Michael Antonopoulous

Name: Michael Antonopoulos
Company Name/Title: Michael Antonopoulos & Associates, President
Age: 55
Education: University of Florida, 1977
Family: Wife, Sandy; daughter, Cathy

Q. How did you get started in building and development?
A. I had a real-estate sales license active with a small local broker. In 1982, my broker listed a parcel with development possibilities. He asked me if I knew anyone who might be interested and I instinctively answered, “Yes—me.”

Q. Your project, Amelia Park, is a great example of New Urbanism or Traditional Neighborhood Development. How did you become interested in this kind of building?
A. I was serving on the City of Jacksonville Land Development Advisory Board. I missed the meeting when a subcommittee was formed to draft a TND Ordinance. Astonishingly, in my absence, I was appointed to the subcommittee. I learned a lot about New Urbanism through the research of the subcommittee and became interested. I’m nurturing my interest in New Urbanism to what I call Smart Growth.

Q. Is New Urbanism the wave of the future? If so, why?
A. I really don’t think New Urbanism will become the dominant development format. I definitely think development—and by development I mean how a project is regulated and how a project is executed—has to become “smarter,” placing less demand on public infrastructure and building sustainable neighborhoods grounded in environmental principals.

Q. What are the personal characteristics required to be a successful developer?
A. Eyes wide open. Don’t get stuck in a particular way of thinking. If we didn’t know it before, we certainly have learned over the past few years, economic conditions and buyer demands are very dynamic. What we did yesterday may not apply to what we should be doing today.

Q. How would you describe your philosophy of business? Of life?
A. Faith, hard work and honesty; this will produce gratifying results in business and in life.

Q. What book are you reading right now?
A. I just finished Shutter Island and am now reading Going Rogue. Go figure.

Q. Who are your heroes?
A. My parents, grandparents and all those bold immigrants who came to this great country with no money, no education and a language barrier. This is an example of what I said before, about how faith and hard, honest work produce gratifying results. I often ask myself if I could have done that. Quite honestly, I don’t know.