Known for his extraordinary creativity in shaping artful environments and financial structures, Ron started his career as a magician at 12. He later became the Chief Investment Officer at Federal Realty Investment Trust and was instrumental in creating their retail division responsible for Santana Row, Bethesda Row, and Pentagon Row. He has been involved with some of the most high profile real estate developments in the DC area including the $1 billion mixed-use City Center and the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront corridor.

There are a lot of trends out there today, but ultimately we believe it’s always about people and connections. We want to create environments that give people a place to gather and a chance to interact and engage with each other in beautiful settings.

We could just plant some trees and call it a day, but that’s not how we operate. We take our time—an incredible amount of it, actually. We plan on owning these places for the long term, and because of that, every detail matters. From conceiving living experiences built around cultural centers to detailed planning for the irrigation systems of flowers, there is a level of vision, patience, and sophistication here that goes into everything we create.

When I was younger, I loved magic. I loved the idea that magic was something that couldn’t be captured on paper. It defied logic and explanation. Sadly, my promising career as a magician didn’t materialize, but this same creative thinking drives the development of our properties. I want to create places that feel truly magical. Places that bring people together in ways that simply can’t be seen on a spreadsheet.

We’ve always believed that long-term value is created when the first thing you focus on is community. More and more, we are seeing a model for how nonprofits can look at sustaining their organizations through the careful creation of communities that continue to drive their efforts in the future. Our decades of seeing results have taught us so much, but every new place is an opportunity to continue to improve. We’ll never stop learning.