BOB SWINDELL
PRESIDENT & CEO, GREATER FORT LAUDERDALE ALLIANCE, FORT LAUDERDALE
A University of Florida graduate, Swindell got a start in the business world through his family’s Fort Lauderdale-based industrial supply company.
After nearly two decades running Champion Manufacturing, Swindell sold the company and joined the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance in 2003 as senior vice president of business development.
In 2009, he was named president and CEO of the alliance, a public-private partnership that promotes economic development for Broward County and 31 municipalities.
Over the past decade, Swindell has worked closely with CEOs and local governmental leaders to bring about significant job growth to the greater Broward County area.
Most recently, Swindell has been focusing on the challenge of providing affordable/workforce housing.
“Many of our Broward County residents are highly cost-burdened in the percentage of income they must spend for housing,” says Swindell. “As our state’s population continues to grow, we must ensure we have housing for our existing and future workforce at all wage levels.”
Swindell also is a strong advocate for continued investment in the community’s key infrastructure assets that include Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades, one of the busiest cruise ship ports in the world.