Verdae Development, Inc., master developer for the 1,100-acre planned development known as Verdae, today announced Dan Klausner as Chief Executive Officer. This news follows the recent release of Verdae’s dynamic vision for the future of the Laurens Road district.
Klausner comes to Verdae with more than 20 years of strategic real estate development experience—including commercial, residential, adaptive reuse, and mixed-use community creation. His most recent position was with San Diego-based Newland Real Estate Group where he was Vice President of Commercial Real Estate over the East Coast. In that role, he was responsible for development and disposition of more than 10 million square feet of commercial entitlements and 7,500 Multi-Family and Build-for Rent units in master-planned environments including Nexton in Charleston, River Lights in Wilmington, Briar Chapel and Wendell Falls in Raleigh, and Bexley and Waterset in Tampa.
“Dan has the skill set we need to help propel the new vision for Laurens Road and Verdae forward,” said Anne Ellefson, Verdae Development Board Chair. “His extensive background in planning these types of mixed-use destinations, coupled with financial and vertical development experience with similar scale projects, will add depth to the already strong VDI team.”
In May, Verdae Development and Hollingsworth Funds unveiled a bold new outlook for approximately 90 acres of Laurens Road property as Greenville’s next generation destination. The refreshed vision aims to create a vibrant and inclusive mixed-use district that reflects Greenville’s cultural and social diversity while acting as a platform for economic innovation with office, residential, recreation, and retail in a new, more urban setting.
“I’m excited to move to Greenville to join the Verdae team and help lead the next generation of development for this critical property,” Klausner said. “I am looking forward to continuing the tremendous momentum of Verdae and the Greenville community and expanding relationships with local, regional and national players to effectuate additional unique, yet timeless experiences in and around this community.”
Klausner received a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Manhattan College, and a Master of Business Administration in real estate and finance from the Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.