GUARDIAN RFP ResponseJuly 15, 2014
Patty Drake, Purchasing Agent
City of At lantic Beach
Purchasing Department
800 Seminole Road
Atl antic Beach, FL 32233-5445
RE: Request for Proposals RFP # 14-08/Grant Writing Services
Dear Ms. Drake and Selection Committee Members:
We are excited to subm it our proposal for consideration in response to your Request for
Proposals RFP#14-08/Grant Writing Services. Enclosed please find one (1) original, two
(2) copies and one electron i c copy (CD-ROM) of the proposal as requested outlining our
professional qualifications for your consideration.
Guardian Commun ity Resource Management Inc. (Guardian) is an industry leader in
provid i ng full service grant management services i ncluding; research, planning, and
application, administration/program management and complete desk top and on-site
monitori ng services for numerous federal and state funded grant programs. We have
successfu ll y overseen and completed over 270 Federal and State grant projects,
including SHIP, CDBG, HOME, NSP, FEMA and many others, resulting in over $700
mill ion dollars of fund i ng for local community improvement projects for housing,
infrastructure, revitalization, and job creation.
We a lso understand that as w ith many grants, there is a certain leve l of financia l risk
r equired to compete. At Guardian we w i ll conduct a basic review and advise the City
regarding the feasib i lity of individual grant programs at no charge. Grant writing
serv ices will be comp leted through approved work o r ders for each individual grant.
As a full service g r ant management firm, with 150+ years of combined team experience,
we be l ieve our current active i nvo lvement in simi lar commun ities and our i ntimate
familiar ity with the complex ities of Fede r al and State rules, regu lations and requ i rements
makes Guardian the best qualified f irm to assess you r community's needs and to provide
the appl icab le g r ant writi ng services.
Based on our t r ack record wi t h state and federal governme nt funded projects, pl ease
know that when it comes to wo r king with your team, we w i ll always r espond
Guardian Community Resource Management, Inc.
930 Marcum Road, Suite 3, Lakeland Florida 33809
863-937-9035 /888-Guard93 I www.GuardianCRM.com
professionally, efficiently and in a timely manner. We will act in the best interest of the
City and the City Commissioners, without over stepping our responsibilities.
We commit to being accessible to the City staff whenever you need us, including outside
of normal business hours. Guardian's office is centrally located in Lakeland, however we
are currently under contract in nearby Flagler and Putnam counties, which allows our
team easy and timely access to your offices. Our commitment does not end there; as
we also will take great consideration of the City's residents' and community leader's
expectations to minimize taxpayer's cost and maximize opportunities to apply for federal
and state funding sources to benefit your community's service delivery and capital
infrastructure improvement needs.
Our team of specialists is experienced and ready to immediately meet with you and your
grant program team to conduct a needs assessment and determine potential grant
programs that address your needs. Guardian is highly successful at getting the grants we
write funded, however, we do not write grants we believe have no chance of being
funded, and then charge you for grant writing services.
We encourage you to contact our references and confirm that when you partner with our
firm, you get a team that is responsive, technically knowledgeable and committed to
your success. It is our pleasure to offer our services to the City of Atlantic City and we
look forward to the opportunity to serve you and your community.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or require additional
information. I am the duly authorized representative to legally bind Guardian in this
proposal and have read the three-page RFP and I understand and agree to be bound by
the terms and conditions of RFP#14-08 as presented.
;n·~~ , ,/I~ ~ft[de~~crfv,~reSid fi (k ~
Christine .Aiday@Guard i anCRM.com U )
Guardian Community Resource Management, Inc.
930 Marcum Road, Suite 3, Lakeland Florida 33809
863-937-9035 /888-Guard93 I www.GuardianCRM.com
We understand the most critical aspect of successfully implementing a
grant-funded program is ALWAYS being able to follow the money!
