Harry C. Powell Jr., president of Landex Corporation in Lehigh Acres is 82 years old and says retirement is a bad word. He’s the president of Landex Corp., which was formed in 1981 and has continued in business as one of the older firms in Lehigh.

“He believes seniors in the workplace are needed and important so they can groom new employees,” said Ruth Ann Anglickis, vice president of Landex Corp. with a corporate office 1100 Homestead Road.

Powell is regarded as one of the founders of Lehigh Acres and was here when Lee Ratner, Gerry Gould and others were heading up the Lehigh Corp. and preparing to sell lots and homes to northerners who would retired here. For 10 years, Powell was president of the Lehigh Corp.

“That was back when Lehigh was a corporate town,” Anglickis said. “The Lehigh Corp. was known for giving property to churches and organizations in its heyday.

Today, Powell, who comes into the offices in Lehigh a couple times a week sometimes, says he is amazed at the growth of Lehigh Acres.

He was hired by Ratner and Gould of the Lehigh Corp. and prior to becoming president was the corporation’s senior vice president of sales and marketing. He has been referred to as the “marketing guru” that put Lehigh Acres on the map, Anglickis said.

In addition to its vast operations in Lehigh, Landex Corp. has offices at 110 South Ocean Blvd. in Delray Beach, Fla., where it is involved with resort living.

When Anglickis was employed by Powell at Landex Corp., she said its profits amounted to a million dollars a year but at the end of the year, its profits had risen to $30 million. Landex Corp. has proven to be a profitable company working with hundreds, if not thousands of people in Lehigh.

Anglickis said much of the work of Landex Corp. Involves managing property management associations throughout Lehigh. That includes condo associations, community organizations and other housing units.

“We have around 4,000 customers and they can always call Landex Corp. and get a real person answering to the phone and a real person to talk to. Our firm is involved in their life and we treat them as friends,” Anglickis said. And that’s the motto pretty much as Harry C. Powell Jr. modeled his business in the beginning.

When Powell came from a real estate job in Jacksonville, Fla., in the early 60s to join the Lehigh Corp., Lehigh Acres was a small community and he became very active in the activities and is responsible for forming such things as the Lehigh Spring Festival which has continued until today. In fact, this year’s Spring Festival is a week-long event and will take place between March 16 and 24.

Anglickis said he also started a club, among other organizations, where people 80 years and older were recognized by the Lehigh Corp. He helped form the Senior Center which carries on that ceremony even today.

His presidency of Lehigh Corp. ran from 1971 to 1981.

Now in his 80s, Powell is in good health and he and his wife, Diane, maintain a home in Lehigh Acres and another at Bonita Beach.

“Diane was very active in community activities and was Mr. Powell’s confidante,” Anglickis said.

People who have known him over the years have described him as a charming, warm and caring gentleman and Anglickis said there is not a charity in Lehigh that he has not helped in one way or another and not a person who was destitute that he didn’t help.

“He is just that type of man, community leader and business person,” Anglickis said.

The old Lehigh Corp. has a saying, according to Anglickis, that was “Lehigh Acres is a community where a handshake means a lasting friendship.” And to keep those words alive, ash trays were handed out to thousands of people considering a move to Lehigh in the early days.

Inscribed on the ashtray is a sketch of two hands in a handshake. Anglickis still has one of them in their corporate office.

“Back in those days when I was with Lehigh Corp., they probably gave out thousands of these ash trays. It was a like a trademark of Lehigh,” Anglickis said.

“The population of Lehigh Acres was 1200 people when Anglickis came to Lehigh and today, well the census has us at around a guestimate of 87,500, that’s a large chunk of people. In fact, the population of Lehigh is about one-third of the population of Lee County,” Anglickis said.

“Mr. Powell says he feels we are too big to stay this little without promoting small growth,” Anglickis said. And that is why incorporation is a good word with the right leadership for Powell and Anglickis and others.

“It’s all about smart growth in Lehigh, bringing people together, and that is why we support the land use plan for Lehigh Acres now being prepared by Lee County government,” she said.

Anglickis herself is a community activist and believes in bringing all people in the community together.

“We must stop the vendettas and the gossip in Lehigh. We must all be one,” she said. She is active on the Community Action Forum whose goal is to do just that, bring the community together to speak with one voice.

“And I think we can do that and so does Harry Powell,” Anglickis said.

Powell was also very active in the early days of Lehigh acres in getting the county to build the first elementary school, Lehigh Elementary School off Richmond, and a middle school off of Arthur Ave.

And later, Anglickis and her husband, Rick, supported the building of Lehigh Senior High School and other projects, all aimed for the betterment of Lehigh and its people.

Ruth Ann Anglickis believes the future for Lehigh is bright and that there are many who are coming together with one voice who are working with county government.

“We have a gem here in Lehigh and with its vast area, the community would become one of the largest cities in the state if incorporated,” she said.

“We must get back to where a handshake means a lasting friendship for all the people of Lehigh,” Anglickis said.

When asked if Powell would be at the upcoming Spring Festival next month, Anglickis said he could be. “He enjoys them and always did,” she said.

There are not too many communities or even incorporated cities that can boast one of its founders is still alive and active in a viable business that continues to prosper in Lehigh. Gerry Gould is also alive and living on Florida’s east coast.

“What Lehigh has become has amazed Mr. Powell and he believes there is much good yet to come and it will,” she said.