Manatee Community Foundation cuts ribbon on new $1.2M headquarters

The Manatee Community Foundation officially opened its new $1.2 million renovated building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday featuring some of its biggest backers as well as local luminaries.

Foundation board President Karen Miller and long-time benefactors, Gene and Anne Beckstein, for whom the new building is named, joined foundation Executive Director Susie Bowie in snipping the ribbon at 2820 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Among the 96 in attendance were Chuck Slater, foundation board vice president, and Gene Fogerty, foundation board secretary and co-chairman with Slater of the Capital Campaign Committee, which is still working to finish raising the $1.2 million.

Since 1998, the foundation’s mission has been to connect charitable individuals in the community with the needs in Manatee County to make the biggest impact, Bowie said.

The new building has nearly 5,000 square feet of space, including a community room that will seat 100 and a board room that will seat 18 for community use.

“It’s beautiful,” Jack McClure of Northern Trust Bank said of the new building. “I love the architecture, love the entry space. The high ceiling and exposed roof look terrific. They did a nice job.”

“I’m ecstatic,” former foundation Executive Director Marilyn Howard said of the new building. “It’s wonderful. It’s a long time coming. I’m thrilled. It’s a great gift for the community.”

Ugarte & Associates of Palmetto were the architects and Manasota Commercial Construction of Bradenton was the remodeler.

“This is a special day,” said Bowie. “Our building is no longer a set of offices but a resource. Nonprofits can make use of the space to convene discussions about animal welfare, the environment, health and human services, education, affordable housing, grade level reading, civic engagement and more. We will have a great impact as a headquarters because of our space.”

A crowd favorite in MCF’s new digs were six original Herbie Rose paintings of Manatee County landmarks that decorate the building. Rose’s art, especially his watercolors, are well known in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts and beyond.

“My colleague, Suzi Atherton, was able to purchase these meaningful pieces of local art, along with some of our furniture, from Northern Trust,” Bowie said.

The Knight Foundation provided a technology grant for the community and board rooms, including a unique system for PowerPoint presentations.

“There are four screens in the community room and two of them can be operated independently from the other two,” Bowie said.

MCF’s new headquarters started as the first AAA automotive headquarters in Bradenton in 1955, when it was about half the size it is now, Slater said.

The building was purchased by Dr. Jacob Joseph, who expanded it, ironically using Manasota Commercial Construction, and used it for his practice for from 1990 to 2015, Slater added.

The foundation’s former office was at 3103 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

At the ribbon-cutting were Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston and Marlo Turner, senior vice president president for donor engagement at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

Also attending was Bob Blalock, who helped found the MCF, and Jenifer Schembri and Nick Drizos of the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund, which falls under the umbrella of the Manatee Community Foundation.

“MCF is still raising funds to complete the capital campaign and this is the perfect opportunity for people to invest who care about our entire community,” Bowie said. “We serve very diverse missions so if you are a person in Manatee County who cares about multiple missions and you want to leverage your giving, MCF is the right investment for you to make.”

Information about the foundation: 941-747-7765.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Manatee Community Foundation cuts ribbon on new $1.2M headquarters."