Stout's vision becoming reality in Cape Coral

Stout When it comes to vision, Realmark Group's Will Stout usually gets credit for seeing what Cape Coral's future could be.

After retiring from 30 years in the real-estate business in Atlanta, Stout rested for about 90 days before he saw the potential for a marina community with a downtown of its own in Cape Coral.

In 2000, Stout founded Realmark Group to buy and develop a partiallybuilt 150-acre site, about 3.5 miles from the Gulf of Mexico at the southern end of Chiquita Boulevard. The site would become Cape Harbour, a home to many, a destination for city residents with a palette for fine food and a boater's dream location for others.

"When Will Stout took over Cape Harbour, he brought to Cape Coral a vision of what the city could envision for itself," said state Rep. Gary Aubuchon, R-Cape Coral. "He was a

large factor in bringing

upscale development to our area of the state."

Many real estate professionals, builders and developers trace the real estate boom in Cape Coral back to Stout's work with Cape Harbour's townhouses, mid-rise and two, 110-condominium, high-rise buildings - all within walking distance of the 76-slip Marina at Cape Harbour.

COURTESY PHOTO Developer Will Stout has capitalized on Cape Coral's extensive waterfront. The 61-year-old Stout's attraction to the water goes back a long way. When he was a boy, he sailed on his father's Tartan 34-foot boat every weekend in Annapolis.

At the age of 10, Stout decided he not only wanted a boat, he wanted to own a marina. That may have seemed a different choice for a boy born and raised in the heart of Amish country in Manheim, Pa.

The son of the town's physician, he traveled on house calls with his father. He learned about medicine, but not business. His father's love of boating did get passed on.

He began winning sailing events. Water and winning became part of his attitude.

"Sailing was my passion," Stout said.

Graduating from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., with a bachelor's degree in biology and business, Stout thought of becoming a dentist. The lure of the sea drowned that idea.

He wanted to savor what it meant to be in charge on the sea.

During the late 1960s, fresh out of college, he joined the U.S. Navy and served on a destroyer in the Atlantic.

As a Lieutenant Junior Grade, he worked his way up from an assistant chief engineer to operations officer in less than two years. While the captain slept, the 24-year-old Stout got a taste of being in charge of the multimillion dollar ship.

Serving on destroyers also gave Stout a healthy respect for the teamwork it took to run a well-oiled enterprise. That teamwork lesson would serve him well as he built teams to handle his business interests, first in Atlanta and later in Lee County.

"I knew one thing," Stout said. "I wanted to live where it was warm."

In Atlanta, after holding several positions with a regional bank, Stout became an entrepreneur. He started a condominium development company in 1981. An old Atlanta friend and business partner Bob Sheehan said it was Stout's vision and business sense that made the company a success.

Long before Stout retired to move to Burnt Store Marina north of Cape Coral, his company became one of the largest of its kind in the South. The avid boater lived at a Cape marina and built and flew experimental aircraft, However, there are some people who just want to be busy building a vision.

"This isn't a hobby," Stout said. "It is a serious business, but there is nothing wrong with us having fun as we do our work."

Sensing opportunity, Stout soon founded the Realmark Group. Bringing Craig Dearden in as chief financial officer and chief operating officer made the company formidable.

"What I like about working with Will is that he holds to what is morally right and legally correct," Dearden said. "We also try to build what will be of good use to the public."

The public makes good use of the Realmark Group's flagship development - Cape Harbour. It has been a guiding principle for Stout that although the residential areas in his developments remain private, the amenities are open to the public.

"We aren't just building homes," Stout said. "We are building thriving communities where anyone can visit. Despite the housing slump our company hasn't laid anyone off."

The Marina Promenade at Cape Harbour houses 22,000 square feet of restaurants, retail stores, art shops and an outdoor bar among other attractions.

On many nights, The Joint, a casual dining, hip restaurant reminiscent of South Beach, hosts bands and other acts to entertain those who live there and visitors from the rest of Cape Coral.

At The Joint, chef Frank Caputo and managing partners Sean Lucas and Bob Mulroy have more than a century of experience in the hospitality food and beverage business.

Just a short walk from the promenade is Rumrunners, a restaurant popular with locals and visitors.

On any day or night, someone is apt to bump into a friend or make a new one at the restaurants and shops on the promenade.

In that way Cape Harbour has become what University of West Florida sociologist and author Ray Oldenburg called a "Third Place."

In his book, "The Great good Place: Cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of a community" Oldenburg says that communities are built around a "Third Place."

The first place people have remains their home. The second place where people do have some socialization is the workplace.

Our commuter society in its rush to build suburbs after World War II lost something. It lost the community meeting place, Oldenburg wrote.

By commuting from home to work and back again the population became isolated. People need a place where they can walk, stop to chat, greet old friends and make new ones. They need what Stout builds into his communities- hang outs.

Realmark's Cape Harbour supplies plenty of places to walk, sit, relax and meet people. Besides the Joint and Rumrunners, there is Longboards cabana bar, the epicurean marketplace Pignoli, the Elegant Orchid Florist, Islands Tropically Inspired clothing shop and other stores. There are also many art shops and other upscale stores.

The shops along the promenade offer all the window shopping anyone could want to pass the time. Of course the goods are high quality and beg to be purchased.

All the amenities can also be approached by water. Although limited, there is docking space available, especially at Rumrunners.

What is a community without weddings? The recent addition of a gazebo for weddings and other events has added to the community allure.

The catering would be exclusively handled by Pignoli. Considering Chef Robert Cardoos and his wife Barbara have more than 30 years experience in gourmet food, any affair is bound to be a winner.

"Others may have stopped building," said Laura Straus, managing broker for Realmark Group referring to the slumping housing market. "But we are adding on."

Although it is a place where people can live, work and enjoy themselves, Cape Harbour also plays a role as a resort. Vacation rentals of condominiums with about 1,300 to 1,800 square feet of space can be had.

The suites and condos for rent are in the community's Marina South building facing the harbor. They would suit guests at a wedding or another affair at The Pavilion.

Have an affair at The Pavilion and Barbara Allshouse-Cardoos, event coordinator will see to all the details.

"We will have a menu for clients to choose from, or our chef will customize the menu," Allshouse-Cardoos said. "We will also coordinate the DJ, photographer, florist, whatever the customer wants."