The Mackle Company

Welcome to the Mackle Company!

Celebrating over 100 years and four generations of doing business in Florida!

Our Company's Timeline

Where It All Began

The Mackle Brothers, through The Mackle Company, were the founders and largest shareholders of The Deltona Corporation, a leader in the Community Development business. The Mackle Brothers and, later, Frank E. Mackle III were the principle officers of Deltona until 1986. Frank E. Mackle III joined the company in 1966 , rose to be Senior Vice President - Construction and Development and served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1979 to 1986.


Over the twenty four years of Mackle leadership The Deltona Corporation developed the communities of:


Deltona Lakes
Spring Hill
Marco Island and Marco Shores
Citrus Springs
Marion Oaks
Pine Ridge
Sunny Hills
St. Augustine Shores
Seminole Woods, and
Tampa Palms.


Deltona also, in a venture with the Murchison interests, completed the community of Tierra Verde and, under contract with Citibank, was instrumental in the reorganization of the community of Rotunda.


A typical community planned by Deltona incorporated approximately 15,000 acres of the most attractive of Florida land. Today those communities are home for over 200,000 people.


During the Mackle's tenure Deltona built and sold over 17,000 homes and condominiums.


Sales were accomplished through an international sales network of over 100 company owned and franchised offices.


1986-2012

Avanti Products, a division of the Mackle Company, Inc.

City skyline

Photo By: John Doe
Button

Birthday Sparks

Photo By: John Doe
Button

In 1982, Frank E. Mackle Jr, President of The Mackle Company - on the recommendation of Bill Quarles, his Vice President, Finance - purchased a small distribution business, Avanti Products from founder, Al Cortina.


The Mackle Company provided financial resources for Avanti and supplemented Avanti with business talent that were to be important to its growth. With Al Cortina continuing to head Avanti, Richard Ladd was brought in from Price Waterhouse as his number two man.


After selling controlling interests in Deltona in 1986 (see below), the Mackle Company developed two new real estate projects - Garden Grove in Vero Beach, Florida and Meadowlake in Lake Placid, Florida - and made investments in several other operations.


Over the next few years, however, the company focused it's attention on Avanti Products and by 1993, the year Frank E. Mackle Jr, passed away Avanti had become the primary business of The Mackle Company.


In 1999, on the retirement of Al Cortina, Richard Ladd was named President of Avanti and Bill Quarles, was named Senior Vice President, Finance.

The combination proved very successful!


By 2012 Avanti had become the largest pure distributor of refrigeration appliances in the U.S. The company purchases product made primarily in China. Avanti sells to retailers in the U.S. but also in the Caribbean and Latin America. Retailers supplied by Avanti have included Walmart, Brandsmart, K-Mart, P.C. Richards, Conns, The Beverage Factory and over three hundred others. Avanti products are sold in more than 7,000 stores throughout the United States.


Product lines include Compact Refrigerators, Apartment Sized Refrigerators, Beer Coolers, Wine Coolers, Freezers, Ice Makers, Electric and Gas Ranges, Microwave Ovens, Small Electric Ovens, Washers and Dryers and Water Dispensers.

Over the years Avanti product has been sourced from Japan, Korea, Turkey, Italy and the Republic of China. Avanti Products was one of the first companies of it's kind to source it's products from China, with first shipments as early as 1989. By 2012 Avanti was developing and purchasing product from over a dozen factories in the Republic of China.


Distribution Centers, located in Southern California, New Jersey and Miami, Florida, ship product to buyers in the U.S. the Carribean and Central America.

Avanti, is headquartered in the Doral area of West Miami where it occupies an office/warehouse which serves as its southern distribution center.

Under the umbrella of the Mackle Company and with its outstanding leadership of Richard Ladd and Bill Quarles as well as Juan Aroix, Senior Vice President Product Development and Engineering, Avanti revenues grew five-fold from 1982 to 2012 and profitability increased four-fold.


After twenty two straight years of profitability and thirty out of thirty one years in the black, after solid performances through the worst of the financial crisis when Avanti not only avoided any lay offs but actually added to its staff, with an improving M&A market, with a banner 2012 and with a thought to best interests of future Mackle generations, it was decided to move forward with an offering for the sale of Avanti Products.


