Mark Morse

PRESIDENT & CEO, THE VILLAGES, THE VILLAGES

Morse succeeded his father, the late H. Gary Morse, as head of The Villages in 2014 and is leading the massive retirement mecca that straddles three counties through its next phase of growth. Several major projects are in the works, including a town center called Eastport in Sumter County and a downtown district for Middleton, a “family-friendly” neighborhood with a charter school campus designed specifically for the workforce personnel that supports The Villages. The developer is also updating Spanish Springs Town Square, which opened in 1994, among other projects. Morse came into the business after working in his family’s restaurant in Michigan. He says he’s applied the same strategy that worked there to The Villages — getting constant customer feedback and executing on it.