The Shriteh family, among Punta Gorda’s largest private employers, joined GCM Contracting Solutions on Dec. 5 to break ground on Duffie North, a 10-acre commercial development at the Airport Commerce Center that will add 108,000 square feet of flex warehouse space to Charlotte County’s growing industrial corridor.
The project consists of two state-of-the-art warehouse facilities situated across from the three-story building that houses the Shriteh family’s corporate offices under Zahra LLC and the King of Vape warehouse and distribution center. The expansion reflects rising demand for modern industrial space in Southwest Florida as companies seek larger, more efficient facilities with proximity to both Interstate 75 and Punta Gorda Airport.
Members of the Shriteh family gather with project partners at the Dec. 5 groundbreaking for Duffie North, a 10-acre commercial development in Punta Gorda. The project will add 108,000 square feet of flex warehouse space to the Airport Commerce Center.
McKenna Wherry
“Duffie North represents our commitment to providing modern, flexible warehouse space that meets the evolving needs of businesses in Southwest Florida,” said Robert Brown, founder and CEO of GCM Contracting Solutions. “With Punta Gorda’s growing infrastructure and proximity to the airport, companies can operate efficiently, reduce costs and tap into a skilled local workforce. We’re proud to support the region’s ongoing economic growth.”
Charlotte County Economic Development Director Kay Tracy said the timing of the project aligns with long-term workforce and business expansion trends. “This project comes at a pivotal time. Duffie North gives employers the room they need as our workforce expands and positions Charlotte County to continue attracting high-quality business activity,” she said.
A street-level rendering depicts the Duffie North warehouse buildings to be built by GCM Contracting Solutions. The development offers modern industrial space near Punta Gorda Airport and Interstate 75.
GCM Contracting Solutions
The groundbreaking ceremony also highlighted the Shriteh Foundation’s philanthropy. Taher Shriteh — family patriarch and founder and CEO of Zahra LLC — presented $30,000 in charitable donations before the ceremony, awarding $20,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $10,000 to Pastor Larry Grant’s Awaken Outreach Center. “For more than 25 years, this community has been our home,” he said. “We’ve built our lives and businesses here, and we want to give back in ways that strengthen Charlotte County for the future.”
Taher and Haitham Shriteh present a $20,000 donation to Habitat for Humanity before the Duffie North groundbreaking ceremony. The gift was part of $30,000 in contributions from the Shriteh Foundation.
McKenna Wherry
Shriteh’s path to entrepreneurship spans continents, beginning in Gaza, where he was born in 1960. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural mechanization with honors from Cairo University in 1983 and was accepted into a mechanical engineering master’s program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1984. Financial constraints brought him back to Gaza in 1986, where a chance encounter with Reuters correspondent Paul Taylor led him into journalism. Shriteh contributed reports from Gaza — then rarely covered by foreign media — and went on to write for outlets including The New York Times, BBC, CBS News and Voice of America.
As violence toward journalists escalated, Shriteh and his wife, Zahra, both college-educated, fled the Middle East with their four children. He said their transition to the U.S. was eased by savings from the sale of their apartment building, which he brought with him to invest in a new life. He recalled telling an immigration official that he intended to contribute to the nation’s wealth and create jobs.
Zahra LLC founder and CEO Taher Shriteh works from his Punta Gorda headquarters. Shriteh, a longtime local employer, says the Duffie North project will create 200 new jobs in Charlotte County.
Daisy Gonzalez-Diego/DGD Communications
“I love America,” he said during his remarks, expressing deep gratitude to both the U.S. and the people of Charlotte County.
Shriteh’s first business in Punta Gorda was Tom’s Discount Convenience Store on Cooper Street, a one-stop shop modeled after Walmart that remains in operation. He later purchased one of Southwest Florida’s earliest vape stores, predicting the shift toward vaping products. That prediction proved prescient: the family will soon open its 20th King of Vape location, this one on U.S. 41 in Port Charlotte, which will also sell merchandise such as e-bikes.
Family involvement has been central to the company’s expansion. His son Haitham, who holds a master’s degree in engineering, oversees the distribution center adjoining the headquarters, where Shriteh can view operations from his conference room.
True to his early promise to create jobs, Shriteh said the Duffie North project alone will generate 200 new positions in Charlotte County — a testament to both the family’s continued investment and the region’s accelerating economic momentum.