Al Ten Broek, who joined and then helped guide a company that began by redeveloping South Seas Resort on Captiva Island in the 1970s and then became the largest private employer in Lee County by the late 1990s, died May 5 at 84.
Allen Gilbert Ten Broek (pronounced Brook), born in Milwaukee in 1940, joined The Mariner Group shortly after Bob Taylor founded it. The Fort Myers-based real estate development and hospitality company that grew to about 5,000 employees focused on environmentally and economically sustainable resort development.
A captain of the University of Wisconsin fencing team and 1962 graduate, Ten Broek settled in 1972 on Sanibel Island, where he worked with the town’s future first mayor Porter Goss on incorporating their island’s government.
“Sanibel was a very different place then,” Goss said, “but we were on the cusp of a lot of major development. That led to the question of what do we want this island to look like in five years, 10 years and beyond.
“He wanted people to enjoy what Mother Nature has provided us down there, which is so beautiful. Al understood that.
“Really what he brought to the table besides a lot of energy and smarts — he and his partner, Bob Taylor from Mariner — they understood that quality was more important than quantity for development. It was better for the enterprise. It was better for the environment. A better environment created for better quality for the guests.
Al Ten Broek
“Al understood all of those points very well, and Mariner was a great asset to Southwest Florida. Not only did they bring some great business smarts to the area, but he brought a lot of smart, knowledgeable people to the area. It was a very nice blending of talents and energies.”
After acquiring South Seas, a 304-acre resort on the northern end of Captiva, Ten Broek and Taylor worked with Lee County’s government on a rezoning to lock in the property to no more than three units per acre, 912 units in perpetuity, according to the zoning approval document from 1973. This scaled back what could have been more than 3,000 units.
A celebration of Ten Broek’s life is scheduled for July 26 at the resort, where Ten Broek’s efforts resulted in 4 miles of adjacent mangroves being protected from development. Ten Broek developed much more than South Seas.
“They were, in the Mariner Group, one of the largest developers of different properties, whether it was resorts or condominiums or even retail on Sanibel,” said Bryan Ten Broek, one of Al’s three grown children along with Laura Maloney and Jenny Martinez. He had seven grandchildren.
The glass and steel building branded with Morgan & Morgan off College Parkway and Summerlin Road in south Fort Myers also was developed by Mariner.
“But they did it in a way that really complemented the environment,” Bryan Ten Broek said. “Because of that, I think Sanibel was able to put in very stringent zoning that prevented it from becoming another Fort Myers Beach.
“They are two very different places today. Mariner, that was not their vision. I just think he saw that it was a very unique destination. Part of its appeal was the environment and the nature. He wanted to preserve that. It has endured to this day, in my opinion, in part because of their incorporating.”
Renovating the historical Useppa Island Club, buying the original Robb & Stucky furniture store in Fort Myers and pioneering the timeshare condominium business — a portion of which eventually became Hilton Grand Vacations, a multibillion-dollar, publicly-traded timeshare company — also landed on Ten Broek’s resume.
Ten Broek built what daughter Jenny Martinez called “an empire.”
“When my dad often tried to describe the evolution of Mariner, he always said, they really didn’t necessarily know what they were getting into,” she said. “But it was their work ethic. They built an empire, really. South Seas was a big jump for them.
“One thing that was a common theme with all of their resorts, it was always driven to being family oriented. Live music was a really important part of that. I don’t think you could ever go to a Mariner Resort where there wasn’t an open-air place where fathers could teach their daughters how to dance.”
Danny Morgan’s band played some of that music.
“It was a great time,” Morgan said. “A really great time.”
Ten Broek financed Morgan’s first record, the self-titled “Danny Morgan” album in 1982.
Morgan’s band still plays at the Dunes Country Club that Mariner revitalized. He met Ten Broek while playing at King’s Crown, a South Seas restaurant.
“It was formal dining,” Morgan said. “I had to wear a blue blazer, a white shirt and tie. I played a lot of American songs. I also played some Beatles songs.”
Ten Broek encouraged Morgan to do even more.
“He became a huge supporter of mine,” Morgan said. “He was a great cheerleader for a lot of people. That helped me a lot in just taking the chances that I took. He encouraged me with my songs. And he encouraged me to be creative with more music.”
Ten Broek and Taylor began selling The Mariner Group’s assets in the late 1990s. Ten Broek became a consultant to other companies and moved on to other projects, including Old Bahama Bay in West End, Grand Bahama Island.
“Of all the things I’ve done in my career, working with Al was the best,” said Bob Kramm, president of Compass Consulting Group and former president and chief operating officer of Dolphins Stadium, during Wayne Huizenga’s ownership, 1996-99. Kramm and Ten Broek rehabilitated Old Bahama Bay following a stretch of three devastating hurricanes in the late 1990s.
“Al was such a quality guy,” Kramm said. “Everything about his vision and execution was quality. Brilliant guy. He never really thought or acted his age. He was a contemporary thinker. He really had a vision.
“His forte was real estate and resort resurrection. Stabilizing them. He was able to help the owners either maintain it or sell them for a premium because of better performance. Along with the financial success, he really contributed a lot to the community.”
Ten Broek cared about more than just his own vision, said Marge Lennon, who said she could not have started her own public relations company without his encouragement and financial support. The Mariner Group was Lennon’s first client at $2,000 a month.
“He was a mentor,” Lennon said. “He was my only mentor. My business, which is now 40 years old, would not be where it is today without him believing in me. Who knows where I would be without him?
“He had this vision for what needed to be done in the community. Long-range vision. Decades into the future. Al Ten Broek wasn’t just a problem solver. He was a visionary. He made all the visions come to life.”
