Completing projects on time and on budget used to be a selling point for commercial developers and builders. But as developer Donald Hinks and contractor Tom Overstreet have observed, it’s not enough to succeed in Southwest Florida’s marketplace today.
..read full story |Consulting may be its middle name, but Gulfcoast Consulting Group (GCG) does much more than that. Based in Fort Myers, the family-owned general contracting firm offers its clients every type of service needed to take a commercial project from concept to completion, including design/build, property development, site selection, construction management and finance coordination.
..read full story |At Vic’s Painting, Inc., getting the job never has been as important as doing it well and at the best price. Although that has been a growing challenge in the current economy, it has also propelled the Fort Myers-based contractor into new markets where it is finding fresh opportunities.
..read full story |The types of projects that many commercial contractors are reluctant to tackle are the very projects that have made Vanderbilt Bay Construction (VBC) in Naples a success. After 20 years in business, the family-owned construction management and general contracting firm continues to excel at delivering complicated municipal projects and other challenging commercial assignments. Take the Collier County jail for example.
..read full story |Since 1979, Huff Insurance in Fort Myers has weathered the sorts of storms – both natural and manmade – that have forced many of its competitors out of business. Now celebrating its 30-year anniversary, Huff Insurance has six Southwest Florida locations and a sunny outlook on future growth.
..read full story |From the day it opened for business in Fort Myers, Grubb & Ellis|1st Commercial has operated in a way that distinguishes it from other commercial real estate brokerages in Southwest Florida. In just one year, its unique approach to serving clients has helped a growing number of commercial owners and financial institutions face a challenging real estate market.
..read full story |Most Southwest Florida developments touted as places where residents can live, work and play, fall woefully short of their promises. But that’s not the case at Ave Maria, where Barron Collier Companies and Tom Monaghan are creating a community that not only lives up to its hometown billing, but also sets a new standard for comprehensive land planning and commercial development.
..read full story |For more than 40 years, Kraft Construction has been a construction powerhouse in Southwest Florida, resistant if not immune to the boom-and-bust nature of the market. The current economic downturn is no exception. In fact, Kraft is moving full steam ahead by expanding its services and operational territory to all of Florida and beyond.
..read full story |Delivering projects on time and within budget is cause for celebration at many commercial contracting firms. Not at Wright Construction.
“If being on time and within budget is all we can do, we’re doing the minimum and clients deserve more than that. They deserve real value from us,” says Fred Edman, president and CEO of Wright Construction. The full-service, commercial contracting firm designs, manages and builds commercial projects for public and private clients in Southwest Florida and throughout the Southeast.
..read full story |Like many Southwest Florida contractors, Stevens Construction, Inc. was turning down work two years ago. But unlike many of its commercial competitors, the company has continued to stay busy, despite a depressed economy.
..read full story |At a time when some local commercial brokerages are struggling to make deals, the principals of LandQwest Commercial, LLC in Fort Myers are moving ahead with expansion plans. Given the current economic environment, that’s an especially ambitious undertaking for an independent that opened just as the market was contracting. However, the downturn has had little effect on the company’s growth.
..read full story |Ongoing speculation that Southwest Florida’s commercial construction could be slowing to a stop doesn’t seem to faze contractors Don Brooks and Richard Freund. As Florida natives and principles of Brooks & Freund, LLC in Fort Myers, they know something about trying times and say that the current commercial market isn’t so bad.
..read full story |Although there’s little evidence that Southwest Florida’s commercial real estate industry is headed for a decline, many builders and developers say they’re starting to feel the first ripples from the residential slump. As a result, some are choosing to postpone their commercial developments or at least scale them back until the housing market rebounds or land prices adjust. McGarvey Development Company is not one of them.
..read full story |It’s been 10 years since Colliers Arnold established its first Southwest Florida office in Fort Myers. Although it opened initially with little fanfare, the full-service, commercial real estate brokerage is now a major presence in the tri-county market and beyond.
..read full story |Exceeding $200 million in annual sales would be reason enough for any company to celebrate, especially after 25 years in business in Southwest Florida. But while many would opt to mark the occasion with a silver anniversary gala, the top brass at Owen-Ames-Kimball Company (O-A-K) had other plans.
