Hoped-for achievement To consistently beat Joe B. Cox at tennis. What he’d change about himself I’d have more hair. What the Gulfshore needs More overpasses. Message to his younger self Don’t put things off until tomorrow. What he won’t talk about at cocktail parties Who I voted for in the last presidential election. People would be surprised to know [As a Wesleyan University running back] I weighed 196 in college! Meaningful read Coma. It changed lots of things for me.

Sandra Stilwell

Sandra ("sandy") Stilwell, 50, lends her ebullient presence to a number of the Gulfshore’s good causes, from chairing the next Lee Heart Ball to her three-year board presidency with the Salvation Army. That same can-do spirit has made her a major player on Captiva Island, where her nine businesses include a retail center and Key Lime Bistro. Last year she expanded her empire to south Fort Myers with the Sunshine Seafood Café and Lounge. In 2004, her Captiva businesses took a huge hit from Charley, but she insists that the clouds weren’t without their silver lining. Two years later, revenues are up, even though the tourists were absent during much of that time. "I had to dig in, work harder and work smarter," Stilwell says. "It made me a better manager."

Birthplace Geneva, Ill. Early inspiration Jim and Ellie Newton, my former business partners. Jim mentored me from the time I was 23 until he "graduated" to Heaven. They set an example of how to be a true friend. What she’d tell her younger self Forgive more quickly. Life is too short to hold grudges. Book with special meaning Uncommon Friends by Jim Newton. What she won’t talk about at cocktail parties Someone’s surgery—I get a bit faint at the thought of blood. One thing that would improve the Gulfshore Investing more in education. We have the means and ability to do better. People might be surprised to know I love to fish, shoot and drive a swamp buggy.

Norman Love

Norman love, 47, works in a true Candyland—the retail salon and chocolate factory in Fort Myers that bears his name. There, he creates and sells his signature sweets, including those he wholesales to resorts and upscale grocery chains and those he creates and packages for a boutique line for Godiva. Love had a meteoric rise as the corporate pastry chef for the Ritz-Carlton chain, opening hotel kitchens around the world, and captaining the bronze-medal-winning U.S. team at the 1999 World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France. He left the kitchen to produce televised cooking competitions for the Food Network, but when that took him too far from his family—wife Mary, son Ryan, 17, and daughter Carly, 15—he started making chocolates. He had no storefront and no credit card machine in 2002, when USA Today named his confections among the country’s 10 best; in 2005, Consumer Reports recognized his company as one of America’s top three chocolatiers.

Birthplace Philadelphia. Sweet memories Cooking at Julia Child’s home for her PBS series; having my family with me in France when we won the bronze Pastry Cup medal. Early ambition To play professional hockey. Today I play every Sunday morning at the Skatium. Message to his younger self Take chances earlier. Quality he admires most in others A tireless, passionate drive for excellence. Childhood reads Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls. People would be surprised to know I eat chocolate every day.

Jacke McCurdy

The sole woman in her law school class at the University of Maryland, Jacke McCurdy, 73, went on to a career of firsts—first woman admitted to the Baltimore County Bar, first woman assistant state’s attorney for Baltimore County, first woman vice president of Joseph E. Seagram and Sons. And although the diehard Democrat wasn’t the first woman to serve on the Maryland state legislature, she was responsible for the congressional quarters’ first women’s restroom, after the men tired of her putting an "occupied" sign on theirs. A resident of Bonita Bay since 1988, she’s been named Citizen of the Year and won the Bonita Springs Community Foundation’s Love of Bonita award for her support of Hope Hospice, the Philharmonic League, the Guadalupe Center and more. She’s also a 24-year member of the Committee of 200, an elite national group of women entrepreneurs and executives. Their code? "Put your guns at the door and learn from each other."

Birthplace Baltimore. Early mentor [Maryland state senator] James Pine showed me how to get around politics. Without that, I’d never have been vice president of Seagram. Old friend [The late] Tip O’Neill. He cared about the everyday man no matter how big he got. What she won’t talk about at cocktail parties The Democratic Party. You dance with the guy what brung you. What the Gulfshore could do without Bob’s Barricades. Message to her younger self Keep doing what you’re doing. People would be surprised to know That I’m a social Democrat but a fiscal conservative. Secret obsession It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you about it, but it does bring a smile to my face.

Jerry Williams

Even among other executive types, Jerry Williams’ work ethic is legendary. The 46-year-old chairman, president and CEO of the privately held Orion Bancorp oversees the top-performing community bank in Florida, with more than $2 billion in assets. Such success takes more than putting in the hours: Although the Texas native credits his grandfather for teaching him the value of hard work early, he’s coupled that with an ability to turn any setbacks into positives and to keep a keen eye on the big picture. Williams’ professional and community recognition includes a past stint as chair of the Florida Bankers Association and induction into Junior Achievement’s Collier County Leadership Hall of Fame. He and the bank contribute to numerous nonprofits; citing such philanthropists as Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, Williams says money is worth something "only if you spend it trying to make the world a better place."