Making Waves

Entrepreneur Brian Fenster took a bit of an unconventional approach in his trek to becoming a developer.

"From importing/exporting textiles, indigenous products and organic agriculture to co-founding a tea company, I am likely to be seen as 'off the beaten path,'" he says.

Fenster, 31, is the managing member and co-founder of Newleaf LLC, a Fort Myers-based investment and development firm. "Our focus is on re-urbanization and projects that foster environmentally and socially sensitive growth," he explains.

Fenster grew up on the east coast of Florida, where he went to high school and college.

"I always shied away from degrees, placing more value on my mentors and the relationships I formed," says Fenster, who participated in high-school exchange programs that took him to Russia and Brazil.

After spending time in New England, where he was involved in organic agriculture, Fenster moved to Florida's west coast, where he discovered downtown Fort Myers. "Between the historic assets on the verge of revitalization and the sense of community here, I was drawn in right away," he remembers.

In conjunction with BAP Development Inc. in Miami, Fenster is developing The Cypress Club, two 32-story residential towers on the southern bank of the Caloosahatchee, his first multifamily, mixed-use project. The Cypress Club will include high-end amenities, such as PRISM, a computerized remote concierge system that allows residents to call for their car, book a spa treatment or even change a CD from anywhere in the world through wireless access.

Fenster's foray into development isn't as surprising as his background might make it seem, he says. "In many ways I've been involved in real estate, construction and development since I was a child, working alongside my father and his companies," he explains.

And his goals apparently haven't changed as much as his career: "The only real success is to gain the satisfaction of having done the right thing and made the right choices."