The Bark Team
Top - Susan Hatch, Ron Scott, Terry White, Steven Bark
Bottom - David Bass, Teresa Gallagher, Steve Schmidt
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Steven M. Bark – Biography
steve@barkrealty.com
941-720-3200

Steve Bark founded Bark & Company Realty, Inc., in 1997 after 20 years of experience in all aspects of Florida real estate.  A lifelong enthusiast of Florida’s natural resources, Steve was raised in Lakeland, Fla., where he learned to fish, ski and boat on area waters.

Steve and his family were frequent visitors to Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, so his attachment to the area goes back to 1960.

After completing college business studies in 1976, Steve started as a real estate salesman on the award-winning, residential development called Sugarmill Woods located in Citrus County.  The development of this 16,000-acre, single and multi-family golf course community provided valuable experience.

"Sugarmill was a crash course in how to develop in concert with adjacent resources," Steve says.  He quickly learned key elements of Florida development including a respect for deed restrictions, preservation of trees and shrubs in "green belts," and use of quality construction and amenities.  

In 1981, Steve added coastal resort sales and time-sharing experience to his resume at projects in Orlando and Englewood.  But the experience was not just about real estate transactions.  Steve says, "By this time, it was clear how important it is to keep the investor/owner in your mind's eye as the master plan and development unfolds.”

Steve returned to his hometown of Lakeland in 1983.  He managed a commercial convenience store portfolio, and in 1984 signed on as the owner/developer- representative on some of Lakeland’s signature single-family neighborhoods.  In some cases, he wrote the deed restrictions himself, as in the case of Spring Oaks where landscaping, garage openings, mail box specifications and traffic pattern helped secure the value of the properties on a shady, quiet, 27-lot subdivision.

With every opportunity, Steve has acquired greater judgment and assumed more responsibility for the aspects that contribute to the overall long-term appreciation of real estate ownership.  Investors and developers alike have come to rely on Steve for advice on decisions that impact tenant use and owner preferences.

In 1994 Steve was invited to join the marketing team in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for the first professionally designed golf course community called Cabo San Lucas Country Club. “After that experience I was hooked on the living on the water.” Steve says.

After organizing Bark & Company Realty, Steve quickly attracted like-minded associates who seek to represent long-term value and appreciation.  “”Anna Maria is certainly one of the greatest communities on Florida’s West Coast,” Steve says, “”It’s a great place to call home.’’

Steve has served on the Board of Directors of the Anna Maria Island Community Center.  His firm sponsored Little League teams for five years and he chaired the Community Center’s Annual Fishing Tournament two years in a row along with being Chairman of the Slaw Dawg Invitational fishing tournament he started in honor of his late friend Billy Claussen who passed away some ten years ago. 

“There’s no place I know with a greater backyard than the coastal waters surrounding Anna Maria Island,” Steve says, with its year-round fishing for snook, redfish, and trout.  “There’s a window for tarpon fishing in June and July, but I’d have to say fishing for big reds and snook on the flats ranks right up there on the top of the list.”

“Relaxation is what people come to the Island to find,’’ says Steve, “We will do our best to simplify their real estate transaction and make that experience as seamless as possible.’’

Ron Scott – Biography
scott@barkrealty.com
941-705-8383

Florida was always a dream. Ron and his wife Nancy knew Florida’s Gulf Coast was where they wanted to live having spent several winter vacations there away from the cold and snow of up north. 

Ron, a native of Philadelphia, and Nancy lived in several locations around the eastern U.S. before they finally found their way to sunny Florida and the city of Orlando. From there they would take weekend trips to explore the various Gulf Coast towns, seeking that perfect spot for them. 

Finally, some friends in Sarasota told them about this wonderful island off the coast that they must visit. A short time later Ron and Nancy came for a weekend and knew they had found paradise. A few years and many visits later, career opportunities close to the island became available to them both and they eagerly moved to Anna Maria Island.  

The Scotts found the perfect island home for them, a 1960’s ground-level house, which they almost immediately began to completely remodel as one project led to another. They have been island residents since 2000 and count themselves as very fortunate to be able to call Anna Maria Island home, a sentiment heard frequently from just about all who live here. 

Ron has been a licensed Florida real estate agent and Realtor with Bark & Company Realty since 2005. He previously worked in the convention and trade show business where he held numerous positions from operations to sales for various service suppliers and was instrumental in the start-up of a new convention facility. 

