For more than 40 years, George Gentile has been a trailblazer in landscape architecture, design and land planning, transforming public and private projects while skillfully balancing sustainability and practicality. As Founding Principal of 2GHO, Inc., Landscape Architects, Planners, Environmental Consultants, George takes great pride in his craft while wearing many hats. "My work includes marketing coordination, management of our planning staff, project management, including leading conceptual design for site planning, landscape architectural design, coordination and management of entitlement processing for client's projects, and corporate management."

Throughout Palm Beach County, George's influence is reflected in everything from the master-planned community of Abacoa to scenic public spaces like Jupiter's Riverwalk, campus projects, and much more. His legacy is evident in the spaces he's created and the values he instills within the next generation of planners." I manage while walking around the office, and I let my professionals at every level make decisions on the projects they are working on. It's the only way they will learn to be effective and productive and not make the same mistakes throughout their careers." It's a lesson he learned early on in his career from the book "In Search of Excellence" "The author, Tom Peters, visited several major Corporate Headquarters. He described back in 1982 the management philosophy of the CEO of Cisco, John T. Chambers. His management style "Managing while walking around". Since then, this has been my management style, working with all my employees, providing direction, and encouraging my employees to make decisions and look at any problem on a project as a challenge that always has a solution."

However, early in his career, George would be the first to admit he was not as polished as he could have been with his employees. “I would tell my younger self to slow down, stop overthinking and interrupting when you are in a discussion with a staff member. Listen, then react. However, I have learned to take care of your staff so they will enjoy their work, feel good, and look good. Family is most important. We are all family in my office, as well as each staff member's family at home."

His care extends beyond his team to the community, where he is currently in his seventh term as the elected Commissioner representing District 3 of the Jupiter Inlet District and his eighth year on The Economic Council of Palm Beach County. "Participation in the Council, particularly the Policy Committee, keeps me informed of major issues impacting our county and the quality of life we all enjoy. We use this knowledge in the projects and services we provide our clients." He says numerous issues are affecting the business community." The lack of affordable and workforce housing makes recruiting young talent to work in Palm Beach County difficult." He also believes that transportation options should be improved and that the bureaucratic process needs to be streamlined." Expedited processing of government approvals for projects would be helpful, particularly for those we are trying to entice to come to Palm Beach County and bring their jobs."

However, despite those challenges, he is optimistic about the future. "I believe the business climate will continue to be one of the tops in the Country in the next ten years. We have some great organizations working hard to keep it that way, including the Economic Council and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County."

As for his personal journey, George has lived in the county since 1959. He attended Riviera Beach Elementary and Howell Watkins Jr. High and was in the first graduating class of Suncoast High School. He graduated from the University of Florida and, along the way, met his wife, Jeanette. They've been together for fifty years and have three sons and five grandchildren, who all live in the northern part of the county. In his free time, he enjoys his family, boating, fishing, and giving back to numerous organizations. He is a stand-up guy who exemplifies honesty and respect, learning early in his career the importance of having a strong moral compass. “I had a client who eventually became a mentor in both my personal life and my business career. He was tough, critical, and direct. He helped everyone he encountered that was down in their personal life, finances, and their work. He didn't just help. He helped while teaching a lesson. His philosophy was always to be honest, have integrity, pay your debts on time, and honor your commitments. I learned from him these very lessons and continue to do the same that he would for those in need, give back to my community, and be honest and be on time with everything I do”