If we were to name the most influential person in Naples right now (sorry, Mr. Mayor, Madame Superintendent, Sir Sheriff ), we’d have to say David Hoffmann, a.k.a. the biggest commercial landholder in town, a.k.a the guy who buys a building or business just about once a month. In the wrong hands, this amount of economic clout might be terrifying, but Naples appears to be in a good place with the family owned-and operated Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate.“We take something that’s really, really good and try to make it better,” Hoffmann says. That means renovating properties, freshening landscaping and sponsoring live music, public art and free valet service, drawing foot traffic and distinguishing downtown.
Hoffmann made his first Naples buy in 2015—seven buildings and a parking lot for around $75 million and has since taken ownership of 24 buildings. They're largely clustered on 5th Avenue South, the street he fell in love with and one he considers comparable to famed thorough fares around the world.
“This has everything they have, but with a Midwest feel to it,” he says. He and his wife, Jerri, relocated from Chicago to Naples shortly after the 2015 purchase and embedded themselves in the community, joining the trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, the Naples Zoo and the 5th Avenue South Business Improvement District, in addition to supporting countless causes.
Beyond buying buildings, Hoffmann also acquires small businesses. He keeps the founding owners in place, but as Hoffmann employees, they get access to capital, marketing and other services that allow them to “fulfill their ambitions.” The Naples Princess has expanded to eight other cities; Adelheidi’s has opened a second shop in Illinois; Tacos & Tequila Cantina, since partnering with Hoffmann and chef Paul Fleming, is going national.
Hoffmann’s business plans may work out well for Collier County’s bottom line, too. He intends to amass hospitality- and tourism-related businesses, which he’ll market to visitors, conventions, senior living communities and the like. “We’re trying to make Naples a Disneyland for adults,” he says.