Our founder, Michael Diamond has 20-plus years in the home building industry. He holds both Florida Contractor and Florida Real Estate Broker licenses as well as a B.A. from Colgate University. To ensure the highest quality outcomes for every client, he personally maintains strong connections to top architects, designers and subcontractors. At home, Mike spends his private time with his wife Nina and their three children.

Jeffrey Benham is co-owner of Diamond Custom Homes as well as its head of financial operations. With over 10 years of experience in the luxury custom home market, Jeff holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts and a Florida Real Estate License. Formerly, he served as both a CFO and senior financial advisor to several prominent companies and met Mike while working as the director of sales and as a former CFO for another luxury home builder. When he’s not focused on Diamond’s trade partners, clients and project objectives, Jeff spends time with his wife and daughter.

Chris Batchelor is a seasoned construction industry executive with more than 30 years of residential and commercial experience. As Vice President of Operations, he oversees all construction operations, including new construction, remodeling, warranty service, estate management, and cabinetry division. He is a state-certified general contractor in Florida and Tennessee, and studied business administration at Arizona State University. He enjoys the outdoors, sports, traveling, and spending time with family.

A New Hampshire native, Deborah earned an interior design certification from the University of New Hampshire, and a real estate sales associate license from the State of Florida. Involved in the construction and interior design industries for 30 years, she was the owner of Interior Reflections, a business that sold custom window treatments, upholstered furniture and interior accessories for residential clients.

Chris Schneider brings 23 years of construction industry experience to Diamond. As job superintendent, he is responsible for on-site coordination for all phases of building projects, and coordinating all subcontractors, materials and equipment. Chris ensures specifications are strictly followed, and work is proceeding on schedule and within budget. He is DOT (Department of Transportation) and OSHA safety certified. A third generation construction industry veteran, Chris began his homebuilding career in Cleveland as a carpenter focusing on remodeling homes. In 2000, he relocated to Southwest Florida and built homes for actress Sharon Stone and AC/DC singer Cliff Williams. Today, Chris and his family live in Estero.

Emanuel Oliveira, whom we know as Manny, brings nearly three decades of expertise in the homebuilding industry. Prior to moving to Florida in 2014, he was owner of his own homebuilding company in New England. OSHA-certified, Manny manages construction and renovation processes and has extensive knowledge of framing, finishing, custom woodwork and master carpentry. When he’s not overseeing projects and teams for Diamond Custom Homes, he enjoys engaging in woodworking projects at home, playing pool and spending time with his family.

Anthony Marzella has been in the construction industry since he was 14 and brings almost 30 years of experience to Diamond. As construction laborer, he is responsible for on-site coordination of all phases of building projects, and coordinating all subcontractors, materials and equipment. Anthony ensures specifications are strictly followed, and work is proceeding on schedule and within budget. He is OSHA safety certified and has taken a wide array of construction courses. Anthony also has extensive historical home restoration experience, previously working for celebrities like Garth Brooks, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Allen Jackson. In his spare time, he renovates his own home with his wife, fishes and does craft-oriented activities with his three children.

John Bill, our superintendent, brings over 22 years of experience in construction supervision and onsite construction management. He skillfully schedules, monitors and inspects all work from start to finish. Previously, John served as superintendent for a custom homebuilder, overseeing subcontractors and all activities onsite. A Florida-licensed building contractor, he stays current through ongoing professional development courses. Early in his career, John spent 15 years in operations at Publix. We’re happy he makes homebuilding a pleasure with us.

Before joining the Diamond team, David leveraged his talents for three well-known production builders as well as a custom home builder here in Southwest Florida. For us, he oversees construction from groundbreaking to completion, scheduling and supervising subcontractors for all trades as well as meetings and inspections with county officials. David remains in constant contact with project managers, designers, architects and engineers. He holds two master’s degrees—in contract law and criminal law—and teaches classes part time to help drivers facing DUI charges restore their driving privileges. An avid runner, David also enjoys playing soccer with his five-year-old son, critical thinking debates with his nine-year-old daughter and quiet time with his wife Nathalia.

Construction veteran Tim Scarsella is a licensed general contractor in the state of Florida with 30 years home building experience, starting as a field manager and working his way up to project management. He has established award-winning entry level and estate series custom home product lines. Previously, Tim was a superintendent with D. R. Horton and spent 14 years with Centex Homes. He attended Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, majoring in criminal justice before relocating to Bonita Springs, Florida where he volunteers for Wounded Warriors of America and Habitat for Humanity.

Drawn to Diamond Custom Homes for our reputation for high-quality construction, Monty Richards brings over 30 years of industry experience to his role as Project Manager. His responsibilities include securing bids, working directly with clients and overseeing superintendents advance projects to completion. He was previously a project manager, a superintendent and the owner of a cabinet and remodeling businesses. In his free time, Monty coaches high school basketball and football and leads mission trips to build homes for the less fortunate.

As Architectural Designer, Karen Velasco-Carter plays a vital role in the Diamond Custom Homes process, working closely with clients to articulate their ideas. She is responsible for the coordination between architectural DWGS and the interior design DWGS for all new construction, as well as the permitting of DWGS for remodels. Karen has been in the industry for 15 years, with her previous experience as an architectural designer for two prominent design studios. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from San Buenaventura University, is an AIA associate and a certified general contractor. In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, tennis and dancing.

Zachary Monger started his career in real estate after earning his bachelor’s degree in marketing from West Chester University outside of Philadelphia. Since then, he represented several luxury builders in Southwest Florida before ultimately joining Diamond Custom homes in 2017. As a full-time licensed Realtor since 2009, Zachary wears several hats at Diamond. His primary responsibility is to keep our latest model home open 6 days a week, creating new client relationships and pointing out the Diamond difference to touring customers. He also markets Diamond’s remodel capabilities to customers and Realtors, as well as identifies potential land acquisitions for both Diamond and outside vendors. In his free time, Zachary enjoys being outdoors, whether it’s on the beach or playing golf at Quail West.

Mark Imbert started his career in the custom home building industry seven years ago in the Naples area, making his mark where he was born and raised. As a purchasing agent and estimator, he prepares budgets, estimates job costs, maintains databases, acquires goods and services and nourishes vendor relationships. In his free time, Mark loves traveling, enjoying the great outdoors with his wife and dog, playing guitar and building high-performance PCs.

Originally from New York City, Francisco Morales moved to Florida in 2002 and brings over 15 years of remodeling industry experience to Diamond. As warranty service manager, he is responsible for taking care of all customer service needs when a new home is in its final stages. This includes meeting with the homeowner and coordinating customizations or corrections of any issues, as well as managing partners and vendors. When he’s not working on home sites, he likes to go fishing, play sports and spend time with his family.

As service tech, Herminio Ruiz provides our clients with excellent service and assistance. With over 15 years of industry experience, he answers any questions or concerns, provides information about our services and fills out warranties and billable timesheets. In his free time, Herminio enjoys spending time with family and friends and teaching his children new lessons in life.

Originally from Chicago, Melissa brings a well-rounded skill set to her role in accounting. Her past experience includes several executive administrative, estate management and interior design positions. In addition to keeping our numbers accurate, she oversees office duties as well as client and vendor relations. Melissa previously worked as a private investigator and vacationed in Naples for more than 20 years before relocating to Florida in 2010. She is currently obtaining a Florida real estate license.