Guardian professionals have worked throughout the state of Florida, on hundreds of publicly
funded projects using every major federal and state funding source, including, CDBG, USDA,
FDEP, EDA,TIF, CHWIP, SRF, 108 loans, NSP, HOME, SHIP, FEMA Disaster Prevention
(mitigation, preparedness, and recovery), Water Management District funding and private
funds. Of equal importance is Guardian's unique team expertise in layering multiple funding
sources, which decreases the cost of programs to the local community.
Location
The Guardian office is centrally located in Lakeland, Florida, easily accessible to all major
roads and highways giving our team direct and timely access to our clients. Additionally,
because our team members live locally to our clients and work remotely, they many times
work outside normal office hours and make every effort to respond to your calls or requests
within 24 hours. The Lakeland office serves as the hub for our team members when they
are not in the field serving our clients. The office is staffed with full-time office professionals
that provide support to our clients and our other team members. The office is equipped
with all the major technology equipment, including scanners, copiers, computers, servers,
and more. Our main office operates on a five-day work week schedule, with normal office
hours of Sam -Spm.
We are always available to you!
Our Team!
Each professional team member assigned to your projects:
• Holds a post-secondary degree or professional license/certificate.
• Brings to the table multiple years of experience working in the public sector or as a
public official, yielding unique insight into knowing the level of quality, customer
service and performance expected from our clients.
• Is dedicated to the success of all our clients' projects, as evidenced by their
availability outside normal business hours.
The Guardian Difference
We value each of our clients and are grateful for each and every one of them.
We make every attempt to respond to your calls and requests within 24 hours
or less, even on holidays and weekends.
Ready to Proceed and Ready to Serve!
All Guardian team members are technically connected to serve our clients in the field with:
• Fully equipped laptops and wireless broadband Internet access in addition to the
full suite of Office products and other standard software,
• Encrypted flash drives for client privacy and protection, a cellular phone, limited
office supplies, and where needed portable printers.
• Access to Guardian's backup servers to ensure all documentation is maintained in
accordance with all public records requirements.
• Toll free phone number accessible to not only Guardian clients but to all
individuals, contractors and vendors that may be requesting assistance through the
local governments and or agencies.
The Guardian Team will utilize the following methodology and approach to identify the
needs of the City in determining possible funding sources for such projects:
(A) Methodology and Approach:
1) Complete review of the City's 2010-2020 Comprehensive Plan -Goals, Objectives and
Policies.
2) Review of any white papers or other City documents related to community and
economic development.
3) Meet with City Manager, City Commissioners and Community Development Board (CDB)
members to hear their visions and goals.
4) Meet with City departments and their project staff.
5) Meet with community leaders and other citizens, and business owners to gain input on
the community needs.
6) Develop a funding matrix identifying the needs and potential funding sources.
Costs:
Guardian anticipates that all research and documentation related to identifying the City's
needs and in determining potential grant funding sources for the City's consideration, will be
charged based on an hourly rate with a not to exceed. The cost related to drafting individual
grant applications* will be charged on a flat fee payable upon deliverables.
* Depending on the grant funding source Guardian may do the Application work upfront at
no cost to the City. Should you contract with us for program administration, we do not
charge you for our grant writing.
(B) Procedure to Identify Grants:
1) Complete review City's 2010-2020 Comprehensive Plan-Goals, Objectives and Policies.
a. Review of future land use maps and plans to determine types of funding
available for improvements to:
i. Wetlands
ii. Coastal areas
iii. Environmentally sensitive areas
iv. Energy Efficiency & Conservation Zones
v. Transportation Elements
vi. Existing and Planned Potable Water Wells
2) Review of the City's 2010-2020 Comprehensive Plan-General Characteristics and
Conditions to examine the two commercial corridor maps and demographics; a)
determine potential funding sources for continued redevelopment and enhancements to
the Mayport Road corridor, b) determine potential funding sources for the continued
expansion of the marsh areas extending to the Intracoastal Waterway and surrounding
preserve areas for the preservation and protection of the area's natural coastal
resources and wetlands.
