Palmetto Capital Group

What Palmetto Capital Group does

Palmetto Capital Group is a privately held, US real estate development services firm founded in 2008 by John N. Daniel, III and Mike Houghton, headquartered in Lakeland, FL with a mailing address in Thomasville, GA and regional offices in Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA. The firm delivers an integrated suite of development services — site selection, permitting and entitlement, and construction oversight — to national retail and quick-service restaurant enterprises and to franchisee owners, primarily across the southeastern United States. Service delivery is organized around two branded channels: the Preferred Partner Program for enterprise national retailers and the Franchisee Program for territory-expanding franchisees, both positioning Palmetto as an embedded extension of the client's real estate team.

The company's core work product is project-based fee development rather than a technology platform; the firm explicitly discloses no proprietary technology platform and instead relies on a multidisciplinary bench that includes a licensed attorney, a licensed architect (AIA), a registered professional engineer and certified floodplain manager, and a Certified Professional Constructor. Senior hires since 2020 — most notably the 2020 arrival and 2024 Managing Partner elevation of Clay Stephens, and the 2022 addition of dedicated preconstruction and construction directors — indicate capacity-building rather than technology-led scaling. The customer base is concentrated in enterprise national retail and QSR brands, with documented work for Dollar General, Taco Bell, AutoZone, Firestone, Publix, 7-Eleven, Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dutch Bros, Dunkin' Donuts, Aldi, and Bridgestone-affiliated tenants.

The business model is professional services: project-based, quote-based fees for development management engagements spanning trade-area analysis, multi-parcel assemblage, entitlement, permitting, contractor selection, construction oversight, and project closeout. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement. Marketing is predominantly relationship-driven, supplemented by a LinkedIn presence and a corporate website, with no disclosed external institutional funding, acquisitions, or parent-company ownership — the firm remains founder-controlled with Managing Partner Stephens as a non-founder equity participant following his 2024 promotion.

Name

Palmetto Capital Group

Legal name

Palmetto Capital Group

Website

https://palmettocapitalgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Palmetto Capital Group is a privately held southeastern US real estate development services firm providing site selection, permitting and entitlement, and construction oversight to national retail and quick-service restaurant enterprises and franchisee owners, delivered through its Preferred Partner and Franchisee Programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Thomasville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Development Management Services: Project-based development management fees for services including site selection, feasibility studies, permitting and entitlement, design coordination, construction oversight, and project closeout. Services are delivered through the Preferred Partner Program as turn-key solutions for national retail clients and franchisees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Palmetto Capital Group is a commercial real estate development services firm that helps national retailers and franchisees open new locations. It delivers turn-key solutions covering site selection, permitting and entitlement, and construction oversight, packaged primarily through its Preferred Partner Program and a parallel Franchisee Program for franchise owners seeking to grow their territory footprint.

Product overview

Palmetto Capital Group is a real estate development firm offering an integrated suite of services for commercial retail development. The core offerings include Site Selection, Permitting & Entitlement, Construction Oversight, and a Franchisee Program. The Preferred Partner Program serves as the primary delivery mechanism, bundling site identification, due diligence, feasibility analysis, project launch, project management, and construction oversight into turn-key solutions for national retail clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection Real estate site selection service providing detailed trade area analysis, market positioning, and real estate committee presentation packages to help national retailers and franchisees identify optimal commercial development locations at the right price.
• Permitting & Entitlement

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered Aldi store opening by December 14, 2018 despite significant site challenges including 3-parcel assemblage over 3 years, offsite improvements, demolition, and floodway issues
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Shopping Center Group: Retail-focused commercial real estate services firm providing tenant representation, site selection, and development services for national retailers across the southeastern US. Direct comparable in size, geography, and customer base to Palmetto.
• SRS Real Estate Partners: National retail real estate services firm offering site selection, brokerage, and development services to retailers, restaurants, and landowners. Comparable customer base and service offering to Palmetto's Preferred Partner Program.
• Stiles Corporation: Florida-based commercial real estate development and services firm providing development management, brokerage, and construction services. Comparable in Florida roots, multi-disciplinary team, and full-service development offerings.
• Cresa: Corporate real estate advisory firm providing tenant representation, site selection, project management, and transaction services. Comparable in serving national tenants with outsourced real estate services at a similar scale.
• Trademark Property Company: Commercial real estate investment and development firm focused on retail and mixed-use assets. Comparable in retail-focused development services and capital deployment in commercial real estate.

Broad incumbents

• Brixmor Property Group: Public retail REIT that owns and operates open-air shopping centers and works with national retailers on development and redevelopment. Adjacent to Palmetto's customer set though operating at significantly larger scale as a principal.
• Phillips Edison & Company: Public retail REIT focused on grocery-anchored shopping centers. Overlaps with Palmetto's retail and grocery clients (Publix, Aldi) and adjacent to its service line, though a principal/owner rather than service provider.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, project management, and development services. Provides the same outsourced real estate services Palmetto offers, but at national and global scale.
• CBRE Group: Largest global commercial real estate services firm with full-service site selection, project management, and development advisory. Competes for the same retailer and franchisee clients as Palmetto at materially greater scale.
• JLL: Global real estate services firm offering brokerage, project management, and development services. Provides end-to-end real estate services for national retailers at scale, including many of the same logos Palmetto serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/palmetto-capital-group/about
• Xx.com/palmettocg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Palmetto Capital Group