Ron’s career has been dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals. Having found his dream home, Ron is ready to help you find yours.

Steve Schmidt – Biography
sschmidt@barkrealty.com
941-773-6545

Steve Schmidt spent nearly 30 years in the newspaper industry in Florida and Alabama before turning to real estate. A native of St. Joseph, Mo., he lived most of his life in Lakeland, Fla., and is a 1975 graduate of Lakeland High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing at the University of Florida.  

Steve is director of sales and marketing at Bark & Company and is also a sales associate. Most of his newspaper career was spent at The Ledger, in Lakeland, where he held a number of sales and management positions before being named Advertising Director in 1994. 

In April 2001, Steve was named National Sales Director for The New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. In this capacity, he acted as liaison between 15 New York Times-owned regional papers along with The New York Times and The Boston Globe.

Before moving permanently to Holmes Beach, Steve was Publisher of The Times Daily in Florence, Ala., which was then owned by The New York Times.

As nearby Lakeland residents, Steve and his wife, Cheryl, visited Anna Maria Island often and bought their home here in 2004. 

“My experiences here include renting vacation property, buying a house, renting to others and finally living here permanently,’’ Steve says, “”Whether you are planning to sell, buy, or rent, my personal experiences will be an asset. And if you list with me, I will effectively promote your property to potential buyers throughout the world.’’ 

David Bass – Biography
dmbass@barkrealty.com
727-365-9076

David Bass has a background in dance and performing and has a creative side and attention to detail that serves him well in real estate.

David was born in Lakeland, Fla., and graduated from Kathleen High School in 1976.

He began his professional career on live stage at age 19 as a dancer, entertainer/actor/singer. In 1981 he opened Dance Dynamics Dance Studio and later named it the David Bass School of Dance and Acrobatics in Lakeland. After training 1,000-plus dancers and performing in more than 100 live productions, he retired from dance to pursue a career in Real Estate Development and Finance. 
 
Over the last 20 years he has developed, owner financed and sold his portfolio's to more than 500 properties.  During this time he assisted in facilitating, organizing and placing investment properties and commercial units for other serious investors.

David is currently a Broker Associate and Director of Investment and Commercial Real Estate with Bark & Company. 

He has a wide variety of interests and is certified as a Master Practitioner of NLP, Hypnotherapy and Time line therapy as well as a Nationally Certified Hand Writing Analyst. He is a member of the Moose Lodge in Bradenton Beach, Fla., and has received numerous awards for community service and community promotion.  
He enjoys directing live events and boating, along with the occasional on-stage performance.

David’s attention to detail in directing and performing has helped him in the discipline required to handle creative and profitable real estate transactions.  As your representative, he will use his creativity to develop the best deal possible for you. 

Ray Monti – Biography
ray@barkrealty.com
941-232-3838

Ray Monti has been a resident of Bradenton since returning with his family from Vail, Col., in May 2002.  

While living in Vail, Ray was a senior project manager for a large developer/builder specializing in luxury homes in the Beaver Creek area. Ray had successfully completed construction of many upscale residences in the Bachelor Gulch Ski Resort.  He also was a key participant in development and construction of the Brookside Lodge, and the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Avon, Col. 

Ray’s parents have been Bradenton residents for nearly 30 years. After the birth of his daughter, Annalise, Ray and his wife, Natalie, decided to return to the sugar sand beaches, beautiful weather, and the home area of their respective families for a visit and a much needed rest.  The allure of the small town feel that Anna Maria Island still possesses was found to be much too strong to resist.  While enjoying a great weekend of Chamber of Commerce weather and spectacular fishing, they were hooked. The thought of returning to Colorado for another short summer and even longer winter was much too hard to bear.   

After purchasing the family’s first home on the island, Ray immediately set out to attain his license as a building contractor, a license he still maintains today. After completing many successful renovations and development projects in the area - in both residential and commercial markets - Ray has turned his focus to participating in the real estate field as an obvious progression in his quest to provide residents in the area with a full service, dynamic, and qualified representation. 

Ray brings all of his expertise and winning attitude to every client that he serves. Let his experience and insights in the area work for you.  

