COVER STORY
Epitome
The of
Development
by Laura Dorsey , Master Story Teller
Before scheduling a meeting with Tony Benge of Benge Development Corporation , it occurred to me that to write about development , that I should understand what the word meant . Development is a process that creates growth , progress , positive change , or the addition of physical , economic , environmental , social , political and demographic components . I could have saved myself the trouble of researching the word because Tony Benge is the epitome of the development , not just in his business , but personally and philanthropically . If you google Tony ’ s name , you will find a great deal of information about the company , but what you will not find is a lot about the man . This article will remedy that . You will walk away from reading this article with the feeling that Tony is the friend that you never knew that you had developed .
Benge Development Corporation
Tony Benge is the President of Benge Development Corporation ( BDC ), a successful real estate development firm . Real estate development is a business process , encompassing activities that range from the renovation and releasing of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others . Real estate developers are the people and companies who coordinate all of these activities , converting ideas from concept to a physical reality . The funny thing is that Tony did not grow up thinking that he would be a developer . At Rollins College , Tony studied economics , receiving a BA in Economics , and continued to the University of Central Florida for his graduate work . In 1993 , Tony , along with some investors that he had developed a relationship with , including his father , purchased his first master-planned 1200-acre development , Eastwood . Eastwood was a 2,300-unit golf course community with a Publix anchored neighborhood center . This was the beginning of the success of BDC . He says that he was extremely fortunate to meet some great mentors who took the time to teach him various aspects of the development business . Their patience and knowledge was a priceless asset in helping to launch BDC . He speaks about
20 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 6 , Issue 3