For Brandon Cabrera, real estate development is about more than building homes. It is about ensuring the people who power Palm Beach County can afford to call it home.

Born and raised here, Brandon grew up working at his parents’ business, Tropical Bakery, where he learned the value of customer service, conversation, and relationships. Today, as founder and CEO of The BrandX Company, he carries those lessons into the development of single-family homes and rental communities for working families. “When I started my business, one of my main goals was not simply to build a successful company, but to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the community that helped shape me.”

Having witnessed Palm Beach County’s economic transformation firsthand, Brandon understands both the opportunities that growth created and the pressures it has placed on local families. “Palm Beach County has done an extraordinary job creating economic opportunity. Now, our challenge is making sure the people who contribute to that economy can continue to live here.”

He believes that challenge is among the most consequential facing the county. “As we look toward the next chapter of our county’s growth, I believe we have an opportunity to maintain a strong economy while addressing this challenge by placing a greater focus on what I like to call the “average Joe”. Over the last decade, Palm Beach County has been incredibly successful at attracting major businesses, investment, and economic opportunity. However, rapid economic growth has also brought challenges. The cost of living, especially housing, has risen dramatically. At the same time, it increasingly feels as though many of the projects being announced center on luxury, ultra-luxury, and exclusivity. That is why I believe the next phase of Palm Beach County’s growth should include a renewed focus on the average working family.”

He says it is about ensuring the teachers, first responders, and healthcare workers who keep Palm Beach County running are not priced out of the community they serve. “We should bring the same level of energy, coordination, creativity, and determination that helped attract major businesses to Palm Beach County and apply it toward making sure the people who work here can also afford to live here. We have taken steps through workforce housing initiatives, but more work remains. We should be looking closely at communities such as Greenacres, Palm Springs, and the unincorporated areas between them, where meaningful redevelopment opportunities exist. This is not simply a housing issue; it is an economic issue.”

That desire to help shape the county’s future is also what drew Brandon to the Economic Council of Palm Beach County. As a first-year member and perhaps its youngest, he sees the organization as both a classroom and a platform for service. “When I first learned about the organization, one of the things that stood out to me immediately was the caliber of people involved. Many are individuals I have admired for years, and some I am fortunate enough to consider mentors in my own life. I look to their leadership, accomplishments, and impact as examples of where I hope to be five or ten years from now. Because of that, I knew that if I were ever given the opportunity to join the EC, I would take it without hesitation. One of the most important lessons I learned at a young age is that if you want to grow, you must surround yourself with people who challenge you, inspire you, and have already accomplished many of the things you hope to achieve. I saw the EC as an opportunity to do exactly that.”

But he did not join only to learn. He also wants to contribute and lend his perspective. “Joining the EC represents an opportunity to further that mission beyond the work I do every day. It gives me the chance to contribute to something larger than my own business, to help strengthen our business community, and to play a small part in shaping the future of Palm Beach County.”

That belief in the power of relationships took time to develop. He says that as a young man, he was too intensely focused on business and achievement. “If I could go back and tell my younger self one thing, it would be to stay ambitious and stay focused but never become so focused on where you are going that you overlook the people you meet along the way. Place a much greater value on relationships, networking, and genuinely connecting with people.”

One of those people entered his life at Tropical Bakery. “Lou was a regular customer, and over the years we spent countless hours together talking about life, people, business, and the challenges I was facing as I grew up.” 

What began as a casual connection evolved into a meaningful mentorship during Brandon’s freshman year of high school. “Like many teenagers, I was navigating what, at the time, felt like an overwhelming number of problems. Lou had the patience to listen, but more importantly, he took the time to help me understand what I was experiencing and how to work through it. Perhaps his greatest impact on me was teaching me to better understand and manage my own mind and emotions. Without his mentorship, I genuinely believe I would have been five to ten years behind in emotional maturity and self-awareness.”

Those lessons left a lasting impact. “Lou taught me how to recognize my own behavioral patterns, how to think before reacting, and how to separate emotion from decision-making when necessary. He also taught me how to observe and understand other people, their personalities, motivations, behaviors, and perspectives. That ability to read situations and better understand people has become one of the most valuable skills I carry with me in my day-to-day business life. What makes his influence particularly meaningful to me is that he invested that time long before there was anything to gain. I was simply a young kid at my family’s bakery trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to become. He saw potential in me, gave me his time, and shared lessons that I would carry for the rest of my life.”

That combination of conviction and self-awareness also explains his admiration for President Abraham Lincoln. He is drawn not only to Lincoln’s courage during the nation’s greatest crisis, but to the challenges that preceded it. “When I first began learning about Lincoln, I saw pieces of myself in his story. Before he became the Lincoln we all know today, he experienced self-doubt, setbacks, and uncertainty about his path. There is something incredibly human about that journey, and I think that is what initially drew me to him.”

The journey reminds him that leaders don't have all the answers; they, too, face obstacles. “I believe I am still in the early years of discovering what kind of leader I will ultimately become and where I can make the greatest impact.”

From the relationships formed at Tropical Bakery to the communities he is developing today, Brandon continues to carry one lesson forward: lasting success is not measured solely by what you build, but by the people you help along the way.