Ryan's Southeast Region Expects Continued Growth into 2022

This year, reemerging from the pandemic proved to be a time of success for the Ryan team in the Southeast Region. The team delivered more than 13 projects totaling 1.8 million square feet of new construction development, with over $284 million in projects for Fortune 500 clients including Amazon, Target, Kroger, as well as Charter Schools USA and Florida Medical Clinic. 

With the surge in the project pipeline, Ryan has expanded its business development team in Tampa and Atlanta, with key additions, including the hiring of Cloteen Jasmin as Atlanta market leader and senior vice president of development; Bill Wikle as vice president of development; Randy Winger as director of construction; and Daniela Castellon as director of business development for the national Build-to-Suit sector. Additionally, Ryan added more than 20 employees in 2021 to fulfill the growth in the region. 

"2021 was a year of exponential growth for Ryan Companies in the Southeast, both in the growth of our team and our project pipeline as we focused on expanding our business development team to meet the demand from new and existing clients," said Doug Dieck, Southeast region president. "Ryan's reputation for the seamless delivery of complex development projects on time and within budget proved to be a major draw for clients within the industrial and multifamily space as our team has been awarded some of the largest in the region. As we look to 2022, we will continue to place emphasis on attracting the right talent in the Southeast to grow our Atlanta and Tampa offices."

This year, Ryan delivered one of the most anticipated distribution projects in central Florida, the Kroger Ocado Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) in Groveland, Fla. The 338,000-square-foot state-of-the-art automated warehouse will introduce Kroger's innovative shopping experience to central Florida, a new market for the nation's largest grocery retailer, while also extending its reach and capabilities in online ordering and home delivery. The company is recently completed another automated warehouse alongside Kroger and Ocado at the former Gillem U.S. Army base near Atlanta, which follows a similar design structure to the Groveland project. Ryan also broke ground this fall on a one-million-square-foot distribution center in Fayetteville, N.C.

Alongside the success in Ryan's industrial sector this year, the company also started two state-of-the-art senior housing projects in Florida alongside its long-time project partner, Grand Living. The two projects - Grand Living at Wellen Park and Grand Living at Naples - feature a specialized luxury age-in-place model allowing residents to reside in their original apartment as their healthcare needs change. Ryan also launched design on an innovative 30,000-square-foot research facility at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Florida.

"We are excited to continue Ryan's multifamily sector growth. Jared Kuhn joined our team to lead our national multifamily practice and brings almost 20 years of experience primarily in the Southeast. The analytic and asset management team expansion adds another layer of depth to a market that is white-hot at the moment," said JP Bacariza, Tampa market leader and vice president of development.

In 2022, Ryan will launch construction on the largest multifamily project in Lakewood Ranch, the fastest-selling community in America. The project will feature 502 residential units built in a series of four-story buildings overlooking lakes and wetland preserves with a market-leading amenity center.

Looking ahead to the upcoming year, Ryan plans to expand its footprint in the Southeast through increased interest and investment in industrial e-commerce and distribution centers. The company also plans to continue its commitment to creating a diverse and fully represented team in the region by implementing new programs that will broaden its recruiting base and increase the overall number of minority background new hires.