Hurricane Ian would have been far worse for Leigh Gevelinger and her Coastal Vista Design landscape business had she not already diversified it.
When the Sept. 28, 2022, storm deluged Sanibel and Captiva islands, home of about 75% of her residential clients, it largely spared inland Lee and Collier counties, home of about 75% of her commercial clients.
Leigh Gevelinger
“We had to quickly, as a team, really kind of course correct,” Gevelinger said. “And figure out how do we, as a small business, keep our income going and focus on projects we can get to in Lee County and Collier County.”
Hurricane Ian wiped out Coastal Vista Design’s headquarters, 2410 Palm Ridge Road on Sanibel. While focusing on keeping the business afloat, the team also put efforts into rebuilding its headquarters. On Friday, she and her team and about 40 guests cut the ribbon, officially reopening that office.
“It was a milestone,” Gevelinger said. “Honestly, we just had our heads down, helping everybody else throughout the entire course, the course of the hurricane.”
The time had arrived to celebrate themselves, too.
“Getting back into our home office was wonderful,” she said.
The team of Gabe Smith, Gevelinger’s husband, along with Caleb Melchior, Alain Carrazana and Rose Gilson kept the business afloat without a headquarters by focusing on their existing commercial clients, while rebuilding their internet technology databases, all wiped out by the storm.
“Our office sustained 40 inches of water,” Gevelinger said. “Our server was under water. Saltwater got to our actual server with projects and project backups. We were struggling in town to figure out how to get online with our current portfolio to keep all of our projects going.”
Coastal Vista Design pivoted to focusing on the landscaping efforts at the new Uline distribution facility in Collier County.
“We’re so thankful to have been in the height of that project right after the hurricane,” she said. Her company also is doing the landscaping design at the adjacent Paradise Sports Complex and Great Wolf Lodge. The recently opened Aubrey Rogers High School in Collier County also has Coastal Vista Design’s vision spread across its landscaping.
Earlier this year, the company established an inland office at 13451 McGregor Blvd. in south Fort Myers.
“What that really is, is kind of an insurance policy,” Gevelinger said. “We hope this never happens again. But we’re in a position now, where if something should happen, we could course correct, and we could be available to our clientele immediately.”
Although a small shop, the company takes on large tasks. Residential home designs start at about $15,000. This year, Coastal Vista Designs worked on about 140 different projects, from residential, including projects for about 50 existing clients.
“I will say that Hurricane Irma brought a lot more vegetation damage,” Gevelinger said. “This storm (Ian) brought a lot more structural damage across Southwest Florida. We’ve been really sensitive to our clients. We know landscaping isn’t at the top of their priorities.
“We are here for you when you need us. When you’re ready, call us. But there’s no shortage of work. We’re trying to help as many people as we can but also, we’re being realistic. How can we best help our community out here on Sanibel and Captiva?”
Nobody wanted a Hurricane Ian, she said. But she wanted to bring her business back stronger than it was before the storm, and she said she’s confident she has accomplished that goal.
“Our skills have become more robust and well-rounded since the hurricane,” Gevelinger said. “I’d also just like to add that as a result of the hurricane, it was, I don’t want to say a blessing, but it was an opportunity to take a look at our processes. What we were doing. Things that were compromised during the hurricane. And to really deconstruct. We’ve really grown stronger as a business since the hurricane.”
