Gary Hartfield is the founder and CEO of more than six residential group homes throughout Florida and an Adult Day Training Center, delivering personalized and therapeutic healthcare services for the elderly and developmentally disabled. His business triumphs don’t end there. Gary is also the Founder and CEO of Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting in Tampa, a full-service insurance agency serving the needs of individuals and business owners. The company specializes in commercial risk, partnering with hundreds of business owners to deliver the products and solutions that matter most, including liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and auto and property insurance.

Gary’s leadership and career efforts have served as an engine for job creation, with his businesses employing more than 100 Floridians across the state. Serenity Village Insurance has grown to serve more than 1,000 clients in Florida and Georgia since its inception in 2012.

Gary’s entrepreneurial energy and penchant for business analysis are grounded by a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of West Florida and an Executive Leadership Certification from Cornell University. Gary earned his Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.

In 2015, Gary established Empower Florida, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization designed to educate and empower business owners that serve the elderly and developmentally disabled, direct-care service providers, and the families served by them. The organization represents more than 20,000 providers in Florida. To date, it has garnished an impressive list of partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation, as well as federal and state legislators and other subject matter experts.