3) Review of the City's 2010-2020 Comprehensive Plan -Transportation Elements to
determine, based on FDOT Level of Services (LOS) standards and other FDOT
requirements, which funding resources are compatible to address maintenance and/or
capacity issues of heavily traveled roadways, including traffic control devices; mass
transit expansion needs, and expansion of the bikeway plan, all of which are compatible
with private development and with public transportation facilities.
4) Review of the City's 2010-2020 Comprehensive Plan -Infrastructure Element to
determine that the current infrastructure of public facilities is maintained and has
capacity for the continued existing use, for future development, and that it is
incorporation with the 10-year Capital Improvements Schedule for Water and Sewer
Master Plans, wastewater treatment systems and the conservation of its potable water
resources. This review would also include existing stormwater and drainage facility
deficiencies and potential funding sources to ensure protection of the natural
groundwater aquifer recharge areas and the natural drainage features without impacts
from runoff and erosion.
5) Review of current parks system and potential funding sources for ongoing maintenance
of each park and the development of additional recreational opportunities that enhance
the City of Atlantic Beach for residents, tourists and businesses.
6) Scheduled meetings with City Manager, Commissioners, CDB members, City staff and
community/business leaders at a time convenient to review pending changes to the
Camp Plan, new developments to the City, current grant programs (project, funder,
timelines, and status of on-going projects), review potential grant funding strategies,
including loans/layering of all federal, state/private funding, and the City's current grant
potential for match.
7) Following our review Guardian would then research potential funding sources to meet
those identified needs and provide a matrix showing the needs and outlining the
potential funding source, award amount, match requirements, and timelines for
application for your discussion and review.
(C) Involvement and Role of City Staff/Resources:
The Guardian Team will advise, not direct, and they will support, not interfere. We believe
in your success and visions and it is our job to see them realized.
Our recommendation related to the involvement and role of your staff would be for our
team to work in cooperation with our staff. We would anticipate that your staff would:
1) Provide all maps, data, demographics, surveys and other materials not readily
available from the world-wide-web or email request from an appropriate agency.
2) Advise Guardian of any potential delays and or concerns with current grant projects.
3) Assist in the advertisement of any public notices for City Commission meetings, CDB
meetings or meetings with the public at large.
4) Advise Guardian or any changes to the Camp Plan or other pending projects,
developments or commitments that may have an impact on the City being awarded
grant funds.
5) Assist Guardian in the provision of other data (i.e. financial) needed in determining
the potential funding sources for the City.
6) Communicate with Guardian through email and attendance at meetings.
7) Other duties as determined by the City.
S\VOR'\ ST.-\.TE:V l £:'\T PCRSL-\..'iT TO SECTIO.\ 28 7.133 (3)(A),
FLORIDA STATlTES, O'i PCBLIC E:'\TITY CRHIES
THI S FOR.\·1.\ILST BE S IG'iED .-\SD S \VOR.'\ TO l'i THE PRE SE ~·cE OF A 'iOTARY
PCBLIC OR OTHER O FFIC IAL AlTHORIZED TO AD.\11:'\ISTER OATH S .
I . Thi swomstaremenrissubmirredto City o f Atlanti c Beach
by Chris~ine M. Al day
(print name of the public e n tity)
(pr int indi v idual 's name and title)
fu r Guardian Communi ty Resource la n agement 1 Inc .
(p rint name of entitv submitting sworn statement)
whose bu siness address is 9 3 0 Marcum Road 1 Suite 3
La kel a nd , FL 338 09
and (ifappl icab le) it s Federa l Empl oyer Identifica tion t umber (FE ·)is 13-43 09 252
(Ifthe entity has no FEr N, in clu de the Soci a l Securit y Nu mb er of the indi vidu al signing
th is sworn sta tement: ____________________ .)
2 . I under sta nd that a ··pu bl ic en ti ty c rim e ·· as defined in Paragraph 28 .133( I )(g). Florida
Statutes. mea ns a vio lation of any state or federal law by a per so n wi th respect to and
direct lv related to the transaction of bus iness with an y pub li c ent ity or wi th an age ncy or
polit ical su bdi visio n of any ot her state o r of the nir ed ra tes , includ in g bur no t limited to , any
bid or contract for goods or se rvice s to be pro vided ro any publi c emit y or an agency or political
subdi visio n of any other sta te or of the Unite d Sta te s and invo l ·ing antitrust , fraud, theft, brib ery ,
col lus io n, racketeering, co ns pirac y, o r material misrepre sentati o n .
