Caldwell works with Gilbane Building Co., while Pedonti is retired from finance industry
James Caldwell and Patrick Pedonti have joined the board of trustees of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, the nonprofit has announced.
An accredited land trust, the Foundation is headquartered at Bay Preserve in Osprey. Its “mission is to protect the land and water in Southwest Florida for the benefit of people and nature,” a news release points out.
Caldwell and Pedonti join trustees Robert W. Brown, chair; Sherry Davis, vice chair; David Crawford, secretary; Mario Bernardis, treasurer; Patrick Carlton; Elizabeth Moore; Eileen Scudder-Zimmermann; and Daniel Vigne, the release adds.
Caldwell is the Sarasota business leader of Gilbane Building Co., the release continues. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in construction management from the University of North Florida “and is committed to protecting Southwest Florida’s critical natural lands,” the release notes.
“As a Florida native, I have always had a deep appreciation for the outdoors,” Caldwell said in the release. “I consider myself very fortunate to live on the beautiful coast of Southwest Florida, an area rich in land, water, wildlife, and protected habitats,” he added. “I am proud to call this slice of paradise home and believe that its preservation is fundamental to maintaining a coastal ecology that ensures environmental sustainability for future generations.”
A native of the Boston area, Pedonti is a retired professional with more than 35 years of experience in the finance industry, the release says. He served as the chief financial officer of a publicly traded software company for more than 20 years and holds a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Merrimack College, it notes.
“My younger years were spent overseas in the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, and Southeast Asia,” Pedonti said in the release. “I learned to love the natural beauty of those places,” he added. “Twenty years ago,” he continued, “I visited Gasparilla Island in Southwest Florida and realized this is where I wanted to live. Ultimately, this led me to Conservation Foundation and their critical work in preserving this environmentally sensitive area.
“A longtime supporter,” Pedonti said, “I am now proud to serve on their Board of Trustees and help protect the many places that make this region so very special.”
The Conservation Foundation has saved 19,952 acres across 59 properties since its inception, the release points out. “Notable recent conservation successes” include the preservation of 656 acres at the Longino Ranch in eastern Sarasota County; the 64-acre Crooked River Ranch located along the Manatee River in Manatee County; and 20 acres located within Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park in Port Charlotte, the release adds.
The organization also is partnering with the Sarasota Audubon Society and Sarasota County staff to re-wild the 33-acre Quad Parcels next to the Celery Fields, and “it has an ongoing partnership with the City of Sarasota to restore and enhance the Bobby Jones Nature Park for the benefit of both wildlife and our community,” the release notes.