October 12, 2022 - Sharon Van Rite - If I Could Turn Back Time

21180 Country Creek Drive,Estero FL 33928

12 October, 2022

Description

Born in Chicago, Sharon grew up believing that someday she would be writing cutting-edged editorial pieces or bestselling detective novels set in the gritty underbelly of the big city. Instead, she found herself residing in beautiful Southwest Florida, publishing upscale magazines and marketing collateral for a largely affluent audience. The underbelly of paradise is hardly gritty, but it’s been a wild ride nonetheless. Over the years, she and her team have created exceptional publications that showcase the unique attributes that make the area so vibrant and exciting. It began in 1985, when Sharon, an advertising sales manager with the Tribune Company in Chicago, requested a transfer to the company’s affiliates in Southwest Florida. Within a year, she moved from newsprint to become the Director of Marketing for Gulfshore Publishing, a producer of high-end monthly lifestyle magazines, finally accepting the position of Publisher for Gulf Coast magazine, a competing publication. In 1992, Sharon founded Gulf Coast Media, a custom magazine publishing company. The firm grew quickly, at one time creating annual Visitor and Relocation magazines for eight Southwest Florida Chambers of Commerce, as well as targeted magazines for the Naples Area Hotel Association, American Express, The Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club, the Naples Philharmonic (now Artis, Naples), Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, to name a few. She formed Platinum Media in 1995 and co-founded n magazine, a monthly publication featuring the famous, fashionable and philanthropic celebrities and residents of Naples, Fl. Many other publications featuring the high-end real estate, hobbies and fashion of Southwest Florida were added to the mix. She eventually sold n magazine and the two companies merged to became Platinum Media Services of Southwest Florida, Inc. Sharon has held a number of Board positions with Chambers of Commerce and non-profits, as well as Economic Development Councils and Business Federations. She has held Advisory positions with several Educational and Charitable Foundations. She is a graduate of Leadership Collier and Leadership Bonita, and is currently on the Steering Committee for the development of Leadership Estero, set to commence in October, 2022