Innovating since 1974.

BGI President, Larry Lieberman, has been developing, repositioning and rebuilding multi-family communities for over 50 years. His career began in the late 60’s, when after college, Larry joined his father, Richard Lieberman, in the purchase and renovation of distressed apartment communities. By the early 70’s, the pair had amassed about 2,000 apartment units in Central and Southern Ohio.

When the apartment industry went into a severe recession due to overbuilding in 1973-4, Larry realized that their apartment management skills would be of value to other struggling owners or lenders who had foreclosed upon struggling projects.

Consequently, in 1974 Larry and Richard started the Rallie Company. In 1977, after an exceptional growth period, Richard sold his interest to Larry, Thereafter, the name was changed to the Barrington Group (BGI.) While BGI’s management and marketing skills attracted other owners to seek their management expertise, Larry’s desire was to build a portfolio of properties of which BGI had ownership, management, and control.

By the mid 90’s, BGI had acquired some 21 properties, and managed approximately 8,000 units throughout the US. During this time, BGI also teamed up with Atlanta-based Metzger and Company, a renowned apartment construction and development firm, and used their combined reputation and skills to buy and re-develop severely distressed and often totally vacant apartment communities, most of which BGI still owns today.

During this time, BGI was honored with awards and accolades for their rehab and management skills. In 1994 and again in 1996 BGI received the “REHAB of the YEAR” award from the Indiana Apartment Association.

With offices in Columbus, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia, the BGI leadership team came to believe that Florida was on the verge of a population explosion and predicted great opportunity for multifamily development. So, in 1996, BGI moved its corporate headquarters to their new home in Sarasota, Florida.

While the extreme rehab opportunities began to diminish, BGI realized that their portfolio was aging and began a system-wide effort to update and upgrade their pre-existing properties to make them competitive with newly constructed competition. This elevated the portfolio of properties to a new level of value.

In the early 2000’s, BGI noticed that there was, once again, a boom in “typical” apartment construction. In an effort to design an alternative lifestyle, BGI designed a modernized “townhome” for a niche market tired of the disadvantages of walk-up apartments, but could not, or did not want to, purchase a house.

Again, with their partner Metzger and Company, BGI developed and built new townhome properties in both Atlanta, Georgia and in Sarasota, Florida. At the same time, BGI and Metzger and Co. built a 90-unit luxury condominium project known as Savannah Preserve in Sarasota, Florida.

Savannah Preserve, and the lifestyle that the property attracted, gave rise to a new concept, one that would take several years to mature… a luxury condominium-quality product that was geared toward Baby Boomers that was not for sale but instead for long-term lease.

That concept came to fruition in 2019 when BGI finished construction on their 309-unit property in Venice, Florida, The Floridian Club of Sarasota. The unique development features a long-term lease concept, a 10,000 square foot amenity center, and full-time staff promoting a healthy and social lifestyle.

BGI has already acquired the land for a second such project, with the goal of building these properties all over Florida.

Perhaps most notable in the history of BGI, is the company’s acquisition of some 300+ acres of waterfront coastline land on Sarasota Bay in 2001. Many years of planning, zoning, and environmental approvals ensued, but the recession of 2008 prudently caused BGI and their partners to delay construction of a planned 257 condominiums on the waterfront land. In the meantime, BGI built the new main roadway that would be necessary when development was again underway.

Finally, in 2020, with a new joint venture partner to lead the way, all approval has been secured and construction has started on the first phase of development on Long Bar Pointe.

Meet the Leadership Team