ESTERO, Fla. - s4story -- Southwest Florida Proton was named Startup of the Year at the 2026 Industry Appreciation Awards, a premier event recognizing organizations that drive the economy, employ the workforce and shape their industries.

Hosted by the Horizon Foundation, Horizon Council and Lee County Economic Development Office, the Industry Appreciation Awards celebrate businesses, organizations and visionary leaders who are driving change across Southwest Florida. Winners in seven categories were announced Oct. 23 in Fort Myers.

The Startup of the Year Award honors an organization founded within the past three years that is already demonstrating strong momentum and community impact. Southwest Florida Proton was the first cancer treatment center on Florida's entire west coast to offer proton therapy, giving cancer patients convenient access to leading-edge technology that previously required hours of travel to Florida's east coast or points north.

The first phase of Southwest Florida Proton opened in December 2024 and consisted of two health care partners: Advocate Radiation Oncology, which offers traditional photon-based radiation, and Lee Health, which operates a diagnostic imaging center offering PET, CT and MRI technologies. In December 2025, the second phase opened as physicians began delivering proton therapy treatments using the IBA ProteusONE, a state-of-the-art system widely regarded as the most innovative and effective proton therapy platform available.

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Southwest Florida Proton is led by Dr. Arie Dosoretz, CEO and managing partner, and Joseph Kacsmar, operations director, in partnership with Senior Medical Director Dr. Shannon MacDonald, Associate Medical Director Dr. Todd Pezzi, Senior Director of Proton Medical Physics Mark Artz, Ph.D., and Director of Medical Dosimetry Linnae Campbell, along with a team of highly trained radiation therapists and patient care specialists.

Located at 9961 Estero Oaks Drive in Estero, Southwest Florida Proton operates within a 42,000-square-foot medical complex situated halfway between Naples and Fort Myers. The center treats patients from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily who have been diagnosed with pediatric malignancies, curable brain tumors, tumors of the skull base and spine, eye tumors, and select patients with breast, esophageal, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, lymphomas and soft tissue sarcomas.

For more information about Southwest Florida Proton, visit SWFLproton.com or call 239-516-0009.