What he does: President, W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractors.
Why he won: “Every person in North Florida should be grateful for him because he’s touched everyone in some way,” said one nomination. Gay’s giant firm has served local developers in many ways and his charitable work is legendary. “His heart is as big as his company,” said another.
Service: Greg Matovina
What he does: President, Matovina & Co.
Why he won: Tireless work on behalf of local charities, particularly those that serve the less fortunate. “Greg sees a need and reacts,” said a person who nominated him. “Even when times aren’t the best, Greg never lets up with his charitable work.” He’s a past president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association “and he brought true ‘Spirit’ to NEFBA,” said another.
Passion: Barbara Jenness
What she does: President, Barbara B. Jenness real estate
Why she won: She continued the strong growth of the St. Augustine WCR with outstanding leadership, all the while making the transition from a real estate office to opening her own company. A community leader, she chairs the Scenic and Historic A1A Highway commission and is president of Friends of A1A. “A real leader,” said one person. “If she believes in a cause, she’ll do anything for it.”
Integrity: Wendell Davis
What he does: Vice President, Watson Realty.
Why he won: It’s hard enough to get elected to one big job, much less two, in the same year, but Davis accomplished it. He’s now the president-elect of the Florida Association of Realtors and he’s also a new member of the Clay County Commission. A sign of his integrity: he’s already chair of the commission, which has been plagued with controversy in recent years.
Respect: Richard Dostie
What he does: Retired builder.
Why he won: “If every family handled themselves like the Dostie family, we’d have the greatest group of builders in the world,” said one person who nominated Dostie. Until his company’s sale and his retirement a few years ago, Dostie led a company that built some of the area’s finest homes while also being an association leader. Even in retirement, he’s stayed active and last year led a late ticket sales drive that brought the NEFBA Gala into a success when it appeared that it might even be canceled.
Initiative: Judy Hicks
What she does: agent, Re/Max Coastal Real Estate.
Why she won: One nominator sums it all up: “Judy’s passion for real estate stems from wanting to help others get what they want. She gives tirelessly to her customers, donates her time to those who are less fortunate and even finds time to help those of us who are new in the business.” Hicks continues to lead the effort to help the daniel Home and has started the Builder Realtor Relations Committee of SMC.
Teamwork: Ken Kuester
What he does: Owner, Lumber Unlimited.
Why he won: The concept of Builders Care — getting the construction industry to help repair homes of the needy — couldn’t work without a strong volunteer leader and Kuester has provided that. “He donates material and, most of all, a lot of time,” said one nominator. Said another: “He leads in every way, including sweat equity.”