Feature Story
D’Alessandro & Woodyard Commercial Team Offers Seamless Transactions, Proven Results
By Elizabeth W. Pearce

Many experienced brokers understand the dynamics of Southwest Florida’s commercial market, but few, if any, possess the foresight of Realtor Frank D’Alessandro. Not only is the man keenly aware of commercial market trends and cycles, he has the unusual ability to interpret that knowledge into profitable transactions.
“Frank has always been a visionary,” said Robbie Roepstorff, president of Edison National Bank in Fort Myers. She’s known D’Alessandro since the early 1990s when they served on the board of the Real Estate Investment Society (REIS).
“I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work with him as a broker and industry representative, and he’s always been able to see the big picture,” she said. “He understands how (a project) will affect everyone involved - not just the brokers, but the contractors, developers, insurance agents, attorneys and other industries that, in one way or another, affect the real estate industry here.”
Since coming to Lee County in 1981, D’Alessandro has connected with the community, forming personal and professional relationships with many of the area’s most influential movers and shakers.
“Frank and his team are always a great resource for our clients,” said Gary Trippe, CEO of Oswald-Trippe & Co. Inc., an independent insurance agency based in Fort Myers. “When our clients are looking for an investment property or want to expand their business or relocate to the area, Frank is certainly one of the first people we’ll refer them to for information. They know the market as well or better than anyone.”
Strength in Numbers
At the end of last year, D’Alessandro and long-time real estate associate, Tom Woodyard, assembled a team of seasoned commercial professionals to join forces with RE/MAX Realty Group’s Commercial division in Fort Myers. Today, the D’Alessandro & Woodyard Commercial Team comprises a professional staff of nine (see box).
Although each has a specialty area, the brokers collaborate as teams, which vary according to the project. Together, they provide a full range of commercial and investment brokerage services, as well as retail, office and industrial leasing, and 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges.
For example, Roepstorff called D’Alessandro three years ago when his former brokerage was leasing space at the city parking garage in downtown Fort Myers. Although he wasn’t in town at the time, D’Alessandro referred Roepstorff to Woodyard, who negotiated a lease between the City of Fort Myers and Edison National Bank.
“Tom listened to us, he understood what we needed and he worked out a great lease between two different city mayoral administrations. The private sector can work so well with government, but it takes a good team to make it a balanced transaction,” said Roepstorff.
“We rely on one another’s strengths and talents to achieve our goal, which is to provide the best possible service and results to our clients,” said Woodyard. Both he and Hal Arkin have worked with D’Alessandro for more than a decade, beginning at his firm, Frank D’Alessandro Commercial Realtors, Inc.
Todd Holman joined the group in 2000, before D’Alessandro & Woodyard moved to RE/MAX Commercial. Recently, Samir Cabrera was welcomed to the team. “We thought it was important to operate as an independent brokerage, while still being affiliated with a national referral program,” said D’Alessandro. “With 78,000 sales associates worldwide and strong commercial support services, RE/MAX offered us that platform.”
Thanks to their diversity and expertise, the D’Alessandro & Woodyard team offers a broad menu of services to clients who include commercial investors, developers and end users. About half of the group’s work involves land sales, with leasing, investments and building sales comprising the balance.
“Because of the large number of signs we have in Southwest Florida, we have the opportunity to talk to just about every tenant, buyer and developer who comes to our area,” said Woodyard. “We have a lot of strength in the market.”
In a short time, they’ve definitely made their presence known through various high-profile projects. Most are in Lee County, although they just closed on a 10,000sf wholesale florist in Naples for an investor out of Seattle, Washington and have two properties in Charlotte County under contract.
Other recent successes include:
 - Office. Since they’ve been representing Pinebrook Park in Fort Myers, the occupancy rate at the 134,000sf mixed-use center has soared. Thanks to property improvements and the benefits of their RE/MAX affiliation, the team has boosted occupancy at the center from 65% to 94%. Tenants include franchised and local restaurants, retailers, real estate-related businesses and support services.
After a lengthy search for suitable space in Naples and Fort Myers, the team also helped developer USA Executive Suites expand from Florida’s east coast to Riverview Corporate Center in Bonita Springs. The company recently moved in to the center, where it is offering 27,000sf of upscale, full-service executive suites ranging from 150sf to 600sf.
 - Commercial. After analyzing the market, D’Alessandro & Woodyard saw a need for something other than fast food restaurants and gas stations at The Colonial-Interstate Plaza. Located on 8.5 acres at the southeast corner of Colonial Boulevard and I-75 in Fort Myers, the commercial subdivision has 11 lots of slightly less than one acre each. “We saw the plaza as an amenity for future residents in that area,” which is planned for more than 10,000 homes in the next five to eight years, said Woodyard.
