Feature Story

Gates McVey Builders Sets A New Standard for Office Development
By Elizabeth W. Pearce

Known for the quality of its diverse commercial projects in Naples and Bonita Springs, Gates McVey Builders, Inc. is expanding in Fort Myers, where its high-profile developments are getting a very warm reception.

The Naples-based company was established in early 1995 by Todd Gates and James McVey, who were joined by Steve Robison 18 months ago. Together, they specialize in providing turnkey commercial space to a wide variety of professional and medical users.

“The people we cater to basically are first-time buyers who are leasing and are tired of paying rent. They want to own and occupy their own building,” said Gates, noting that he also works with investors and tenants. “We can handle all of their needs, from land acquisition and design, to permitting and construction, as well as coordinate the management and leasing.”

Through Gates McVey Capital Group, the development arm of the organization that encompasses realty and mortgage companies, the firm will also arrange or provide financing for clients, offering a single source to meet their various individual, construction-related requirements. “It’s actually less expensive to buy a building than to rent one,” said Robison. “And we can finance them at attractive rates.”

While the firm has built a large number of commercial projects over the years including shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and medical facilities, it probably is best known for developing and building offices.

In 1999, Gates McVey set the standard for courtyard-style, single-story office construction at Park Central. Located at the intersection of Airport and Pine Ridge roads in Naples, one of Collier County’s busiest intersections, Park Central’s 10 buildings (each with approximately 3,000sf), sold out in just two months to an evenly-divided mix of medical practices and professional firms.

According to McVey, the project’s central location, flexible floor plans and accessible single-story building design were among the many reasons for Park Central’s rapid success. “Also, being very active in the community, we knew the need was there,” said McVey.

Traditionally, however, it’s the Gates McVey reputation for quality construction that clinches the deal for most buyers, such as Michael Gallops, M.D., who was the first to open in Park Central two years ago. Gallops is a partner in Anchor Health Centers and operates a family medical practice in 3,000sf with Robert Korolevich, M.D.

“The main thing that attracted me to James and Todd was their honesty and integrity, qualities that aren’t always easy to find in the building industry,” said Gallops. “Reputation is so important when you’re choosing a builder, and Gates McVey is well-respected in the medical community for developing first-class medical projects.”

Gallops said he worked closely with the firm on his building’s interior design, to ensure a space that would meet the needs of his practice and be patient-friendly, as well. The completed project was just what the doctor ordered Ñ on schedule and on budget.

“It’s not like some builders who quote one price and charge another,” said Gallops. “When they quote you a per-square-foot price, that’s what it actually is.”

Besides setting a new standard for commercial construction, Park Central set the stage for a string of successes for Gates McVey, including the following Naples projects:

¥      Cambridge Square (Pine Ridge Road, near I-75): 10 buildings totaling 35,000sf sold out in just six months;

¥      Stanford Square (Airport Road, across from the Collier County Government Center): Six buildings of approx. 3,000sf each and two buildings of 4,200sf each;

¥      Edgemont Office Plaza (Naples Boulevard, next to Hollywood Cinemas): 11 buildings of approx. 3,000sf each;

¥     Park East (Golden Gate Boulevard): Nine buildings of approx. 3,000sf each;

¥     Lely Professional Center (East Tamiami Trail, across from Lely Country Club): Four buildings of approx. 4,000sf each;

¥     The Strand Professional Center (off Immokalee Road): Approx. 35,000sf built for Strand Communities.

More recently, Gates McVey has been edging north into Bonita Springs, showcasing its development expertise at the Bonita Professional Center, just east of U.S. 41. The center consists of six buildings totaling 18,000sf for sale or lease.

Farther up the road, next to the new Regal Cinemas, is another Gates McVey development, Center at the Springs. When completed later this year, there will be two buildings of around 12,000sf each, owned and leased by the firm. The first building is the corporate headquarters for the Sater Group.

But by far, the firm’s principals seem most excited about its newest Lee County projects. Located in Fort Myers, the three projects showcase Gates McVey’s talent for building office, retail and hotel space in fast-growing areas.

“We look for residential rooftops because they need support services,” and support services need space in which to operate, said Gates. “So if there are lots of rooftops in an area and no office space, we want to be there.”

According to McVey, Fort Myers is hardly foreign territory. “We’ve already had some initial success in Lee County, so it’s familiar to us,” said McVey. “Also, many of the subcontractors we work with here in Naples are based in Fort Myers, so we’re in good shape.”

In February, for example, Gates McVey completed construction of one of the largest Hampton Inns in Fort Myers. Located on Summerlin Road near San Carlos Boulevard, the upscale hotel contains 120 rooms and suites.

Now the firm is poised to break ground on two new office developments, Central Park and Health Park Commons, which already has signed contracts from several buyers.

Central Park. Like its name, Central Park is closely modeled after its Naples counterpart. It is located west of U.S. 41, south of Daniels Parkway and north of Six Mile Cypress Parkway, behind the Mercedes dealership. “According to our research, it’s the center of town,” said Robison.

Plans for the upscale, professional park include 22 buildings of 3,000sf each, designed to accommodate corporate headquarters, medical suites and professional offices. As with other Gates McVey projects, features and amenities include quality concrete block construction and numerous upgrades such as concrete tile roofs, lush landscaping, concrete walkways and lighted parking, with covered spaces available.

Central Park is strategically located within walking distance of a supermarket, post office, three hotels, the Bell Tower Shops, a 20-screen movie complex and numerous restaurants. It’s also convenient to area hospitals, I-75 and the Southwest Florida International Airport.

HealthPark Commons. Its prime location on Bass and Summerlin roads will make this the closest office space to Lee Memorial HealthPark. With 15 buildings in a courtyard setting, HealthPark Commons will total approximately 45,000sf upon completion.

Gates McVey is developing the project in partnership with Pelican Bay Development, which has developed many Publix-anchored shopping centers and Eckerd Drugs stores in Southwest Florida. “They’re known for developing high-end retail facilities and we’re known for developing superior office facilities,” said Gates. “We’re looking forward to sharing our experience on this project.”

To date, he said, many people have expressed interest in buying, even though ground has yet to be broken and the project has not been aggressively marketed. Nonetheless, Phase One’s three buildings already are sold, prompting the need to make Phase Two available for sale.

One of the first buyers was Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, a general surgeon who plans to relocate to a 3,000sf building in HealthPark Commons from the Barkley Circle office he’s occupied for seven years. According to Suzy Lewis, his wife and office manager, proximity to HealthPark and Gates McVey’s reputation made them decide to build rather than buy existing space.

“We looked at other areas in south Lee County and interviewed other contractors. After talking to Realtors about the project, we were most impressed with the HealthPark Commons team,” she said. “They deliver what they say they will, and they’re held in very high regard in the medical field. I think the fact that we had no intention to build says a lot about the contractor and our confidence in their abilities.”

Lewis said although her husband has privileges at all area hospitals, he operates primarily at HealthPark. “The majority of our patients prefer to go there because they like the atmosphere and the services are excellent,” she said. “Once we move, he’ll be on the hospital campus next to the surgical facilities, which will help us be more efficient.”

Since deciding to build at HealthPark Commons, Lewis said she’s been encouraging other medical professionals to do the same.

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