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The four Key West natives, better known as “Conchs” – Everett Atwell, Derek Parker, Tim Koenig and Ralph Sanchez – represent a variety of professional backgrounds, from real estate sales and accounting to real estate law and engineering, but share a deep sense of pride for their island homes.
Formerly known as Cortex Resort Living, the team developed its first property in 2002. The “sudsy” start began at the Coral Isle Bar along U.S. 1 and a sign that promised “Free Beer Tomorrow.” The bar shared a piece of land with an old trailer park and, when the team learned of the owner’s intentions to sell, the property was placed under contract. Plans for the first real estate development, Coral Hammock, required the four and a half acres be razed, including the ramshackle bar. On October 1, 2002, Atwell, Parker, Koenig and Sanchez made good on the sign’s promise as local artist and bar patron “Monkey Tom” took a paint brush to the concrete façade, crossing through the flaking word tomorrow, replacing it with today. At 8 a.m. the beer began to flow freely and shortly after 11 p.m. the bar’s stock of 3,000 bottles was exhausted. Soon, 32 of the 55 units in the Coral Hammock luxury gated community were under contract and in four months the development was sold out.
Today, Cortex has evolved into KeysCaribbean, and what began as one residential development has blossomed into a portfolio of vacation resorts valued at more than $750 million in real estate sales throughout the chain of the Florida Keys.
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