Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-BIZ-TriPower Vacation Rentals -Rebuilding Paradise

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 41

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Sunsets that wash the Gulf in gold. Conversations that turn strangers into friends. And a hospitality comeback that proves resilience can look like joy. We sit down with Melissa Schneider, Chief Marketing Officer at TriPower Vacation Rentals, to explore how Fort Myers Beach is welcoming travelers back with smarter homes, warmer service, and a community spirit you can feel the moment your toes hit the sand.

Melissa takes us inside her world—curating property walkthroughs that match real people with the right home, whether it’s a quiet one-bedroom by the shore or a sprawling waterfront estate designed for big family gatherings. She spotlights 501 Palermo, a modern marvel with six master suites, water views, and a clever dual-pool setup that gives guests and owners their own spaces. We unpack post-Hurricane Ian development trends, from resilient design and thoughtful amenities to how purpose-built rentals elevate privacy, comfort, and connection.

The conversation also digs into TriPower’s rebuild, from a portfolio knocked down to three off-island properties back toward 200 and counting. Along the way, Melissa shares why she stayed in Southwest Florida, how the island’s small-town heart turns visitors into neighbors, and the simple must-do that never gets old: sand under your feet and sunset on the water. Beyond bookings, we highlight the Beach Kids Foundation’s scholarships, toy drive, and year-round support for local families—a reminder that travel can strengthen the places we love.

Planning your next beach escape or curious about Fort Myers Beach’s comeback? Hit play for insider tips, smart lodging choices, and a fresh look at community-powered travel. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review—then tell us your favorite Fort Myers Beach memory or the dream home you’d book first.

TriPower Vacation Rentals
Melissa Schneider
2001 Estero Blvd. & 5689 Estero Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, FL
(239) 463-3400
melissa@c21tripower.com
c21tripower.com

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Intro/Close:

Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast. No shade, just sunshine, drama-free, positive vibes only. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends, and businesses that support the local creative. Make Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. One of the those I would love to Eric Tibbs from Edwards Jones, State Insurance USA , Tiki of Fort Myers Beach, and Current Riders FMB. They are the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, local stories, odd divide of island life. Here to celebrate all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink, make this island feel like home. Here's your host, Cabo Jim Schaller.

Cabo Jim:

Welcome, Fort Myers Beach, good neighbors. Today we have good neighbor Melissa Schneider from TriPower Vacation Rentals. Welcome.

Melissa Schneider:

Thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here. Thank you, Dan. Thank you for having me.

Cabo Jim:

Yeah, excited to learn a little bit more about what you do and share your story with our listeners. So uh I guess without further ado, let's jump right in. Why don't you share a little bit? You're the chief marketing officer over at TriPower, correct?

Melissa Schneider:

I am. Um, I love being a part of this community, love being a part of TriPower. Um, I handle all the marketing, all of our social media. Um, I have started doing these really fun walkthroughs of all these beautiful properties that TriPower has to offer from beach cottages, beach condos, beach homes, beach mansions. I love showing the each, like each one is so unique, and I just love showing that because each place is so perfect for different families and different traveling types. So uh it's a little bit of what I do here. That's uh that sounds like a fun job.

Cabo Jim:

Who would love to be doing that every day, right?

Melissa Schneider:

It is so fun. It's uh, you know, I'm so fortunate that I get to be on this island, I get to work on this island and be in these beautiful homes that people save up all year just to come down and visit us for a week or two. So um, yes, I'm very honored and and I love it.

Cabo Jim:

I love it. So how I I guess how, why Fort Myers Beach?

Melissa Schneider:

Well, I've always loved the small town community vibe of Fort Myers Beach. Um, really, I grew up down here. I've been down here since I was four, and I've learned in all of Southwest Florida, and I've been a part of all the different communities. Fort Myers Beach is just so very special. I've always compared it to if one car, like if you break down on a Sarah Boulevard, you're gonna have 10 people that are gonna come to help you, whether they're visiting or whether they're locals. Um, everyone really is just this beautiful small-town community, and that includes those who live on the island, whether it's annually or just throughout, you know, parts of the year, or those who are visiting. I mean, they become a part of our island family as well.

Cabo Jim:

It is, it's a very unique family and community down here, and you know, we've we kind of lost a little bit of that, you know, uh over the last couple of years with things that have happened, Ian and things like that, but it's starting to come back again. It's nice to see.

