Tellus Group
Tellus Group is a privately held Texas-based real estate developer specializing in master-planned, amenity-rich lifestyle communities. The firm develops entitled lots and sells them to homebuilder partners across seven communities in Texas and California, with portfolio build-out value exceeding $7.5 billion.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersProsper, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tellus Group does
Tellus Group LLC is a privately held, founder-led real estate development firm headquartered in Plano, Texas, that specializes in the design, entitlement, and build-out of master-planned, amenity-rich lifestyle communities across Texas and California. The company was founded in 2018 by CEO Craig Martin, who brings 45 years of real estate development experience and previously founded Terra Verde Group. Tellus's portfolio comprises seven distinct communities: Windsong Ranch (2,000+ acres, Prosper, TX; $3B+ build-out), Mosaic (760 acres, Celina, TX; $1.5B+ build-out), Silverwood (9,366 acres, Hesperia, CA — the last and largest entitled MPC in the LA Basin), Sherley Farms (3,000 homes approved, Anna, TX; $1.5B+ build-out), Boot Ranch (a private club/golf retreat, Fredericksburg, TX), Meraki (2,700 planned homes on 1,079 acres, Forney, TX), and Mirabella (288 luxury homes, Prosper, TX). Aggregate portfolio build-out value exceeds $7.5 billion, with nearly $3 billion of communities in active advancement across North Texas in 2025. The firm's technical competency centers on large-scale master-planned community development with signature amenity design — including The Lagoon (a white sand freshwater lagoon at Windsong Ranch), The River ($20M lazy river and cabana complex at Mosaic, designed with LRK), and a 65-acre working organic farm at Sherley Farms — combined with sustainable practices such as recycled water utilization and green building techniques.
Tellus operates a B2B business model: the company develops fully entitled, shovel-ready lots and sells them through lot purchase agreements to a curated panel of 3–5 approved homebuilder partners per community, including American Legend Homes, Bloomfield Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Westfield Homes (a Bridge Tower Group subsidiary), and Huntington Homes (the luxury division of Highland Homes). Revenue accrues over multi-year build-out periods as lots are delivered; for select projects such as Mirabella, Tellus enters co-development arrangements sharing costs and revenues with builder partners. Development capital is provided by a mix of financial partners — including Caravel Ventures, Sumitomo Forestry, and Schaeffer Michael — alongside traditional construction and acquisition financing (notably First Continental's largest-ever loan, secured for the Meraki project). Pricing to homebuilders is negotiated per lot and not publicly disclosed; end-consumer home prices are set by individual builders and range from the low $300s at Meraki to $1M+ at Mirabella. The firm is leanly staffed relative to its development footprint, with a leadership team that includes COO Andre Ferrari (formerly JLL Capital Markets and Haynes and Boone), Partner/President David Blom (formerly Forest City Enterprises), and specialized VPs across planning/entitlement, development, operations, finance, and marketing.
Tellus Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tellus Group
- Legal name
- Tellus Group LLC
- Website
- https://tellusgroupllc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tellus Group is a privately held Texas-based real estate developer specializing in master-planned, amenity-rich lifestyle communities. The firm develops entitled lots and sells them to homebuilder partners across seven communities in Texas and California, with portfolio build-out value exceeding $7.5 billion.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tellus Group industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- SIC
- Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Master-Planned Community & POA Management (BPAJAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Association Maintenance, Vendor & Capital Project Management (BPAJAHAM)
Keywords
Where Tellus Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Prosper
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tellus Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Lot Sales to Homebuilders: Tellus Group develops master-planned communities and sells finished lots to approved homebuilder partners. Each community features multiple builder partners offering diverse floor plans and price points. Revenue is generated through lot purchase agreements with builders who then construct and sell homes to end consumers.
- Co-Development Revenue: For select communities like Mirabella, Tellus partners with homebuilders (e.g., Highland Homes) for co-development arrangements, sharing development costs and revenues for luxury residential communities.
