Anabela Fernandes was inducted by President Jennifer Tenney at our Rotary Noontime luncheon meeting at the YMCA. Anabela grew up in a small Portuguese community in Ludlow, Massachusetts along with her parents and two older sisters. During Middle School Anabela was a “Snowbird”, attending Gulf View Middle School in Naples for the months of January, February and March while attending school in Ludlow for the remaining months. When she reached high school age, she decided it was best for her to stay in Ludlow to build friendships, become more involved in high school activities, and continue her soccer career. She met her husband, David, in her junior year and they were on and off again until after college when they got serious getting married in 2005.
Anabela has enjoyed a diverse career and education path. She began working at age 14 at the local Portuguese bakery. Then in 1998 she went off to college to study business management, receiving her bachelor’s degree at Elms College in Chicopee, Mass. She worked as a teller at the local bank while attending college and became branch assistant manager after graduating. After three years at the bank, her dad’s construction company started to need more people. So, Anabela got certified as a trainer for OSHA safety. Upon achieving this expertise, she became the safety director for 13 years. Expanding her knowledge areas, Anabela applied to the LPN program at Greenfield Community College and successfully completed her second bachelor’s degree. She got a part-time job at an allergy office while helping her husband start his own general contracting business.
After five successful years in that business, they took a wonderful one-month Christmas break family vacation in Florida. Upon return to a snowstorm and miserable winter of plowing and many equipment breakdowns, the family made the unanimous decision to move to Florida! Anabela started with NCH and David as an inspector for Collier County. Meanwhile, David got his general contracting license in Florida, and they opened their own contracting business, Elite Contracting Services Group.
When Anabela is not helping her husband at work, you will find her at her daughters’ Marco Island Academy school events. Veronica will be a senior this fall and fully dual enrolled, aiming to get her associate's degree before finishing high school. She is also a cheerleader, dancer and Key Club Lieutenant Governor. Bianca is an incoming junior and does cheerleading, basketball and lacrosse for MIA. Anabela’s sport is pickleball now and she loves spending quality time with friends and family. She is looking forward to her new Rotary journey of service. We are thrilled to have Anabela and her family in our Rotary family.
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