Mission: Providing top-tier property management for the finest residential communities of Florida and Texas.
Founded: 1992
HQ: Plantation
Employees: 2,000+
Website: CastleGroup.com
For the last 30 years, the Castle Group has been at the forefront of property management. The Plantation-based company now manages over 400 homeowner associations. Over 300,000 people live in 150,000 homes located in communities managed by the Castle Group.
Over the years, founder and CEO James Donnelly has developed the Castle Group’s philosophy: “Hiring the best people, supporting them with the best systems, and marrying them with the best technology.”
James Donnelly
Donnelly told South Florida Tech Hub that technology has long been at the core of the Castle Group’s business. “It’s people that run everything,” he explained. “But people are imperfect. So we believe that you need to have systems supporting them so when someone forgets to do something, an alarm goes off.”
The Castle Group previously designed custom solutions to fit its needs. Nowadays, Donnelly explained that third party systems are so advanced that it is no longer necessary to develop software in-house.
For Donnelly, there are four main drivers of tech in property management. First is workflow. “It’s about the extent to which we can enhance workflows with technology,” he noted. “We want to become more efficient, more economic, more effective.”
Second is auto-service. “Our audience really loves self-help,” he said, noting that residents appreciate the ability to manage their property through their smartphone.
Third: cybersecurity. “Now that we’ve gone online, we’ve become targets,” he said. “It’s been in every industry, including ours.” Donnelly, who sits on the board of Nova Southeastern University, highlighted the cybersecurity range at NSU’s Levan Center as a particularly important local initiative.
Finally, Donnelly underscored that a focus on tech can lead to a competitive edge. “With technology, we can work a bit better and win more market share.”
Donnelly is bullish on the growth of our market, and the Castle Group’s place in it. “750 people net move to Florida every day,” he said. “Three to a household means we need 250 more households every day. And the approximate size of a new community is 250 units. So we have to build 365 more residential properties every year just to house the immigration.”
When it comes to South Florida tech, Donnelly prefers to take a regional approach: “We’re going to win not as competitors but as partners.”
“We can put ourselves on the tech map, and we need to because it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he continued. “You can’t get talent if no one knows about it, and you can’t get businesses here if we don’t have talent here.”
Donnelly praised local universities for the work they are doing to develop a strong pipeline for tech talent. “All our major colleges have stepped up,” he said. “I’m really excited.”
As for the future of the Castle Group, Donnelly hopes to maintain a consistent, measured level of growth and continue to attract top talent. “Millennials and Gen Z will have on average 15 jobs in their lifetime. I challenge my younger teammates to stay at this company and get those 15 jobs. We’ll help to make it happen.”