Bob Swindell

President and CEO Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance

Bob Swindell was named President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance in November 2009. He joined the Alliance as the Senior Vice President of Business Development in 2003. Bob and his team market and promote Broward County as a highly desirable location to do business; bringing high skill / high wage jobs and diversifying the local economy.

The Alliance also assists local, national and international companies already doing business here or those prospective companies considering a move to Greater Fort Lauderdale. The Alliance is Broward County's official public / private economic development partnership and brings together the County’s business community and 31 municipalities for the purposes of accelerating economic and job growth.

A lifelong Broward resident, he has served in several business and community leadership roles. Prior to his position with the Alliance, Bob was President of Champion Manufacturing for 18 years; a Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale based industrial supply company serving the Southeastern United States. In 1992, during the impact of Hurricane Andrew, Bob chaired the local Board of the American Red Cross for 2 years.

In 2018 Bob was honored by the Broward County Public Schools by being inducted into the Broward Schools Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1989 Florida Governor Bob Martinez appointed Bob as a Commissioner for the Florida Board of Harbor Pilot Commissioners. Bob was and continues to be the youngest member to ever serve as a Pilot Commissioner. Governors Chiles, and Bush re-appointed Bob and he served as the Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman during his terms.

In November 2012, Bob was appointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for a two-year term by Governor Rick Scott. He serves on several professional and community Boards including CareerSource Broward, United Way of Broward County, Junior Achievement of South Florida, Winterfest, and is a past- Chairman of the FEDC (Florida Economic Development Council). Since October of 2005, he has served on the Florida Atlantic Research & Development Park Authority as an appointee of the Broward County Commission.

In February of 2019 Bob was elected Chairman of the FARDA Board. He also served on the Board of Directors for NAIOP and Enterprise Florida. In October of 2018 Bob was inducted into the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber’s Business Hall of Fame and was recognized as an Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal. He was recognized by the Seafarers’ House as the Business Leader of the Year in 2017.

In 2016, Bob was honored by the Florida Economic Development Council as Florida’s economic development professional of the year. The American Red Cross honored Bob with their 2015 Humanitarian Award. He was recognized by the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for Outstanding Community Service in February 2014 and was also named a 2011 Business Leader of the Year by the Leadership Broward Foundation.

In June of 2013 Governor Rick Scott presented Bob with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Award at the Annual meeting of Leadership Florida. Bob is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Florida Class XXXI (31). He is a 1986 alumnus of Leadership Broward – Class V (5).