Junior Achievement Announces 2025 Business Hall of Fame Laureates

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Jan. 14, 2025 – Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JA) announces Timothy Cartwright, Partner and Co-Founder at Fifth Avenue Family Office; William Price, Jr., Board Chairman, and Matthew Price, Chief Executive Officer, both with Seagate Development Group; and Aysegul Timur, Ph.D., President of Florida Gulf Coast University, are to be inducted into the JA Business Hall of Fame on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. The prestigious event honors influential, visionary leaders and organizations that have significantly impacted the educational landscape for local youth regarding entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy in Southwest Florida.

Timothy J. Cartwright is a visionary in venture capital and private wealth, dedicated to shaping industries and driving economic growth with innovative leadership. His impactful contributions and unwavering commitment to community impact led to him being named by Florida Trend as one of Florida’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders for six consecutive years. He is a partner and co-founder at Fifth Avenue Family Office, a firm that serves a select group of high-net-worth families with multigenerational wealth. He uses his expertise to help clients manage investments, assist in sophisticated estate planning, evaluate private equity and venture investment opportunities, create succession and exit strategies for closely held businesses, and offer guidance on thoughtful multi-generational legacy transfers. A constant entrepreneur, Cartwright previously co-founded By-Products Interactive, an electronic trading, market research, and publishing company, which he sold in 2021 to Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, an FTSE 250 Public Company. Before that he founded Benchmark Solutions, a supply chain consulting company, which was sold in 1999. His career started in Chicago, where he worked with middle-market companies at Arthur Andersen. Locally, Cartwright recently completed a 12-year term as a director of the Florida Gulf Coast University’s Foundation Board, finishing as Chair of the Board. During this time, he was influential in starting the Institute for Entrepreneurship, which grew into the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he served as an Adjunct Professor for six semesters. Cartwright is also known as the founder and chair of the Tamiami Family of Angel Funds, the largest and most active Angel Fund in the state of Florida, which is currently investing in early stage businesses from their fifth fund.

William Price, Jr., the visionary patriarch of Seagate Development Group, brings over 40 years of experience in leasing, development, and construction of complex, high-profile projects on both national and international stages. After beginning his studies in civil engineering at Drexel University, Price graduated from Temple University with a degree in real estate and urban land studies. He launched his career in real estate brokerage, specializing in industrial, manufacturing, and distribution sectors, where he developed a deep understanding of tenant needs and the dynamics of landlord coordination. Leveraging this expertise, Price partnered with a general contractor to create a vertically integrated real estate, construction, and development firm—a model that continues to define Seagate's operations. This approach ensures seamless service from design to construction completion and facility management, emphasizing practicality, cost efficiency, and long-term functionality. Over his career, Price has built a real estate portfolio exceeding 6.5 million square feet, including leading the sale of 2 million square feet to a national REIT for over $100 million in 1997. In the state of Florida, he developed an additional 4.5 million square feet of commercial property, further solidifying his legacy as a leader in the industry.

Matthew Price's unwavering commitment to budgets, schedules, and client relationships serves as the foundation of Seagate's mission. As the creator of Seagate's innovative design-build process, he has streamlined the financing, acquisition, and development of high-profile commercial projects. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics and a minor from the prestigious Wharton School of Business, Price combines Ivy League education with decades of hands-on leadership experience. A licensed general contractor and real estate broker, he has spearheaded the development, design, and construction of over 5 million square feet of property. He has been involved in real estate transactions exceeding $1 billion over the past 20 years. He is a member of the advisory board of Truist Bank, a member of the Lee County Business Issues board and Leadership Florida, and a real estate leader for Gridiron Greats.

Aysegul Timur, Ph.D., the fifth president of Florida Gulf Coast University, is widely known for building collaborative teams of university and community stakeholders to implement strategic initiatives, including workforce alignments. As a driving force behind initiatives to elevate academic excellence with the launching of FGCU’s micro-credentialing and digital badges initiative, Timur has helped FGCU enhance the rigor of existing academic programs while being responsive to the ever-changing needs of the business community. She led the efforts for FGCU to receive a historic $22.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce — Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge Grant to amplify workforce development efforts in Southwest Florida. As a visionary leader, her contributions to Southwest Florida are helping to create pathways for economic innovation and collaborative growth. She continues to display dedication and leadership in the community as a member of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, a member of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, the immediate past chair of the Collaboratory Board of Trustees, a board member of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, and a board member of the Naples Botanical Gardens.

Business Hall of Fame sponsors help Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida make a difference in the lives of local students and are recognized in many ways before, during, and after the event. Current sponsors for the event include presenting sponsor First Horizon Bank, champion sponsor Title Professionals of Florida, and trailblazer sponsor The Community Foundation. Sponsorship opportunities and additional event information are available at https://southwestflorida.ja.org/events/2025-ja-business-hall-of-fame. Inquiries can also be made at (239) 225-2590 or info@jaswfl.org.