Fort Myers chamber names new CEO.

Robert Goltz, who has 25 years of experience in chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, has been named president and CEO Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce.

Goltz replaces Brian Hamman, a Lee County commissioner, who had been CEO of the chamber for a little over a year before he resigned in August.

Chamber Board Chair Jay Johnson, owner of Bubba’s Roadhouse and Saloon in Cape Coral, had been interim CEO. Johnson will continue to serve in that role until Goltz’s official start date of Dec. 18, according to a statement.

“Robert came highly recommended by respected peers across the chamber of commerce industry, and his extensive background in chamber leadership is incredibly impressive,” Johnson says in the release. “We know his expertise will be vital in continuing the momentum of our chamber as we strive to deliver significant value to our members.”

Goltz has held various leadership positions in chambers in Michigan, New Jersey and Florida. Most recently, he was executive vice president of the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that, he was president and CEO of the Miramar Pembroke Pines Regional Chamber of Commerce, between Miami and Florida. In 2018, Goltz, the release states, received the Executive of the Year Award from the Florida

Association of Chamber Professionals.

“I am thrilled to take on the important role of president and CEO of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce,” Goltz says in the release. “Having served as an executive for several chambers since 1999, I am proud of my track record in facilitating growth and increasing financial stability for the organizations I’ve led. I look forward to ingraining myself in the community and collaborating with the board of directors, volunteers and members of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce in empowering businesses, professionals and the community as a whole.”

The CEO announcement follows another Southwest Florida chamber CEO announcement: Late last month Kristina Park, who held executive posts at chambers of commerce in Pinellas County, was named president and CEO of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.

A New York property investment firm has bought the three-decades-old Squeeky’s Car Wash in St. Petersburg and plans to expand the brand.

Andover Properties, the buyer, would not disclose how much it spent on the car wash at 3264 Tyrone Blvd. N., but according to Pinellas County records, it paid $4.12 million for the property on the heavily traveled thoroughfare.

This purchase grows the firm’s car wash portfolio to five locations.

Squeeky’s first opened in the 1990s and, as of Dec. 1, had not updated its website to reflect the change in ownership. Its page still refers to the car wash as family owned and operated.

Andover specializes in alternative real estate asset classes including self-storage facilities, manufactured housing, RV parks and car washes. As part of the deal, it also bought the company’s intellectual property and plans to rename any car wash it buys in the future Squeeky’s.

Zach Harding, the chief investment officer for Andover, says in a statement announcing the purchase that the number of car washes the company owns will likely continue to grow in the near future.

“At a time of capital markets upheaval, investor uncertainty

Squeeky’s Car Wash has sold to the New York investment firm Andover Properties.

and pronounced new car wash supply, we expect to see more of these opportunities in the coming months and years, with the potential for asset prices to become even more attractive,” he says.

Andover is no stranger to the Gulf Coast and Florida.

The New York-based company has an office in Miami and in August bought the 600-unit, 105,000-square-foot Jim’s Stowaway at 3257 Radio Road in Naples, changing the name to Storage King USA.

In all, Andover owns 43 Storage King facilities in Florida, including locations in Sarasota, Fort Myers, Zephyrhills, Englewood, Lakeland and Polk City.