Senior boom

If this winter's bumper-to-bumper traffic on Interstate 75 is any indication, business should be good for Dale Watchowski, president and CEO of Redico.

Indeed, Watchowski says seasonal residents from Michigan have been flocking to Southwest Florida in search of warm weather — and maybe a place to live. Redico's affiliated company, American House Senior Living Communities, is building two communities on the Gulf Coast and more are on the way in case snowbirds don't want to drive back.

American House has been building and operating senior-living communities in Michigan for years. “They know the brand very well,” Watchowski says of his new Florida customers.