Ave Maria is Incubator for Family-Run Businesses
Collier County’s premier master planned community, Ave Maria, is a thriving small business hub with more than 75 shops, services and restaurants owned and operated by residents.
The Cao and Dang families, for example, operate two nail salons and a restaurant in the community they call home and where they are raising their families. Jason Cao operates the Southeast Asian-fusion restaurant,
Umami Ave, while his brother-in-law, Danny Dang, owns Ave Nails with his spouse, Maria. In 2025, Danny partnered with his eldest sibling, Binh, on the opening and operation of a second salon in Ave Maria, AM Nails.
For these two families, entrepreneurship has provided the opportunity to live, work and study near each other. Most of the cousins, attend Ave Maria Catholic Academy, while Dang’s daughter, Kayla, is studying at Ave Maria University.
For Dang, salon ownership was years in the making. After working in nail salons in Minnesota since 2002, opening Ave Nails marked the first salon he owned and operated independently. Both salons have become places where appointments often turn into conversations between neighbors and friends.
“We’re thankful to see how our neighbors gather in our salons,” Dang said. “My brother, Binh, and I shared a vision which helped us continue to grow. Opening a salon together was not just about expanding the business. It was about building something meaningful for our family and for our community.”
The same local support extends to Umami Ave, where self-taught Chef Jason has built a restaurant that has become a regular spot for residents. “Since opening Umami Ave, I’ve taken
great joy in seeing people come out to support and enjoy the food my team and I put our hearts into – cooking for our guests the same way I would for my own table.”
For the Cao and Dang families, Ave Maria offers the ability to combine business ownership with family life in a way that is increasingly difficult to find elsewhere. Living close to work, supporting one another’s ventures and having their children educated within the same town has created a lifestyle centered on convenience, familiarity and lasting relationships.
Phong Ho is another Ave Maria resident and entrepreneur. He owns three restaurants in the Town Center, Tropical Smoothie, the OASIS The Kitchen Lounge and Vicky Bakery. Even the music industry is thriving in the community with residents such as Fredrick ‘Bam’ Scott and Winston Thomas, who perform, record and provide music lessons. Nicole Thomas also operates a children’s clothing company, Willow Mint Props, from their Ave Maria home. Residents, Charl and Okkie Van Wyk, own Ave Maria Dance Academy, while Ave Maria’s newest pizza restaurant in the commercial plaza was opened by Maryland transplants, Scott and Colleen Taggart. Even the medical field is well represented in Ave Maria, with eight offices operated by residents.
Living and working in Ave Maria makes the community a unique and special place where entrepreneurs can thrive and raise their families. A business-friendly environment, a broad choice of schools, and amenities to fit all ages and abilities contribute to the success so many Ave Maria businesses have enjoyed. At Ave Maria, a sense of community and business go hand-in-hand.
ABOUT AVE MARIA, FLORIDA
Ave Maria has sold over 5,500 new homes to date, has been named a Top 20 Master Planned Community in the United States, 2015-2025 Community of the Year, the Top Selling Single-Family Home Community in Collier County, a Blue Zones Certified Community, and its active adult community, Del Webb Naples, has been named a Top 20 Places to Retire. Located in southwest Florida, Ave Maria is a self-sustaining town including shopping and dining, employment opportunities, parks and recreation, and is zoned for all A-rated Collier County public schools. At its build out, the town will include 17,000 residences, and 1.8 million square feet of retail, office, and business park uses in its 7,000 acres. Ave Maria is located at the intersection of Oil Well and Camp Keais Roads in Eastern Collier County. The main entrance, on Oil Well just west of Camp Keais, leads to the Town Center. Take I-75, exit 111, follow the signs east to Ave Maria, approximately 25 minutes. For more information, please visit http://www.avemaria.com/ or call 239-352-3903.
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