Before Doni Marangon and Werner Macedo became founders of WD Invest, they were living different lives. Marangon was a professional soccer player in Europe and Macedo was specializing in accounting & finance in New York. What brought the two together ultimately, aside from the mutual friend and former partner who connected them, was the mutual interest they both shared in the real estate market. After living in Brazil for many years and spending some time in Italy and England, Marangon immigrated to the United States where he had done extensive research in the real estate market. Macedo simultaneously shifted his focus from accounting and started investing in the real estate market in 2013. It was in 2017 the two Brazilian born immigrants came together and founded WD Invest.

 WD Invest has three partner companies that sit under the umbrella including D32 Builder, I4 Developer and Rome Reality Management. The company focuses on the investment, development and construction of properties ranging all over the state of Florida. Projects include commercial real estate, apartment communities and multi-family homes.

The company has expanded undoubtedly in the last five years of its existence. To date, WD Invest has over 1.28 billion in project sales and 3,590 units under construction. They just started the construction of 419 single family homes in the Greater Ocala area and plan to have 120 apartments in Deltona completed in the next month. Macedo projects that with the continuous growth in Florida, the demand for housing will continue to increase. Due to the continued demand, WD Invest is undergoing several upcoming projects including plans to create 630 units in Belleview, and more 536 units in Deltona, among others.

Despite the continued growth of the company, Macedo and Marangon agree that the values will always remain the same, as WD Invest was founded on the premises of the workforce.

 “The DNA of our company will always be the truth to our nature, and it will always be an entry-level home type of company,” Macedo says.

 For Macedo and Marangon, their business is more than just a company, it’s family. In fact, some of the communities they have built together were named after their children and wives. The founders value the strong ties with their partners and colleagues and are very grateful to be a part of their growing community.  

 “I could never imagine the depths of how far we have gotten,” says Macedo.

 The two partners went from flipping homes, to buying single-family homes, to present day where they are managing, developing and building 3,590 units throughout. The secret to their ongoing success? According to Macedo, it’s their willingness to go where others may not and seeing what can be done.