Conrad Geis grew up on a farm in Streetsboro, Ohio where he spent much of his youth shoveling cow manure and feeding chickens. He says his parents wanted him to learn the value of a dollar early on. “My grandparents came to America from Germany with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a goal of building the American dream.” They did just that. Erwin and Katherine Geis launched a small construction company in the Buckeye state in 1967. Today, Geis Companies is a multi-million dollar development and construction business. Their son Greg is now the owner, grandson Conrad, is president of development, and granddaughter Alexandra heads marketing and hospitality. The company is headquartered in Ohio but has offices in Bonita Springs, Los Angeles, and Hackensack. Geis builds in 43 states and as far south as Mexico with a staff exceeding 500 nationally, which includes 57 architectural engineers.
Conrad moved to Bonita Springs in 2018. “My grandparents had a home in the Naples area and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. There wasn’t a lot going on in the 70s and 80s, which would be a stretch to say today!”
Geis has several major projects going on in SWFL like The Centro Apartment community in Fort Myers located at the premier intersection of Alico and I-75. The property features 264 upscale units with amenities like a community garden with fresh fruits, a two-story fitness center overlooking the Olympic-sized pool, a barbershop and hair salon, a high-end movie theatre, dog and car wash stations, beach volleyball, bocce, and outdoor pool.
“Geis brings a full cycle approach to building. All our departments work together from day one of a project, specifically related to the design/build aspects. We work diligently in providing not only a cost-effective solution to design but also a much faster, smoother process due to us being a vertically integrated, all-in-house company. We’re a unique solution to many common issues when it comes to development.”
Asked if he always wanted to be part of the family business, Conrad says there was never a question. “I started pushing a broom on a job site from a very young age. Geis will remain a family-run business for years to come.”
