Institutes, Centers, and Initiatives

Engaging with the community

Institutes, centers, and initiatives empower Lutgert College of Business to engage with the community beyond the classroom. Through these organizations, FGCU faculty conduct research, collaborate with their regional business partners and offer their expertise, sharing resources and contributing to the community.

Center for Agribusiness
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The Center for Agribusiness (CAB) seeks to enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural operations in Southwest Florida by providing well-trained professionals who are knowledgeable about agriculture and its role in the Southwest Florida economy.

Visit the CAB website
Center for Supply Chain Excellence
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The Center for Supply Chain Excellence (CSCE) seeks to achieve excellence in supply chain management through high-quality leading-edge educational programs and outreach activities in partnership with industry. The CSCE is committed to bringing together professionals in the supply chain management with LCOB faculty and students to facilitate knowledge partnerships and to develop and disseminate best practices in supply chain management. The CSCE will facilitate the education and development of students to become future leaders in supply chain management, as well as offer certification and educational programs for industry professionals.

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Institute for Technological Innovation
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The Institute for Technological Innovation (iTi), with the sponsorship of the Department of Defense and private industry, has developed on-demand, online, mobile, portable courses and systems applications and tools for learning from anywhere, anytime.

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Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance
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The Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance was established to reflect the important role that real estate development plays in the Southwest Florida economy and to address the need for a graduate degree program to prepare students for the challenges in this highly competitive industry. The institute works closely with the Real Estate Investment Society (REIS) of Southwest Florida. Links to both websites are below.

Visit the Lucas Institute website
Newton Ethical Leadership Initiative
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Regional Economic Research Institute
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The Regional Economic Research Institute (RERI) performs economic research, analysis and forecasting for various organizations in Southwest Florida. The Institute has published many works, including a monthly Southwest Florida economic report and a quarterly business climate survey report.

Visit the RERI website
Small Business Development Center
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The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a customer-driven organization of business professionals, dedicated to helping small businesses succeed, by enthusiastically providing creative solutions which exceed customer, employee, and stakeholders’ expectations.

Visit the FSBDC @ FGCU website
Southwest Florida Leadership Institute
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Regional Economic Indicators: March 2023 Report

March 01, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for March 2023. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

Regional Economic Indicators: February 2023 Report

February 01, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The RERI has published Regional Economic Indicators for February 2023. The monthly publication represents a collection and analysis of economic indicators including airport passenger activity, taxable sales, tourist tax revenues, labor force, employment, real estate, and consumer sentiment for the Southwest Florida workforce region.

Collier EBCS: First Quarter 2023 Report

January 31, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The Collier County economy continued to decline to begin the new year, according to the latest results from the Collier County Executive Business Climate Survey. The Collier County Executive Business Climate Index (EBCI) slipped in the first quarter of 2023, falling 1.3 points from the previous quarter to 51.7. The decline in the EBCI was largely due to perception of economic conditions, as both the Current Economic Conditions and Future Economic Conditions components dipped 1.8 points over the same period. Future Industry Conditions, a measure of expectations for the respondent’s industry over the next year, slipped 0.5 points.

Lee EBCS: First Quarter 2023 Report

January 31, 2023 / RERI Research Team

The Lee County economy showed signs of improvement for the first quarter of the new year, as the Executive Business Climate Index (EBCI) increased 3.1 points from the previous quarter to 53.0. While this is welcome news for a county that experienced a catastrophic category 4 hurricane just four months ago, a deeper dive into the results suggests that the county still has a way to go to fully recover from Ian. The current economic conditions index, based on a question asking respondents to compare the Lee County economy to 12 months ago, had an index of 42.2 for the first quarter of 2023, up 3.8 points from the previous quarter but still 8.7 points below the third quarter of 2022 (the last data point before Hurricane Ian). Similar conclusions could be drawn from the current industry conditions and current hiring trends indices, which both saw improvements from the last quarter but remained below pre-Ian levels.

Engaging with the community

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