I und ers tand that .. convicted·· o r .. co nvic ti on·· as de fined in Paragraph 28 .133\1 )(b). Florida
Statutes. means a find ing of gu ilt or a convict ion of a public en ti ty c rime , with o r w·ithout an
adj ud icati on of gu ilt in an y federal or sta te trial co urt o f record relatin g to charges bro ug ht by
ind ictment or informat ion after Ju ly I. 1989 , as a resul t of a jurv ve rdict , no njury tri al , o r entry of
a ple a of gu ilty or no lo conte ndere .
-+. I under ta nd that an .. affil iate .. as define d in Parag ra ph 28 7.133( I )(a ). Florida Statutes. means:
I . A predece sso r o r -uccesso r o f a person conv icted of a pub lic e nt ity crime; or
2. An entity under the contro l of any na tural person who is ac ti ve in the management of the en tit y
and \\·ho ha s been co n icted of a pub! ic entity crime . T he term .. affi I iate .. inc! ud es those office rs .
directo rs, ex ec uti ve s , partners . shareholders . emplo yees , members , an d agen ts who are ac ti \'e in
the inte rest in another perso n , or a poo ling of equipment or income among per so ns whe n n ot fo r
fai r ma rk et value under an arm· s kngrh ag reement. shall be a pr ima facie case tha t o ne per so n
con tro ls a nothe r per son. A person who know ingl y e nt er s int o a joint ventu re wi th a perso n wh o
has been co n vi c ted of a pub lic ent ity rime in Fl o rida during the prece ding ~ 6 months sha ll be
considered an affiliate.
!unde rsta nd tha t a ··per so n .. as define d in Par agra ph ~8 7 .133 ( I )( ). Florida Statutes. mea n:; any
na rural person o r emir_ organized under the la\vs of an.· s ta te o r of the u n ired States w ith th e
le ga l power to enter int o a binding contr act and \\·hich b ids or app lie s to bid on contracts for the
pr o\·ision of good s o r se n ·ices let by a publi c entit y, or wh ich o therwis e tran sact s o r app lie s ro
tran sact bu. ine ss \\ith a publ ic entit;. The rc:rm ··pe rson .. include s tho·e office rs. di re cto r .
Thanks to Guardian, Hernando County was the first state-funded NSPI program to be ready
for close out, with a successful project of sixty-five (65) new homeowners and twenty five
(25) rentals, for a total of ninety (90) homes purchased and occupied with new owners and
tenants. Our NSPl project has had no monitoring findings and has received high praises from
FDEO and HUD officials. In addition, the County contracted with Guardian to write our
application for CDBG-Neighborhood Revitalization grant, of which, the County was funded
last year and the project was completed on time, within budget and with no monitoring
findings .
Thank you for allowing us to share in our overwhelming satisfaction of Guardian Community
Resource Management Inc. Please feel free to contact me should you need further verification
of our support.
Veda Ramirez
Manager
CRABoanl
Com miss ioner
Donn a Fi al a
Cha ir
Conuni ssioner
Tom Henning
Co nun issioner
Jam es N. Cole tt a
Comm iss ioner
Fred W. Coy le
Com miss ioner
Georg ia Hill er
CRA Advisorv Uoard
Michae l Fac undo
Chairman
Edward "S ki " Olesl--y
Jeffrey Randall
Robe rt Ha lman
Ex -offic io
Ju lio Estr emcra
floyd Crews
James Wall
Eva Deyo
Carr ie Williams
Dani el Rosar io
Crist ina Pe re z
CRA Staff
Penny Phi ll ipp i
Executive Director
llrad ley Mu ckel
CRA Project Manager
Chri sti e Bet anco urt
C RA Ad mini st rat ive
As sistant
Jeffrey Nag le
MSTU Proj ect Manag er
Mari e Capita
IB DC Mana ger
Col lie r County Com munily Redeve1opm enl Ag ency
IM M OKALEE CRA
i Th e Ploce to Ca ll Home !
