Doug Mills

Tampa, Florida | Industry Tenure: 34 Years

Doug Mills grew up in Panama City, Florida, and after a long tenure managing construction projects around the world, many of them in cold-weather climates, he’s finally made it back to the Sunshine State. In February 2020, Doug joined The Plasencia Group as Senior Managing Director of the firm’s Development Management Consulting team.

Doug advises The Plasencia Group’s clients on renovation and new construction projects, including property improvement plans, brand conversions, and property evaluations. He oversees the design construction projects from start to finish, top to bottom. “We orchestrate and manage the process from soup to nuts,” Doug says, “all along making sure it stays within the budget envelope.”

Doug supervises construction managers contracted for each project, which often finds him with boots on the ground at project sites.

Prior to signing on with The Plasencia Group, Doug served as president of Schulte Design + Construction, an esteemed hospitality design, construction and project management firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. During his tenure, he oversaw renovations and upgrades across a variety of top hotel brands, including the Westin in San Francisco, the Moxy New Orleans and the Renaissance Des Moines.

Doug has managed well over a hundred major projects across all asset classes during his 34-year career. He spent more than a decade in Asia, steering projects in Macau (building its international airport), the Philippines (a $5 billion, 300-acre redevelopment of a former U.S. military base) and South Korea (Hansol corporate headquarters), among others.

As a youngster in Panama City, Doug loved building things. He repaired and refinished antique furniture during his teen years. Doug matriculated at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, intending to go into the medical field. He changed course and transferred to Tulane University in New Orleans, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and then a Master of Business Administration.

While at Tulane, he met his wife, Marda, who grew up in Michigan. During their courtship, the couple agreed they would settle down in a warm-weather city. But Doug’s first construction management job out of school landed them in Chicago. After the time in Asia, the Mills’ returned to Chicago for six years, then relocated to Louisville.

“It took a while, but I finally made good on my promise of a warm-weather climate,” Doug says of joining The Plasencia Group in its Tampa headquarters and moving to the area.

The Mills’ have three children: one a recent college grad, one a current student at University of Alabama, and one a senior in high school in Louisville.

Doug, who lives in St. Petersburg with Marda, has turned his long-time way with wood into a passionate avocation — building acoustic guitars and ukuleles. He plays both instruments at level he calls “passable.”

Not long ago, Doug took up another hobby — a form of calligraphy called English Round Hand, the style used for the Declaration of Independence. “My form is getting pretty good,” he says. “I want to start sending people little handwritten notes.”

“I was drawn to The Plasencia Group for a lot of reasons, but foremost it was their outstanding long-term client relationships, passion and integrity. Combining my contacts and project experience around the world with the team’s will mean we can take our development management consulting business to the next level.”