Q&A: Michael Saunders discusses downtown Sarasota consolidation, future of yellow offices

Through the years, Michael Saunders has built a Gulf Coast real estate sales empire stretching from Anna Maria Island in the north to Punta Gorda in the south.

It all started in a office on St. Armands in 1976, but today Michael Saunders & Co. has 17 offices, with 11 in Sarasota County, four in Manatee County and two in Charlotte, with more than 600 sales agents. The company is the region's largest independent real estate company.

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All the standalone offices owned by the company are painted a unique and now familiar yellow that's custom-blended for the Sarasota-headquartered firm.

Last month, the business consolidated its downtown Sarasota office space into 1605 Main St. and announced that two of the properties where the company had worked from for decades were being sold, with any buyer of the downtown core sites likely to explore redevelopment.

Since the company consolidated into an office building that is unlikely to paint itself the Michael Saunders & Co. yellow, it's a fair bet that Sarasota will soon be missing the distinctive Michael Saunders & Co. yellow for the first time in years.

Why yellow?

The fun flair of the yellow building was meant to stand out, the founder of the company told the Herald-Tribune.

Michael Saunders recently corresponded by email with the Herald-Tribune for a Q&A, explaining the company consolidation, plans for growth and of course, how the company's buildings came to be painted yellow.

Can you talk a bit about the company's branding and how the buildings ended up a shade of yellow? 

Since our inception in 1976, our brand colors have always been yellow, blue and white. The yellow you see on the exterior of our offices is a custom blend. We felt a unique color would be great brand recognition across our market footprint.

In 2019, we decided we needed to further distinguish our brand from the competition in our marketplace and underwent a brand refresh. The goal of our refresh was to help us tell our story with more heart and flair and to show how different, unique and creative we are as an independent brand.  We added a saturation of colors to our original palette, including textures and patterns that reflect our beaches, sunsets and lush landscape. You will see these colors and elements reflected in everything we do – from our business cards to our signs, social media, digital and print ads.

Why the move and why now?

This move has always been a long-term goal for us – we have just been waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Logistically, it makes sense for our Agent Services teams to be under one roof providing greater efficiency and synergy. This is also true for our Developer Services team, Commercial Division and Title Division. We firmly believe that creativity is part of a collaborative work environment – one better achieved in a cohesive, well-planned, bright and appealing office setting.

Who moved and which properties?

Our Agent Services teams – marketing, technology, accounting, relocation and the appointment center – as well as our commercial division, developer services division, MSC Title and the executive team. These approximately 75 employees previously worked in three downtown locations: 1801 Main St., 40 N. Osprey St. and 100 S. Washington Blvd.

 How did you decide to pick the Wells Fargo Advisors Building?

When the opportunity presented itself at 1605 Main Street – which was already home to our largest residential branch office – everything seemed to make sense to consolidate there. We have always been in the heart of downtown Sarasota, so the location was perfect – and now we have adequate space with additional room for growth on the two floors we occupy.

What will happen with the real estate Michael Saunders & Company owns downtown?

The land and buildings we own at 1801 Main Street and 40 N. Osprey will be sold. We did not own the 100 S. Washington Blvd. building; however, this building is listed for sale with our Commercial Division.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota's Michael Saunders & Co. founder talks downtown consolidation