Melissa Schneider:

It is, it really is nice to see. And we have so many new people that have been moving out to Fort Myers Beach, and they somewhat like they quickly learn about what this small town community is, and they lend their support so quickly with joining local charities and nonprofits, and uh it's a it's a beautiful thing. This little island um is it's got a lot of heart, and I just I love being a part of it, and I love seeing that.

Cabo Jim:

It's a positive spirit, that's what it's all about.

Melissa Schneider:

Yes, absolutely.

Cabo Jim:

So running uh, you know, running a business uh uh and marketing and being by the beach sounds like a dream job, right? It is. It is. Uh but we've all encountered we've all encountered storms, though, you know, through the years, whether personally or professionally, is there something that's gonna help define where you are today?

Melissa Schneider:

Uh for me or for the island?

Cabo Jim:

Well uh well, maybe for you. We'll start with you and then we'll talk about the island.

Melissa Schneider:

Wait, what's the question again? I'm sorry.

Cabo Jim:

I mean, we've all been through some type of storm, you know, whether personally or professionally, you know, we've come through it on the sunnier side, but is there something that helped kind of define and put you where you are today?

Melissa Schneider:

Really just staying focused, staying positive, um, just looking at things one step at a time, one day at a time. I mean, especially as we've all been having to rebuild from Ian. I mean, you can't look at the big picture because you become so overwhelmed. You really just have to look at one brick at a time at that point, just little by little, staying focused, staying positive, and moving forward. And again, with the beauty of this beautiful little community, I mean, everyone just comes together to help each other and support each other. So stay positive, really.

Cabo Jim:

That's what it's about. Exactly. And you talked about you touched on a little bit, talking about you know, giving back and being involved in the community. Are there certain things that you do that you'd like to share with us?

Melissa Schneider:

Yes, I am so proud to be a part of uh the Beach Kids uh nonprofit charity out here on the island. Um I'm the treasurer for that beautiful little charity, and uh we just do everything we can throughout the year to help the children of Fort Myers Beach of all ages. Uh, it doesn't just have to be Fort Myers Beach, the surrounding areas, and it doesn't just have to be children who live on the island. Um, if anybody works on the island that has children that we can help and support, that's what it's all about from education, uh college scholarships. Um, we have a huge toy drive right now for the kids of the area, just getting all the Christmas toys that they've asked Santa for. So we're very close with Santa, who is working right now on that. Uh, really, any way we can support the children, the families of the community, that's what we're all about. So, yeah, Beach Kids Foundation.

Cabo Jim:

That's I love it. I love it. And we're gonna have to have you back on to share more about that. So definitely I would love that. Yeah so you mentioned you moved here at a very young age uh to Southwest Florida, and you still remain, you know, even though because sometimes kids have a choice when they grow up going, I don't want to live here anymore. I want to go somewhere else, but you've stayed. Yeah. Why have you stayed?

Melissa Schneider:

Well, I'll tell you, you know, I came down there with my family when I was four years old, really didn't have a choice at that point from New York. And uh right here in Southwest Florida, this is where I have been raised, went to school, and uh a lot of my friends were graduating and they're moving elsewhere, they're moving out of state and going somewhere else in the country, a lot of them back up north. And me being out here, especially on Fort Myers Beach, I see all these people who save up all year long so they can come down and they can visit this beautiful slice of paradise for a week or two a year. And I thought, how can I leave this? I am so fortunate to be in a place that people can only enjoy for a week or two a year. And um, since then I've just proudly been a part of the community and I love it. And I love welcoming those coming down to enjoy this beautiful town and enjoy all the wonderful things we have here. And how can I leave?

Cabo Jim:

Okay, I'm with you. I I think it's the old adage, we live where you vacation, right?

Melissa Schneider:

We really do, yeah. What brought you down here?

Cabo Jim:

Uh warmer weather, the beach. Um, I just love Southwest Florida. I love the Gulf. Um, the the sand is beautiful, the sun sets over the water like it should. Um it's just so beautiful down here. And like you said, and the atmosphere of the community down here is just it's a big draw. It's like you want to be part of it. And once you're part of it, you don't want to leave it, you know.

Melissa Schneider:

Exactly. And that's the beautiful part too. Um, I've been down on this island for so long that I will see people traveling of all ages. You know, we'll have spring breakers come down and we'll have the retiree older folks, spring breakers, they like to call themselves, completely, vastly different age groups. And I love the fact that they just get connected over being here together on this island and they become friends. I mean, you make so many unique friends being down here in this community. And I just love the fact that it's such a diverse place that it can attract people of all around the world of all different ages and demographics.

