Recognizing a need for rental housing, the company turned its attention to creating a new level of apartment living and, in 1989, opened the first Cayo Grande Apartments in Fort Walton Beach. Cayo Grande’s colonial West Indies architecture and beautifully landscaped courtyards were met with an enthusiastic response – most buildings being fully leased by completion.

In the early 1990’s, national economic challenges burgeoned into the S&L Crisis, resulting in severe restrictions on commercial lending; however, the company developed new strategies for funding growth as more apartments were added to Cayo Grande and operations were expanded to include the Cayo Grande Suites Hotel and the Market Cafe. All the while, homebuilding operations continued at a robust pace with new homes being built in Lake Lorraine, Shalimar Woods and Harbor Breeze. By the late 1990’s, a second Cayo Grande Apartments was opened in Navarre, Florida and a plan was formed for an ambitious multi-front expansion into new markets and products while our single-family homebuilding program took a hiatus.

As the new millennium began, Southern Ventures had been in business for 24 years and continued to be an innovative leader in the local construction industry. The expanding economy fostered our own expansion as we continued to bring high quality apartment communities to new markets with a Cayo Grande Apartments opening in 2001 on the golf course at Bluewater Bay in Niceville, Florida; the Riverwood Apartments opening in 2003 in Crestview, Florida; and the Chez Elan ~ Fine Apartments opening its first phase in 2004 and later phases in 2006 and 2008 in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

In addition to its apartment operations, and based on the success of the Cayo Grande Suites Hotel, the company expanded its presence in the hotel industry by securing a franchise in Destin for an Embassy Suites Hotel and opening the 155-room property along Miramar Beach in 2001; followed by the opening in 2008 of the 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel in Navarre, Florida.

In 2008 Southern Ventures re-opened its Pinedale offices after an extensive remodeling program that yielded space for its various operations, housed in an iconic Craftsman styled building that rests peacefully among the large southern oaks that grace the grounds. That same year also brought new economic challenges as the national real estate market faltered and some of the nation’s largest financial institutions failed.

As the financial crisis expanded, its effects were felt across virtually all industries, especially the commercial real estate business that was core to the Southern Ventures programs. The company responded with increased focus on our management operations with a drive to increase our efficiencies while continuing to deliver quality services and products to our customers.

An additional factor brought on by the economic times was the lack of funding available for the larger scale projects that had been Southern Venture’s focus for the prior fifteen years and in response the company refocused on its homebuilding roots, creating a new brand Craftsman Homes by Southern Ventures and producing houses in Crestview, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach and, most recently, Milton, Florida.

With its long history of operations through both good times and bad, with its group of well-defined and driven operations, with its seasoned managers being augmented with talented new managers and with a focus on its redefined mission, Southern Ventures Corporation charts a new course into a future of building new business, developing new projects and expanding into new geographic markets. Moving forward to these goals, Southern Ventures is concentrates its’ efforts through the company’s three primary real estate programs:

Venture Management specializes in managing the construction, development and operations of real estate assets. As an experienced and successful real estate developer and manager, Venture Management is well qualified to provide clients with the insightful analysis, creative planning, relentless execution and effective operation of their real estate business plans and properties.

Venture Construction leverages our forty years of experience in building single-family homes, apartments, hotels and commercial buildings. In addition to providing general and mechanical contractor services, the company offers new homes through its exclusive brands Craftsman Homes and Patrician Homes; currently offering new homes in Fort Walton Beach and Milton, Florida.

Venture Realty is a full-service real estate brokerage with offices in Fort Walton Beach and Milton, Florida that provides buyers and sellers with the comprehensive services required for successfully completing their real estate transactions. The experienced agents at Venture Realty stand ready to fulfill its’ long-standing motto of Everything in Real Estate.

CFO

Brenda Henderson, as CFO, directs the managers charged with executing our business plans and oversees an accounting staff responsible for the myriad bookkeeping and tax-reporting tasks required of the several business entities under their charge. Additionally, she is responsible for the deft implementation of new financial and operational systems to assure the continued success of Southern Ventures Corporation.

Brenda Henderson holds a Florida Real Estate license and is a bonded Notary.