Goodwill Industries to build new headquarters with housing in SWFL

Reporter: Valentina LaFranca Writer: Tim Belizaire
Published: Updated:

Goodwill Industries of Southwest Florida plans to build a new headquarters and affordable housing on 27 acres of land.

Goodwill CEO John Nadeau said he plans to build the new campus in Fort Myers.

“We were fortunate to acquire 27 acres over on the west side of Interstate 75 and Martin Luther King Boulevard some time ago with the purpose of building a new campus,” said Nadeau.

Nadeau said he has two reasons for the new campus.

“One is because we’ve basically outgrown our current campus, which is a good thing,” said Nadeau. “It tells us that the services that we’re providing the community are needed and wanted, and we continue to provide those services. And the second reason is that the location will allow the community to access our services much better than they have been in the past.”

Spencer Roach, a member of the board of directors for Goodwill of Southwest Florida, said this will benefit the local economy.

“It’s an economically disadvantaged challenge area,” said Roach, “so this is going to bring certainly more jobs there, as well as more opportunities for people to shop there, and affordable housing for people with disabilities that live in and around that area.”

The housing for workers would be the first of its kind for Goodwill. It will allow them to live and work in the same place, which would cut down on expenses.

“This projected project is going to be good for the Southwest Florida community, literally, in every sense of the way,” said Roach.

Nadeau said they need the money to turn these renderings into a reality.

“The state has already supported us last year with a three-and-a-half million dollar appropriation,” said Nadeau. “Tom Golisano and the Gallisano Foundation have also given us a very generous gift, so the county money really will come very close to completing the circle.”

The county is working to vote on a final proposal, which could happen as soon as next February.

Nadeau said that if all goes well, they could break ground by the end of this year and open sometime in 2027.

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