This is the fourth and final installment of our series with the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce for Women's History Month. Each week during the month of March we highlighted a women in our community who is involved with this year's History Month Theme: Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.
Today's guest post is from Nathalie McCrate of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce - thank you Nathalie for this piece and for helping with this series.
Linda McGurn and her husband Ken are affectionately known to many as ‘Gainesville’s Godparents’ for their role in mentoring entrepreneurs and fostering innovation. The power couple owns McGurn Investment Company the award-winning redevelopment firm behind many of Downtown’s iconic buildings and streetscapes. They manage Gainesville’s Downtown Technology Center a business incubator that provides mentorship financing and office space to high tech startups.
Linda McGurn fell in love with Gainesville’s entrepreneurial community. “We started out in real estate but now the fun part of what we do is companies” she said. 

Her contributions to local job creation and startup support are extensive. The McGurns mentor for HackerHouse - a new initiative that empowers aspiring engineering entrepreneurs. They also provide integral support to Founder’s Pad (Grooveshark’s startup incubator) and the Sun Center’s HackerSpace (a collaborative workshop space that encourages creativity and invention). The couple’s angel investments helped companies like Grooveshark and Trendy Entertainment get off the ground.
Linda McGurn earned a B.S.in accounting from UF in 1973 and a J.D. from UF in 1978. She has been instrumental in Downtown’s revitalization—leading immense redevelopment projects like the Sun Center Arlington Square Apartments the Downtown Parking Garage and Union Street Station.

 Some professional highlights include: engaging women in leadership and philanthropy through UF Women promoting innovative education through the UF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation advisory board and empowering women through Planned Parenthood.
Her travels have taken her all over the world—she has visited more than 100 countries. 

She has earned glowing accolades on the local state and national level. Governor Chiles recognized her as one of “Florida’s Finest” for her efforts to improve the community and better the state. In 2012 Linda McGurn and her husband received the UF Distinguished Alumnus Award—the highest honor a UF graduate can achieve. They have received more than 60 awards for their redevelopment projects including a Sustainable Florida Initiative Award and a HUD National Certificate of Merit. 


Linda McGurn was recognized as the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 Volunteer of the Year along with her co-chair for spearheading Innovation Gainesville (iG). 

She said she’s excited that Innovation Gainesville is moving forward. “It’s getting ready to go into iG 2.0...it’s truly evolving and taking on new life. The community owns iG as much as the Chamber does. It became something bigger...it is now Gainesville's way of life.”