Fort Myers startup incubator names top official

Phyllis LeFlore-Calloway has been promoted to director of the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center, a light industrial business incubator dedicated to assisting startups or early state businesses in Fort Myers. The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency manages the center.

LeFlore-Calloway has been assistant director for the CRA since October 2021, splitting her time between duties there and directing the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center. She will now be solely responsible for overseeing the SWFEC, according to a statement. The center’s programs, workshops and seminars help to educate business owners in a wide range of subjects, the release adds, in addition to providing “businesses a physical location from which to operate with added technical assistance to owners to help them build a strong and long-lasting business.”

“Phyllis is committed to change and growth and to serve the Southwest Florida and city of Fort Myers communities,” Fort Myers CRA Executive Director Michele Hylton-Terry says in the release. “Her experience and familiarity with community needs will provide the necessary resources and tools needed to assist in the continued growth of the city.”

LeFlore-Calloway has more than three decades of successful experience in legal, employee, project management and operations with focus on restructuring and sustainability, the release states. She specializes in legal analysis, contract negotiations and professional development. She began her career with the city of Fort Myers in 2018, serving as the legal administrator and adviser in the city’s Attorney Office. In April 2021, she was selected to serve as the city’s interim city manager. 

The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1984 by the city of Fort Myers to formulate a plan and strategy for the revitalization of the downtown River District. Today the CRA oversees redevelopment in four designated areas that contain a total of 14 distinct geographic sections within the Fort Myers city limits.

The Fort Myers City Council oversees the CRA’s divisions and their operations. The council also oversees the Southwest Florida Enterprise Center’s operations.