The Graham Companies

Intrigued by the European-style New Town concept of the self-contained village, brothers Bill, Phil and former Governor Bob Graham set out to plan and build a better community in the heart of South Florida. The result of their foresight is one of the most successful towns ever built. The realization of their vision is Miami Lakes. The Graham Companies’ history dates to the late 1920s, when Ernest (“Cap”) Graham moved his family to south Florida to manage a sugar cane operation. When that operation proved to be less than successful, Mr. Graham acquired nearly 7,000 acres of the land in 1932. He started a dairy business called Graham’s Dairy, which became one of the largest dairy farms in Florida. By the mid-1950s, housing development in the Miami suburb of Hialeah had reached nearly to the southern boundary of the Graham dairy farm. Rejecting developers’ offers to purchase parts or all of the farm, William A. Graham, Cap Graham’s son, decided to develop the property himself. The Company retained prominent land planner Lester Collins to draw up a master plan for a new mixed-use community occupying approximately 3,000 acres. The new community, called Miami Lakes, was first presented to the public in 1962. Currently, the Company operates in three business segments. The Real Estate segment consists of land owned by the Company and awaiting development; land being developed; over 4 million square fee of office, industrial and retail properties and land leases; and 1,800 rental apartment units, all located in the Miami Lakes Area. The Hotel segment consists of Don Shula’s Hotel & Golf Club, Shula’s Athletic Club, The Spa at Shula’s, Shula’s Steak House, and Hotel Indigo. The Farming segment consists of dairy and sugar cane operations in central Florida and timber, pecan, and beef cattle operations in southwest Georgia.