November 26, 2012
Hemando County Purchasing Depmtment
20 North Main Street, Room 365
Brooksville, FL 34601
RE: Project Reference Evaluation Fmm
Dear Ms. Buffum:
Please find the requested Project Reference Evaluation Fonn attached to this email. I
have worked with Guardian staff for many years. In my experience with Guardian,
they wrote and successfully administered mm1y Small Cities Community Development
Block Grants (CDBG) both Housing and Economic Development grants. Together, we
have garnered and executed many state and other fed era l grants such as the $3 .2 million
doll ar grant to begin implementation ofthe Immokalee Stmmwater Master Plan.
With Guardim1 's guidance and assistance we have recently completed an EDA grant for
a facility to house the Immokalee Business Development Center (IBDC) (a business
incubator that includes a regional commercial kitchen). Utilizing Guardian 's strength
in leveraging and layering grants , we also pulled together a USDA RBEG grant and a
CDBG entitlement grant to meet all the requires for job creation and leveraging for the
EDA grant. Our incubator without walls has created 14 new businesses over the past
two years.
Guardian will be an excellent choice for grant writing, leveraging and successful
administration of the grants. Please feel free to call if you require more information .
We wish Hernando County luck with their economic development and job creation
endeavors.
Best Regards ,
!l~f£Ltt;r-
Executive Dil·ector
Collier County CRA-Immokalee
1320 N . 15 111 Street
Immokalee , FL. 34142
239.867.4121
www.immokaleetoday .com
June 1, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF UTILITY SERVICES
1801 211' Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960
As the Capital Projects Manager for b1dian River County Utilities Department, l am working with Guardian
Community Resource Management Inc. (Guardian) on Indian River County's CDBG Neighborhood
Revitalization (NR) program. Guardian has also worked with the County on a previous and successfully
implemented CDBG NR program. The total project dollars invested in the community exceeded $1.7
million between the two projects, including County leverage invested.
On the current project, the Guardian team of professionals provided grant writing services to secure f1mding
for the West Wabasso Sewer and Drainage Improvement Project, Phase I. They are now providing grant
administration and consulting for this same project.
Guardian's level of sen,ice consistently exceeds the standards in this industry. Guardian team members
have strong technical backgrounds, unique skill sets and a wide range of grants management experience.
Each Guardian professional is committed to our success and has proven to be a good steward of taxpayer
dollars. The Guardian staff members are accessible and responsive to questions and issues that arise during
the daily operations of this project. They have provided timely and accurate technical support to my staff in
addition to draft reports and numerous other reporting items. Each Guardian team member has consistently
been lmowledgeable and professional in their dealings with funders, vendors, county staff, contractors and
all participating parties. They are very thorough in what they do, ensuring that all federal and state
requirements are being met by all parties in involved.
I am pleased to recommend Guardian without hesitation or reservation.
~t./o)ffL.
Michael C. Hotchkiss, P.E.
Capital Projects Manager
Human Services
330 N Beaumont Ave
Kissimmee, FL 34 741
Tel: (407) 742-8400
Fax: (407) 742 -8431
Celestia McCloud
Human Services Manager
Danicka Ransom
Housing Manager
Keislw Cyrifumo
CDBG Program Manager
Tommie Maldonado
Veteran's Services
May 4, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
Guardian has worked in great cooperation with our staff over a 4 year period
on three separate affordable housing projects totaling I 00 plus units and
over $20,000,000 in grant funding. They provided technical guidance to the
County on the County becoming an entitlement entity. They have also
provided timely and accurate technical support to us on projects that
involved everything from the acquisition, rehabilitation, and resale or
rental of homes to income-qualified homebuyers I tenants . They have
monitored the rehabilitation of both single and multi-family units , and are
knowledgeable and professional in their dealings with applicants, the
funders, County staff, vendors, contractors, and all participating pat1ies.
