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a few minutes withMario Gisbert
Interview by Marta Rose
Mario Gisbert was born in Guagua, project architect. His work there was almost 17 and we go back through it…those are cool
Cuba, an area consisting of farm strictly commercial; 50% was for three universities:
Florida A & M, Florida State Uni-
memories.”
land and cattle country in the center
of Cuba. When he was only four years versity and Tallahassee Community College.
In 1997, Mario was offered the opportunity to
get into project management on the development
side. He was hired as a junior manager
old he moved to Miami with this mother, Another 30% of his work was for law offices,
where he grew up and lived until the age of 10% was for banks, and 10% was for restaurants.
“Both firms had between 15 and 25
on a $54 million budget project, but within
18. He then relocated to North Florida, and
four months became a senior project manager.
The project was Campus Crusade for
from 1980 to 1997 lived in Tallahassee. Mario
attended Florida A&M University, where cept to turning over the keys. Once a person
employees, so you took a project from con-
Christ, headquartered in Orlando, and Mario
he received his Bachelor of Architecture and got on a project, they didn’t leave a project.”
was hired as a consultant to the owner. “This
Masters of Architecture degrees. “One of the
In 1996/97 Mario worked on the Kleman was a 325,000 square foot office complex
things I live by, and learned from my mom,
Plaza, a two-city block urban development on 87 acres,” Mario recalls. “We extended
is not to judge people,” he says. He learned
in downtown Tallahassee containing the power eight miles and extended water four
the credence ‘do onto others as you would
Florida League of Cities Building, the Leon miles. We converted a cow pasture into an
have them do unto you’ at the Baptist school
County Science Center, a small amphitheatre,
a multi-level parking garage, and a park manager for Lincoln Property Company in
office complex!” He also worked as a project
he attended in Miami. A poignant moment
came in the seventh grade, during a teacher’s
with four large fountains and a large green. Orlando, overseeing the development of Lincoln
Plaza, a 275,000 sq. ft., 16 story office
discussion about different societies and different
beliefs. “Sometimes we need to be
“I carried my daughter
Elaine through
the complex in downtown Orlando; the fourth
more flexible, and try to see other people’s
Plaza when
phase of office buildings in Celebration; and
viewpoints,” he says.
she was a
the second phase of Maitland Concourse.
“Architecture is a service industry,” he says. baby,” he
When 9-11 happened, the dot-com companies
all went away, high-rise buildings were
“You’re trying to determine what the needs reflects.
are for your client and for the users, and “Now
not the best place to be at that time, and the
you’re trying to provide for those needs. The she’s
office market tanked. Mario had been looking
for a job and heard that St. Joe was look-
reward in designing a project is getting to see
the people using that project, enjoying the
ing for someone in Panama City Beach. He
views that you helped create, and seeing the
submitted his resume, and the next day he
positive effects it has.”
had a four-hour phone interview. The following
day he drove to Panama City Beach
From 1984 to 1986 Mario was employed
with the architectural firm Clemons, Rutherford
& Associates in Tallahassee. He worked
ment; and the day after he met with the
and interviewed with the director of develop-
primarily on hospital and medical office
head of commercial development back
renovations projects. After completing
a Master’s Degree in 1988, he was
In 2002, Mario moved to Panama
in Orlando and was offered the job.
hired by Barnett Fronczak Architects
City Beach with his wife Deborah and
in Tallahassee. Mario worked with
daughter Elaine (who is a senior at Arnold
High School this this firm for nine years as a pro-
fall).