Planned Giving Council Membership Luncheon Event​

Brian Rist is the former Executive Chairman of The Smart Companies, of which Storm Smart is the largest subsidiary

Storm Smart is Florida’s largest manufacturer and installer of hurricane protection and lifestyle products and offers the most comprehensive product line in the industry.

Since opening in 1996, Storm Smart’s growth and commitment to its customers has been honored with the Governors Ambassadors’ Award in 2015, Horizon Council Award for Corporate Expansion in 2007, INC 500 Fastest Growing Companies 5 times (2006-2009 & 2019), Cape Coral Community Foundation’s Non-Profit Business Partner of the Year in 2017, and “Best of” by the readers of the News-Press for multiple years. Brian was named 2019 Distinguished Innovator of the Year by America’s SBDC at FGCU and awarded 2021 Industry Appreciation Manufacturer of the Year.

After 26 years of growing Storm Smart to be the largest manufacturer of storm protection products in the United States and being a businessman, Brian began to focus on giving back. He is a philanthropist, giving to local colleges and universities, helping with food banks during the holidays, sponsoring many charity events, and giving to veteran organizations. He is a true leader, giving his time and money to the community he has called home for nearly a quarter century.

Brian and his wife Kim have played a large role in helping organizations such as SWFL Children’s Charities, Pace Center for Girls, Community Cooperative, The Community Foundation, IMAG History & Science Center and Collier-Lee Honor Flight. Through these efforts, Brian and Kim are making an impact on the lives of thousands in Southwest Florida, in an effort, as Brian says, "to leave this earth a better place than when he got here". 

Children's Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida

Founded in 1981, the mission of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida (CAC) is to provide a coordinated response to child victims of abuse and neglect; and improve the lives of at-risk children and their families through prevention services. At CAC, we assess and treat children believed to have been physically or sexually abused or to be at-risk of such abuse, and a provide a safe place for them to come and be heard. We offer abuse determination services as well as therapeutic counseling, parenting education and prevention programs in Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte Counties.

We are one of the largest children’s advocacy centers in the state of Florida and the only one in the four-county area accredited by the National Children’s Alliance.