Their housing inspectors are skilled in what they do, as are their grant
administrators, and are good ste wards of taxpayer dollars.
The Guardian team has developed a strong relationship with us and kept us
apprised of changes in program rules and regulations in a timely manner,
and assisted us with responding to every funding agency's questions. We
are very impressed with the commitment Guardian made to us and to the
program as a whole. In concert with Guardian , our Team has been able to
impl e ment multiple complex housing programs under very tight deadline s,
and implement them properly and within the rules, with no findings and no
concerns on any project.
Guardian has been with us every step of the way. We sincerely appreciate
all the extra efforts from each member of Guardian and look forward to
working with them on future projects.
Sincerely,
Danicka Ransom
Housing Manager
May 25, 2012
To Whom It May Concern:
311 WEST INTERLAKE BLVD. • LAKE PLACID, FLORIDA 33852-9662
TELEPHONE (863) 699-3747 • FAX (863) 699-3749
I am pleased to provide this letter of reference for the professional team of Guardian
Community Resource Management, Inc. The outstanding staff of professionals at Guardian has
provided services such as grant writing and grant administration to the Town of Lake Placid and
have time and time again exceeded our expectations and needs .
The team at Guardian has proven to be prompt and professional when working with the Town
of Lake Placid staff, citizens and state/federal funding agencies.
Our positive experience working with Guardian can allow us to recommend the services that
this team can provide to you and your community for grant administration and consulting
services .
(lk~
Arlene Tuck, Town Clerk
Town of Lake Placid
SEhRiNq
REqiONAI
AiRpoRT
December 30, 2010
To Whom It May Concern:
SEbniNG Ain ponr Aurf.to ni ry
128 Aurf.ton iry LAN E
SE bniNq, Flon idA J J870
(86 J) 6n--6444
FAX (86J) 6n.-6447
SUNCOM 742.-6444
Corbett Alday, CEO, Guardian CRM, Inc . has assisted with the development and
management of over five million dollars of grant program funding for the Commerce
Park at Sebring Regional Airport. Mr. Alday was responsible for all phases of the
Commerce Park grant funding from the research up to and including the program
management. The Grant project involved many forms of infrastructure such as water,
sewer, storm water, roads, and site development.
As with any project, many challenges invariably come up during the development
process. I found Mr. Alday to be very knowledgeable and his focus was to accommodate
the needs of his client. I can reconunend Mr. Alday without hesitation or reservation .
Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me personally.
My email address is Mike@sebring-airport.com
Sincerely,
AL /
· .mgham
Executive Director
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June 3, 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
1801 27th Street, Vero Beach FL 32960
772-226-123 7 I 772-978-1806 fax
www. ircgov. com
It is my pleasure to provide this reference for Guardian Community Resource Management, Inc.
(Guardian).
I am currently working with Guardian on the County's 2007 Neighborhood Revitalization
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The CDBG is partially funding the
constmction of a new fi r e station within the Gifford community.
On various occasions, I have consulted with Guardian staff on grant and practical issues related
to the fire station project. Each time I have found Guardian staff members to be knowledgeable
and responsive to questions and issues that arose. In addition, work products produced by
Guardian staff have been of high quality.
Overall, it is apparent to me that Guardian has professionals that care about the quality ofthe job,
the timeliness of services, and the County's needs for technical support.
Sincerely,
Bill Schutt, AICP
Senior Economic Development Planner
F:\Commuuity Development\Users\CDBG\2007 Neighborhood Rev\Reference Letter.doc
CITY OF A VON PARK
Highlands County, Florida
Febmary 16, 2006
RE~ Le-ttci ofR<;fereuce
To Whom It May Concem:
Office ofthe Project Manager
110 East Main St•·eet
A von Park, Florida 33825
I am pleased to provide this letter of reference for the talented team of Guardian
Community Resource Management, Inc. Please lmow the services that IV.fr. Corbett
Alday and Mr. Don Ridley have provided thus far to The City of Avon Park have been
extremely helpful. They are diligent in their efforts to execute grant applications and
have shown great ability to provide information in a timely fashion. They have a quick
response to even the most mundane issues.
