In the Know: Clothing corporation with ties to HGTV's Joanna Gaines moving headquarters to SWFL
Phil FernandezAnother firm's leaving the North to set up shop in Southwest Florida, continuing a trend we've been reporting on: the growing number of executive offices in the region.
A former Pier 1 Imports president and Chico's FAS honcho is moving her clothing corporation's headquarters from the Hoosier state, with the official launch planned Friday.
CEO and Executive Chairwoman Donna Noce Colaco leads Matilda Jane Clothing, known for its unique, colorful apparel for girls and women that saw its profile boosted through designs with HGTV's Joanna Gaines. Garbs are sold online and through a network of more than 2,000 independent female entrepreneurs known as Trunk Keepers.
“While Matilda Jane is national in scope, our business model is local in feel. Through our entrepreneurial spirit, bringing business to local communities is at our core," Colaco said. "I’m thrilled to be opening the new Matilda Jane corporate headquarters in Fort Myers, a place I’ve had the privilege to call home for the last 14 years."
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With her husband, Frank, she has spent most of that time in the McGregor Boulevard corridor, where they more recently built an estate on the Caloosahatchee, according to public records.
About a 10-minute commute away for her, the organization will operate out of 12501 World Plaza Lane, Building 51 off U.S. 41 and Brantley Road.
Not Area 51, by the way.
One of the oddities, however, might be the whimsical nature of the clothing, focused on colors, patterns and textures, that made its debut in 2005 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, also not to be confused with Area 51.
The minor league baseball home of the TinCaps, Fort Wayne is scheduled to continue serving as a distribution center for the company, but the bosses will be here thanks to the lease deal negotiated between LandQwest Commercial and Lee & Associates.
The Chico's, Pier One connection
“Corporate relocation is increasing in Southwest Florida,” said Steve Wood, who represented Matilda Jane with LandQwest colleague Adam Palmer. “The region’s market growth embodies an attractive, business-friendly government that ensures a local talent pool.”
LandQwest has been at the center of some noteworthy office deals including with electronic giant Ametek and retailer Five Below. CEOs and other top brass from these entities and others are buying homes, part of the surging investments that continue in Southwest Florida.
In the Know reported in recent days on two monster purchases: $44 million for the Tropicana mobile home park and $27 million for Fort Myers Beach's Neptune Inn. And Amazon and its partners are expanding in a big way in Southwest Florida with their own distribution centers, and that means more hiring.
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Already a member of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, Matilda Jane's Aimée LaPlante anticipates "bringing numerous job opportunities to the Southwest Florida community." But when asked, the business didn't have exact numbers or plans for expansion, among other questions, by publication deadline.
Colaco already knows about being part of a group based in Southwest Florida, with her previous experience at Chico's, serving as brand president of its White House Black Market chain, which hired her at $600,000 annually in 2007, based on federal documents.
Previously president of Ann Taylor's LOFT division, she held the same title at Pier One, which brought Colaco in at $700,000 in 2019, the year before the chain shut down all its locations.
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Joanna Gaines autumn clothing line
Gaines, these days appearing on the Discovery Plus network, is among those who, within the past four years or so, have designed kids clothing lines for Matilda Jane. She's drawn inspiration from country living, with an eye toward autumn.
At the same time, the Trunk Keepers are key to Matilda Jane's success, with for example, 70,000 in-home trunk shows or at other venues in all 50 states in 2017, according to its data. The brand is among the most coveted by consignment sale organizers.
Trunk Keepers participate in community fundraisers and other philanthropic opportunities, a mission that originated with late founder Denise DeMarchis. Colaco, who joined Matilda Jane last year, has continued that tradition.
One of the architects of Southwest Florida's Dress for Success program that assists disadvantaged women, Colaco also has been involved in efforts in the battle against breast cancer. Living Beyond Breast Cancer annually awards the Donna Noce Colaco Going Beyond Award.
“Giving back has been a part of the Matilda Jane Clothing brand from the very beginning,” said Colaco, who led the donation of $3 million worth of women’s and children’s attire to underserved families earlier this year. “We are so proud to carry forward the values upon which our company was founded: Being the good, working with purpose and spreading happiness.”
Now that good cheer has reached the Southwest Florida economy.
Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) writes In the Know as part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, which supplemented this report. Support Democracy and subscribe to a newspaper.