Naples home to one of state's best small companies

One of the best small companies to work for in Florida is tucked inside a tidy, single-story yellow building back off U.S. 41, south of Naples.

Cardinal Management Group of Florida Inc. has been there for about 15 years, amassing a clientele of 60 communities — from 700 units to 10 units — and a reputation for competence.

The company took another step forward this summer when Florida Trend Magazine, which covers business across the state, named it the 27th best small company to work for in Florida. It's one of three companies from Southwest Florida to make the list and the only one from Collier.

"It was really exciting," said Stewart Carter, senior vice president and head of the company's Florida division. "From a management perspective, it's all about the people who work here. I think we have a truly excellent team here."

The employees agreed, giving Cardinal high marks in a Florida Trend survey.

"It's the first time I can say it's been a family environment, and I've worked for other property management companies before," said Philip Guzzone, a property manager for the company.

The company is an offshoot of Cardinal Management Group Inc., which looks after properties in Virginia. In 1999, the CEOs decided it was time to expand and looked south.

"Back then there weren't a lot people doing this. Property management was done by mom and pops, people working out of their house, and there really wasn't that high level of property management. There is now," Carter said.

Southwest Florida is an ideal place for a property management company. Unlike older parts of the country, many communities in the area are preplanned, with communal facilities and homeowner or condo associations.

Property managers need large, centralized communities to be viable. It isn't practical for a management company to contract with individual homeowners separately, but HOAs represent hundreds of homes and a huge need for property management services.

"We wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for these incorporated communities," Carter said.

Carter credits two industry trends for the growth of property management companies. Homeowners in ever-growing communities have demanded a more professional approach to property management and licensing requirements for managers demand more time and effort from the field.

Depending on the individual contract, Cardinal oversees everything from landscaping to handyman work to pool cleaning.

For example, residents would call Cardinal about a dead bush in front of their home. Cardinal would then contact a landscaper who would then replace the bush and send the bill to the company. The company would forward the bill to the HOA, which would release the funds to Cardinal who would then pay the landscaper.

Last week the company helped an HOA find new pool furniture for a community.

"There's a lot more that goes into finding pool furniture than you'd think," Carter said with a chuckle.

For these services, Cardinal charges per door, per month. The fee ranges from $6-$10 per door for an HOA and $12-$16 per door for a condo association, due to the higher cost of maintenance, Cater said.

The bulk of the company's properties are in Collier, including most of Fiddler's Creek, but it also has an office in Fort Myers with a smaller client list, but that's going up, Carter said.

"I've gotten more calls from communities in Lee County in the past 18 months then I've ever gotten," he said.

The company is looking to expand even further as building starts to ramp up across the state again. There are tentative plans to grow into Sarasota and the Tampa Bay area and potentially up I-4 to Orlando, Carter said.

"We're looking to grow smart, not for the sake of growth, and we'll see how we can build on what we've created here," Carter said.

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Cardinal Management Group of Florida Inc.

• Based: Naples, branch of Cardinal Management Group Inc., based in Virginia.

• Employees: 23

• Contact: 4670 Cardinal Way, Suite 302, Naples, 34112

• Phone: (239) 774-0723

• Website: www.cmgflorida.com