Bartow McDonald IV serves as managing director for SVN | McDonald & Company in Ocala, FL, where he enjoys working on commercial real estate deals throughout Florida. Prior to joining SVN, McDonald served as the vice president of acquisitions and development for Cope Properties, Inc. in Ocala, Florida where he was responsible for the acquisition, entitlement, and marketing of portfolio and client properties.

Previously, McDonald served as the founder and chief executive officer of two start-up companies; Bluewire, a service based electrical solutions company and StoreParts, a e-commerce company that supplied supply chain management technology to the supermarket and food retail industries. Before starting two companies, McDonald spent six years working for a fast-growing international manufacturing firm, where he gained in depth industrial experience through his leadership positions in manufacturing operations, distribution, logistics and marketing.

In the early 1990’s, McDonald served in college leadership with Young Life and interned with the Southwestern Company and Merrill Lynch. McDonald previously served on the board of directors for RMI (Reciprocal Ministries International), the Ocala Chamber of Commerce, the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtors, chairman of the regional advisory board of directors for RBC Bank and as a director on the advisory board for Wachovia Bank. In addition, he has participated as a conference speaker for the Florida Venture Capital Forum, the Food Marketing Institute and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the New York Times.

McDonald earned his MBA and Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.

Sight fishing and bow hunting are two things that will get him up before sunrise.

Specialties: Bartow McDonald IV enjoys working on commercial real estate deals in Florida.

The opening of the World Equestrian Center (WEC) has attracted the horse world from far and wide to Marion County. Elisabeth Brinton and Bob Utley have lived abroad and traveled the world for most of their professional careers. They recently purchased a horse farm in the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA) and joined Horse Farms Forever as Founder Members.

Elisabeth is a competitive show jumper. She is also a global sustainability expert and successful builder of global businesses for strategic corporate investors and private capital. A few years before her retirement as a senior executive with Microsoft, she and Bob began searching for a U.S. based horse farm. They reached out to Matt Varney, a realtor and broker with Ocala Horse Properties, to find the perfect farm.

They could have chosen one of many equestrian areas around the world, but they chose to buy a farm in Marion County because of WEC. But most importantly, they wanted their farm to be located in the Farmland Preservation Area (FPA).

“We carefully selected our horse farm and made a deliberate choice to be close to WEC and in the FPA,” says Elisabeth. “As a competitive show jumping rider and passionate horse owner, moving here is not only the fulfillment of a life-long dream to own a beautiful farm, but equally an amazing relief to be back home in the USA and in our wonderful state.”

In 2022, Elisabeth and Bob expanded their business and welcomed USA Olympian Clark Montgomery and his wife Jessica to Serenity Spring Farm (SSF). Together, they focus on training and competing show jumping horses of world class breeding.

Prior to moving abroad, Elisabeth’s professional career in sustainability started in California where she helped introduce legislation to help protect parks from incompatible land uses that may cause light pollution or run-off. She also helped establish carbon credits for land, founded two land trusts, and helped protect access for equestrians to horse trails.

Elisabeth’s life-long support of land conservation and natural resource protection inspired her to join Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) as a Founder Member because she resonated with HFF’s mission, as well as the organization’s balanced position regarding development and conservation.

HFF would also like to thank Elisabeth for volunteering her time to serve as a professional facilitator for the TDR Roundtable on April 14 at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Center.

 

Horse Farms Forever® (HFF) is pleased to welcome Perla Boord Capriles as a Founder Member.
Perla, a competitive show jumper and hunter rider, has travelled the world showing her horses. While her farm and horses have been in Wellington for over 12 years, she fell in love with Ocala while visiting over a year ago, and decided to buy a horse farm near the World Equestrian Center (WEC).

“I fell instantly in love with Ocala and its breathtaking nature and beauty,” she said. “It is truly a horse paradise. The facilities at WEC are spectacular. I have travelled and shown all around the world and there is nothing like it. WEC is truly unparalleled, not only for the riders, but equally for the horses and spectators as well. It is a one-of-a-kind facility in the world.”

Perla has loved horses since she was 8 years old. She grew up in Venezuela and Spain, and was educated in the USA.

“Horses are not only my passion, they are my way of life,” she said.

She is concerned about the rapid growth of Ocala due to the new roads and construction, but hopeful that good planning will create a balance between development and the conservation of land for horse farms.

“I hope that the charm of the area as ‘horse country’ will be preserved,” she said. “That’s why I truly believe in Horse Farms Forever’s mission to help preserve Ocala’s true identity as the Horse Capital of the World™ for horse lovers like me.”