Barron Collier Cos. unveils new website

Barron Collier Cos., a Naples-based company born out of the legacy of Collier County founder Barron Gift Collier, has launched a new website aimed at tying together its rich heritage with future expansion plans.

The new website, www.barroncollier.com, also is part of a larger rebranding highlighting the different businesses — from real estate to mining and utilities to insurance — it operates in.

“When most people think of Barron Collier Cos., they think of Naples,” says Blake Gable, the company’s CEO. “We’re a lot more than that now, and it’s important that our website and branding mirror that.”

Today, in addition to Collier County, Barron Collier’s investments extend to Austin, Texas; Nashville; Fort Lauderdale; Sunrise; and Dallas, among other cities.

Most recently, the company acquired an industrial property in Charlotte, North Carolina, its third investment in that market.

Barron Collier worked with Milesbrand, Vectra Digital and CMO To Go on the website and the rebranding.

The new website and a corresponding corporate logo feature five “pillars” that outline the company’s legacy as well as its work and holdings in real estate, agriculture, engineering and related services — such as the Ave Maria Utility Co. and Collier Environmental Services.

Gable, a fourth-generation Collier family member, adds that the company also wanted the website to spotlight the immeasurable impact of Barron G. Collier, who made his first Florida acquisition in 1911 buying Useppa Island and eventually became Florida’s largest landowner.

Collier, an advertising magnate and newspaper founder, also invented the yellow line that divides streets and was a founder member of Interpol, the international police agency, the company’s website notes.

“He embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that carries through our organization today and we wanted to highlight that,” Gable says.

But even as the company expands geographically, Gable says Barron Collier has no intention of abandoning its roots in Naples or in Florida.

“This is our home and we’ll be here for generations to come,” he says. “We’ll be doing business here for decades, but investing in other markets and understanding different risk profiles, is probably a good thing for us.

“The goal is for a longer term diversification of assets, and so far we’ve had some good success.”