..read full story |While most of Southwest Florida’s established commercial firms are just starting to feel the fringe effects of a market correction, the pain is mounting for scores of smaller, newer companies, many of which opened to meet the growing demand for income-producing assets after the dot com bust and subsequent stock market plunge in 2002.
..read full story |Most real estate developers and builders probably would agree that now is not the best time to expand products, services or staff. Todd Gates is not one of them.
..read full story |Commercial construction continues at warp speed throughout Southwest Florida, even as skyrocketing insurance premiums and soaring material costs threaten the viability of future commercial projects. This is prompting some owners and developers either to postpone the start of construction or pare down their projects.
..read full story |Any Southwest Florida business that’s still growing almost 10 years after opening has bragging rights. Any community bank that does so is in a league of its own.
Since opening in December 1997, Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast has done what few of its S.W. Florida competitors have ever done – remained a community bank.
You don’t have to be a contractor to realize there’s more to commercial construction than groundbreakings and grand openings. But not all commercial property owners see it that way. Armed with architectural plans, many believe they can fill a construction manager’s shoes and bid out to multiple general contractors, saving time and money in the process. Mark Stevens knows otherwise.
..read full story |It’s not easy to find a full-service, commercial brokerage in Southwest Florida that’s not affiliated with a much larger, global entity. By now, most smaller independents have either been absorbed by mega brokerages or squeezed out of the marketplace entirely. But based on the early success of LandQwest Commercial in Fort Myers, reports of the independent broker’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
..read full story |For most businesses, the party is over long before they reach their 60th anniversary. But that’s not the case at Wright Construction. As it celebrates six decades of sustained success, the company continues to improve, expand and excel.
..read full story |In Southwest Florida, the term “family owned and operated” often refers to small, mom-and-pop businesses. While the commercial real estate firm of Leffler & Associates is family owned and operated, it is also one of the area’s most sophisticated and comprehensive companies of its kind.
..read full story |Their names seem to be everywhere – on television, in print and on their distinctive blue and white signs posted on commercial properties for sale or lease throughout the area. However, to business partners Frank D’Alessandro and Tom Woodyard, the success of D’Alessandro & Woodyard, Inc., Commercial Realtors(r) has more to do with its professional team than their names.
..read full story |
Unbeknownst to many Southwest Floridians, in recent years Vapiano has garnered national and international acclaim among restaurant industry insiders for its innovative approach to dining. Best described as upscale fast casual, the concept incorporates self-service and top-quality, made-to-order food items into one ultra-modern setting. Its a unique epicurean experience thats catching on locally at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers.
Other than the signage and strip center location, theres little about the Sweet Bean Coffee Cafe that resembles a commercial operation. Unlike its ubiquitous corporate coffee competitors, Sweet Bean is a locally owned and operated original.
When it comes to food and cooking, Reiner Drygala is as knowledgeable as he is passionate. He has worked at restaurants nationwide in kitchens large enough to cater a party for 5,000 guests, as well as spaces so tiny there was barely room for an oven. His repertoire includes all types and styles of cuisine, from Caribbean to German to American wilderness (wild game).
Bacchus of Fort Myers in the Bell Tower Shops occupies a space that has had many names over the years, including Bacchus, Dragonfly Bistro, Bacco and Toro. Now that it is back to being known as Bacchus, some diners question whether its the real Bacchus and whether the food is as good as the originals.
Until earlier this year, there was little reason to visit Fort Myers Beach other than to frolic in the surf and sand. But with the January opening of Bayfront Bistro, diners from Sarasota to Marco Island are making the journey to experience Lee Countys hottest new waterfront restaurant. Theres much to savor at this exceptional spot.
It’s one thing to create clever menu concepts, but to prepare and present food that tastes as good as it looks takes real talent. Obviously, thats something that Southwest Florida restaurateur Shannon Yates has in abundance.
Southwest Florida diners can be a fickle bunch in the best of times, often turning a cold shoulder to the eateries they deemed red-hot just a few months earlier. But Blu Sushi is one restaurant that has retained its trs chic reputation ever since its 2003 debut. Now with three locations, Blu continues to attract local trendsetters who recognize value and appreciate quality.
