MEL-RE
Group has been an important influence in the growth
of Southwest Florida since it was founded in 1983.
Chief Executive Officer and founder, Edward D. Adkins,
is an innovator who led the way for design-build techniques
and was one of the first entrepreneurs to offer a
“total service” development process. Able to see projects
from the point of view of the investor, developer
and contractor, Adkins and his team continue to work
in ways that control costs, remain on schedule, and
result in properties that functions well and hold
their value as assets. The son of an independent Florida
building contractor, Adkins learned
construction in the field, then added a college business
education before working with industrial building
contractors in California and Southwest Florida. With
MEL-RE Construction, Inc. he helped to establish the
design-build approach as the preferred method for
commercial construction throughout Southwest Florida.
Within the region's highly competitive building industry,
MEL-RE developed a reputation for quality and reliability.
The firm's strategy of acquiring or collaborating
with neighboring projects has enabled MEL-RE to define
many of Southwest Florida's business districts and
mixed use neighborhoods. Adkins expanded into land
development, becoming a partner in industrial parks
in Fort Myers and Sarasota, and several smaller office
and mixed-use projects. Envisioning a “total service”
development process to create real estate facilities
and investments that performed to prescribed financial
models, in 1996 he established MEL-RE Group, a closely
controlled affiliation of firms that handle commercial
real estate brokerage and property management, construction,
project funding and asset management. Experienced
professionals in each specialization ensure the long-term
success of each project MEL-RE Group undertakes.
Early
influences on the business include Ernie Finger, Erwin
Geiss and Bill West, local and national industrial
developers who became partners in many projects. Bill
Burdette, marketing and consultant was additionally
instrumental in several projects.
The
new focus of the Mel-Re Group is to begin providing
full service development services and outsource the
need for general contractors and real estate services.
We are evolving to the next level in order to stay
in tune with the changes to the Southwest Florida
Economy and Real Estate Market.
Active
in matters related to Lee County government, Adkins
is a member and past governor of the Real Estate Investment
Society. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce
of Southwest Florida, the Lee Building Industry Association
and the Executive Regulatory Ordinance Committee.
For more information, please visit www.mel-re.com.
