Matt Surrency is active within schools, civic organizations and community groups in Greater Gainesville. He has served as the mayor of his hometown of Hawthorne and president of the Florida League of Cities. He is currently a financial advisor with Edward Jones, where he helps clients save for college and retirement.
I have lived in the Greater Gainesville area my entire life. My family originally came here to follow the turpentine industry four generations ago.
I played baseball for Hawthorne High School, where I met my wife. She was the stats keeper for the team, and I still hold her responsible for not making my batting average as good as it should have been. As a young adult, I was able to give back to the baseball program by coaching our Hawthorne summer league to the state championship.
Jeannie and I decided to stay and raise our three boys here because of the people and the culture of this community. As a financial advisor, there may be more dollar opportunities in bigger markets, but the close relationships I have with my clients in Greater Gainesville are priceless.
I became involved in the financial services industry to help others understand financial literacy and budgeting. Those are passions of mine, so when our city was going through a financial state of emergency, I was asked to help lead them through it. I thought it was only going to be for two years — but 13 years later, I am still involved. It’s been exciting to see the changes that our team has been working toward.
We’ve also been able to help other communities battle similar challenges. In this region, we are all interconnected and work together well. While we are passionate about our own areas, we all cheer for each other’s individual successes.
I encourage everyone here to seek out as many opportunities as you can. People in this region are very welcoming and appreciate you taking the time to learn about different cultures. Greater Gainesville allows everyone to find something that they care about and jump right in and get involved.