Sarasota EDC launches CEO Academy

To help leaders of growing companies enter the next phase of expansion, the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County is starting a new program in partnership with the nonprofit GrowFL. The EDC is accepting online interest forms for the initiative, called the CEO Academy, through May 8.

Designed for leaders of companies that have found success and are gearing up for second-stage growth, the CEO Academy will enroll eight to 12 CEOs in its first cohort. The nine-month program will run from September to May 2027.

“We believe with strategic support, many of our second-stage growth companies can grow and create great jobs for our community,” President and CEO of the Sarasota EDC Erin Silk says in an email. “The new Sarasota County CEO Academy aims to help second-stage companies do just that: grow.”

To qualify, CEOs must be running for-profit, private companies with annual revenue from $750,000 to $100 million with six to 150 employees. Companies should operate beyond the local market.

“These are companies that, while they have survived the startup phase … are often resource and time-constrained,” Silk says. “These companies usually have very specific and timely challenges to growth. We are partnering with GrowFL, a statewide nonprofit dedicated to empowering second-stage growth companies. Jim Miller, CEO of DutchCrafters, has gone through the GrowFL programs and had wonderful success.”

Miller is featured in a video the EDC put together promoting the program.

"People talk about how hard it is to start a company, but what they don't talk about enough is how hard it is to grow and thrive after you survive the startup," Miller says in the video. "When you hit that second stage, the stakes are higher. Resources are limited, and you're making decisions that affect people's families, their livelihoods and your own future. And there's no playbook for this."

According to Miller, the invaluable resources he got from working with GrowFL were "trusted advisors, real-world guidance and peers who understand the kind of challenges that I was facing."

Participants in the CEO Academy will complete a deep-dive needs assessment with GrowFL, then be paired with experts to “create an actionable, tailored plan to help them overcome their most pressing growth challenge,” Silk says. “This is not a one-size-fits-all program."

The time commitment is two hours per month for each CEO. There will be three in-person group workshops over the course of nine months. In addition, CEOs will have virtual meetings with assigned subject matter experts. 

“We are excited about the program,” Silk says. “We are a community of small businesses; we have an incredible community of companies primed for growth.”

The EDC is participating in the Giving Challenge from April 15 to 16 with the goal of raising $30,000 in sponsorships for the program. It has already raised $11,000 as of April 14, according to Silk.