Stevens Construction Inc. earned eight awards at the Lee Building Industry Association (BIA) Industry Awards including the highest honor of the night, the Contractor of the Year, announced Mark Stevens, company president.
A panel of nationwide judges named Stevens Construction Contractor of the Year based on criteria such as the company’s achievement of goals, client relations and community responsibilities. This is the 13th year Stevens Construction has received this honor, the company won in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011 and 2007.
Stevens Construction earned a Summit Award in the best restaurant category for The Magic Bus, located at 362 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel. Within eight weeks, Stevens Construction’s special projects division repaired and renovated an existing 1,200-square-foot building heavily damaged by Ian into a bright and cheerful ice cream and coffee experience with epoxy flooring, hand-painted murals and decorative Volkswagen buses. Stevens Construction’s special projects team also won a Summit Award for Foxtail Coffee Co., in the build-out/tenant in-fill category. Located at 2494 Liberty Park Drive in Liberty Health Park in Cape Coral, the Stevens Construction special projects team completed a 1,540-square-foot build-out of a shell space into the fast-growing craft coffee brand’s first Cape Coral location in 85 days.
In the best hospitality category, Stevens Construction earned a Summit Award for The Beach Bar, a new 6,133-square-foot building located at 1668 I Street on Fort Myers Beach and the first ground-up commercial to build back after Ian destroyed the original structure in 2022. A popular venue for live music, the first floor houses The Beach Bar, an open-air, walk-up bar offering covered beachfront seating, retail area, storage and covered parking. The entire first floor is designed to be flexible should a storm be imminent and includes temporary cooler storage and restroom trailers, both of which can be easily relocated. Additionally, The Beach Bar is equipped with turtle-friendly glass and lighting to protect hatching sea turtles by controlling beachfront illumination. The second and third floor is a residential unit available for rent.
Also in the best hospitality category, but in the $15M-$19M division, Stevens Construction won a Summit Award for Shalimar Beach Resort, located at 2823 W. Gulf Drive on Sanibel. In 18 months, Stevens Construction built a 52,207-square-foot property featuring multiple buildings offering several accommodation options for short- and long-term guests. With 33 units and the first ground-up resort to be constructed after Ian, Shalimar Beach Resort features an enhanced structural design with 559 concrete piles securing the eight buildings. Each building is six feet above base flood elevation to ensure building resilience, which was proven during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 as no water entered the newly constructed buildings. Shalimar also incorporates turtle-friendly glass and lighting to protect hatching sea turtles by controlling beachfront illumination.
Located at 15775 Pine Ridge Road in Fort Myers, Kelly Brothers, Inc., won a Summit Award in the best industrial project category. Stevens Construction demolished the existing 14,240-square-foot building damaged by Hurricane Ian and constructed a new 26,963-square-foot industrial building with a two-story office area, allowing Kelly Brothers to expand marine construction operations with 11 service bays, offices, conference room, reception, storage mezzanine and shell space.
Sanibel Community Church earned a Summit Award in the best church project category. Located at 1740 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel, Sanibel Community Church was heavily damaged in Hurricane Ian. Stevens Construction completed renovations in multiple phases, allowing them to continue serving the community.
The renovation of the church’s education center included new classrooms with folding partitions, full kitchen, casework and restrooms. In the fellowship hall, Stevens Construction built a new stage highlighted by decorative wood trusses situated in an open web design. Both areas also received new windows, interior finishes, electric and air conditioning. The renovation of the sanctuary included a new entry, lobby, vestibule, conference room and sound booth upgrades. Stevens Construction also renovated the oldest structure on the campus, the historical chapel, which includes new pine walls, carpeting, sound booth and trim around the existing stain glass, which remarkably withstood Ian.
In the best healthcare category, Stevens Construction earned an award for Surgical Healing Arts Center, a two-story, 20,764-square-foot medical office building and surgery center located at 6201 Alliance Lane in Fort Myers. The first floor houses a medical office with patient exam rooms, offices, conference rooms and nurse station. The second floor houses an AHCA-licensed surgery center with three operating rooms, procedure room and all associated surgical services.
Stevens Construction has earned 81 Summit Awards since the program began in 2006.
The Summit Awards program recognizes BIA members who have obtained an outstanding level of success and demonstrated superior professionalism in the commercial construction industry throughout the year. The projects were judged for quality of construction, challenges, timeliness of completion, client satisfaction and safety.
About Stevens Construction, Inc.
With headquarters in Fort Myers and an additional office in Orlando, Stevens Construction specializes in providing construction management, general contracting, and consulting services to clients and design professionals. Other services include site and design team selection, budgeting, project scheduling, permitting, cost and quality control, and warranty service. The company builds commercial, healthcare and hospitality facilities. For information, visit www.stevensbuilds.com or call 239-936-9006.
