Vacation Rental Pros Named to 2011 List of Fastest Growing Area Businesses

    JACKSONVILLE, FL, July 20, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Vacation Rental Pros is the 14th fastest-growing private company in northeast Florida, according to the 2011 "BJ50" list appearing in the July 15-21 issue of the Jacksonville Business Journal. Boasting an annual revenue increase of more than 41% since it was founded in 2006, Vacation Rental Pros is one of the largest vacation rental companies in northeast Florida.

Founder and CEO Steve Milo attributes the success of Vacation Rental Pros to his technology-driven approach to operations and marketing, as well as to the centralization of sales, marketing, IT, and accounting. "Basically, my core competency is leveraging technology," explains Milo. "I have a strong understanding of database management, email marketing, social marketing and the importance of consumer reviews."

By replacing the traditional storefront and paper catalog format with a content-rich website, Milo manages 430 vacation rental homes, condos, villas, and townhouses in Duval, St. John, Flagler, and Sarasota counties with a staff of just 30 full-time and 12 part-time employees.

"Steve Milo is literally an expert in computer modeling and advertisement," says Bob Castro, a Realtor and mortgage consultant. "He's created a model that is far superior to the majority of vacation rental companies around the country." The vacation rental business is an $85 billion market, according to 2011 Radius Global Market Research, and 20% of all U.S. vacation property rentals are in the state of Florida. Thanks to the Internet, VacationRentalPros.com makes it easy for visitors across the country to explore and reserve luxury vacation beach rentals at such popular coastal destinations as Ocean Hammock Resort in Palm Coast Florida, St. Augustine Beach Florida, Venice Florida, and Siesta Key Florida.

Featuring more than 3,000 customer reviews, plus lavish photos and detailed descriptions of each rental property, the VacationRentalPros.com website is compelling to browse and easy to use. Milo notes that responding to customer feedback has been critical to his success. "When people said they wanted to rent bigger houses, I found bigger houses," he explains. "When they complained that they couldn't bring their pets, I added a pet-friendly vacation rental property niche." Within the past month Milo has turned his attention to increasing the presence of the Vacation Rental Pros Facebook page, which is adding fans by the hundreds each week.

Milo has also managed to turn economic challenges into opportunities. During 2009, when many businesses in the tourism industry slashed their budgets, he doubled the marketing and advertising budget of Vacation Rental Pros. And when the BP oil spill hit the Gulf Coast in 2010, Milo widened the scope of areas geo-targeted for new business, realizing that Vacation Rental Pros could potentially "get a larger-than-usual group of new customers." During the first 5 months of 2011, revenue has increased 52% over the same period in 2010.

About Vacation Rental Pros

Founded in 2006, Vacation Rental Pros Property Management LLC is leveraging web-based technology to maximize the marketing and management of vacation rental properties. Based in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Vacation Rental Pros manages over 430 luxury, self-catered beach rentals throughout the state of Florida. Destinations include Ocean Hammock Resort in Palm Coast Florida, St. Augustine Beach, Florida, Venice, Florida and Siesta Key, Florida. For more information visit www.VacationRentalPros.com or call 1-904-385-3888 or email [email protected].

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