The Ronto Group has been building a solid reputation for imaginative vision, steadfast integrity and reliable performance.
Headquartered in Naples, Ronto’s expertise in land development and construction has been recognized internationally for communities that are lasting examples of thoughtful planning, dedicated craftsmanship and exemplary of the luxury lifestyle.
The Company
Since it was founded in 1967 by A. Jack Solomon, The Ronto Group has been perfecting their skill in real estate development through the creation of residential and commercial projects worldwide. For over thirty years, Ronto has been developing in the Southwest Florida market, creating communities that celebrate the area’s irresistible appeal, from Marco Island to Tampa. The Company has built a solid reputation for imaginative vision, steadfast integrity, and reliable performance. Headquartered in Naples, Ronto’s expertise in condominium and land development has been recognized internationally for communities that are lasting examples of the luxury lifestyle, thoughtful planning, and dedicated craftsmanship. In the past 8 years, The Ronto Group and their various partnerships have resulted in three high-rise towers and two mid-rise communities, totaling over 750 residences in Southwest Florida. Ronto has also received numerous awards from the southwest Florida homebuilding industry for superior design and craftsmanship. The Ronto Group’s expertise and attention to detail is evident in each of their projects.
The Executive
Anthony Solomon is President and Owner of the Ronto Group. Anthony is responsible for Ronto’s day to day operations including sourcing opportunities, financing and overall execution of projects. Since assuming the role of President, Anthony has been responsible for the sourcing and execution of approximately $1.5 billion in real estate ventures. Anthony has extensive experience working with private equity real estate investors including Angelo, Gordon and Company, Rockpoint Group, and Wheelock Street Capital. Anthony holds a B.A. from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.
The Ronto Group Team
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor is Senior Vice President of Land Development for The Ronto Group and has been with the company for 43 years. Mark is responsible for all land development activities, including budgeting, permitting, and construction of infrastructure. In addition, Mark oversees all amenity construction for Ronto’s master planned communities, including clubhouses, aquatic facilities, and gatehouses. Mark has overseen construction of three 18 hole and one 27 hole golf courses. Mark has been responsible for development of approximately 7,000 home sites.
Karen Welks
Karen Welks is the Chief Financial Officer for The Ronto Group and has been with the company for 30 years. With nearly 40 years of experience in Finance and Accounting, Karen, as the CFO of The Ronto Group, is responsible for all finance and accounting activity with the partners and projects. Those responsibilities include cash flow management, cost control, budgeting, new project analysis, financial reporting and projections. In addition, she works with banks and other financial institutions on development and construction loans. Karen has 30 years of real estate development, management and financial experience in Florida. Originally from a Philadelphia suburb, Karen has been a resident of Marco Island Florida since 1993.
Kathy Miller
Kathy Miller is the Marketing Director for The Ronto Group and has been with the company for 25 years. Kathy is responsible for taking each of the Ronto projects to market and develops individual marketing plans for each, totaling millions of dollars in advertising. Overseeing the development of each campaign, she has been a part of 16 of Ronto’s projects. Kathy also acts as the IT liaison for the company. A Fine Arts major and Pennsylvania native, Kathy’s career began as the traffic manager for a home shopping network on Lifetime TV. Throughout her career, Kathy has worked in sales and marketing, information technology, purchasing, accounting, HR and is a licensed Realtor in Florida. The Ronto projects have won numerous Collier Building and Industry awards over the years, especially in advertising. Kathy has been named Marketing Director of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2021.
Jim O’Donnell
Jim O’Donnell is the Vice President of Condominium Development for The Ronto Group and has over 30 years of real estate development and asset management experience. Jim is responsible for all aspects of condominium development including entitlement, permitting, risk management, sales and marketing support, association management and project execution. Jim has held key positions with a large publicly traded tower developer, an international marina developer and a statewide community management firm. Jim has project experience throughout Florida and the Caribbean and is a licensed Realtor and Community Association Manager. Jim has lived in Southwest Florida since 2001.