Cabo Jim:

Absolutely. And like I was talking to somebody earlier today about that. And it's like, you know, you could go belly up to a bar anywhere here in Fort Myers Beach, sit next to somebody, total stranger, and you're gonna leave as best friends because you're gonna that's exactly it. And I'll never know who you're gonna sit next to.

Melissa Schneider:

That's right. You never know who you're sitting next to, you don't know what these people do, and you just you just become good friends, and it's just a beautiful thing. I I don't feel like that happens in other places as frequently as it happens here on Fort Myers Beach.

Cabo Jim:

I could be wrong, but I I I tend to agree with you there because I mean in other places a little bit people may be a little bit more vocal about what they do and proud about what they do here. It's like you're saying your next door neighbor, and you know, yeah, they can it's quiet, you're quiet and just nice people. I think it's you know, back in the day it used to be the Midwestern people on this side of the state, and then the Northeastern. So I think a lot of Midwesterners, you know, uh are in this area, and um I'm biased because I'm from Wisconsin, so I just think we're nice people.

Melissa Schneider:

I think you guys are very nice people. I can't think of any mean people I've met really I'm with you because you know you're you're on island time. Like, how can anybody not be in a good mood like being down there?

Cabo Jim:

Right, right. If you're if you're in a bad mood, just go take a boat ride. Seriously, yeah, right?

Melissa Schneider:

Yes, look at the water for a few minutes.

Cabo Jim:

Forget about things for a while.

Melissa Schneider:

Calm down.

Cabo Jim:

Yeah. So in your industry with tripower, do you notice certain things trending or changing in the industry lately?

Melissa Schneider:

Well, I have noticed, of course, sadly, with Hurricane Ian, all the destruction that that storm had taken from this island, there has been a lot of growth. There's been a lot of new development. And I've found that with that, um, you know, a lot of these new homes are obviously modern. They're having all these really great modern amenities, which is very cool. Um, some of these places are building their homes specifically with knowing they're gonna be uh renting um, you know, as a vacation rental. And so they're building these homes specifically with that in mind. Um, to name one, we have have a new beautiful property that uh we're just offering, 501 Palermo. And this is it's a 16,000 square foot house um three floors. Um, the owners enjoy one floor all to themselves. They actually have their own private lounge style pool, and they built a separate pool completely for the guests of one entire floor of their home, 3,400 square feet, and it's got six master suites, which is each bedroom. It's a full bedroom, full uh ensuite bathroom that has its own walk-in shower, its own walk-in closet, its own balcony that overlooks the water on the north end of the island. So that is definitely something that I've noticed that they're being built with that specifically in mind to host people that are traveling, um, which is a great thing because it's nice that you know they're doing what they can to welcome more people to the island and bring them back after, you know, we've all been rebuilding from that destruction.

Cabo Jim:

Absolutely. And I live on I Island and I I want to go vacation there.

Melissa Schneider:

Yeah.

Cabo Jim:

I want to stay at a house like that.

Melissa Schneider:

What's the point of going on a vacation? Yeah, I mean, like we're already on the island. We still, but yeah, I mean, if you're if you're interested in 501 Palermo, Jim, just come on by. I'll get you set.

Cabo Jim:

You need to know somebody, right?

Melissa Schneider:

Absolutely. I mean, uh you it's got like a full like pool area on um Back Bay Canal, this beautiful corner lot on the Back Bay Canal, huge, beautiful pool area, uh cookout area. I mean, it is built for hosting friends and family. So, you know, uh do you know good 15 people? I'm sure that's not a problem. Between you and me, right? Yeah, between you and me, that's no problem at all. But we'll have a good time. We'll have a good time. It's uh yeah, it's a beautiful place, but I have noticed that with development lately.

Cabo Jim:

There you go. So talking about development and and properties, how many properties do you guys have at uh Fred Power?

Melissa Schneider:

We have been bringing on a lot of properties recently. Uh before the storm, I think we were like just under 200 properties. Wow after Ian, it knocked us down to three properties, sadly, just from all the destruction. And those three properties were actually off island. Um, but we've been building up, building up, building up. Um, we are, I believe we're almost back where we were before Ian. And that's with a lot of new properties, a lot of new beautiful places. We have these beach conos like Estero Beach and Tennis Club. They were recently a focus on uh HGTV. And um those units are gorgeous on the south end. Everything's beach side. They're just like one bedroom units, which really rivals hotels. Yeah, because they have everything you want in a hotel, but they also have a full kitchen, which is great. Um, but yeah, so we're very close to I think being right back to where we were before the storm, which is is a really good feeling because it's it's been a lot of work and in the process, we're still finishing up our office. We're still rebuilding the office. So um our little staff has been, you know, working in kind of a remote location on the island while we're getting that done.

