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Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Martha Stewart aren’t only household names. The tech design icon, electric car pioneer and home décor guru are also past winners of an Edison Award.
Those awards, which honor some of the most innovative products and business leaders worldwide, are headed to Southwest Florida starting next year. The three-day celebration, according to a statement, will take place at the new Luminary Hotel and Co. and Caloosa Sound Convention Center in the downtown Fort Myers River District.
Edison Universe, the nonprofit behind the awards, selected the city to host the event for three years under a joint partnership that includes the Horizon Council, Horizon Foundation and the City of Fort Myers. The first event, which also honors excellence in new product and service development, marketing, design and innovation, is scheduled for April 21-23, 2021, the release adds. Edison Universe, motivated by inventor Thomas Edison, according to the organization’s website, is “committed to inspiring educational institutions and supporting the business world.”
As part of the agreement with Edison Universe, the Horizon Foundation, Horizon Council and the City of Fort Myers, through its Community Redevelopment Agency, will contribute $150,000 over three years to the organization. The groups will also assist the Edison Awards in securing another $50,000 from area businesses for each event year, the release states.
In addition to the exposure for the business community, securing the Edison Awards is something of a homecoming for Fort Myers: Thomas Edison had a family home and laboratory in town, and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are visited by more than 250,000 guests each year.
"We are thrilled that the Edison Awards are moving to downtown Fort Myers where Thomas Edison's greatest innovations originated over 150 years ago," Edison Awards Executive Director Frank Bonafilia says in the release. “The future of Fort Myers is bright with robust startup and global companies that are leading the charge in enhancing the quality of life, increasing sustainability, and improving educational technology.”
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