Joint venture unites big firms

The prolific homebuilding pace at Neal Communities sometimes obscures the fact that the firm has had major successes in launching related businesses.

Several years ago it was a mortgage entity, then a custom pool building company. Others include one unit for high-end homes and one for interior design. The secondary business lines accomplish two goals for the company, a regional homebuilding leader that recently surpassed 10,000 homes: It makes things easier for customers and facilitates better internal quality control.

The latest Neal Communities' foray into new business lines is brokering homeowners insurance. It comes in the form of Fiducia Insurance, a joint venture partnership with Tampa-based Lykes Insurance. An arm of a prominent Tampa business family, Lykes Insurance has made a concentrated effort to grow its commercial and personal customer base on the Gulf Coast in the past three years.