Gatlin Development

What Gatlin Development does

Gatlin Development Company, Inc. (GDC) is a privately held real estate investment corporation founded in 1976 by Frank C. Gatlin III, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 1984 the firm's primary focus has been the development of Walmart-anchored shopping centers, with a cumulative track record of over 7 million square feet of retail shopping centers developed and valued at over $1 billion. The company operates nationwide, with projects across the Western, Midwest, and Southeastern United States, and serves more than 100 client companies across industries including retail, banking, food and beverage, health, entertainment, and apparel.

GDC offers a comprehensive, vertically integrated service stack spanning site acquisition and disposition, due diligence and planning, entitlements, financial analysis, capital stack strategy, design management, budgeting and scheduling, construction management, accounting and reporting, leasing and tenant improvements, building commissioning, asset management, and property management. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with major retailers, property owners, and commercial real estate investors. Notable recent projects include Durbin Park (2.4 million SF power retail center, completed 2017), Grand Cypress Apartments (588-unit multifamily, 2023 CoStar Impact Award winner), and Palacio Apartments (built 2022).

The business model is project-based, generating revenue through development fees, construction management, leasing commissions, and asset/property management services rather than disclosed productized pricing. GDC has broadened its asset pipeline beyond Walmart-anchored retail to include custom luxury homes, affordable single-family homes, apartment complexes, retirement housing, hotels, light industrial, and self-storage. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investor backing, and remains under founder-led leadership.

Name

Gatlin Development

Legal name

Gatlin Development Company, Inc.

Website

https://gatlindc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gatlin Development Company is a Jacksonville, Florida-based privately held real estate investment corporation founded in 1976 that has developed over 7 million square feet of Walmart-anchored retail and other properties valued at over $1 billion, serving 100+ enterprise clients across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Development

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial General Contracting (New Build) (IMAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate development
• Retail shopping centers
• Property management services
• Site acquisition services
• Construction management

Headquarters

HQ city

Dickson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development and Investment: Gatlin Development generates revenue through commercial real estate development, management, and renovation services. This includes site acquisition and disposition, development fees, construction management, leasing commissions, and asset/property management services. The company has developed over 7 million square feet of retail shopping centers valued at over $1 billion since 1984, primarily focused on Walmart-anchored shopping centers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Gatlin Development Company, Inc. (GDC) is a real estate investment corporation that develops, manages, and renovates commercial retail shopping centers, with a primary focus on Walmart-anchored centers since 1984. The firm delivers end-to-end services spanning site acquisition/disposition, due diligence, entitlements, financial analysis, capital stack strategy, design and construction management, leasing, building commissioning, asset management, and property management. Since 1984, it has developed over 7 million square feet of retail shopping centers valued at over $1 billion across the United States.

Product overview

Gatlin Development Company (GDC) is a real estate investment corporation that offers a comprehensive suite of real estate services organized around site acquisition/disposition, due diligence and planning, and entitlements. The company's services also include financial analysis, capital stack strategy, design management, budgeting/scheduling, construction management, accounting/reporting, leasing and tenant improvements, building commissioning, asset management, and property management. Their primary focus since 1984 has been developing Walmart-anchored shopping centers, with over 7 million square feet developed valued at over $1 billion. GDC also develops and manages property portfolios including retail centers (Durbin Park), multi-family residential (Palacio Apartments, Grand Cypress Apartments), and land (Grand Cypress) primarily in the St. Johns, Florida area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Acquisition / Disposition

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7 million square feet of retail shopping centers developed since 1984
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Continental Properties: Private retail and multifamily developer with a national footprint. Continental Properties' end-to-end development capabilities across retail centers and apartment communities directly parallel GDC's diversified property portfolio.
• Phillips Edison & Company: The largest publicly-traded REIT focused on grocery-anchored shopping centers. Phillips Edison operates a similar anchor-tenant retail center model with site acquisition, development, leasing, and property management capabilities directly comparable to GDC's service offering.
• CASTO: Privately-held retail real estate developer and manager specializing in shopping center development, multifamily, and mixed-use properties. CASTO's vertically integrated model and tenant-focused approach is closely aligned with GDC's full-service retail development business.
• SRS Real Estate Partners: National retail-focused commercial real estate firm providing brokerage, property management, development, and investment services. SRS's retail tenant representation and landlord services directly overlap with GDC's leasing and development capabilities.
• Pine Tree Commercial Realty: Private retail real estate firm focused on necessity-based retailers and shopping center development. Pine Tree's specialty in single-tenant and multi-tenant retail development for national tenants mirrors GDC's anchor-tenant focus.

Broad incumbents

• Regency Centers Corporation: Major publicly-traded REIT specializing in grocery-anchored shopping centers. Regency's tenant mix of necessity-based retailers and investment in suburban retail real estate is closely aligned with GDC's anchor-tenant retail center focus.
• Kite Realty Group: Public open-air shopping center REIT with a focus on mixed-use and retail-anchored properties. Kite's portfolio of grocery-anchored and lifestyle centers parallels GDC's retail shopping center development model.
• Site Centers: Public open-air shopping center REIT (formerly DDR Corp.) focused on necessity-based retail anchors. Site Centers' development, leasing, and asset management of retail centers aligns with GDC's core competencies, though at materially larger scale.
• Brixmor Property Group: One of the largest publicly-traded shopping center REITs in the US. Brixmor owns and operates open-air shopping centers anchored by necessity-based retailers, overlapping with GDC's anchor-tenant retail center thesis at much larger scale.
• Federal Realty Investment Trust: Diversified retail REIT with a portfolio of anchor-tenant shopping centers and mixed-use properties. Federal Realty's focus on high-quality grocery and retail anchors in primary markets aligns with GDC's retail center strategy, though at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uc-riverside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Gatlin Development