Family, work and community all get the best of Claudine Léger-Wetzel

Claudine Léger-Wetzel COURTESY PHOTO For Claudine Léger-Wetzel, family means everything. As she spoke of her 18-year-old son, who recently was accepted into the United States Air Force Academy, there was no mistaking the pride in her voice. In fact, while preparing for her phone interview for this piece, she was also putting the finishing touches on a care package, the first of many to be sent to him in Colorado.

The importance of family is something Mrs. Léger-Wetzel holds in high regard, not only in her personal life but also in her corporate life. As vice president of sales and marketing for Stock Development, she's responsible for creating and effectively publicizing a lifestyle that today's families want and need. Being a wife and mother herself only enhances what she is able to bring to her company position.

Her family influences, however, extend further than her husband of 22 years and their three children, ages 12, 15 and 18.

Mrs. Léger-Wetzel comes from a family of 10 siblings — she being number eight and the youngest girl — who remain close knit. "It builds character," she insists while laughing.

They all grew up in Montreal, Quebec — until their father, fascinated by the space program, moved the family to Cocoa Beach, Fla., when Mrs. Léger-Wetzel was 6 years old. Though she loved the beach and the endless sunshine, she chose to return to Canada for high school. "I wanted more than a little high school in Cocoa Beach," she says. "I wanted an adventure."

She lived with her grandmother while attending a French high school. When it was time for college, however, she came back to Florida to study marketing and hospitality on a scholarship from Florida State University.

Still eager to see the world, she took an internship at a country club in Atlanta, met her husband and was prepared to stay in Georgia until an opportunity to join the team for the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, presented itself. "It was a wonderful, wonderful opportunity," she says. "It really was the opening of Naples to the world."

She took on many roles at the luxury hotel, from restaurant manager to accounts receivable manager to catering and sales, until Westinghouse Communities selected her to help open a country club in Fort Myers. "It was my first role for a developer," she notes, adding that back in those days marketing was essential for clubs because there were no members. She spent 10 years with WCI in the amenities division, and then Stock Development pursued her. The family-owned company offered her the chance to take on all aspects of marketing and sales.

Today, nearly 10 years later, she's marketing three communities: Lely Resort Golf and Country Club in Naples, Paseo in South Fort Myers and Vivante in Punta Gorda. Working with the sales team, Mrs. Léger-Wetzel helps showcase Stock Development's residential products to potential buyers by creating a lifestyle and a concept they can visualize as their own. She collaborates with staff and vendors to design a package that a family can view firsthand. She also develops print and radio ad campaigns that spread the word about the company's offerings.

"The model homes are really our greatest marketing tool," she says, adding she also coordinates events at each property. "This is a social job and I am a social person. I like to get to know others in different fields and bring them together in a creative format to sell a home."

Even as other developers, including her former employer, file for bankruptcy or close their operations, this multiple Pinnacle Award-winner remains unfazed. While she admits it's sad to see, and yes, there are challenges in the industry, "We're just hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel," she says. "If we all work together in the community, we will come out of this."

But her focus isn't merely on pushing forward through this real estate crisis; she's also lending a hand to the public education system by assuming the role of chairperson of the Education Foundation of Collier County this year. Having three kids go through the county's schools, Mrs. Léger-Wetzel knows the impact a great teacher can have on a child.

"This is a personal passion of mine, plus Stock Development is passionate about fostering the youth in the community through education," she says.

Her goal is to help the foundation board revamp its events in light of the current economic conditions and to encourage the community at large to really get involved in its public schools. "There's an incredible amount of support that our community gives to our students," she says. "We just want to pull all those components together for one mission."

And, always the consummate marketing professional, she can't help but close with, "It's a great time to buy a new home."