Pinellas construction firm adds Sarasota office, nears $6M in revenue

A construction company that started in a Pinellas County house a little more than a decade ago is expanding, opening a new office in Sarasota.

Mark Russell, who co-owns Russell & Russell Construction, grew up helping his father and uncle on construction projects in Rochester, New York. He went on to work in heating and air conditioning before moving to Florida in 1991 and subsequently becoming a project manager at St. Petersburg College. 

But he knew he wanted to create something of his own.

“I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” says Mark, who is a general contractor. In 2013, he and wife Diane launched Russell & Russell Construction, and it has been growing ever since. The company posted $5.8 million in revenue in 2023, he says.

“We started in our house. I had a desk in one of the bedrooms, Diane had a desk in our bedroom, and an accountant was in the dining room,” Mark recalls of their beginning. It was “really grassroots.”

Next the company moved into an office in Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County. It soon outgrew the space and the building sold, so the Russells relocated to their current headquarters in Palm Harbor. Now, the business has opened an office in Sarasota as well to accommodate its growing clientele there.

Today Russell & Russell Construction has 25 employees, including the couple’s son, Joshua Russell, who came aboard in June as a project manager. The company employs 20 master carpenters as well as several estimators.

“It’s our carpenters that make us look so good,” Diane says. “And Mark with his eagle eye. He’s very particular.”

Building success

Since its founding, the company has taken on construction projects of all kinds, from medical buildings to schools to restaurants to country clubs.

Russell & Russell has built 35 Culver’s restaurants and is about to start on a new one in La Belle, east of Fort Myers. The company has also worked on First Watch and Sonny’s BBQ locations, Mark says.

Over the years, the business has continued to grow thanks to its wide-ranging portfolio and repeat customers, according to the couple.

“We wanted to be more diverse,” Diane says, so the company picks up projects where the market leads them. 

High-end luxury “condos are the big thing right now,” she adds.

On Siesta Key, Russell & Russell Construction was brought in to finish a condominium project that another general contractor started before going out of business, according to the Russells. Called 89 Beach, the boutique condo contains six units, five of which are already sold. The remaining 6,200-square-foot property is listed for $9.75 million.

The company is also assisting with interior work on The DeMarcay on Palm Avenue in downtown Sarasota, a boutique 18-story condominium with 39 residences.

There are other types of projects going on concurrently, of course. In Lakewood Ranch, Russell & Russell Construction is working on a culinary center for the residents of Esplanade at Azario. The building spans 23,000 square feet inside and out. It will include a test kitchen, full-sized dining room that can seat at least 200, a wine-tasting room and outdoor dining area.

“No matter how well you’re doing, you always have to make sure you have enough” in the pipeline, says Diane, whose role is director of sales and marketing.

Word of mouth and repeat business have made her job lining up clients easier, she adds.

In the Sarasota area, partners the company works with regularly include DSDG Architects, Frank Lambert of Sotheby’s and developer Brian Jones, who owns Jones Development.

At Russell & Russell's new office on 4th Street in Sarasota's Rosemary District, staff can now meet with owners, developers, real estate agents, architects, subcontractors and designers.

“We’re excited about this office down here,” Diane says. “It’s really needed.”

Overcoming adversity

A couple of years ago, the company faced what the Russells call their greatest challenge: COVID-19. 

“The pandemic was by far the most challenging experience ever,” Diane says. Due to supply chain issues, she recalls not being able to get products they needed for projects, like tiles from Spain. But, she says, people were understanding and “owners worked with you. It brought us closer.”

The company pivoted to meet demand. Whereas Russell & Russell Construction had seen its business consisting of 95% commercial before, it shifted to about 60% commercial and 40% residential during that time.

“We did a lot of outdoor living spaces, a lot of in-law suites in the back, swimming pools and additions during that time,” Diane says. “Everybody was creative. We did gym and game rooms. People started doing tongue-and-groove ceilings, because they were living there and looking at [their homes] in different ways.”

Now the business model is about 75% commercial and 25% residential.

Mark says the projects he’s most proud of are 89 Beach on Siesta Key because it involved taking over a project and turning it around as well as a 6,500-square-foot waterfront home in Dunedin he says he helped develop with the owners "to knock it out of the park."

Of the company, Diane says: “It’s evolved so much in such a wonderful way.”

Have news tips? Email [email protected].