MICHAEL WYNN

PRESIDENT, SUNSHINE ACE HARDWARE; CHAIRMAN, WYNN FAMILY COMPANIES, NAPLES

Sunshine Ace is a 500-plus employee chain of convenience hardware, commercial and recreational retail stores. Wynn has served as president of the chain of companies founded by his grandfather since 2005. Wynn is chair of Florida Gulf Coast University’s board of trustees. He also serves on NCH Healthcare System’s board of trustees, is a board member of Leadership Florida and a member of the Florida Council of 100.

EDUCATION: University of South Florida (BS), Florida Gulf Coast University (MBA)

MENTOR: Duwayne Keller, the previous owner of the Dale Carnegie franchise in Southwest Florida and a friend for over 30 years. What I most admire about Duwayne is his ability to teach so much by just asking great questions. So many of the answers are inside of us, but the right question unlocks the answer.

INSPIRING FLORIDIAN: My grandfather, Don Wynn. He was one of the most humble people I have known. From helping our community recover from Hurricane Donna in 1960, to passing historic zoning for Naples as a council member in 1963, to living the core values that we base our current company’s culture strategy around, he was the epitome of servant leadership.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: My mantra is ‘People over profit.’ Life is volatile and uncertain. We want to be a sanctuary for our team. When you invest in your people, they will invest in you and your business.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: An ethical reputation is the most valuable currency on Earth.

IF I WERE GOVERNOR
“Elevate funding and awareness around mental health. Florida currently ranks near the bottom of the 50 states for overall access to mental health care.”