- Community Development at Build-Out: Communities are developed with multi-year build-out timelines (e.g., Windsong Ranch at $3B+ development value, Sherley Farms at $1.5B, Mosaic at $1.5B, Meraki at $1.5B). Revenue accrues over development phases as lots are sold and homes are constructed.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Tellus Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tellus Group is a real estate development company that acquires, entitles, and develops master-planned residential lifestyle communities across Texas and California. It invests in horizontal infrastructure, signature amenities (lagoons, lazy rivers, organic farms, trail systems), and lifestyle programming, then sells finished residential lots to select homebuilder partners (American Legend Homes, Bloomfield Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Westfield Homes, Huntington Homes) who build and sell homes to consumers. The company also co-develops select luxury communities and partners with capital investors to fund large-scale projects.
Product overview
Tellus Group operates as a real estate development company specializing in master-planned, amenity-rich lifestyle communities. The company's portfolio consists of seven distinct master-planned communities across Texas and California: Windsong Ranch (2,000+ acres in Prosper, TX), Mosaic (760 acres in Celina, TX), Silverwood (9,366 acres in Hesperia, CA), Sherley Farms (970+ acres in Anna, TX), Boot Ranch (Fredericksburg, TX), Meraki (1,079 acres in Forney, TX), and Mirabella (190 acres in Prosper, TX co-developed with Highland Homes). Each community is designed around lifestyle-focused amenities including trails, parks, lakes, recreational facilities, and in some cases unique features like organic farms, lagoons, and private club facilities. The company also operates Tellus Together, an in-house charitable giving program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- In 2025, Tellus advanced nearly $3 billion in master-planned communities across North Texas
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Tellus Group
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Tellus Group technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Tellus Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Highland HomescoreCo-development partner with Tellus Group for Mirabella luxury community (288 homes, 190+ acres in Prosper, TX). Highland Homes develops the luxury division (Huntington Homes) as builder for the project. Also builder partner for Meraki and participant in Homes for Heroes initiative.
- LRKminorArchitecture and landscape design firm that collaborated with Tellus Group on Mosaic's The River amenity complex, integrating architecture, landscape, and programming into a cohesive environment.
- Westfield Homes (Bridge Tower Group)coreBuilder for Meraki master-planned community in Forney, TX. Westfield Homes, a subsidiary of Bridge Tower Group, announced lot closing for Meraki with homes to be available beginning Summer 2026 starting in the low $300s.
- American Legend HomesminorBuilder selected for Meraki master-planned community in Forney, TX as part of the five-builder lineup for the amenity-rich development.
- Bloomfield HomesminorBuilder selected for Meraki master-planned community in Forney, TX as part of the five-builder lineup for the amenity-rich development.
- Perry HomesminorBuilder selected for Meraki master-planned community in Forney, TX as part of the five-builder lineup for the amenity-rich development.
- DL MeachamminorConstruction partner for Tellus Together charitable initiative. Partnered on concrete pour at N3 location to improve site safety and accessibility. Amplified outreach efforts through boots-on-the-ground support.
- Neighbors Nourishing Neighborsminor501(c)(3) nonprofit fighting food insecurity. Tellus Group team spent volunteer day assisting with mission of ensuring families have access to healthy meals.
- ManeGait Therapeutic HorsemanshipminorTherapeutic horseback riding organization for children and adults with special needs. Long-standing partnership with Tellus Group (spanning decade+), founded by Tellus VP Tina Sauseda. Tellus provides ongoing financial support.
- Action Children's Business FairminorChildren's entrepreneurship program. Tellus Group made donation to help inspire next generation of entrepreneurs by giving kids chance to showcase ideas, build confidence, and explore business.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tellus Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hillwood Communities: Hillwood Communities is the residential development arm of the Perot family's Hillwood, operating master-planned communities across DFW and other U.S. markets. It was Tellus's direct competitor for the 2025 McSAM Developer of the Year award and pursues the same homebuilder-partnered lot-sale model in overlapping North Texas submarkets.
