What Kaplan Companies does

Kaplan Companies is a third-generation, family-owned real estate development and property management firm founded in 1952 by Nathan Kaplan in Lakewood, New Jersey. The company operates through three core segments: (1) a residential rental portfolio of 16+ apartment and townhome communities across 14 New Jersey municipalities, operated under sub-brands including Camelot Communities, Amaranth, Hidden Lake, Colony Oaks, Gateway at Carteret, and Lofts at Helmetta, with rents ranging from $1,756 to $2,968 per month; (2) new home construction through the Kaplan Legacy division, which has delivered more than 25,000 homes since 1952 across collections such as American Dream and Signature Series; and (3) commercial real estate, including retail shopping centers and office buildings originally expanded into Texas and Georgia in the 1980s. The company is led by Jason Kaplan as president (third generation) and is legally operated as MK Management, headquartered at 433 River Road, Highland Park, NJ. Property operations run on the Entrata property management platform with integrated listings, application processing, tenant screening, and maintenance requests, and the company has expanded into urban redevelopment (Perth Amboy, Carteret, Helmetta) and the 55+ active adult luxury rental segment (Amaranth at North Brunswick, opened 2022).

Kaplan's revenue model blends recurring monthly rental income from stabilized properties with one-time for-sale home construction revenue, supplemented by commercial property income. The company holds no public listings, has never raised external capital (no PE/VC or public market activity disclosed), and operates through a network of wholly-owned LLCs — one per property — for liability segregation and tax efficiency. Notable recognition includes NAHB's 1989 "Most Diversified Builder" award, NJBA's 2001 "Community of the Year" (La Mer), and NJAA's 2004 "Management Company of the Year" award. The strategic shift to rental-focused development following the 2007 housing market softening defines the current portfolio composition. In February 2024, the company secured $26.8 million in financing for the 128-unit Camelot at Toms River community, signaling continued capital deployment into New Jersey multifamily development despite the November 2023 death of co-leader Michael Kaplan.

Name

Kaplan Companies

Legal name

MK Management

Website

https://thinkkaplan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kaplan Companies is a third-generation, family-owned New Jersey real estate developer and landlord operating 16+ residential rental communities and a new home construction division, serving renters, first-time buyers, and active adults across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Development and Property Management

NAICS

Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (531190)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Property Management Advisory & Leasing Administration (FSAEAJAN)

Keywords

• Residential real estate development
• Apartment rental communities
• New home construction
• Property management services
• Commercial real estate

Headquarters

HQ city

Highland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Rental Income: Monthly rental income from 16 residential properties across New Jersey including apartments and townhomes. Properties include Amaranth at North Brunswick, Camelot communities, Hidden Lake, Colony Oaks, Gateway at Carteret, Heights of Lebanon, Lofts at Helmetta, Merriewold, and Woodfield communities.
2. Home Sales: New home construction sales through Kaplan Legacy division. Offerings include American Dream Collection and Signature Series homes. Customer journey includes contract signing, financing assistance, upgrade selection, and construction completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kaplan Companies is a family-owned real estate development and property management firm that develops, constructs, and operates residential rental communities and for-sale homes across New Jersey. The company manages over 16 rental properties spanning approximately 14 New Jersey municipalities, and through its Kaplan Legacy division builds new single-family homes, townhomes, and active adult communities. The company also holds and manages a smaller portfolio of commercial real estate.

Product overview

Kaplan Companies is a family-owned real estate development and property management company with over 70 years of history (since 1952) that has built more than 25,000 homes. The company operates a multi-segment portfolio consisting of: (1) Residential Rental Properties - a network of 20+ apartment and townhome communities across New Jersey under sub-brands including Amaranth, Camelot communities (Cinnaminson Harbour, Edison, LaMer, Marlboro, Federal Hill, Toms River, Townelake, Woodfield, TowneLake, Perth Amboy), Hidden Lake, Colony Oaks, Gateway at Carteret, Heights of Lebanon, Lofts at Helmetta, Merriewold, Woodfield at Mount Olive, and others; (2) New Home Construction under the Kaplan Legacy brand offering single-family homes, townhomes, and active adult communities through programs like American Dream Collection and Signature Series; and (3) Commercial Properties including retail shopping centers and office buildings. The rental portfolio is operated through Entrata's property management platform providing online leasing, maintenance requests, and resident services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camelot Communities: Luxury rental apartment communities operated under the Camelot brand across New Jersey
• American Dream Collection
• Signature Series

Products and services

• Residential Rental Communities
• New Home Construction (Kaplan Legacy)
• Commercial Properties
• Amaranth at North Brunswick
• Camelot at Toms River
• Lofts at Helmetta

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Woodmont Properties: Woodmont Properties is a New Jersey-based real estate developer of luxury residential and mixed-use communities, directly comparable to Kaplan's for-sale (Kaplan Legacy) and rental development activities in the same NJ submarkets.
• BNE Real Estate Group: BNE is a family-owned NJ developer specializing in residential, mixed-use, and senior living communities across the Northeast, with vertically integrated development, construction, and property management comparable to Kaplan's model.
• Garden Communities: Garden Communities is a long-standing NJ-based owner, developer, and manager of apartment communities, directly competing with Kaplan's 16-property rental portfolio in similar NJ submarkets.
• Russo Development: Russo Development is a NJ-based vertically integrated real estate firm developing market-rate and affordable housing, mixed-use, and commercial properties, closely mirroring Kaplan's NJ-centric multifamily and redevelopment activities.
• J.G. Petrucci Company: J.G. Petrucci is a NJ-based developer of commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects including active-adult communities, directly comparable to Kaplan's diversified NJ development pipeline.
• The KRE Group: KRE Group is a NJ-based luxury residential developer with active-adult, market-rate rental, and for-sale expertise, directly overlapping with Kaplan's Camelot, Amaranth, and Kaplan Legacy product lines.
• Roseland Property Company: Roseland (now part of Mack-Cali) is a NJ-based luxury apartment developer and manager with extensive holdings in the same NJ submarkets where Kaplan operates its Camelot and gateway-branded communities.

Broad incumbents

• Bozzuto Group: Bozzuto is a larger, multi-regional residential developer, builder, and property manager with established NJ and Mid-Atlantic operations, comparable to Kaplan's vertically integrated model but at greater scale and geographic breadth.
• AvalonBay Communities: AvalonBay is a publicly traded national apartment REIT with select Northeast presence; comparable as a high-end multifamily owner/operator, though Kaplan is private, family-owned, and NJ-concentrated.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Greystar is the largest U.S. multifamily developer, operator, and property manager; comparable to Kaplan's use of Entrata-driven rental operations but operates at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thinkkaplan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kaplan Companies