Space for good

The sometimes art, sometimes science, of creatively using empty or underutilized commercial real estate space has a stellar example in Collier County.

That's where a partnership between Florida Community Bank and The Immokalee Foundation resulted in the FCB Impact Center. The 5,605-square-foot center, at 1400 N. 15th St., Immokalee, is a collection of local nonprofit organizations that serve Immokalee and Collier County. Most agencies have a focus on services for low- and moderate-income residents of rural Immokalee.

In addition to The Immokalee Foundation, organizations housed within the FCB Impact Center, according to a statement, include One by One Leadership; ICO Arts; Taste of Immokalee; Goodwill Job Link; AARP; Lighthouse Center for the Blind; H.E.L.P. of Collier County; and Legal Aid. These organizations were leasing space throughout Collier County, including Immokalee. “The combination of providers at the center reflects a broad scope of services available to the residents of Immokalee,” says Steven Kissinger, The Immokalee Foundation's executive director, in the statement.

The FCB Impact Center is in space that formerly housed FCB's back-office operations and administrative divisions. The Immokalee Foundation signed a lease for the space, which bank officials, in the statement, say isn't “needed for day-to-day bank operations.”

“Florida Community Bank believes in giving back to the communities we serve, and these organizations provide essential services to our customers and neighbors,” says Florida Community Bank President and CEO Kent Ellert in the statement.