Our team moved back into the newly renovated Community Foundation of Sarasota County headquarters on Fruitville Road in June 2024.
Beginning Fall 2023, the Community Foundation underwent an eight-month building renovation that included updates to the design and function of the space and adding workspaces to accommodate a growing staff.
During the renovation process, our team continued to serve our community from a temporary office on Main Street.
Our headquarters opened nearly 20 years ago in 2004 thanks to a generous $2 million gift from former board member and board chair Leila Gompertz. Thanks to that gift, we have owned our building without any debt since its opening.
Over the past two decades our Community Foundation has grown from 10 employees and about $100 million in assets under management. Today we have 32 employees and nearly $500 million in assets under management. The renovation allowed us to operate more efficiently and ensure our facilities meet the needs of our team today, and long into the future.
The planning for additional space began in 2021 with the goal to gain more office space, providing an updated work environment for collaboration, communication, and overall facilities along with improving the donor and community members experience with our meeting rooms.
The original plan was to build an addition and make interior updates, but zoning requirements and discovery of other functional needs gave us the opportunity pause and reimagine the building within our current footprint. In the end, we feel this is a more responsible use of the space provided to use from Leila Gompertz, and our plan allows us to make updates to the building that will improve efficiencies in operating (e.g. energy improvements), as well as a better use of space for our operations.
The renovation project was approved and fully supported by our Board of Directors. Thanks to thoughtful management through the pandemic, operating surpluses for two years that came as a result of less external activities at that time were allocated for this project. At the same time, our long-term, prudent fiscal management policies guiding our operating reserves and administrative endowmensupported this project, which did not require any financing. The costs of temporary operations and moving were also included in the project budget.
We gained 14 new workspaces, expanding our capacity for up to 46 team members. The redesigned space includes three (3) new private conference rooms, three (3) internal team collaboration spaces, a coffee bar, expanded break room, two (2) improved patios and new carpet, ceilings, electrical, paint and other cosmetic updates throughout the building, while also greening the building where possible and other improvements.
We hired DSDG Architects for interior design, led by principal Mark Sultana. After a competitive bidding process, Jon Swift Construction was chosen as general contractor. The Community Foundation’s interests in this project were overseen by our agent Jenn Stutler of Stutler Strategies, Inc.