About us

Southwest Florida Residential Construction, Management and Brokerage Specialists

We build on 50+ years of industry experience, and operate exclusively in Southwest Florida

Our name is inspired by the Florida Panther, a native species driven to the edge of extinction by poaching and habitat fragmentation. Rather than striving to scale fast and expand, we strive for a disciplined level of excellence in the place we call home.

The Panther companies were founded by David Diaz, a Southwest Florida native with over 15 years of institutional single-family rental and multifamily leadership experience with many of the early industry leaders including Waypoint homes (now Invitation), Firstkey Homes and multiple private-equity and venture-backed single family rental aggregation and management platforms. With more than 15,000 single family rental renovations under his belt, it was time to build a company designed to stay local to his native Southwest Florida, uniquely benefit its team and their partners and provide best in class product to residents of his hometown.

Panther Builds

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SWFL Markets

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Communities

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Staff Members

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Local Experts

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Our values

A group of panthers is called a “Claw.” Our ethos is unique.

Community

We put others first, seeking to serve, not be served. Striving to be the best employer, vendor partner and community member possible at all times. Our success is measured through the significance of our positive impact on others rather than personal reward.

Leadership

We are each humble leaders and experts in some way. No job is too big or small for any team member and no one is above constructive feedback, teaching others, continual learning and adaptation.

Accountability

We are privileged to be part of a small, elite, team and we realize we are critical to the success of our team and enterprise. We fear disappointing others more than we seek individual success.

Work

We do hard things, because they are hard and we have the will and discipline to do them. We assume success because we refuse to fail, leaving no other option.

Our Team

David Diaz

COO | Co-Founder

David Diaz

COO | Co-Founder

As Co-Founder of Panther, David owns the outcome of daily operations. Throughout his long career in the real estate industry, he has acquired, renovated and managed over 15,000 SFR units. David was an early innovator in single family rental renovations, overseeing functional and regional operations centers for Cerberus (FirstKey Homes) and Starwood (Waypoint Homes) backed REITs.

After a long career working with large, institutional investment funds, David decided to return to his roots in Southwest Florida and do what he loves. Previously, David has acted as Head of Real Estate for 1Sharpe Capital, and co-founded Great Jones (acquired by Roofstock). The first half of David's career was spent in commercial banking and institutional multifamily dispositions. David holds an MBA from Florida State University and a BS in Finance from the University Central Florida.

Colin Brechbill

CGO | CTO

Colin Brechbill

CGO | CTO

Colin Brechbill is the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Technology Officer responsible for leading and enhancing the full vertical operations for Panther. Having designed, coded and fully implemented several platforms designed specifically for the SFR space, his knowledge continues to lead the way for increased efficiency and scale.

Colin Brechbill was also a founding partner of Residential Capital Management (RCM 2010-2018) a full service vertically integrated SFR operator, working with the largest SFR institutional funds in the U.S., deploying over 1.2 Billion in capital. RCM acquired, renovated and managed over 12,800 single family homes. Over 1,200 properties were internally funded, renovated and sold to third parties and 9,500+ homes were purchased renovated and stabilized on behalf of Private Equity partners. Colin was responsible for operations and their proprietary technology platform.

Richard Cunningham

CFO

Richard Cunningham

CFO

Richard X Cunningham, CPA is our Chief Financial Officer with over 12 years of experience in financial & managerial accounting for both public and private companies. As an EY alum, Richard has found his niche in helping startup companies grow and thrive. At Panther, Richard is responsible for managing our financial operations, overseeing accounting, and leading financial planning and analysis. With his expertise in financial management and leadership, Richard is instrumental in our continued growth and success.

Jeremy Santiago

VP - Internal Construction

Jeremy Santiago

VP - Internal Construction

Meet Jeremy, our Vice President of Internal Construction. With a remarkable 15-year career overseeing operational growth for startup companies in NYC and Boston, Jeremy brings invaluable experience to Panther.

His recent achievements with a premier Florida structural contractor have prepared him for his current role, where he is entrusted with streamlining contractor and vendor relationships and optimizing efficiencies in Panther's construction projects.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Jeremy is deeply committed to personal growth. He has made several investments in Southwest Florida as he pursues his dream of raising a family in the region.

Russell Behrman

Assistant Construction Manager

Russell Behrman

Assistant Construction Manager

Russell is an accomplished Assistant Construction Manager. He co-founded a start-up restaurant group, opening restaurants across various major cities and achieving General Manager and Multi-Unit level at a young age.

Susan Hoffman

Construction Coordinator

Susan Hoffman

Construction Coordinator

Susan is a Construction Coordinator with over 24 years of administrative experience in the construction industry. She has successfully navigated her way through over 400 home-build contracts in SWFL requiring building permits and established processes and procedures.

Susan's expertise in project coordination and vendor relationships has helped her meet and exceed goals consistently throughout her career. She is a valuable addition to Panther's team and is committed to driving growth and success in the construction industry. With her knowledge and experience, Susan is ready to take on any challenge that comes her way and is dedicated to providing top-notch service to our clients.

Lyn Lingad

Accounting Consultant

Lyn Lingad

Accounting Consultant

Lyn has nearly a decade of experience in the Financial Industry. Having worked in both local and international banks, she has gained valuable insights and knowledge. Her entrepreneurial spirit allowed her to successfully establish a start-up business with a Japanese team in the Philippines.

Since 2020 Lyn has been thriving in the Real Estate industry while contributing her extensive financial expertise to our company.

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