Estero Chamber President Clifford Brand Values Commitment and Community

By Cheryl Mandell

 

Cliff Brand knows a thing or two about community. Growing up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, two generations of the Brand family owned a pharmacy that kept them well-connected to the people in the Gwinnett County town. These relationships and a service-minded lifestyle would ultimately inspire Brand, who is currently branch manager for Lake Michigan Credit Union in Estero, and the newly appointed president of the Estero Chamber of Commerce.

Brand’s grandfather, also named Cliff, was the original owner of Brand’s Pharmacy in the rapidly growing town nestled between Athens and Atlanta, but he passed away in 1972, a few short years before young Clifford was born. After his grandfather’s passing, Brand’s uncle Charles took over the pharmacy, while his father Sonny managed the daily operations.

The elder Cliff Brand had served on the Lawrenceville City Council, and after his passing, many locals encouraged young Cliff’s father, at the age of 35, to run for his father’s seat.  Not only did he win, but he served without term limits for 26 years.

“I grew up in that political environment,” said Brand. “I got to attend many municipal meetings over the years. I also got to go to Washington, D.C. and tour the Capitol and the White House.”

When Brand was in middle school, he worked as a “soda jerk” at the pharmacy, working the grill, serving tables and performing whatever tasks were required. There was also a video store within the pharmacy, where the entrepreneurial lad would rent his Nintendo games and would often make $100 a week, not mere pocket change for a boy in the early 1990s.

Brand’s entrepreneurial spirit wasn’t his only God-given talent. Baseball was a major part of Brand’s life from an early age, and his success in the sport took him to various places during his adolescent years. In 1995, he was Gwinnett County Pitcher of the Year and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. While he passed on the Red Sox, he earned a baseball scholarship to Middle GA Junior College where his team went 58-9 and finished third in the JUCO World Series, earning himself a 13 in 0 pitching record. 

After one year, he transferred to the University of Georgia playing for the Bulldogs at the highest level, the Southeastern Conference, while earning a bachelor’s degree in consumer economics. His three years at Georgia culminated with being voted Outstanding Pitcher by his peers in 1999.

After college, Brand served an internship with the Atlanta Braves and then went on to play professional baseball in independent teams in Duluth, Minnesota, as well as Evansville, Indiana and upstate New York. He was an All Star selection in 2001 with the Evansville Otters and was inducted into the Central Gwinnett High School Hall of Fame.

His baseball career may have ended in 2002, but his life’s journey was just beginning. Brand met his future wife, Angela, on a “blind” double date with his friend and two girls. For Brand, it was practically love at first sight. Angela hailed from Macomb, Illinois, which, Brand recalls, he had to pull out his map to find. He knew she was worth the long-distance relationship, and after a few relocations, they married in November 2003 and settled for a while in Champaign, Illinois.

A pharmaceutical sales opportunity in North Fort Myers brought Angela and Cliff to Southwest Florida in early 2009. Cliff’s brother, Frank, had been called to be pastor of First Baptist Church of Estero in 2004, and their parents moved to the Grandezza community in 2007. The pieces of the Brand family puzzle were once again fitting together, this time in Estero. 

After moving to Southwest Florida in 2009, Brand’s banking career spanned positions at Fifth Third Bank, BankUnited and First Citizens Bank. When the Brands moved into the Bella Terra community, it was just being built in a rural area.

“When we moved down, the landscape was much different,” Brand said. “They’d just finished the third lane on I-75. Back then, it was like, man, Bella Terra is so far away from 75. Now, it’s right in the middle of everything.”

After a LinkedIn contact reached out to Brand about a management opportunity at Lake Michigan Credit Union, Brand was intrigued – and he was pleased to learn that LMCU had a community-minded culture. 

“Growing up in Lawrenceville, we were so involved in the community where we lived, worked and played, and so I had that vision of being a servant-minded person and wanting to be more involved in the Village of Estero,” said Brand.

Not long after acquiring his new role, Brand reached out to former Estero Mayor and Greater Estero Chamber of Commerce President Katy Errington, who encouraged Brand to get involved on the chamber’s board. He also got LMCU involved in the organization.

“Katy was one of my first calls,” Brand said. “She asked me if I would consider being on the board, and I went through that process and got plugged in and very involved in many different events.”

Last year, Brand became treasurer of the board, and soon after, the opportunity of president presented itself. It didn’t take long for him to dive into that new role, with the blessing of his employer.

Brand considers it an honor to work and serve within the Estero community.

“I want to do my part,” he said. “I want to help small businesses, to make sure the community is thriving. It’s a beautiful area. Estero kind of reminds me of where I grew up, where everything is exploding in growth.”

Brand and his wife and their two children attend First Baptist Church in Naples, where Brand has served in many capacities over the past 15 years on the finance committee and First Baptist Academy school board.

Community service is entrenched in the Brand family legacy, from Lawrenceville City Council, to the multi-generational family pharmacy in Georgia, to Frank Brand’s two decades of service as pastor of First Baptist Church of Estero. 

Cliff Brand is proud to follow in his family’s footsteps. He credits his fulfilling life with staying active in his job and local commitments, along with being a present husband and father.

“Don’t give up on your dreams and don’t get stagnant,” he said. “Stay involved and make a difference in your community.”