Real estate developer Bill Lloyd to be enshrined in Alumni Hall of Fame

Bill Lloyd, the owner and president of St. Petersburg-based R.K.M. Development and a 1986 graduate of Florida State University, will be enshrined in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame during an Oct. 29 ceremony at the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence.

William C. “Bill” Lloyd, a proven and prolific real estate developer whose projects feature some of the most recognizable food, pharmacy and retail chains in North America, has earned a place in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame at Florida State University.

Lloyd, a Bradenton, Fla., resident who earned a bachelor’s degree in real estate from the college in 1986, will be enshrined during an Oct. 29 ceremony at the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence in Tallahassee.

The inductions of Lloyd and another distinguished business leader – Atlanta-based specialty-finance entrepreneur Brian K. Williams – will increase the Alumni Hall of Fame membership to 74.

Criteria for selection include a degree from the Wertheim College; an exceptional career background that includes significant professional acclaim; significant service to the college and university; and community involvement and recognition.

Lloyd is the owner and president of R.K.M. Development, a full-service retail real estate development company specializing in single-tenant projects and development of neighborhood-based and regional shopping centers. Based in St. Petersburg, Fla., R.K.M. operates throughout the Southeast and offers expertise in all aspects of the development process, including site selection, leasing, entitlements, construction and financing.

Under Lloyd’s leadership, R.K.M. has completed more than 100 Walgreens locations, nearly three dozen 7-Eleven stores and multiple Publix-anchored shopping centers. He has also overseen single- and multi-tenant retail projects involving nationally recognized brands such as CVS, Circle K, Aldi, Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Petco, Dollar General, Family Dollar and Goodwill.

In 37 years at R.K.M, including 27 as president, Lloyd has led the development of more than 3 million square feet of retail space, representing an estimated total project value of more than $2 billion.

“I’ve had a fun and fulfilling career,” Lloyd said. “There’s always satisfaction in the jobs you create and the difficulty in getting these projects done.”  Construction of a retail chain or shopping center requires enormous steps, including -- just for starters -- feasibility studies, land acquisition, entitlement and permit applications, municipality approvals and public hearings.

“So, delivering everything at the right moment for your tenants is a challenge,” Lloyd said. “And then to see it open and to see it generating sales is very satisfying.”

Lloyd singled out the late John R. Lewis, a longtime FSU real estate faculty member and mentor to thousands of students, as the inspiration for his career path. Lewis passed in April.

Lloyd took one of Lewis’ classes and later interned with him. He recalled talking with Lewis about the professor’s investments, including principal ownership in various properties such as Super-Lube and Wendy’s. 

“I asked him, ‘So you make the hamburgers?’” Lloyd said.

Lewis’ reply: No, he and his partners merely owned the buildings.

“Do you go out and cut the grass?” Lloyd asked.

Lewis’ reply: No, he and his partners didn’t have to do that, either.

“I was infatuated with that,” Lloyd said. “And it turns out that’s what I’m doing.”

After graduating from FSU, Lloyd landed jobs in appraisal, leasing/property management and real estate investments. 

In 1989, he joined fellow Wertheim College alumnus Richard Maloof (BS Real Estate ’85) at R.K.M. Development and became president and a partner in 1999. Maloof, the company founder, recently retired as chairman. [PR1.1][MH1.2]

Several years ago, Lloyd and Maloof invested $320,000 to help establish a student-run Real Estate Investment Fund (REIF), which gives students real-world experience in real estate securities. The REIF is included in the portfolio of the college’s Top 10-ranked Student Investment Fund.

Also, with his wife, Stephanie, Lloyd established the William and Stephanie Lloyd Endowment for Excellence in Real Estate, to assist students in career development.

In 2021, he received the FSU Real Estate Center’s Network Award in recognition of contributions to the real estate program. And this past spring, he became an inaugural member of the Wertheim College’s IMPACT Society, which recognizes and celebrates the college’s predominant donors.

Lloyd remains on the executive board of the FSU Real Estate Center; on the executive committee of the college’s Board of Governors; and on the board of directors of Seminole Boosters. He previously served as a trustee of the FSU Foundation and as a board member of the FSU Real Estate Foundation.

Lloyd also contributes extensively to his community in Manatee County and to the V Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to defeating cancer through groundbreaking research. He serves on the finance committee board at Sarasota’s Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, which in 2022 awarded him the Sisters of Notre Dame Award for leadership and service. 

“If you choose to get involved,” Lloyd said, “there are so many rewards for you.”

That explains his dedication to the Wertheim College and FSU, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and competed on the former water ski team.

“It’s a family there,” he said. “All of my best friends are related from my time at FSU.”

-- Pete Reinwald