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On a recent day at the office, business partners Scott Green ’68 ’69MBA and Cary Kresge ’66 ’67MBA sported similar fish-patterned camp shirts. While that may seem unusual work attire for the owners of a successful Winter Park medical development firm, the two were literally wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

For more than a quarter century, Green and Kresge have been strong advocates for protecting Florida’s salt-water fisheries from degradation. “Even as kids we recognized that something was going badly awry with regard to the maintenance of salt-water fisheries, specifically in shallow water,” Kresge said.

So they decided to do something about it. In 1985, they helped launch the Florida state chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), an organization that has since grown to a membership of about 10,000. Both have served the organization as state chairman, as well as on its national board and numerous committees.

Teaming up to take on the cause of coastal conservation came naturally to Green and Kresge, who met at Rollins and became fast friends as members of the X-Club fraternity. After graduating from the College’s 3-2 program with BA and MBA degrees, Kresge, who married Sue Camp ’64 in his junior year, went into the technology field and Green engaged in diagnostic imaging sales. While their career paths varied, their friendship grew stronger and the two began fishing together, often in exotic locales such as Costa Rica. This passion eventually led to their involvement with CCA and other conservation groups devoted to influencing regulations to prevent overfishing and other threats. While Kresge was on the board of the Everglades Protection Association, the group successfully advocated for a ban on commercial fishing in Everglades National Park. One of the pair’s greatest accomplishments with CCA was to push for a referendum to ban entanglement nets, which was passed in 1994 by an overwhelming majority. “That was definitely a landmark deal for us,” Kresge said. “The rebound of fishery has been nothing short of spectacular. It’s also had a domino effect on other sea and bird life. The nesting pelican has regenerated.”

In 1988, Green and Kresge decided to pursue another shared interest: business development. They formed Florida Medical Development Inc. and started a mobile lithotripsy (ultrasound) venture. About five years ago, they decided to transfer their skills from human medicine to veterinary care and opened PetPB, an emergency and specialty veterinary- medicine clinic in South Florida.

“I really enjoy the business and the people and what they can do for our clients and their pets. It shocked us how advanced veterinary medicine has become,” Green said. “We saw 5,800 pets this year and have grown every year since we opened.”

With their prospering business, Green and Kresge don’t have time to fish together as much as they’d like. “Usually when he’s fishing, I’m watching the store, and when I’m out, he’s watching the store,” Green said. But they do find time to get out on the water occasionally—guiding for the CCA, their favorite cause. They particularly enjoy talking to other recreational anglers about protecting their natural pastime. And they continue to advocate for fishery conservation, both in and out of state.

“It never ends,” Kresge said. “Every year, the Legislature tries to get rid of the net ban. We win things, but retention of the win is challenged all the time.” Green added, “It’s like an ongoing battle of Whac-A-Mole.”

But thanks to the passionate efforts of these avid fishermen, many state fisheries are thriving once again. “We used to go to Costa Rica because that’s where the best snook fishing was,” Kresge said. “Now the best snook fishing is in Florida. We’ve managed to turn that around—so we don’t have to leave the country anymore.”

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