spectacular spaces in special places
The Team
Jon Rubinton, Partner
Jon is a second generation Southwest Florida developer and builder, following in his father George Rubinton’s footsteps. Upon graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance, Jon joined his father in the family business in Naples. Together with his father, who developed the first project in Pelican Bay, Jon has developed some of Pelican Bay's most prestigious custom home and villa communities. Subsequently, drawing on the knowledge he obtained in his years of working with his father, Jon ventured out on his own to create residential masterpieces for discerning clients in numerous luxury neighborhoods across Southwest Florida including Bonita Bay & Mediterra, as well as stand-alone developments on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
Jon is currently developing Mangrove Bay, a community of 52 homes on the Gordon River in Olde Naples. Jon holds a Florida Real Estate Broker license as well as a Florida General Contractor's Class "A" License, allowing him to provide Lotus Construction clients a 360-degree view of all aspects of homebuilding: from selecting their ideal new home site through the planning, design and construction of the home of their dreams.
In his spare time, in addition to the volunteer work he does with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (JDRF), he is a seasoned fly fisherman, plays tennis, and relishes time spent with his children. His oldest son is now following in Jon's footsteps to become the third generation of the Rubinton family legacy of luxury homebuilding and development.
Randy Porter, Partner
Randy Porter is a graduate of the University of Florida Building Construction program and holds a Florida General Contractor's Class "A" license. Since the mid 1980's, Randy has been recognized for his special ability of assisting clients in taking their vision of creating spectacular high-end custom Single Family Homes to new heights. Building in some of Southwest Florida's most renowned world-class developments and neighborhoods including Port Royal, Olde Naples, and Park Shore, Randy's unique experience includes a creative approach to the design of each client's special home.
Randy offers his expertise, invaluable communication skills and creative insight and talent to build the highest quality homes at the greatest value for Lotus Construction clients. He believes a custom home should be as singularly unique as the residents who will enjoy them and builds homes that dreams are made of. In his free time, he enjoys fitness pursuits, travel and is also an accomplished writer.
Peter Stocker, VP, CFO
Peter and his family have lived and worked in the Naples area for more than 40 years.
As VP/CFO, he oversees the financial and accounting operations of the company and works alongside members of the Lotus team with both growth strategies and operational efficiencies.
Peter began his career in public accounting and soon transitioned into corporate accounting including a CFO position with a luxury home builder in Naples. His work in all areas of construction accounting has spanned more than 30 years, specializing in management, contract negotiations and construction law.
He hails from a multi-generational family of accountants and holds an accounting degree from the University of South Florida.
Nic DiOrio, Project Manager
Originally from New England, Nic moved to Southwest Florida with his family at a young age. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he is a third generation building industry professional. Between 2003 and 2008, Nic worked as a Project Superintendent for a high-end General Contractor, gaining valuable knowledge about all aspects of construction management. In 2008, he moved back to New England to lead specialty projects of various building styles, including building a custom 15,000 sq. ft. log home on a 100-acre estate in Woodstock, Vermont.
Nic’s dedication to a profession that provides him with endless learning experiences and great satisfaction has led him back to Florida, where he joined Lotus in 2014. With a growing family of a wife and two children, Nic can do it all and has been mentored to prioritize customer satisfaction and ensuring a quality job.
Michelle Vehlhaber, Operations
A Florida native, Michelle has spent her professional career in the consulting, technology, and construction industries, and has run companies on two continents. Michelle is a graduate of Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL with a BA in English. As part of the Lotus team, she brings 15+ years overall Operations experience, with an emphasis on business process improvement, personnel training and mentoring, and building and maintaining internal stakeholder and external customer relationships. In addition, she has over 10+ years of financial process functions and improvements, including analysis and auditing, to provide cost savings benefits.
In her spare time, Michelle is a yoga practioner and teacher (RYT-200), a voracious reader, a travel aficionado, a business services consultant and a rabid New Orleans Saints fan.
Michelle's duties at Lotus include management of the office and accounting departments.
Margaret Stocker, Project Coordination
An Army brat born in Wichita, Kansas, Margaret spent 20 years in Springfield, Missouri, where she attended Missouri State University, before relocating to Naples in 2002. As Project Coordinator, Margaret's duties extend to client communications, preparing client contracts and change orders, coordinating specific projects, and interfacing with the various Project Managers and Superintendents.
Margaret began her building and construction career 30 years ago. She has worked in the industry as a contractor saleswoman, estimator, excavation & concrete business co-owner, concrete block manufacturer purchasing agent, home remodeler and interior design showroom manager. She has more than 14 years of experience in luxury custom home construction project coordination while working with several prestigious Naples builders including A. Vernon Allen Builder and Newbury North.
Russ Martin, Assistant Superintendent
Russ is a Florida native from Tallahassee. He studied engineering at the University of Florida and moved to Naples in 2013 to begin working for Lotus as a Jr. Estimator and is proficient in plan take-off software systems.