FORT MYERS, Fla. — Bill Daubmann beams with excitement as he gives a tour of his showroom in Fort Myers.
But the President and Founder of My Shower Door is most proud of the fact that for 21 years, his company has been owned and operated by his family.
“My wife and I oversee payroll and growth of the company,” said Daubmann.
Meanwhile, his two sons also work for the company.
Together, the family has created an empire in southwest Florida.
“As (my sons) got out of high school they went to work for someone else. They got a feel for what working for someone else was like. Then they came back and said they wanted to work for us,” said Daubmann. “They came to us, it wasn’t forced on them. I think that’s a big difference.”
This week, as part of an ongoing series of reports ahead of the annual Resnick-Wynn Family Business Conference at FGCU, Fox 4 is speaking with local business owners to get their take on the state of Southwest Florida’s economy.
Business for Daubmann has been good.
The company has expanded.
Soon, they’re opening a new showroom in North Carolina.
And the company was recently named to Inc. Magazine’s list of the fastest growing businesses in America for the 7th time.
On top of that, Daubmann’s other business, D3 Glass, which manufactures many of the glass used at My Shower Door, was also named to the prestigious list.
“We’re the only family business in southwest Florida to have two companies on the Inc. 5000 list in the same year,” Daubmann said.
This week, FGCU will host the third annual Resnick-Wynn Family Business Conference.
The conference is unique in that only family businesses are allowed.
Jonathan Tisch, the CEO of Loews Hotels and co-owner of the New York Giants, is the featured keynote speaker.
“You can find that somebody may be in a completely different business, but you can interact and help each other. Even if it’s just tips of how to hire people,” said Daubmann.
As for southwest Florida’s economy, Daubmann believes the area is in a bubble, often immune to some of the hardships faced in other parts of the country.
He’s also noticed construction resuming in some barrier islands after Hurricane Ian.
“We’re sending trucks daily between Sanibel and Captiva now. They’re finally rebuilding,” said Daubmann. “They’ve had their tile down. Now they’re ready for their shower door.”
