Prominent former business owner helps others close deals

Darrell Turner’s had plenty of time in the spotlight, running one of the largest tree firms in the Sarasota-Manatee region for 35 years. At its peak in the early 2000s, the Bradenton-based company, Turner and Tree Landscape, did $20 million a year in sales and had 170 employees. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2016, and, while still operating, was acquired later that year.

After a short stint for the firm that bought his company, Fort Myers-based Juniper, Turner hasn’t stopped working. But now his roles are away from the spotlight, serving, essentially, as a business development director and rainmaker for hire for contractors and developers. Turner is using his four decades of networking — he’s so good at it the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange named its membership award after him — to connect companies with projects.