In November 2012 controlling interest in Avanti Products was sold to a group headed by GenCap America of Nashville, Tennessee. The Mackle Company continues to own a minority interest in this growing business.


For more information on Avanti Products including current product lines, prices and specifications go to:


AVANTIPRODUCTS.COM


The Mackle Comapny

2021 and Beyond


With the sale of the majority interest in Avanti Products in 2012 (see below) The Mackle Company continues as an investment company now with a minority interest in Avanti Products, with land and Income Real Estate at its core as well as a portfolio of stocks and bonds.

Other Deltona Operations

Hotels

The Marco Beach Hotel and Villas was opened in 1965 and operated until 1979 when it was purchased by Marriott Hotels . Also a part of this division were the Deltona Inn and the Tierra Verde Hotel.

Utilities

Water, Sewer and Gas companies were established and operated in all of Deltona's planned communities.

Lumber

Deltona owned and operated Imperial Lumber company, one of the largest lumber and lumber product suppliers in the state of Florida.

Airline

To serve Marco Island and the Marco Beach Hotel, Marco Island Airways was formed with scheduled service from Miami.

Golf and Country Clubs

Nine golf courses and Country clubs were built and operated in Deltona communities including the Marco Island Golf and Country Club, annual site of the popular Tony Lema Memorial Tournament.

Shopping Centers

Each Deltona community was the site of at least one shopping center.


Real Estate companies, Deltona Mortgage Company and Five Points Title were also part of the Deltona community development business.


Contact Us

Address

More Information

  • General Development Corporation 1954-1962

    General Development Corporation was founded by The Mackle Brothers in 1954 . The Mackle Company, Inc was a major stockholder in General Development and were the principal officers from its founding until 1962.


    Early testing of selling Florida land through national advertising (for $10 down and $10 a month anyone could own a piece of the Florida dream) encouraged the Mackle brothers to seek financing to expand this new concept. The result was the formation of General Development Corporation, the first major Community Development company of the era. The Mackle Company was a major shareholder of General and the Mackle brothers were the principle officers.


    Communities originated and developed by the Mackle Brothers at General Development were:


    Port Charlotte

    Port St. Lucie

    Port Malabar (now Palm Bay)

    Port John

    Sebastion Highlands

    Vero Beach Highlands and Vero Shores


    In the eight years of Mackle leadership over 4,000 homes were sold and constructed. During this period the company was one of the leading home builders in the nation.

  • The Mackle Company 1945 - 1954

    Following World War II the Mackle Brothers, operating as The Mackle Company, Inc. became the leading builder of post war housing in Florida.


    Over the period, The Mackles built over 10,000 homes in many subdivisions in Miami-Dade County and Broward County.


    The largest of these were Westwood Lakes in west Miami, Pompano Beach Highlands and Pompano Shores in north Broward, and the fabulous island community of Key Biscayne, a causeway drive from the city of Miami.


    On Key Biscayne, the Mackles also built and operated - for twenty five years - the Key Biscayne Hotel and Villas, a favorite retreat of entertainers, business leaders, political leaders (including Richard Nixon) and many others.

  • The Mackle Company 1941 -1945

    During the war years The Mackles focused their attention (until their enlistment) on Naval Contracts primarily in Key West where a major military build up was under way.

  • Mackle Construction Company 1908 -1941

    Frank E. Mackle Sr., immigrated as a child from England. After growing up in the ship building and steel erection business in New Jersey and Massachusetts, he launched the family building business in Jacksonville Florida in 1908.


    Over the next thirty years he was a leading general contractor in the South operating in Birmingham, Atlanta and Nashville. In 1938 Frank Mackle Sr. sent his youngest son, Frank Mackle Jr. to Delray to (as the family story goes) “build a few homes” which he would sell during is winter vacation. When Frank Jr. called to say they were already sold, Frank Sr. knew that Florida was the place for the future and moved his family and his business to South Florida.


    During his lifetime Frank Mackle Senior operated as Mackle Construction Company which laid the groundwork for the creation of The Mackle Company, Inc.


    Before his death in 1941 Frank Sr. and his sons, Frank Jr., Robert and Elliott, later to be known as "Florida's Famous Mackle Brothers", built homes in Miami, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach.