Bergeron Land Development complements the success of its sister businesses and passes its prosperity on to the community, the company’s president explains.

With only $235, Ron Bergeron left home and started Bergeron Land Development 40 years ago at the age of 19. He bought a small farm tractor and the business grew from there. It has since shared its success with its community.

“I started mowing pastures, and two years down the road I bought a bulldozer and started in industrial construction,” the president recounts. “I'm very proud and very appreciative for everything. I think most people that start with nothing and build a successful company have great appreciation - much more than if something is given to you. And my family has been here six generations in Florida. We're old crackers and very proud of it.

“I'm proud of our business success contributing to the growth of the community and we are proud of being a part of making the community better. [I'm proud of] the respect we have in the industry and the credibility and high performance of the people that work here.”

The company evolved into a family of businesses. Bergeron Land Development performs highway construction and other roadwork. A real estate division, Bergeron Properties, develops industrial parks, commercial shopping centers and residential development. Bergeron Sand, Rock and Aggregate is a mining operation that produces asphalt, rock, sand, concrete and road base material for state highways. “We are also in the telecommunications business with GTI Glades Telecommunications Inc., so we are very diversified,” Bergeron adds.

He says the businesses are a natural fit. “It's a trickle-down effect,” he explains. “When quarries are dug out, we always build lakefront property. When we start mining we have a plan around the perimeter of all our lakes to reclaim them and make them an asset to the community, to have lakefront property and beautiful homes. Instead of digging wall-to-wall, we always have a setback around our quarries so we can do restoration. In the highway construction business, to be competitive, we invest in real estate and start the mining operation and once the property is mined, the real estate company develops around the mine, so all three complement each other.”

Bergeron's sons play key roles in the business. Ronnie Bergeron Jr. runs Bergeron Land development, and Lonnie Bergeron runs the real estate division. Together, they operate Bergeron Sand Rock and Aggregate. Bergeron oversees them. “Since they do the daily operations and management, it gives me half my time to work on things that make our community better, from various charities like the Boys & Girls Club of America to getting ready to house a museum with 10,000 years of [Everglades] history,” he says.

Bergeron is working with the South Florida Water Management District's efforts to preserve the Everglades. He is particularly passionate about this cause because of his heritage, he explains. “My grandfather was a game warden in the Everglades back in the '40s where we lived,” he states. “If I give anything back to the community in my lifetime, it's basically the preservation of the history of the Everglades and the Everglades themselves. I spend a lot of time working with the political world and South Florida Water Management.

“No matter how successful you are, if you stay rooted, you don't lose who you are in the process,” he says. “To maintain your culture and heritage - that's true success. Making money and being successful as a businessman is great, but you better have your family roots and don't forget who you are in the process. As far as myself, I didn't trade my airboats in for yachts. I didn't trade my rodeo horse for thoroughbreds. I maintain my roots, which I like.”

Bergeron still performs rodeo professionally at the Bergeron Rodeo Grounds in Davie, Fla. About 35 years ago, the arena was in danger of being torn down. Bergeron helped purchase additional land near the arena to make improvements and spent much effort in its preservation with the Davie Rodeo Association. Eight years ago, it was renamed after his family. Bergeron says the arena is a key part of the town's identity. “It was built by the old pioneers of Davie,” Bergeron says. “My dad was instrumental in it and my generation continues to preserve that culture, too. When we were raised in Davie, there were only 400 or 500 people. My dad had a grocery store where there were more places to tie a horse up to than park a car. It was our main entertainment, the rodeo grounds. It was an agricultural community. We didn't have tennis courts or golf courses. We didn't know what that was. The culture was around rodeo. It stayed in our lives.”

The Bergeron family continues the rodeo tradition. His daughters, Debbie and Diamond Bergeron, and his sons still participate. “We're either in the rodeo or out in the Everglades,” he says. “That's our life and we are very fortunate and we were raised with that heritage and knowledge to enjoy.”

Bergeron has a weekend home on a private 5,000-acre ranch bordering the Everglades. At the ranch, he has also helped raise more than $2 million for the Boys & Girls Club of America through nine events with major rodeo celebrities. “When you put it all together, success is great to have,” he says. “It's great to be successful as a businessman and maintain family roots and who you are in the process - that's true success. And work out every day and stay healthy, because all the money in the world can't buy you health. I actually think my life is the same today as it was many years ago. I just have a better roping horse and a better airboat.

“I have been a successful businessman and I'm very proud of it, but there is another part of me trying to give back, and normally people give back where their passion is. I don't do these things for promoting my business; I do them because it's the right thing to do.”