If you’re from the South, you already know that barbecue, grits, cornbread and fried green tomatoes are dietary staples. But you don’t have to be a southerner to appreciate the delightful treat of dining at Lee Roy Selmon’s in Fort Myers. Located at the southeast corner of Daniels Parkway and U.S. 41, it is one of six Southwest Florida establishments named for the legendary football star.
If you confuse dining value with fast-food combo meals delivered via drive-through window, you need to visit Bear Rock Cafe in Fort Myers. Since opening a year ago, the eatery has proven that freshly-made meals can be tasty, quick and affordable. In fact, for less than $20, two people can enjoy a hearty home-cooked lunch or dinner – no small feat in today’s economy.
Unless you’re hungry for sushi, you’re guaranteed to find something to suit your appetite at Icabod’s Wicked Good Food and Drink in south Fort Myers. In fact, its oversized, four-page menu is so extensive and jam-packed with choices, it may be impossible to settle on a single item.
Unless you’re from Cape Cod, you might assume that the Roadhouse Cafe is a place that serves wings and beer to patrons clad in t-shirts. Well, don’t let the name fool you.
Located in the Gulf Point Plaza in south Fort Myers, the Roadhouse Cafe is one of the best fine dining restaurants to open in Southwest Florida in years. Formerly known as La Brasserie, Roadhouse offers outstanding food, entertainment and service in an elegant yet homey atmosphere.
After Jimmy Buffett’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise” became a hit in 1978, restaurants throughout south Florida and beyond claimed to be the inspiration behind the song. Life imitated art in 2002, when the songwriter himself opened the first Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant (in Indianapolis).
With pizza parlors on seemingly every corner in Southwest Florida, finding a pie is never a problem. Finding a great one is another matter – unless you know about Starz Restaurant & Pizzeria.
In just the last six months, Cape Harbour in southwest Cape Coral has become as well known for its restaurants as for its million-dollar waterfront homes. There, the restaurateurs behind the hugely popular Rumrunners restaurant have established two new and diverse options for casual dining with The Joint and Run Agrounds.
In most restaurants, music is used a background device to establish the ambience of the dining room and help set the tempo for the meal. But that’s not always the case.
Restaurants that succeed in downtown Fort Myers seem to share several distinctive characteristics.
For one thing, they tend to be owned and operated by restaurateurs with considerable experience not only in Southwest Florida, but also in larger, metropolitan areas or at world-class resorts in exotic destinations. The food and service reflect as much. Also, the owners appear to regard downtown as more than just a location, but rather a commitment to contribute to the area’s redevelopment.
It was a stunning blow to area diners when a fire in 2005 gutted Romano’s Macaroni Grill in south Fort Myers. The fact that Italian restaurants seem to be on every block from Punta Gorda to Marco Island brought little comfort to the restaurant’s loyal patrons.
When pondering where to go for lunch or dinner, Shell Point Retirement Community is not likely to be the first place to spring to mind. Considered by many to be Lee County’s best-kept secret, most visitors to Shell Point are pleasantly surprised to find that several of the community’s dining venues are open to the public. One of them is the Palm Grill.
When the Sunshine Caf in south Fort Myers got a new owner last year, some long-time customers were a bit anxious. Many feared there would be an overhaul, drastically changing the character and menu they’d come to love. Fortunately, the new owner was Sandy Stilwell, and in the year since she’s been in charge, loyal patrons of the old Sunshine Caf have more reasons than ever to like it as the Sunshine Seafood Caf & Lounge.
Like the rest of Southwest Florida, downtown Fort Myers was a far different place when Harold’s on Bay opened just a few years ago. Beau Rivage had yet to open and plans for downtown redevelopment were still being formulated. So when respected chef Harold Balink decided to launch a new restaurant in the space once occupied by Peter’s La Cuisine, he knew he had his work cut out for him.
It’s rare to find a Southwest Florida restaurant whose adult patrons were children when they enjoyed their first meal there. Fortunately for local diners, Mona Lisa is just such a place.
At first glance, one might not notice that there’s been a change in the roster of four-star restaurants at the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. That’s why it behooves fine-food lovers to revisit one of the center’s prime spots, now occupied by Bacco Restaurant & Wine Bar.
It’s a good sign when a restaurant opens to rave reviews and standing-room-only crowds. It’s an even better sign when that is still the case after two years in business.
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