Cornerstone Builders of Southwest Florida began in a Long Island, New York, basement until relocating to Fort Myers in 1988.

If only the founder and his son could see the latest of what his creation became, Cornerstone CEO Bob Hahn said.

The company plans to cut the ribbon on its new, $20 million, 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and headquarters Feb. 4. Cornerstone has showrooms in Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island and does kitchen and bathroom remodeling work throughout the region.

Tony Leeber Jr., who played a prominent role in growing the kitchen and bathroom remodeling company, died at age 54 in December 2023 following a battle with lung cancer.

Tony Leeber Sr., the company’s founder, died in August at age 76. His wishes were to keep the company family-owned, with Hahn in charge along with a board of directors.

Both Leebers were involved in the planning of the new facility at 3910 Veronica Shoemaker Blvd., in Fort Myers, which was why Hahn called the opening of it bittersweet.

“I never dreamed of anything this big,” said Hahn, like Leeber Sr. a carpenter by trade. Hahn had worked for his father’s company in Toledo, Ohio, until starting a company of his own. He then joined Cornerstone in 2006 as a vice president.

Hahn gave a tour of the new facility, which included a state-of-the-art robotic saw used to cut quartz — and do so with precision. It can cut within one-thousandth of an inch. It’s called Robo Sawjet Series Mitering Robot, and it’s worth about $1 million.

The new facility also has been equipped with three cranes suspended from the ceiling to lift quartz tablets.

“We’ve outgrown our original facility,” Hahn said. “We actually had four other locations. So, we had a total of five locations where we were manufacturing cabinets and countertops.”

The Cornerstone workforce has grown to 250 employees. The company aims to do about $50 million worth of business each year, but the facility gives the company the capability to double that amount.

“We have the capacity now to grow at least another 50%,” Hahn said. “The market’s pretty ripe here in Southwest Florida. People continue to want to get out of the cold weather and move to Florida for all the reasons people move to Florida.”

Cornerstone has 37 design representatives who meet with potential clients to discuss potential remodeling projects. The company also owns 130 vehicles for transporting goods and services, and Hahn is looking to grow the workforce.

“We just have things that other smaller contractors don’t have,” Hahn said. “It’s really a great place to work. People want to come and work for us. We’re always recruiting. That was one thing Tony [Sr.] taught me. To always be recruiting. When somebody of quality walks in the door, we need to be ready to hire them.”

Cornerstone does a wide range of projects, from the smallest of countertop replacements to luxury projects worth close to $1 million.

Hahn said he has missed Leeber’s presence.

“Do I want to say bittersweet?” Hahn said. “Tony [Sr.] is a Christian guy. So, I know where he’s at. He knew where his destination was. However, it would have been great for him to be able to see us here.

“He was a carpenter. As well as I’m a carpenter. We really had a lot in common. He was really an incredible visionary. His relationship with God was unwavering. I really learned a lot from him in both of those areas, and running the company. He really had a vision to grow this thing. And was able to put systems together for us to continue to grow.”