Argus Impact

We apply business leadership to important community issues

The Argus Foundation’s members are an integral part of our community. Click on an image to learn more.

Venice Gondolier Sun: Caldwell Trust celebrates 25th anniversary with a gift to others

Celebrating more than 25 years of investment experience, Caldwell Trust Company and having one billion dollars in assets under management, gave a $30,000 contribution to Step Up For Students Scholarship Program for the 2018-19 school year. The company has partnered with Step Up For Students since 2011 contributing a total of $220,000 funding 40 K-12…

Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Freedom Boat Club donates $30,000 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast

Freedom Boat Club, the nation’s oldest and largest boat club with more than 20,000 members in 31 states and Canada, recently concluded its third national cause-marketing partnership to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. While total contributions among all participating clubs nationwide are being collected and tabulated, the corporate Freedom Boat Clubs from Southwest…

SRQ Daily: PGT Innovations Donates to Local Schools with SchoolTools

More than 25 team members and leaders at PGT Innovations’ North Venice location worked together to assemble and deliver SchoolTools backpacks to make a difference in the lives of local children in need through World Vision, a global Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty…

Business Observer: Reputation and giving back to community helps hospitality company attract workers

Quillen says one aspect of the company’s retention he thinks particularly appeals to millennials and the Generation Z coming up behind them is the its community involvement. It regularly donates money and volunteers with organizations related to law enforcement, veterans groups and children. “They want to be identified with a group or a company that…

Nine Icard Merrill Attorneys Honored for Pro Bono Service

SARASOTA, FL – Nine attorneys from the law firm of Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen and Ginsburg, P.A. were honored with Pro Bono Service Awards from Legal Aid of Manasota. The annual awards recognize attorneys who have donated their services to provide legal services at no cost to those in need. The Gold Pro Bono…

Sarasota Herald Tribune – Cox: Help needed for Drug Free Babies

Sexually assaulted at age 15, Sarasota resident Holly Weigman started using crack cocaine to manage her grief. One week after her 21st birthday, she landed in jail for the first time. That same week, she found out she was pregnant. Holly credits the First Step Mothers and Infants program for saving her life and the…

Caldwell Trust Company and Agape Flights send Santa’s sleigh on a Thanksgiving flight: the companies team up to deliver traditional Thanksgiving dinners to missionaries far from home

VENICE, FL: Caldwell Trust Company and Agape Flights teamed up in November to bring a taste of home to missionaries who spend Thanksgiving Day—and every other day—working in Haiti, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. Helping with Agape’s Missionary Thanksgiving Program was an easy decision for Caldwell and its staff. Allen T. Speer, CEO of Agape Flights, had told R.…

North Port Sun: Creative Solutions to Day Care Need

OUR POSITION: PGT teams up with YMCA for near-site day care for workers’ children. Working families in Southwest Florida struggle to find decent, affordable housing. They have well-publicized problems getting access to health insurance and coping with the rising costs of health care. Transportation is always an issue; the availability of good jobs too. Then there’s…

Jones Potato Farm wins Grower Achievement Award for environmental sustainability

American Vegetable Grower® magazine is proud to announce Parrish, FL-based Jones Potato Farm is the 2017 recipient of its prestigious Grower Achievement Award. This national award is given annually to an operation that exemplifies the best of the national growing community. Jones Potato Farm’s owners, Leslie and Alan Jones, are leads in the drive to sustain…

Gecko’s receives Restaurant Good Neighbor Award for community work!

Argus member Gecko’s Grill & Pub, honored this week with the 2017 National Restaurant Association Restaurant Good Neighbor Award! Co-Owner Mike Quillen is a past president of Argus and a current executive board member! Watch the video announcing their award!