Future considerations: Exec, mindful of long-term continuity, makes bold move

Dave Owens realizes the importance of an exit strategy. That’s a big reason why the president and CEO of Fort Myers-based Midland Financial Corp. took the first steps to make the firm an employee-owned company at the end of January.

Owens, 54, is both continuing in his current role at Midland but also thinking about the next phases of his life and career. “I think everything is timing,” he says. “From my standpoint, we’ve been very successful as a business, and I was looking for some kind of strategy to slowly transition. I don’t want to just sell the business. I appreciate all that our people have done, and I like the [employee stock ownership plan] strategy, so I can share some of the success with them as we go forward.”