Van Osborne
Van Osborne is Vice President of Sales for The Ronto Group and has been involved in the South-West Florida Real Estate market for the past twelve years. He has held leadership positions with several well respected residential Developers during that time. Van is a member of multiple Realtor Boards, and currently holds an active Florida Brokers license and with many designations from NAR and is an active member of both Collier and Lee Building industry Associations. Van has overseen over $1-Billion dollars in sales transactions over the past twelve years in SW Florida. After finishing college at Western Michigan University in 2003 Van relocated to Bonita Springs FL, where he met his wife Amy and they have three daughters. When he is not working Van enjoys time with his family and all the spoils that our beautiful state has to offer, fishing, golfing and boating.
Shannon Dye
Shannon Dye is a Project Manager for The Ronto Group. Shannon has more than 25 years of new construction condominium and property management experience, including serving as general manager at Seaglass at Bonita Bay, Aqua at Pelican Isle and at The Colony Golf & Bay Club, all which she served from start-up and operation to building turnover. She has an associate degree in Real Estate/Property Management, as well as her Real Estate and CAM (Community Association Manager) licenses. Shannon is originally from Ohio and has lived in SWFL for over 20 years.
PACT Real Estate Group
Stefan Johansson
Stefan Johansson founding member of PACT Real Estate Group has over 41 years of real estate experience in the U.S. He has had extensive experience developing luxury towers, as well as planning and building large master planned lifestyle communities. Stefan held key positions including Division President and Regional President for the Tower Division for a large publicly traded homebuilder. He is a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker. Born and educated in Sweden, he has spent most his professional career in Florida.
Chris Hanlon
Christopher Hanlon founding member of PACT Real Estate Group was employed 16 years with a large publicly traded homebuilder. Mr. Hanlon was named Chief Operating Officer of Tower Homebuilding and a Senior Vice President in 2004. Mr. Hanlon was responsible for the tower residential development nationwide. During his tenure, Mr. Hanlon developed a large team of skilled professionals with diverse backgrounds and expertise that successfully expanded the Tower Homebuilding Division. The Division developed 85 towers with a sell-out of approximately $7.3 billion.
Awards
Over the years The Ronto Group has received numerous awards from the homebuilding industry for superior design and craftsmanship. Receiving several awards for Forest Glen Golf and Country Club and The Shores at Gulf Harbour including: Best Interior Design, Best Outdoor Living, Best Pool, Best Landscape Design, Best Kitchen, Best Bath, Best Livability and Best Overall Design. For our Palmira Golf & Country Club community, we received several Pinnacle awards in addition to being named “Community of The Year”. In 2012, our TwinEagles community won 6 Sand Dollar awards and Golf Magazine named the Eagle course “Best New US Private Course of the Year”. TwinEagles has hosted the Chubb Classic (formerly ACE Group Classic) PGA Tournament for several years on the Talon course and hosted the CME Group Titleholders LPGA Tournament in 2012 on the Eagle course.
Interesting Ronto History
In the early 1980’s, in preparation for a future development on the island of Key Marco, The Ronto Group excavated the remains of a 3000 year old Calusa Indian. The Calusa Indian and other recovered artifacts are now housed between University Museum, University of Pennsylvania; the National Museum of Natural History, theSmithsonian Institution; and the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida.
Along with the discovery of the many artifacts recovered during the archeological dig, The Ronto Group was also instrumental in the relocation of upwards of 150 Gopher Tortoises and thousands of Banded Tree Snails. The preservation efforts lasted roughly one year with three employees working full time for the relocation efforts alone.
Click here to see the Key Marco CollectionRonto Hi-Rises Are Wind Tunnel Tested
What is Wind Tunnel Testing, and Why Do We Do It?
Hurricane Andrew forced a change in Florida high-rise building codes that established the toughest storm-specific building codes in the United States, if not the world. The Ronto Group strictly adheres to the required codes that are in effect and commissions wind tunnel tests on all its high-rises to determine the wind loading characteristics to meet or exceed codes.
Wind tunnel testing technology is reliable and allows for accurate simulation of natural wind conditions, including those of a catastrophic weather event. This testing takes into consideration not only the building, but also the other structures around it which can affect the impact of the wind. Testing offers specific, customized information about a particular building or structure, making it a key tool for efficient design. Wind tunnel testing can identify the areas where resilience and reliability can be increased. The ultimate objective of the wind tunnel test is to obtain data that will support the construction of an efficient, safe, and reliable building. The results of these tests have been used to successfully design tall buildings everywhere and are not only used to ensure the safety of the occupants in a building, but their comfort as well.