Weekly Lunch Meeting: Sports Tourism as an Economic Driver

Join Us for our Weekly Meeting! Learn how sports tourism drives our local economy from two of the top sports organizations in Southwest Florida – The Mighty Mussels and Fort Myers Tip-Off.  Our speakers will be Linda McNabb and Merry Coffman.

Linda McNabb is Senior Advisor to the Executive Staff and Senior Vice President of Revenue for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. A Cleveland native, she began her professional baseball career with the Fort Myers Miracle and Minnesota Twins Spring Training in 1994, advancing from director of sales to vice president and president of Miracle Professional Baseball. She later spent 10 seasons as senior vice president of sales for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, helping guide the organization through its transition from the Jacksonville Suns and its move from Double-A to Triple-A baseball. McNabb returned to Fort Myers in January 2026, bringing more than three decades of experience in professional baseball, sales, fan engagement and community partnerships. In 2001, she received the prestigious Rawlings Female Executive of the Year Award in recognition of her leadership in Minor League Baseball.

Merry Coffman is Executive Director of Community Impact for the Fort Myers Tip-Off, an Intersport event that brings nationally televised NCAA men’s and women’s basketball to Southwest Florida each Thanksgiving week. A Michigan native, Coffman moved to Fort Myers in 2005 and has built a career spanning tourism, marketing, education and community engagement. Before joining the Fort Myers Tip-Off, she held leadership roles with Pure Florida and the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. Coffman has also served numerous community and tourism organizations, including VISIT FLORIDA, the River District Alliance and the City of Palms Classic. Her honors include Gulfshore Business’ 40 Under 40 recognition, the Alliance for the Arts’ Angel of the Arts Award and the West Region Robotics Volunteer Award.