By targeting a different audience for the highly visible parcel (owned and developed by Naples-based Sutton Enterprises), the team attracted Wayne Homes to the plaza. The nationally known builder plans to develop a design center and some model homes there. Their commitment has spurred interest from other businesses that support residential growth, such as carpet and tile showrooms, furniture stores and other retailers.
 - Industrial. The team works closely with industrial developers such as Sox Properties Development, Inc., which typically builds industrial office/warehouse structures of 7,000-9,000sf. Sox is now in the process of constructing its 13th industrial building in the Billy Creek Commerce Center (along I-75 at Luckett Road in east Fort Myers), which D’Alessandro & Woodyard is marketing for sale or lease. “Often, after we lease them, we’ll take them to investors who are interested in buying income-producing property,” said Woodyard.
The group has also enjoyed success at MetroPlex, a commercial/industrial park between Metro Parkway and Plantation Road in Fort Myers. Generally, the park’s users require build-to-suit space in the 30,000-70,000sf range. Recently, the team placed a national fire suppression company in a spec building that had sat vacant on the market for two years.
“Once we got involved, it took us less than six months to bring in a 30,000sf user for it,” said Woodyard. Soon, the team expects to close a deal for a 50,000sf building to be used as a tire distribution center.
Valuable Alliances
To keep their competitive edge, the D’Alessandro & Woodyard team has forged some unique alliances that offer clients an even wider range of benefits. In addition to negotiating sales and leases, the team provides consulting and financing services, as well as investment opportunities.
Woodyard explained that while the team itself does not fund projects, it knows who can. “Through our business alliances with various banks and unconventional lending sources, we can secure financing for almost any project. We think it’s important to have that kind of service available to our clients.”
Consulting services are equally important, said Woodyard, particularly to out-of-town investors and developers. “Typically, clients from outside our area don’t know the development process like we do,” he said. “We understand local government, as well as the permitting and zoning process.”
In April, D’Alessandro added a new resource when he and Janet Watermeier, former director of Lee County’s Economic Development Office, created The Florida Gulf Coast Group LLC, a consulting and development team. Although it is a private firm, D’Alessandro said it is another valuable tool available to clients of the D’Alessandro & Woodyard team.
However, perhaps their most innovative alliance of all is with Cape Coral-based First Home Builders. As the first and only one of its kind in Southwest Florida, the partnership epitomizes D’Alessandro’s knack for “thinking outside of the box,” said Woodyard. It’s also an excellent investment opportunity for those interested in Southwest Florida real estate.
The concept involves selling leased-up, new houses to investors eager for double-digit returns, which D’Alessandro says could exceed 16 percent annually. Here’s how it works: Each year, First Home gets tens of thousands of potential homebuyer leads through its model centers, of which several thousand cannot qualify for a mortgage. Those applicants will be recruited to rent homes built by First Home and sold to investors through the D’Alessandro & Woodyard team.
With prices of the turn-key homes starting at around $120,000, investors may opt to buy homes in packages of 5, 10 or 15. “Most investors will put down 20% and mortgage the rest,” said D’Alessandro, noting that most returns will be tax-free because of IRS-allowed depreciation. “That makes it a very nice investment for them.”
Once the home is built and tenants are in, RE/MAX Realty Team in Cape Coral will manage the property for
investors. “It is truly a hassle-free investment at a time when very little income property is available,” said D’Alessandro.
D’Alessandro and Woodyard say they hope to continue discovering new ways to assist clients. “What we offer our clients is a seamless transaction, from initial inquiry to closing. And that’s the kind of service that the D’Alessandro & Woodyard team specializes in.” -\The D’Alessandro
& Woodyard Commercial Team
In addition to partners Frank D’AlessandroÊandÊTom Woodyard, the team includes:
 - Hal Arkin, Senior Broker. A long-time Cape Coral resident, Arkin has more than 24 years of real estate sales experience.
 - Todd Holman, Commercial Leasing Specialist. Holman made his commercial debut in 1985, selling and leasing the newly developed World Plaza office park.
 - Samir Cabrera, Commercial Investment Specialist. Cabrera boasts a strong background in financing, including experience as a mortgage broker.
 - Linda Hatch, Sales and Marketing Coordinator
 - Margaret Berkeley, Listing and Contract Coordinator
 - Jennifer Rosenkranz, Monique Reilly, Personal Administrative Assistants
 

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