MONEY

Sunshine Ace Hardware wins business ethics award

Dick Hogan and David Plazas
dhogan@news-press.com dplazas@news-press.com
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Sunshine Ace Hardware president Michael Wynn speaks after receiving the Business Ethics Award at Harborside Event Center Wednesday evening.
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Sunshine Ace Hardware president Michael Wynn speaks after receiving the Business Ethics Award at Harborside Event Center Wednesday evening.

Sunshine Ace was one of three finalists for the award, which was awarded Wednesday at the foundation's Uncommon Evening at Harborside Convention Center in Fort Myers.

The News-Press Media Group and Home-Tech were the other two finalists.

The award is presented to the business that exemplifies the highest standards of ethical behavior.

Sunshine is a family-owned business started in 1958 with 250 employees and offices across Southwest Florida.

In his remarks company president Michael Wynn said his grandfather set the core values which employees follow to this day.

The core values are to be "always customer focused, care for your neighbors, build honest relationships, inspire confidence, take ownership and responsibility to live up to the company standards and be humble."

An independent panel of ethics experts from across the country reviewed the nomination.

Past recipients are HomeBanc Mortgage Corp., WilsonMiller Inc., Bonita Bay Group, Shell Point Retirement Community, Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., Conditioned Air, Hope HealthCare Services, and Ted Todd Insurance.

In addition, three teachers have been named to receive the annual Character Education Teacher award: Maggie Walters, sixth grade intensive reading and TV production, Mariner Middle School, Cape Coral; Trish Engvalson, fourth-grade teacher, Tropic Isles Elementary, North Fort Myers; and Deborah Marino, second-grade teacher, Sea Gate Elementary, Naples.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation, a not-for-profit organization established in 1993, is dedicated to lifelong character building among youth and business leaders.

Its mission is to promote character education in schools, business ethics in the workplace and historic preservation of the Burroughs Home and James Newton Archives.

THE FINALISTS

HOME-TECH

Home-Tech, established in 1981, is a privately held, employee owned company with 130 employees in Fort Myers. It handles appliance and air-conditioning service, installation and service agreements. Company founder and CEO Steve Marino leads with the mission statement, "Service that works for all."

SUNSHINE ACE HARDWARE

Sunshine Ace Hardware is a neighborhood hardware store in Naples, Golden Gate, Bonita Springs, San Carlos Park, Marco Island and East Naples. It is a family-owned business established in 1958 and now has 250 employees. According to its president Michael Wynn, the company is led daily by its vision "To be the recognized community destination for home repair, maintenance solutions and 'delivering sunshine.'^"

THE NEWS-PRESS

The News-Press Media Group, whose predecessor, the weekly Fort Myers Press newspaper, was founded in 1884, is a publicly traded company with 280 employees in Southwest Florida. Mei-Mei Chan, president and publisher, says the organization is guided by its parent company, Gannett Co. Inc. According to Chan, the company's Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsroom Division "commits us to seek and report the truth in a truthful way, serve the public interest, exercise fair play, maintain independence and act with integrity."