Matt Boggan, 23

Matt Boggan launched his first business at age 15, building websites while most of his peers were learning to drive.

“Don’t let age define you,” Boggan says. “A lot of people said I couldn’t do it, ‘no one was going to take me seriously’ – and they did. The biggest thing is to follow your dreams. When crazy ideas come out and you want to make them a reality, find a way to make it work.”

Photo by Mark Wemple

Now 23, Boggan leads Gulf Coast Agency, where he handles marketing and consulting for Republican and nonpartisan campaigns in addition to clients in real estate, restaurants and other industries. He also owns Stix Sushi & Seafood in Naples and a restaurant venture in New York.

His career began in politics with an internship in the Florida House of Representatives during his freshman year at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. That’s where he met his mentor, Priscilla Grannis, the chief development officer at Lighthouse of Collier and a former district aide to State Rep. Bob Rommel, R-Naples. “She helped me connect with people, pushed my limits,” Boggan says. “She’s always seen my potential from a young age. She’s more than a mentor — she’s a friend.”

Her most important lesson: respect everyone.

“You never know where anyone comes from. Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Boggan says. “I’ve sat next to people thinking there’s no way, and it turns out they’re the CEO of companies worth millions.”

Boggan, who earned both his bachelor’s and MBA from FGCU, has logged more than 1,000 hours of community service and serves on civic boards across Collier County. Balancing it all, he says, comes down to passion. “I tell people I’m not just doing things to do them. I’m doing it because I love it.” 

Sometimes that even means being in two places at once.

“I have two board meetings that fall at the exact same time each month,” Boggan says. “I sit there with two laptops, an AirPod in each ear — and I’m engaged in both meetings.”

Looking ahead, Boggan envisions more restaurants, continued political work and one day running for office. “If I’m going to do it, it’s to help the community,” he says. “Not to be a career politician.”