This Presley is the King — of nonprofits, that is

OSVALDO PADILLA/FLORIDA WEEKLY According to Brian Presley, “psychological income” is the reward for helping the community. Brian Presley’s mind is always going, from the macro sphere of world politics, to the micro world of Punta Gorda, then back again. He studies situations around the globe and then figures how they can benefit his clients and his community of Charlotte County.

Presley is president of The Presley Advisory, a company he runs out of his ranch home in western Punta Gorda. He manages money for clients in 44 states in four continents from this stretch of paradise that he shares with his wife and the cattle, goats and wild animals that live there with them. His job is essentially to know what’s going on in the world, so that he can help people and institutions make smart decisions about where they put their money.

He’s a tall man with a big smile. His down to earth, everyman-intellectual style puts you immediately at ease and ready for what is sure to be a thoughtprovoking conversation. Sitting with him one-on-one, you get the sense that he’s often the smartest guy in the room and as such, if you get a chance to bend his ear and pick his brain, you do.

“People call me Uncle Brian,” said Mr. Presley. “You ask me what I think about something and I’m going to tell you the truth, not necessarily what you want to hear. I think people want the truth, they may be afraid of it, but they want it.”

He brings his honesty as well as his relationships among the wealthy and well connected to raise the profile of the area’s nonprofits. He is vice president of the Charlotte County Community Foundation. He is on the board for the United Way and he is involved with efforts to expand the Charlotte County Symphony.

This December, he will host a party at his home with 200 of his closest friends. They’ll enjoy food and music on his screened-in 7,000-square-foot balcony to raise money for the symphony. “The symphony really is underrated. They have a new, very dynamic maestro, Francis Wada. He understands the power of orchestral music.”

Mr. Presley is a hands-on member of the boards he serves on, often recommending funding sources or financial tools to help groups establish and maintain renewable income.

“One of my jobs is to try to convince people to leave the Community Foundation money in their wills,” said Mr. Presley. “They’re perpetual funds that could last a century or more.”

He is hesitant to say how many hours he spends helping nonprofits or how much money that time would be worth.

“If you’re making the community better and demonstrably improving the area, that’s not financial income, but it’s psychological income,” said Mr. Presley. “If you can work on an organization and you can change and enhance an organization, the magic can last for a long time.”

Mr. Presley is fiscally conservative, although he tends to shrink away from being put into any political category. He laments that modern political discourse has turned more into a shouting match than a rational discussion of policy pros and cons.

His job requires him to seek information outside of the typical TV network and daily newspaper sources.

“I take 65 magazines, I keep an econometric model constantly going in my head. I read 25 hours a week,” said Mr. Presley. He studies trends and cultures. He takes what seems like arcane global political information and figures out how it will impact Southwest Florida.

“The opening of the Panama Canal is huge,” he said. He goes on to describe how the new Panama Canal will mean increased traffic of goods into the Port of Tampa which, in turn, will coincide with new yards being built by CSX rail lines and all that consequently will help truckers by creating shorter runs and a diversity of products to distribute. “This is huge for Florida, because it broadens our economic base. We’re on a totally different track than tourism, education and building,” he said.

Keeping with his “capitalist to the core” values, he believes the health of nonprofits is crucial to keeping taxes down and the size of government in check. Nevertheless, he realizes there is more to public service than just the numbers he handles so well.

“The reality of a vibrant community is ... recognition for the goodness of the effort, not the profit potential.” 