COCOMO Construction & Development (l to r), Jeremy and Casey Morash, Trent Cole, Sandy and Robb Cole
The Cole family at COCOMO Construction & Development have built a professionally rewarding company located on Clearwater Beach. As their completed project list grows, so does their reputation.
For the past 30 years the Coles have been in the business of purchasing dilapidated commercial and residential buildings, revitalizing them and putting them back on the market.
Last year the Coles expanded by offering their construction expertise to the general public, including remodels, repairs, additions, new structures, landscaping and design services.
"The current real estate market is not for the feint of heart. Thus, we have redirected our company's efforts from speculating on down and out properties to now assisting property owners improve their real estate, both commercial and residential," said Robb Cole, one of the founders.
The Cole's urban revitalization projects have not gone unnoticed. While being responsive to their clients needs they are ever mindful of the public trust. They are recipients of the Clearwater Beach Chamber 2002 Beautification Award for their work at Barefoot Bay Resort and Marina.
Cole said, "The ability to take an old building and make it something dynamic is one of the greatest rewards of the business. When we bought Barefoot Bay on East Shore Drive, which was then the old King Cole Motel, it was probably the most run down motel on the beach and unfortunately was the first thing tourists saw as they entered the beach. After a year of remodeling, it was a resort and marina that the city and beach could be proud of and is still a very popular facility today even though we sold it two years ago."
More recently Indian Rocks Beach recognized the Coles for a project they completed there. "We recently bought an old motel on Gulf Blvd in Indian Rocks Beach which had become a drug haven and home to a group of questionable citizens. After vacating the facility, which was no easy task, we completely gutted the building, expanded it and turned it into the premier office retail outlet in the area, utilizing a Key West theme. Mayor Bill Ockunzzi, wrote thanking us for beautifying his city, adding to the aesthetics of the community and setting an example that he hopes others will follow."
Presently two thirds of the space at the revitalized site is occupied by one of the region's premier developers, Terra Nova Corporation, developers of several high end condominiums in Pinellas County.
Demand for restored and remodeled homes and repurposing of commercial buildings is up. According to Cole, "The market for remodeling has become very enticing due to the current property tax and insurance problems facing most home and business owners. It is no secret that mobility has become a major problem and thus clients are looking to improve their current homes and business locations rather than move to a new home and see their property taxes multiply exponentially. Hopefully the legislature will correct this in the special June session."
"In addition to improving their current homes, many people in the beach areas are attempting to preserve the historical aspects of their property. For example, we are currently remodeling a gulf front home on north Clearwater Beach where the owners are presently converting an older home into a modern beach house but they are retaining items such as the "old Florida" tile in the bathrooms, inset areas in their living room walls, and an old time tile sidewalk leading to the home. It will end up being a mixture of old and new and should be quite unique."
Whether your construction plans call for building a new structure or remodeling an existing one, it's critical to the project's successful completion that you hire a contractor who provides a high level of oversight in order to deliver the most efficient and cost-effective work.
Herein lies COCOMO's strengths. The Coles are not only mindful of the work's aesthetics. Guided by their clients, they consider a project's function, budget, and schedule.
They have the ability to provide additional value to their clients many other contracting firms can't. An added value property owners who've chosen COCOMO have found is the fact that since they are a family business, they have an easy communication with one another, which transfers into better communication between client and contract manager.
COCOMO's staff includes founders Trent and Robb Cole, Robb's wife Sandy plus their daughter Casey and her husband Jeremy Morash.
Said Cole, "Individual talents of family members have helped us succeed. Trent graduated from the University of Florida School of Business Construction with honors and other family degrees include a Ph.D in Finance, two Master's degrees and a law degree."
Being residents of North Clearwater Beach, the Coles have recognized unique needs of waterfront owners. Cole offered, "For example, a new product our company is promoting is a glass fence framed in wood or aluminum that allows beach front owners to keep the sand out of their back yards and still allow a totally unobstructed view of the gulf. It can also be utilized by any water front property owners to keep pets or young children in their yards, but still maintain their view of the bay or intracoastal waterways. We just completed one at 860 Eldorado Avenue on Clearwater Beach and it can be viewed by simply walking on the beach in that area."
COCOMO Construction & Development is located at 436 East Shore Drive in Clearwater Beach. Phone (727) 442-2141.
