Commercial Real Estate Profile: Dr. Mark Kauffman

Dr. Mark Kauffman got interested in real estate investment and development more than three decades ago because he didn't trust the stock market.

In the years since, perhaps no single person has influenced the shape of modern Sarasota more. Though some individual real estate projects have been larger or had a greater impact — the Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota resort and a few others come to mind — Kauffman's portfolio is tops in sheer magnitude.

From the Main Plaza/Hollywood 20 complex that revitalized Main Street to P.F. Chang's China Bistro building on Osprey Avenue, Kauffman has built, acquired or redeveloped more than a dozen projects valued at tens of millions of dollars.