I purchased the farm in 2021 with the hopes of growing Fox Tail palms for wholesale customers.
I created Florida Office Solutions (FOS) after selling my partnership in Office Reworks.
The main reason I started FOS was to offer furniture dealerships a solution to all of their logistic needs, including receiving, shipping, installation, project management, decommissions, and customer relations.
We also sold office furniture to our FOS end-user customers, and we never conflicted with our dealership relations.
Some of our customers were TD Bank, Truist, CB Richard Ellis, Comcast RPM, and many more.
Most of what we did for these accounts was to receive product for a new branch, or a branch that was in a remodel. A project manager was then assigned to that branch to follow it through to the end. We did projects all over the state of Florida.
I sold FOS to Superior Installations in West Palm Beach when I decided to buy the Palm Tree Farm.
Two partners and I saw an opportunity to remanufacture the Haworth UniGroup panel system. We also had a custom shop that manufactured new worksurfaces, end panels, and many other items.
My responsibilities included the procurement of used Haworth to keep our inventory flowing, and I also handled day-to-day operations. Our territory included the Southeast United States. I decided to sell out to my partners after they wanted to start remanufacturing Herman Miller systems furniture. My contention was that having two different manufacturers would create chaos, keeping all the parts and pieces separate. Warehousing would have to increase by 50% to handle the new influx of Miller parts. After I parted ways, they went ahead with their decision and went out of business seven months after I left. So, the moral to the story is, don't mess with success.
In early 2010, my wife was notified by the Department of Immigration that she had overstayed her visa back in 2007, and would have to go back to Brazil for two years to clear the matter up. I sold everything, including my furniture store, American Office Furniture. After getting settled in, we decided to open a Tex-Mex style restaurant. It turned out to be a big hit. Directly next to the city hall was an old train station from the early 1900s that had been sitting empty for 20 years. I inquired if it was possible to rent the building, and a meeting was set up with the mayor and city council to present my idea. I negotiated a lease that included 5 years of free rent for my investment to refurbish the building; ownership was out of the question because it was considered a landmark area and protected. To be honest, I have never worked so hard. The restaurant and bar was open from 11:00 AM to 2:00 AM. After my wife's situation was cleared up, we decided to move back to the U.S. We sold the restaurant to a local couple and said goodbye.
Founded American Office Furniture, generating $3 million in sales from initial $1,000 investment.
Sold extensive inventory of used systems furniture from a 300 sq. ft. store.
My responsibilities at J.C. White were many. I worked hand in hand with the project designer and sales rep. I was in charge of as many as 20 installers at one time. I was in charge of projects for SONY, 320 stations of Unigroup. North Broward Hospital, 410 station of UniGroup, Florida Dept of Transportation, 80 private offices, Dade County School Board, 4 floors, 375 stations, and many more projects. I left J.C. White due to unfulfilled promises by the owner. I then opened American Office Furniture.
Responsible for day-to-day deliveries, shipping, and also keeping the warehouse tidy. On slow days, I would fill in with the installation team.