Al Fernandez, CEO & Principal, ANF Group
One of the most attractive future opportunities for construction and development firm ANF Group is what is called the Silver Tsunami. “As a lot of folks come down to South Florida to retire, assisted living facilities, in my opinion, will be a sector where we’ll see a lot of growth over the next five to 10 years,” CEO and principal Al Fernandez told Invest:.
What were the most significant milestones and achievements for ANF Group during the last year?
In 2024, we completed several multifamily projects. We also completed an affordable senior housing project called Soul Vista, as well as several other affordable projects. The most notable milestone for us in 2024 was completing much-needed affordable housing units. This is an issue that Miami-Dade County and other counties throughout the state are trying to address as much as possible.
How would you describe the state of the construction and development industries in South Florida?
For me, in particular, business in 2024 was very good. We were very busy. Unfortunately, the only negative part was that a few projects that were supposed to start in 2024 were pushed to 2025. We are about to start or have already started a couple of new projects.
Overall, the trend in South Florida continues to be multifamily. There has been some pullback due to interest rates and construction costs being higher than what developers prefer. But my developers and my clients are still building quite a number of units in South Florida, specifically in Miami-Dade County. Business has been very strong for us.
Where do you see the greatest opportunities for expansion in the next couple of years?
We see ample opportunity in assisted living facilities. We just completed one, and we’re about to embark on another in Delray Beach. As we all know, the South Florida area is a great retirement community. It has been called the Silver Tsunami, and as more people retire in South Florida, assisted living facilities will experience significant growth over the next five to 10 years.
What development opportunities is the Silver Tsunami driving?
In the last five-plus years or so, healthcare has moved outside the four walls of a hospital. We’re building a lot of urgent care centers, freestanding emergency department buildings, and medical office buildings that are what they call bedless hospitals. These have various types of modalities. You’ll have PET scans and MRIs at ambulatory surgery centers, for example.
As we all know, building hospitals is very expensive, and people also feel more comfortable going outside the hospital for their care. I believe that’s going to continue over the next five or 10 years.
What are some changes that might be going on in the industry right now as a result of the change in administration?
We haven’t yet seen much change. But based on President Donald Trump’s eagerness to streamline some bureaucratic processes, we believe that having a more efficient and faster process for permitting and approvals will certainly help our economy, and it will allow developers to begin a project in 18 to 24 months instead of the current timeline of 30 to 36 months.
A huge part of streamlining projects also has to do with technology right now.
How has ANF Group been able to leverage design technology to stay competitive in the market?
We are very tech-savvy. We hired a new CIO a couple of years ago, and her mission is to make us as efficient and technology-friendly as possible. It’s important for our folks in the field to be efficient, and to stay well-informed.
As an example, all our superintendents and project managers carry around iPads. They’re able to download and access plans, write messages, and request information, communicating with architects and designers so that they can quickly solve any problems that might come up in the field through their ability to access information electronically.
What are the emerging trends or innovations in terms of sustainability?
The designers are very conscious of our desire to be more sustainable. As contractors, we follow the plans that are given to us, although we do have some methods to enhance sustainability. We recycle materials and use recyclable products.
We’re doing a lot of what we call off-site production of products. For example, bathrooms can be built off-site and brought to the site, mostly pre-built, which we call modular bathroom units. That allows for less trash on job sites and a more efficient way of building, as opposed to doing everything on-site. That’s a great way to be as sustainable and responsible as possible.
How has ANF Group been able to mitigate challenges like material costs and labor shortages?
We have been affected by rising prices. I don’t think anybody can avoid them because we’re all facing the same challenges. What we are trying to do is purchase materials as early as possible in the building cycle so that we can avoid negative effects.
For example, most of our projects take 24 to 28 months to complete. By procuring materials early, we can help owners avoid price escalations that could occur near the end of the project timeline.
How are you dealing with labor shortages?
Labor shortages are affecting our business. We’re very supportive of the Trump administration, and we understand his intent to try to secure our borders. But at the same time, hopefully, they’ll do it in a smart way where we don’t lose a lot of our labor because we do have a lot of our labor that comes from across the border. All we want is to have legal workers with the right paperwork.
If I could have five minutes with the president, I would ask him to just try to lessen the paperwork that it takes for an immigrant to come in and get the proper work visa so that they can work legally.
What are your top priorities for ANF Group over the next two to three years?
Our focus over the next three years is to become as efficient as possible. We’re not worried so much about the volume of our business, but what we’re going to make as a net profit. The priority is to streamline our expenses, make our management staff more efficient, and use technology to make them more efficient.
We need subcontractors that have the same philosophic thinking that we have — be more efficient, and, at the end of the day, try to create a situation where you have the most efficient workforce possible to create the best net profit possible.
