Design and Dine Finalists: Missy and Kevin Cooper

When Kevin Cooper, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce wraps up his day at the office, he heads home to do some reading. Unfortunately, his literature usually consists of dense business textbooks.

In addition to working full time at the chamber, Cooper is a full-time student, who is taking online classes at night to earn his MBA from Florida State University. In his free time, he and his wife, Missy, work to remodel their home’s interior. When Missy Cooper learned of the Design and Dine contest, she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to earn the couple some much-needed relaxation.

“Kevin works so hard,” she said. “It’s pretty much been nonstop work for two-and-a-half of the three years we’ve been married. We’ve finished most of the remodeling, and the backyard is kind of the last, looming project. When he graduates in May, it would be amazing if we could finally enjoy some time to just hang out and relax.”

The couple met in Akron, Ohio, after Kevin Cooper retired from a six-year career in the Army. After moving to Sarasota in 2008, and they both say they’ve enjoyed the change. They regularly compare the local temperature with that of their home state as a reminder.

If selected as winners, Kevin Cooper says he and his wife would like to add vegetation, a fire pit and a water feature, but they are excited to see what the professional landscape architects envision for their final house project.

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