The Lutgert Legacy

The Lutgert Companies diversified further in the past year and a half by adding title and mortgage companies, LSL Title and LSL Mortgage, to its holdings.

"They're services that are related to buying real estate, so they're an outgrowth of Premier Properties," says Gutman. "As our buyers and clients requested those services, it seemed like a natural fit for us to go into those businesses."

With such landmark commercial developments as The Village at Venetian Bay, The Promenade at Bonita Bay and the distinctive Northern Trust Building in Naples, The Lutgert Companies' commercial developments are as well known now as its residential projects. But even with a background in developing shopping centers in Chicago, and after decades in local residential development, the company didn't venture into commercial projects in Southwest Florida until the late 1980s.

"The market wasn't there, the population wasn't there," says Scott Lutgert. "As soon as we developed enough residential units and the attendant population, then we started developing commercial. It just had to take a natural course. Naples was growing at a very slow pace back then."

Will the company diversify further? "We just take a look at the market and see what the opportunities are," says Lutgert. "If something comes along that's attractive and makes sense for the com-pany," then the company might pursue it, he says.

The Lutgert Companies is privately owned by the family, and company officials won't disclose specific numbers. In July, Gutman pronounced year-to-date sales in June as the company's highest, up 134 percent over the previous year.

"Our goal is not to be the largest," he adds. "It sounds corny but our goal is not to do quantity; everything we do is quality, and it's held for long term. Everything we do, we do so we'll be proud to put the Lutgert name on it."

An Image of Substance

In an industry that is often a target for critics, The Lutgert Companies seems to have kept the shine on its polished image.

"They're probably one of the good ones, because we don't have a lot of direct dealings with them," Bob Stewart, a building official for Lee County, says with a laugh. "I only get to deal with the problem children. They're not one of them."

The company apparently hasn't raised red flags among environmentalists, either. It's even managed to dodge significant opposition to its high-rises, which attract plenty of fire in some communities.

"The areas that we have done high-rises in have always been planned for high-rises," says Baker. "High-rises are not appropriate for every area."

The company's reputation for being a good member of the community likely helps.The Lutgert name, in fact, is visible throughout the community. Scott Lutgert is better known in some circles as chairman of the Florida Gulf Coast University board of trustees than as head of one of the leading development companies in the region. He's also chairman this year for the Naples Winter Wine Festival. And countless visitors to The NCH Regional Cancer Institute have been to the Raymond L. Lutgert Pavilions, built in 2002.

The Lutgert Companies and the Lutgert family have contributed their resources to numerous philanthropies in the region covering a range of needs: health care, underprivileged and ailing children and adults, arts and education.

"I would say their biggest contributions relate to the quality of their projects, the vision the Lutgerts have had for Naples, the service that they have provided for users of their properties-whether they be residents or commercial tenants-as well as the contribution they've made to a number of not-for-profit organizations," says Barron Collier Co.'s Marinelli.