- Centurion American Development Group: Centurion American is one of the largest privately-held real estate developers in DFW, focused on master-planned residential communities, mixed-use, and hotels. A former Tellus team member (Andrew Chung) worked there, indicating close industry overlap in scale, geography, and homebuilder relationships.
- Provident Realty Advisors: Provident Realty Advisors is a Dallas-based real estate investment and development firm focused on master-planned residential communities and retail assets. Two current Tellus team members (Kamille Grey, Mallorie Wise) came from Provident, signaling direct operational overlap in DFW MPC development.
- Five Point Holdings: Five Point is a publicly-traded owner and developer of large-scale master-planned communities in California (Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, Valencia). It is comparable to Tellus's Silverwood project in operating massive entitled California MPCs delivered to homebuilder partners.
- Republic Property Group: Republic Property Group is a DFW-based developer of master-planned and mixed-use communities with deep relationships to North Texas municipalities. Several current Tellus team members (Kristin Sherrill, Akiko Shimizu) previously worked there, highlighting its role as a close labor-market and competitive peer.
- The New Home Company (Tri Pointe Homes): The New Home Company (now part of Tri Pointe Homes) was a California-focused MPC and homebuilder with communities in Southern California. Its Southern California MPC development model and homebuilder partnerships are highly comparable to Tellus's California Silverwood ambitions.
Broad incumbents
- Toll Brothers: Toll Brothers is a national luxury homebuilder with active master-planned community development operations across multiple U.S. states. While Toll operates at much greater scale and is integrated vertically (builder + developer), it competes with Tellus for entitles MPC land and builder partner allocations in growing Sun Belt submarkets.
- Shea Homes: Shea Homes operates a national homebuilding and master-planned community development platform with deep activity in California, Arizona, and Colorado. Its Trilogy and Shea Signature MPC programs overlap with Tellus's luxury and lifestyle-segment positioning, particularly for California MPCs.
- Forest City Enterprises (now Brookfield): Forest City Enterprises, now part of Brookfield Properties, was Tellus President David Blom's former employer where he established the Texas Land Division with a $700M+ portfolio. Its national MPC and large-scale community development practice is broadly comparable to Tellus's institutional-scale MPC model.
Others
- Terra Verde Group: Terra Verde Group is the prior firm founded by Tellus CEO Craig Martin focused on land development partnerships and resort projects. It is included as a peer only because it shares DNA and operational lineage with Tellus, though it is not a direct current competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tellus Group social profiles
Digital presenceTellus Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tellus Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Tellus Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tellus Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tellus Group
What does Tellus Group do?
Tellus Group is a real estate development company that acquires, entitles, and develops master-planned residential lifestyle communities across Texas and California. It invests in horizontal infrastructure, signature amenities (lagoons, lazy rivers, organic farms, trail systems), and lifestyle programming, then sells finished residential lots to select homebuilder partners (American Legend Homes, Bloomfield Homes, Highland Homes, Perry Homes, Westfield Homes, Huntington Homes) who build and sell homes to consumers. The company also co-develops select luxury communities and partners with capital investors to fund large-scale projects.
Is Tellus Group a public or private company?
Tellus Group is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Tellus Group founded?
Tellus Group was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tellus Group based?
Tellus Group is headquartered in Prosper, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tellus Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Lot Sales to Homebuilders are the primary driver. The others are co-Development Revenue and community Development at Build-Out.
Who are Tellus Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hillwood Communities, Centurion American Development Group, Provident Realty Advisors, Five Point Holdings, Republic Property Group and The New Home Company (Tri Pointe Homes). Broad incumbents are Toll Brothers, Shea Homes and Forest City Enterprises (now Brookfield). Terra Verde Group is listed as an others.
Does Tellus Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tellus Group.
What industry is Tellus Group in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAHAD, Master-Planned Community & POA Management, with a secondary code of BPAJAHAM, Association Maintenance, Vendor & Capital Project Management. Its NAICS code is 54132 and its SIC code is 7340.