Charitable Foundation of the Islands Welcomes Brian Rist to Board
/December 2, 2024 (SANIBEL, FL) – Brian Rist, the most recent person to join Charitable Foundation of the Islands’ (CFI) Board of Directors, brings a skill set perfectly suited to the cause.
They include the ability to grow an organization; how to explain complicated concepts in an approachable way; and the desire to take a holistic approach to bettering the community in which he lives.
The former executive chairman of The Smart Companies, Rist grew its largest subsidiary, Storm Smart, into the biggest manufacturer of storm protection products in the United States.
Having done well for himself, he and his wife, Kim, now focus on doing good for a broad range of people and causes. Those now include Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
The Rists live on Sanibel, spending summers at their Cape Cod home.
“My wife and I purchased a home after Hurricane Ian and we are more committed now than ever to the islands,” Rist says. “After completing the Leadership Sanibel-Captiva class in 2024, I knew I had to get more involved.
“I am very excited to work with CFI and especially to be on the Economic Revitalization Committee.”
“We are thrilled to have Brian as a new member of the CFI board. His experience and longstanding work in the community make him an invaluable part of the team,” said Chip Roach, chair of the CFI Board.
Rist is broadly involved with good causes throughout the region.
He teaches entrepreneurship students how to scale companies at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship.
He is the founder of Rist Family Foundation, which supports several institutes geared to entrepreneurship (FGCU) and difference makers; as well as sustainability and energy (University of Massachusetts); respiratory therapy and cybersecurity (Florida SouthWestern College).
The Rist Family Foundation also supports Collier-Lee Honor Flight, which serves military veterans; and social impact causes including Community Cooperative, Valerie’s House, PACE Center for Girls and SWFL Children’s Charities, Inc.
He’s also had lots of experience serving on philanthropic boards, including those of Uncommon Friends Foundation, FGCU Foundation, Lee Health Foundation and more.
“I want to do everything in my power to make Sanibel and Captiva an even better place to live,” he says.
About Charitable Foundation of the Islands: (MyCFI.org)
The mission of the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) is to inspire philanthropy, leadership, and collaboration for the vitality of the Island community. CFI has served the Sanibel and Captiva communities since the 1990s through the Francis Bailey Society and was officially incorporated
as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2011.
For more information, contact:
Dolly Farrell, Executive Director
dfarrell@sancapcfi.org
(239) 322-3881