 

Susan Hatch – Biography
susan@barkrealty.com
941-518-5526

Susan Hatch has more than 14 years in real estate and is experienced with international buyers and sellers. Susan was born and raised in London, England, and has also traveled in Europe extensively, where she has many contacts and friendships. 

Susan was educated in London at Canonbury Primary School (elementary) and Shelborne Secondary School for Girls (high school). After high school, she obtained her London Secondary School Exams in commerce, English, domestic science and business. 

Susan began her career in commerce and banking at The District Bank in the City of London, in the old financial district next to the Bank of England. After several years there, she went on to join Baring Brothers, Ltd., a merchant bank and the oldest and most exclusive bank in Europe. The partners of the bank and most of the clients were either titled or members of British and European royal families. Susan’s duties were as a personal assistant and buyer for the bank. Personal service and attention to detail were paramount. Her education in these areas has never been forgotten.

Leaving Baring Brothers after nearly nine years to travel Europe opened another aspect of experience in the international arena. Later, after returning to England, Susan became a sales administrator for a Ford franchise in London, giving her an opportunity to deal with the public, which is always enjoyable to her.

Susan and her family came to Bradenton in 1982 to visit relatives and much like many visitors, fell in love with the area. She returned in 1984 and has called the island home ever since. 

So if, like her, you think you’ve found paradise, contact Susan and she will help you find the perfect property to call your own.

 

Teresa Gallagher – Biography 
teresa@barkrealty.com
941-779-1995

Teresa Gallagher was born in Bethesda, Md., (Naval Hospital) and has lived in several cities and states, including Washington D C., Virginia, both North and South Carolina, and New Orleans, La. During a summer break from college, she took a job at a Myrtle Beach, S.C., oceanfront resort and found a new career path that would lead to her current vocation. 

Rapidly advancing to a managerial position, it became quite clear to Teresa that the Resort Industry would prove to be a far more satisfying career choice. The Resort became the first RCI (Resort Condominium International) hotel /timeshare conversion project introduced in the South! Upon the project selling out in record time and due to demand for the same, Teresa was commissioned to apply her expertise in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Vero Beach, where she was instrumental in the initial structuring and implementation of the conversion “”pre-sale’’ set-up for various oceanfront resorts on Florida’s East Coast. 

Her final project was a small hotel conversion on Florida’s Gulf Coast. During that time, she learned to sail and quickly fell in love with the weather, blue waters, and white sand beaches. “Warmer weather, no waves and cool sand, so different from the East Coast,” says Teresa.  

A Realtor since 1986, Teresa’s expertise in residential sales extends from as far south as Venice, up through Siesta Key, Sarasota, Longboat Key, Bradenton and Anna Maria Island. 

Teresa also specializes in “”investment properties’’ pairing buyers with income-producing properties, which prompted her to create an outlet for her investors. In 1999, she founded “A Tropical Isle Vacation Properties, Inc.”, specializing in vacation rentals on Anna Maria Island and the surrounding area. Her Company was mentioned as the “place to stay” regarding accommodations in an article about Anna Maria Island in the New York Times.           

Teresa is an active member of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce as well as various AMI community organizations. 

“I feel fortunate that I am in the position to assist others in finding their “piece of paradise,” the winter “snowbird’’ fleeing from the cold or the vacationer just looking to experience the lifestyle that convinced me to stay and raise my family on Anna Maria Island,” says Teresa.

 
Terri White – Biography
terri@barkrealty.com
941-720-3670

Terri White is from a small town in the Midwest where people worked hard and watched out for their neighbors. Terri found small-town friendliness again when she and her husband, Jim, moved to Anna Maria 20 years ago. 

After purchasing a full-time residence, they learned quickly that real estate investment on Anna Maria is smart business.  They now own several rental properties as well.

Terri has been an agent with Bark & Company since 2004.   

Before island life, Terri worked in corporate communications as editor of State Farm’s national sales force magazine, as communications director for the American Apparel Manufacturers of America and in public relations with Scott Foresman Publishing. She also helped her husband with his restaurant business.  

Terri is a graduate of Illinois State University and is proud to say she was once Future Farmers of America Sweetheart of the Year in her hometown of Cambridge, Ill. 

As Terri likes to say, “”You can take the Midwestern farm girl out of the country, but you’ll never move her off this island!’’ With her knowledge of the island’s best real estate deals, she can find you a place you’ll also never want to leave.