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Men Who Make a Difference
Fitz CainSERVING HIS CUSTOMERS in Alachua as an independent Allstate Agent for more than 15 years is one of our local heroes, Fitz Cain.
Cain was originally a Gilcrest County boy and moved to Gainesville after high school, shortly thereafter beginning his career in insurance. He liked meeting people and providing financial services to his clients. Through continuing education and hard work, Cain became an agency sales manager with Independent Life Insurance, Co., in 1972. And in 1990, Fitz was asked to open his own agency with Allstate in Alachua.
Cain and his wife, Patricia, have two children, Hugh and Cathy, who are Allstate agents now working together with their father at his agency. Cain believes that by working hard, being honest with his customers and clients, providing good customer service and keeping a positive attitude, he has been able to build a million-dollar agency in Alachua. He also feels that the most rewarding part of his agency is having his children working closely with him.
Joe JohnsonAS THE DIRECTOR of workforce development at the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Johnson acts as a liaison between the Alachua/Bradford Regional Work Force Board and the business community.
“We are about people and helping people get jobs,” Johnson said. In Johnson’s position, he helps employers find employees and employees find employers. People only need to have the desire, work ethic and a good background, and a job can usually be found for them. For those who need to learn new or upgrade their skills, there are also training programs and assistance when returning to the work force.
Besides Johnson’s full-time job with the Chamber, he is also involved in the community in many other ways. Johnson is a 15-year Board Member of Peaceful Paths Domestic Abuse Network, a domestic abuse center in Alachua County; a former board member of ARC of Alachua County; a SAC member for Sidney Lanier/Anchor Center; and among other things, serving on the Heart of Florida Prosperity Campaign committee. That particular program was successful in bringing a tax program to Alachua County last year, assisting low-income people and families with their taxes for free.
Johnson and his wife, Minnie, have been married for 20 years and have four children, Anissa, Bryan, Terrence and Tommy.
Jim StringfellowJIM STRINGFELLOW is serving his second term as the chairman of the Gainesville-Alacha County Regional Airport Authority.
A man who calls himself “the luckiest and most blessed man in the world,” Stringfellow knows how to help others find blessings of their own. He is a man who makes a difference by devoting his time and energy to many organizations.
Now in his second term as the chairman of the Gainesville Alachua County Regional Airport Authority, he is instrumental in leading the growth of the airport. In 2005, passenger boarding went up 36 percent over previous years. Many upgrades to the facility are underway and others are in the planning stages.
Airport Manager of Public Relations Michelle Danisovszky said that after the recent small plane crash at the airport, Stringfellow spearheaded plans to hold a luncheon for airport tenants and emergency officials to thank them for their hard work and patience.
Stringfellow’s contributions to our community reach well beyond the airport. Born and raised in Gainesville, he has served on the boards of several healthcare agencies including Alachua General Hospital and Hospice of North Central Florida. In 2004, he joined CHOICES, a program that asked county voters to approve a $.25 sales surtax incentive. He co-chaired the campaign committee to get the referendum passed and now serves as chairman of the CHOICES advisory board, which is overseeing the program’s implementation.
In the late 1990s, Stringfellow developed a strong interest in early childhood development. He presently chairs the visioning committee of the “Success by Six” United Way early childhood initiative. He also serves on the boards of Healthy Families and the Partnership for Strong Families.
“The key to improving our community’s abysmal poverty rate and quality of life lies in our willingness as a community to reach out to at-risk children and their parents,” Stringfellow said.
Mickey DowningHAVE YOU EVER VISITED Main Street Bedding and Futon? Well if you have, chances are you’ve met Mickey Downing. Downing has been in business in Gainesville for the better part of 25 years, selling quality products including beds and futons.
Downing chooses to close his store on Sundays so that he can have quality family time.
As a little league coach for the past 8 years, Downing gets to spend a lot of that quality time coaching son Michael in baseball. Very much a role model for kids, Downing not only gives of his personal time to coach, he also helps to sponsor the teams and is very involved in the parent board of the city of Gainesville helping to raise money for single parents of kids who might possibly not be able to afford to be involved in local baseball and basketball.
We’d like to say thank you to Downing and his family, his wife, Linda, daughter, Callie, and his son, Michael.
Jordan HagenJORDAN HAGEN, SUNSTATE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION – For two years, Jordan Hagen has been the Business Development Coordinator for SunState Federal Credit Union in Alachua. But his heart lies with the people he serves. Hagen develops and teaches financial literacy workshops for area residents, from high school seniors to families in need to senior citizens.
“I try to gear the workshop for the audience,” Hagen said. As a result, the subject matter can vary. For younger adults, the focus tends to be more on establishing credit; for others, he emphasizes how to rebuild credit that might have become tarnished. Having been raised in a single-parent family, Hagen knows sometimes this happens due to circumstances out of the cus- tomer’s control.
“I’ve been through a lot of struggles,” he said. “I’m able to help them out and understand the situations they’re in.”
Hagen is also active with the credit union’s volunteer efforts, which holds a United Way drive each year and also participates in the Relay For Life, benefiting cancer research and programs. This event hits especially close to home, as Hagen was diagnosed with leukemia at just 5-years old. He watched as his mother struggled with bills along with life’s typical expenses.
“When I’m able to help people out when they’ve had financial problems, it’s important to me,” Hagen said. “I’m in a job that’s not just a job; it’s something I can really take personally and feel good about.”
David ArrighiDAVID ARRIGHI, OWNER OF THORNEBROOK GALLERY, has been bringing art to Gainesville since opening the Thornebrook Gallery in 1981. A fine arts graduate from the University of Florida, Arrighi has found that running an art gallery is a great way to mix his affection for Gainesville and his love of art.
While he carries artists from around the country, the gallery features the work of some local artists as well.
“We concentrate on North Florida landscapes because we really just love this part of the world,” Arrighi said.
Much of these are original oil paintings; however, prints are also a significant part of his business.
In addition to enriching the soul, art can also help those in need. On occasion, Arrighi has donated gallery gift certificates for charity auctions.
“Art auctions have become a way to raise money for charity groups, and we’re happy to donate to the ones that we can,” he said.
Rather than provide a work that a bidder may or may not like, he said that a gift certificate brings a person into the gallery so they can choose from a variety of items.
Arrighi said that his gallery brings families together. Arrighi tells of one customer’s son who worked there at age 16. Seven years later, he proposed to his girlfriend by creating a painting that resembled the work of her favorite artist and displaying it at the gallery. It’s a story that Arrighi tells with as much pride as if the son were his own; such is the affection that he feels for Gainesville.