FORT MYERS, Fla. – Feb. 10, 2026 – Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida (JA) announces Ryan Carter, President of Scotlynn; David and Jerri Hoffmann, entrepreneurs and founders of Hoffmann Family of Companies; and Rebecca Maddox, entrepreneur, are to be inducted into the JA Business Hall of Fame on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, starting at 5:30 p.m. The ceremony will be hosted at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. It will honor the 2026 Laureates, who have demonstrated influential and visionary leadership that impacts the educational landscape for local youth in Southwest Florida, including entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy.
Ryan Carter launched Scotlynn with his business partner in 2010 as a professional arm of a larger international and trucking enterprise, bringing business and employment opportunities to Southwest Florida. Under his leadership, this enterprise has created economic drivers to enhance and support regional growth, with more than 400 employees in the United States, many of whom are based in Fort Myers and Tampa.
Carter currently serves on several boards, including the Lee Health Foundation, the Horizon Foundation, and the Community Cooperative. He also serves on FGCU’s Lutgert College of Business Advisory Council and Supply Chain Management Board and is a member of Leadership Florida’s Connect Class 11. Individually, Carter has been recognized for his efforts, receiving numerous awards that include being named the Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year in 2024, Businessperson of the Year in Florida in 2020 as well as the runner up for the USA by the US Small Business Administration, Business Observer’s 2019 40 under 40, and the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Award through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the state of Florida.
David Hoffmann, founder and chairman of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, is a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist. He oversees a family-owned network of enterprises that employs over 22,000 people worldwide and comprises more than 200 distinct brands and properties across 30 countries. The Hoffmann Family of Companies was born from a foundation David established in 1989, when he founded DHR Global (formerly DHR International) and built it into one of the largest privately held executive search firms in the world. He has been featured on the Forbes Billionaires List for four consecutive years, earned the Horatio Alger Award in 2023, and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Central Missouri, his alma mater, where he served as the 2022 Commencement Speaker.
Jerri Hoffmann, David's wife, has been integral in building the Hoffmann Family of Companies business empire alongside him. She is a passionate philanthropist and successful entrepreneur with a keen strategic insight into business and an unwavering commitment to community enrichment. She is the founder and owner of The Augusta Clothing Company, launched in April 2022, that blends timeless style with small-town charm. The store is in the historic Augusta Wine Hall building in Augusta, Missouri, America’s first viticultural area, and showcases a curated selection of clothing, shoes, and accessories that reflect Jerri’s refined taste and entrepreneurial spirit. She has since expanded the brand to Naples, Florida, and is exploring future locations in Colorado, with aspirations to grow nationally. This endeavor reflects her personal journey, passion for fashion, and dedication to community.
Outside of business, the Hoffmanns are deeply committed to giving back to others in need, particularly in Naples, where their generous contributions have played a vital role in revitalizing and enriching the community. Their story began as high school sweethearts in rural Missouri, and now they have been married for over 50 years and are proud parents of three children and 13 grandchildren.
Rebecca Maddox is a seasoned financial professional, entrepreneur, author, and community leader whose career spans corporate finance, real estate development, hospitality, and more. Her career as a Certified Public Accountant began in New York in the early 1970s, and she later launched a distinguished 20-year corporate career there, during which she held roles at organizations including Revlon, Arthur Andersen, and Citicorp Guardian. She served on two public company boards, both listed on the New York Stock Exchange, while also traveling internationally as a motivational speaker on leadership and authoring several books. In the early 2000s, she transitioned into entrepreneurship, founding and growing multiple businesses that were ultimately acquired by larger companies. She retired to Naples, Florida, in 2006, and when the financial crisis struck in 2008, she pivoted, entering the Naples real estate market. Alongside her brother, she acquired and renovated foreclosed properties, at one point owning more than 200 units. Her final real estate acquisition became what is now Three60 Market.
Today, Maddox devotes much of her time to Rebecca’s Wine Bar and The Maddox Club, while remaining actively engaged in supporting the Naples community. A longtime advocate for local growth and philanthropy, she is deeply invested in giving back to the city she loves. Raised between New Jersey and Ohio, she is one of four siblings and remains closely connected to her large extended family.
Each year, the Hall of Fame Committee, led this year by Vicki Tracy as Chair, selects influential leaders from Lee and Collier counties who support the mission and vision of assisting today’s youth in becoming the leaders of tomorrow. These philanthropic changemakers join an esteemed group of more than 100 business leaders in Southwest Florida who have been inducted into the Business Hall of Fame since its founding in 1988.
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 Citizens Bank, Champion Sponsor Pushing the Envelope, Visionary Sponsors Entech, MHK Architecture, and State Farm, and Trailblazer Sponsors Hertz, Publix Super Markets Charities, and Seacoast Bank.
Tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and additional event information are available at https://southwestflorida.ja.org/events/2026-ja-business-hall-of-fame. Inquiries can also be made by calling (239) 225-2590 or emailing lprew@jaswfl.org.
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