Networking for a Good Cause
Danto Builders Aims for Achievements So Special Olympians Can Succeed, Too
What general contractor doesn’t do it “by the numbers”? Take, for example, Danto Builders of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, achieving something truly special with sets of numbers like 8, 14, 38, 600, 1,800, 5,400 and 40,000.
No, it’s not related to the Florida Lottery system. The numbers reflect the efforts by company owners Craig and Debbie Danto (CEO and COO, respectively) to mount a large fundraising event for the Special Olympics program in Broward County.
The Big Bad BBQ called for rounding up eight barbecue grills, 14 vendors and 38 auction items for a crowd of 600 attendees who ate 1,800 pieces of barbecued chicken and 5,400 ribs. The total amount raised was $40,000.
That was just the 2017 effort. The entire four years of leadership by the Dantos has raised more than $90,000. Want more numbers? The funds help to ensure that 6,100 special needs children and adults get programming and equipment to play 22 sports throughout the year. “The Dantos are the most generous, caring people,” says Linda Mills, Broward County director of Special Olympics Florida, which recognized Danto Builders as Broward’s local organization of the year for 2017.
All About Relationships
Debbie attributes their tireless efforts to various factors, not the least of which is, “My husband loves barbecue.” There’s also the fact that the event—held at the Danto office—is an opportunity for networking with colleagues, partners and friends in the design, building, property management and real estate industries. Additionally, each year’s growth spurs them to top those results the following year. Year one brought 100 attendees, compared to 600 this past year—and hope for more people in 2018.
Relationships, then, propel the Big Bad BBQ forward. The Dantos love seeing participants compete in team barbecue contests to prepare the main course for a hungry crowd. Many team members and patrons are active in the Florida Design and Construction Professionals networking group, for which Debbie serves on the board as chair of the communications committee.
“If we’re going to network, why not network for a cause?” Debbie says. “Now, anyone from the real estate, property management, construction, engineering and architecture fields attends.”
The Dantos also do it for family reasons. Both Craig and Debbie have relatives with special needs, and they know firsthand what a special place Special Olympics has in people’s lives.
The planning effort—done with help from the county Special Olympics organization—starts five months prior to the October event. Debbie and Craig oversee aspects like securing musical talent, reserving and setting up tents, getting vendors and donations for wine, beer, rum, meat, sides and desserts, obtaining silent and live auction items, and enacting a full slate of marketing work.
“It’s very time consuming…but it’s doing something meaningful and the design and construction community has given a great amount of support,” she says.
Ingredients FOR Success
Commitment to their jobs and caring about their clients are what have solidified the Danto family’s place in the industry. Craig is a fourth-generation builder, including shipbuilders from Spain and Portugal. His father excelled at underground construction and development, mostly in Michigan.
Craig moved to South Florida from Michigan 35 years ago for another job, but soon continued the Danto legacy by moving his family’s company, too. He and his father developed the infrastructure of one of the first communities in Boca Raton called Fox Landings. Other interesting work in those years included residential construction throughout South Florida and on the Seminole reservation.
Today, Danto focuses on general construction and renovation of health care, hospitality (restaurants and hotels) and general commercial projects. New avenues for the company are aviation and government.
Collaboration among professionals and owners is important, too. One recent office building construction project involved re-evaluating the structural design of a building. “We worked with the architect and engineer to help reduce the cost of the building,” Debbie says. “We want the building to be safe most importantly, and if possible help the client save money too.”
Singular Focus
Danto Builders takes a personal interest in its clients’ projects and a holistic approach by understanding everything from the best and highest use of the land, design, engineering and construction to the aesthetics, functionality, energy efficiency and smart systems, and available tax incentives.
“Our goal is to develop partnerships with our clients and make their lives easier through single-source solutions for the design and build of any project,” says Craig.
The company primarily serves Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
Danto recently won an award given by the Fort Lauderdale chapter of the American Institute of Architects for New Building/Small Commercial. Another award was received from the South Florida Business Journal for the Best Reuse/Rehab category in the South Florida area.
The project was the CoLab Workspaces structure and Grind Coffee Project. Excellent general contracting in the context of a hip entrepreneurial gathering place won the awards for Danto. The collaborative effort with the owner involved repurposing the boards from old skateboards to cover accent walls and using wood flooring from an old bowling alley for a bar top.
As with their successes for Special Olympics, the Dantos apply their attention to detail and relationship approach to every project they undertake. To them, all of the construction business is for a good cause.