Luxury with a “Southern Heritage”
Business partners Scott Schuck and Will Futch had very parallel paths before they crossed to form their company, Southern Heritage Developers. Both enjoyed deep roots in Ocala and were drawn to hands-on work – anything to get them outdoors and keep them out of an office. Scott moved to Ocala when he was just 4 years old. Born in the heat of July, he spent summers doing construction in high school. “I started out doing mostly grunt work on construction sites,” Scott says. The work continued through college. While he was attending the University of Florida, Scott had a job at an apartment complex doing handy work for extra money. “There wasn’t a particular lightbulb moment,” Scott says when asked about his path toward a future in construction. “I never saw myself behind a desk and I did know that I always wanted to be in the field.” “You find out really quick whether it’s something you want to do or not and I always enjoyed it.” After college, Scott met his wife Luann through mutual friends. Three kids – two boys and one girl – and 17 years of full-time.
Will’s Ocala roots run deep – 100-years-plus. His family has been in Ocala for many generations and so has construction as Will’s family owned a civil construction company. After high school, Will attended Auburn University. Upon graduating from college, Will came back to Ocala and married his high school sweetheart, Michelle whose family has also been in Ocala for nearly a century. They now have one girl and one boy. After attending Auburn University, moving back to Ocala, getting married and working in construction for 12 years, he and Scott forged their next path together.
Crossing paths
Will and Scott paths met when they found themselves working at the same local construction company. “We worked in different departments, and we liked how each other worked,” Will says. The two shared ideas and aspirations for going out on their own. Neither one wanted to go it alone, so they developed a partnership.
“We just knew we could do it better,” Will says about their driving force. They formed their company in 2018 and the work dramatically increased in 2019. Will really wanted to experience the pride of completing a project on his own. “I wanted to take full responsibility for decisions that were being made – decisions that had my name and my reputation tied to them. The pride in ownership is important for us,” he says. “Early on you’re doing everything – sales, estimating, accounting, supervising, project management – there was no one else in the company other than Will and me in the beginning,” Scott says. When the business is yours, Will says, you treat each project like it’s personal. They hired a superintendent and still wore multiple hats, working out of a small office.
Now they’re in Castro Plaza and have a full team and a full slate of projects. They build new construction custom homes, renovations, additions, commercial construction, and equine construction. The equine experience Expansion into equine construction has been a thrilling and rewarding experience for Will and Scott as they are truly making an impact on a landscape that is part of their heritage.
“When you take buyers to a beautiful property and help them envision their project on that piece of property it is very rewarding.” Florida’s population continues to grow, and the local economy is stronger than ever. They quickly connected with Chris and Rob Desino and Matt Varney from Ocala Horse Properties over their shared expectations for high-quality and for communication. “We immediately had a good understanding of each other and mutual respect, which was a great driving force behind our continued partnership,” Scott says. “Shortly after starting our own business, they reached out to us and we’ve been working on their projects ever since,” Scott says. Like the type of high-end client support offered by Ocala Horse Properties, Southern Heritage prides itself on maintaining their involvement throughout the project. “We’re very involved with all our jobs and partner with architects and others in the design phase all the way through to completion,” Will says. They know that construction can have surprises and seem daunting which is why they are personally on the job sites regularly, talking to clients, contractors, and designers. They often use the phrase “Make the first day the worst day.”
“We are honest up front and set realistic expectations. We know that materials and the market could impact timing and we want to discuss that up front versus during the project as best we can,” Will says. He adds that this constant communication up front is a huge “value-add” for clients. “Our job is to be as organized as we can, and to communicate the best we can.” The duo feels fortunate not only for the great workload, but for the opportunity to make an impact on the landscape of their hometown for generations to come. Both are proud to be raising their own families here. Scott and Luann have three kids – Clayton (8), Grady (6) and Avery (3). Will and Michelle have two kids – Kenley (6) and Bradford (4). The families spend much of their time doing similar activities as when they grew up. Beach and fishing trips, plenty of sports, hikes, hunting – anything that includes family and the great outdoors.