They have also represented The City of A von Park in a friendly, professional manner
during meetings with potential businesses wishing to reloq.tte/ build in the A von Park
area. Their knowledge of our city business has helped us reach funding and leverage
goals with fuhlre grant applications. They go above and beyond the usual by sharing
their knowledge with us.
They are prompt, professional and smart and we are happy with their management
services.
I wm1Jd hlghly recommend their finn for any grant or other management services they
may provide for your organization.
Sincerely,
Maria T. Sutherland
Project Manager
Office: 863-452-4411 Fax: 863-452-4413 E-mail: suthedaod@avonJHtrl>.cc
HIGHLANDS COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
. '.;~·
January 30, 2006
RE : Guardian Community Resource Management, Inc.
To Whom It May Concern:
It is my personal pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for the professional slaffwi!h whom
I am familiar at Guardian Community Resource Management, Inc. After having worked very closely
with these professionals (Don Ridley and Corbett Alday) these past four years, 1 have gained an
admiration and respect for their knowledge and abilities in all aspects of community development.
Th ay have keptthe County apprised of available grantfu nds, how to use otherfunds as leverage, as
well as being prepared to apply for a variety of federal and state funds as they become available.
For example. these professionals provided program administrative services to Highlands County in
the Housing Category of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) w ith SHIP and other
matching funds. The level of service has far exceeded the require ments of the contract. They
provided sample ads and conducted all public hearings and fair housing workshops. Housing Grant
funds were utilized in a manner to maximize the numbers of units assisted through careful planning
monitoring and execution of activities . They set up and maintained all files. Status reports were
provided on a weekly basis in the form of professional spreadsheets . Contractors and applicants
were treated with respect and courtesy. When a site visit or monitoring by the Department of
Community Affairs (DCA) was required, the appropriate professional for the particular project was
hare a day early making preparations and remained to respond to all questions during the visit. All
grants had "no findings" and "no concerns." County and external auditors found no errors and
complimented Housing staff on the excellence of the grants administration.
In the Economic Development (ED) category program, this staff worked diligently to assist the
County in expanding intergovernmental agreements, seeking opportunities for ED by meeting with
town and city officials, determining feasibility of potential projects and providing carefullnstruc!ion to
ensure success. During the past two years, they had administered two highly successful ED grants
and assisted in leveraging other grant dollars to make ED a reality in this County.
Confident in the professionalism and excellence of both of these gentlemen, I offer my highest
recommendation and would be pleased to discuss their competence at any time.
sinc~~V ,1--, -1t1~~)~·:-.,_ /;Z.I~~Y2 ;_
Penny P p1 / .1'
Highlan . County BCC
Housing Coordinator
501 S Commerce Ave, Sebring FL 33870
863/402-6795 **" FAX 863/402-6910
December 7, 2005
RE: Letter ofReference
To Whom It May Concern :
CJ'own of LakJ CJ!facid
311 WES T fNTJ :RL!\T(E RLVD. -LAKE PLACID, F LORIDA :Uf\52-559 !
·n·:LEl'l!ONL (863) 69l)-J747 -FAX (Hei :l ) 6 99-374')
From the office of Director of Utilities-Gary V. Freeman
This letter is to inform you of the good work that the people from Guardian Community
Resource Management, Inc. can provide. They have done a fantastic job working on two grants
for the Town of Lake Placid (although they were working for another company at the time). l'vlr.
l Corbett Alday, Mr. Don Ridley, and the other team members, are on top of the latest Florida
state grant procurement procedures and have helped us in many ways We are working with
them now on a new grant application and, as usual, they have all of the details needed.
I would highly recommend their firm for any grant or other management services they may
provide for your organization. Feel free to call me if there are any questions.
Sincerely,
Gary V. Freeman
Director ofUtilities
Working toward a.fitlure that reflects our past