Mr. Michael Brunette – President, Grand Baymen

Mr. Brunette has been in the construction industry for over 26 years. He also spent seven years as a real estate sales agent, marketing new homes for a homebuilder in the Denver area. He will provide construction oversight for the Grand Baymen development, and work closely with the construction team, from plan development and review, through assuring compliance with the approved architectural plans. He will be involved in general oversight and evaluation of site conditions and coordination of various systems within the development, and assist in implementing beneficial solutions to any challenges that arise during development.

Mr. Brunette began his career in the construction industry by working with his father, who was a homebuilder in Colorado. So, he learned at a young age through hands-on experience and direct involvement in the various facets of the construction process. During a lull in the Colorado housing market in the 70’s, he  ventured into the related field of real estate sales and marketing, becoming a licensed real estate agent and working in this field for seven years. During that time he actively listed and marketed resale properties, and transitioned into new home sales when he relocated to the Denver area in the late 70’s.

Yearning to return to his construction roots, Mr. Brunette joined the carpenters union and worked for a union contractor that was the in-house contractor of choice for United Banks of Denver’s corporate offices. Due to his strong work ethic and ability to organize, manage and expeditiously complete projects, he was placed in charge of the most technical and sensitive projects and quickly put in a supervisory position soon after joining the company. He simultaneously managed multiple projects, supervising numerous tradesmen and subcontractors on diverse tenant finish construction projects during his eight year affiliation with the company.

In 1990 Mr. Brunette relocated to California, where he became a licensed General Building Contractor in California. He owned and operated his own construction company for the next 10 years, specializing in commercial tenant finish projects. He competitively bid and won numerous projects for major firms such as Brown & Root Services Corp, in the California Bay area. They commended Mr. Brunette in “appreciation for outstanding management and coordination in completing the hospital repair project”, also noting that he “deserves credit for excellence in recognizing problem areas and keeping Brown & Root informed”. Mr. Brunette also successfully bid and completed numerous tenant finish projects for Pacific Bell Corporate facility in San Ramon, California, over a three year period of time. He also completed a variety of technical remodel and construction projects for a major hard-drive manufacturer in Silicon Valley for several years, prior to relocating to Belize.

Mr. Brunette and his wife Ann discovered Belize over 10 years ago because of her interest in diving; and their desire to own a little piece of paradise somewhere in the Caribbean. They both recognized that San Pedro Town was in an expansion stage, and that there was considerable potential and opportunity due to its increasing visibility as a desirable tourist destination. They purchased property, built their first home and became more involved in the community. The Brunettes decided that they would live in San Pedro longterm and enjoy the rewards and beauty of the island lifestyle that was within an easy day’s flight from their family and friends.

Mr. Brunette has successfully designed and built several homes and projects in San Pedro Town that are recognized for their creative design, including the existing San Pedro Fitness Club facilities. After building this facility, he and his wife opened the Club and operated it for five years before selling to ECI. The Club offers the finest and most diverse amenity package available in San Pedro Town. Through the successful completion of these projects he established a proven track record of success of being able to effectively work within the local politics and community. His diverse experience and breadth of knowledge about the construction industry served him well in successfully completing these projects, and he has gained valuable experience working with locally available resources, giving him a realistic perspective and insights regarding how to best build in this unique area and market.

Mr. Brunette has resided in the home he built on the property for the last four years. He and his wife plan to continue living at Grand Baymen and are look forward to moving into one of the Baymen Garden penthouses, upon completion.  He has been actively involved in the conception and design of the Baymen Gardens project and the overall concept of Grand Baymen, and enjoys working with the professional development and construction team that ECI has assembled to bring this project to fruition. The Grand Baymen Community is the culmination of his vision and drive to create a desirable, private and secure community on this unique four acre property. He is committed to bringing to fruition a development that will attract, and meet the needs of, discriminating owners and vacationers who choose to invest or spend time in San Pedro. He has worked closely with the development team to assure that the Grand Baymen development will provide an outstanding yet reasonably priced real estate investment for savvy purchasers.

 

Ms. Ann Kuffner Brunette – Vice President Sales, Grand Baymen

Ms. Kuffner Brunette is an engineer who has spent the majority of her career in marketing and sales for major US corporations. She and her husband jointly developed the concept for and built the San Pedro Fitness Club in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. They owned and operated the San Pedro Fitness Club for five years before selling it and their adjoining property to ECI. As part of the sale to ECI, Ms. Kuffner Brunette enthusiastically accepted the role as the Vice President of sales for the Grand Baymen development. She also continues in her role as the Director of the San Pedro Fitness Club, providing oversight for the on-going operations.

Ms. Kuffner Brunette was educated as a chemical and environmental engineer, obtaining her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and her professional engineering license in the state of California. She worked in industry and consulting in California and throughout the USA for 30+ years. She held the position of VP of Marketing and Business Development for major firms such as SAIC, CH2M Hill and OHM Corporation for many years. She also spent many years in operations management. While acting as an operations VP at SAIC she managed a $25M business with over 125 staff in the early 2000s.

In 1999 the Brunettes decided to travel to Belize, where they purchased property for a vacation home. Ann is an avid scuba diver and aerobics dance enthusiast. After spending some time in Belize, the Brunette’s became intrigued by the idea of building a premier gym/country club in San Pedro. Ann missed having a clean, sophisticated athletic club to frequent, similar to those in the USA. Whereas Mike developed the design concept, Ann worked on the developing the services and offerings that they would provide at the San Pedro Fitness Club. During the last five years that she worked for SAIC she spent most of her vacations in Belize actively working to improve San Pedro Fitness Club and to learn how to adapt its services to the community and tourist trade. She remains involved in the Club’s operation as a Director/business advisor.

After so many years working in a corporate environment, Ann thoroughly enjoys living in Belize and sharing her wealth of knowledge about San Pedro Town and Belize with newcomers. She is enthusiastic about being involved with the Grand Baymen Community and is looking forward to assisting both potential buyers and new owners to navigate the property purchasing process and to transition to the laid-back lifestyle on the Isla Bonita.