Cabo Jim:

So patience, patience, yeah, customers come first, customers come first, and yeah, that's it, that's what it's all about. And so you've got pretty much everything, something for anybody, you know, family, singles, whoever want to come down, all types of sizes.

Melissa Schneider:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All sizes. I mean, if you're just one or two people that you want to come to the beach, we have beautiful places for you, up to uh 20 people. I mean, we have entire compounds of these beautiful beach homes that um that you can rent with us. I mean, anywhere from four days up to several months. We also have some long-term rentals. Um, so yeah, we've got something for everyone. If you want to be on the beach, if you want to be on the back bay, uh, I would love to help you out. Or if you wanted to follow our YouTube channel, um, Judy the owner, um, she's a longtime beach legend, Judy Hadia. She loves having me do these walkthrough tours. So follow us on YouTube. You don't know what I'm gonna pop out of. It might be a closet, it might be a bathtub, it might be uh a footlocker in front of the bed. So that just keeps people on.

Cabo Jim:

Stay tuned. Stay tuned. Stay tuned.

Melissa Schneider:

I'm gonna tall girl, and I can just train myself in all these places just to pop out and surprise you.

Cabo Jim:

I love it. I love it.

Melissa Schneider:

It's really fun.

Cabo Jim:

So, how about our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more?

Melissa Schneider:

Oh, well, they are welcome if they want to find us on our website, TriPower VacationRentals.com. Uh, you can email me personally. You're always welcome to do that. Melissa at c21 trypower.com. And I spell my name just as it is there, M-E-L-I-S-S-A. Um, and then obviously if they want to find us on social media, um, Tri Power is on Facebook, Instagram, and of course our YouTube channel. So um, yeah, I'd love to talk to you guys, keep in touch. Um, if I can help with anything with your vacation, whether you're looking for a place to stay or just a cool place to visit, I'm all ears. I love this town and I love all the people that live here and visit here. We're all friends, really.

Cabo Jim:

Very good. One one last question I always ask. So um people coming to visit, is there one particular thing that they should do or go see while they're here without giving away all your secrets, you know?

Melissa Schneider:

But let me think. I mean, you have to, you know, enjoy the beach, enjoy the sand, enjoy the sunset. I mean, it's just it's such a refreshing feeling. Um, you know, if you can feel the sand between your toes, and if um if you have a disability or if you needed um any kind of like uh assistance with that, there are um local places for mobile wheelchairs. So I mean, just get on the beach however you can do it. It's just an amazing feeling, and and don't miss out. That's what you're coming here for, right? You've got to get the sand between your toes.

Cabo Jim:

Yes. I agree. Yeah, 100%. 100%. So, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Melissa Schneider:

That's a really good question.

Cabo Jim:

Right?

Melissa Schneider:

Well, I do. I love live music. I love all the live bands, the local entertainment. Um, I love all the fresh food out here on the beach and just, you know, meeting new people and uh really just bouncing around and just being a social butterfly. And really that's that's my whole big thing is just uh bouncing around these places and just meeting new people and enjoying that great energy that is out here on this island.

Cabo Jim:

Exactly. Sharing it, putting smiles on people's faces. That's what it's all about.

Melissa Schneider:

Yeah, they put the smile on my face. I'm just returning the favor.

Cabo Jim:

That's it. See, it's reciprocal. Very good.

Melissa Schneider:

Exactly.

Cabo Jim:

Any last words for our listeners today?

Melissa Schneider:

Thank you so much for visiting our island for being out here. Jim, thank you so much for having me on here with you. And um, I just can't wait to welcome you all back to the island with the rest of our awesome community.

Cabo Jim:

Perfect. Well, Melissa, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for for being such a good neighbor, and we'll see you at the beach real soon.

Melissa Schneider:

Absolutely. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Intro/Close:

Thanks for tuning into the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast. If you love what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going. Until next time, remember to cobble until you a wobble and keep being a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes, or local businesses to be on the show. Go to fmbgoodneighbor.com. That's fmbgoodneighbor.com or call two three nine four two seven four one zero zero. You want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones, State Insurance USA, the Tiki Pub Fort Myers Beach, and Current Riders FMB. We are the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with everyone's career, local stories, and the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrate all the big Fort Myers Beach, the lights of paradise we all love.