Osvaldo Vento guiding Everglades Lumber through downturn by securing new customer opportunities at home and abroad
Founded in 1940, when "everything west of the Palmetto Expressway was considered the Everglades," Everglades Lumber & Building Supply has seen the local construction industry through up and down cycles, president Osvaldo Vento says. What was once predominately a retail operation morphed into a contractor business as big-box stores overtook the market — a good position to be in during building booms over the years.
Now that the bubble has burst, Everglades is focusing again on retail in showrooms as well as on the Internet. Exports have also become a priority.
And locally, the company is eyeing public-sector projects as a source of opportunity — from a Marlins stadium to a tunnel to the port of Miami to infrastructure projects expected through federal and local stimulus packages. Mr. Vento shared his industry analysis in an interview with Miami Today staff writer Risa Polansky.
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