Fred Berlanti

Louis Berlanti

John Murchison

Clint Murchison, Jr.

Ten years ago, when the economy and peoples of the world were beginning to stabilize themselves after the great war - a man had a dream.  To build a new way of life - a better way of life for the average man.

The dream became a vision - and the vision a burning desire.

The "way of life" developed into a community - a better community - the very finest community that the world has ever seen.

Where in the World Should Such a Community be Located?

World economic conditions led the search away from foreign shores and pointed to the coastline of the United States.  Reams of research, thousands of miles of travel from one coast to the other...gradually, the elimination narrowed itself down to Florida for the weather...to the West Coast for unspoiled areas and beautiful beaches...to the Tampa - St. Petersburg regions for proximity to metropolitan cities.  Then, finally, to the Gulf for the warm calm waters...until, one day, TIERRA VERDE was discovered.

Louis Berlanti was a builder, and his dream of building the ideal community for a better life was going to be a reality...no matter how much effort...no matter how much money it took.

This dream was too big for one man or even one organization.  There was only one other firm in the United States whose principals matched the mettle, foresight and vision of Lois Berlanti and who had the financial stamina to help make this dream come true - the firm of Murchison Brothers, Clint Jr. and John.

The association was made and the Berlanti - Murchison organization was formed.

To appreciate the extent of the planning, the vast concept of the design, and the final result of their endeavors, it is important to review the past experience and capabilities of TIERRA VERDE'S creators.

The Berlantis

Bridge builder, tunnel digger, turn-pike maker, housing developer, mountain mover, and now creator of Tierra Verde, America's newest city - that is the story of Louis Berlanti, President and guiding hand of the world-famous Berlanti Construction Company, Inc.   

He serves in an advisory capacity in the field of construction and finance for two of our neighboring Latin - American countries and is president of twenty allied construction companies in a score of foreign countries, with construction financing contracts running into the billions.  He is president of Tierra Verde Corporation.

It is a story of a lifetime devoted to changing constructively the face of the American countryside and was recently summed up by a prominent government official this way: "If the Berlantis don't know how to do it and do it better, then you can't be talking about anything worth-while in the construction field." 

Today the Berlantis can point to a host of major projects accomplished, including New York Central Railroad tunnels; the Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut turnpikes; the Lincoln Highway; the N.Y. - N.J. Palisades Interstate Parkway; the Susquehanna River Bridge; the Dover Air Base, the Stewart Air Base and the Cumberland Army Base; the sewer system of Hoboken, N.J.; major undertakings for such public utilities as Philadelphia Electric, the New York Telephone Co. and Consolidated Edison; the Gedney Meadows Housing Development of White Plains, N.Y.; reservoir dams; road work for Sing Sing Prison and the coal mine operations of the Diamond T Mine in Philipsburg, Penna.

Such is the range.  It is only a sampling of what the Berlantis have undertaken and accomplished.  Out of such achievements their company has emerged as one of the most efficient and successful in the field.

The Berlantis' know-how and reputation for getting difficult things done with a minimum of fuss and feathers have moved them into many allied areas.

The Murchison Brothers

While the newspaper-reading public may tend to think of the Murchisons as financiers or oilmen, the brothers have also established a solid record of substantial achievements in the real estate and engineering fields.

Tecon Corporation, a Murchison enterprise that started with little more than a bulldozer, a mixer and a load of cement right after World War II, has tackled such jobs as the Eisenhower Lock of the St. Lawrence Seaway, a Barkley Lock Project on the Cumberland River near Paducah, Ky., and a $60 million joint venture on the Derbendi-Kahn Dam in Iraq.

One Murchison enterprise, Centrex Construction Company of Dallas, not only builds single and multiple family homes, high rise apartments and military housing but it has also constructed office building, shopping centers, industrial plants, hotels and public utilities.

The Murchisons also have extensive holdings in the financial field, including Minneapolis-based Investors Diversified Services, Inc., the largest financial institution of its kind, which provides investment management and distribution services for five mutual funds, a face amount certificate company and an insurance company.  Enterprises in which the Murchisons are interested manufacture chemicals, building materials, flour, sporting equipment and toys.

But none of the ventures in which the Murchisons have an interest resembles Tierra Verde.  John D. Murchison, 41, elder of the two brothers, says, "We believe the idea of living on a tropical island inside the U.S. is uniquely attractive.  But Tierra Verde offers more than merely a pleasant setting and a lot of promises.

"First, Tierra Verde is in one of the great U.S. growth areas.  Second, we have put enough capital into the development of living facilities and improvements on the island to be able to guarantee solid values not just in the future, but now.  We think that America will look to Tierra Verde as a trend-setting community-the kind where more and more people will want to live and work and enjoy life in the years ahead."