Our founder Joe P. Ruthven conceived The Ruthvens real estate and development firm serendipitously back in 1957, when he owned a company called OK Tires. Joe knew that he could reduce his purchase price if he bought a larger quantity of tires, so, the astute Lakeland, Florida businessman built a warehouse twice the size of his needs, stored his tires in one half, and leased out the other. The warehouse leasing business was born.
Soon after, Joe began purchasing land and building steel frame/concrete block warehouse “shells”. Once tenants were secured, the building would be subdivided and spaces built out to suit each tenant’s need. When a warehouse was completely leased another would be developed. Today, The Ruthvens own over three million square feet in more than 80 buildings in Central Florida.
From day one, we have nurtured our relationships with clients, vendors, contractors, associates, the government, and business community. We are grateful for these long-term associations and consider them an integral part of our success.
In fact, we like to say we build more than warehouses. We build relationships.
Whether you lease 1,000 or 100,000 square feet of warehouse space, rest assured you will be treated fairly and respectfully as a valued business partner.