John Gunderson, Eric Johnson and Scott Jenkins began their real estate careers at Daniel Corp., a Birmingham-based firm known for developing office, multifamily, hospitality, medical and retail properties.
As the company grew, it became clear that Daniel Corp. was managing two very different types of businesses — commercial and master-planned residential communities. The realization led Gunderson in 2016 to launch Daniel Communities as an independent company that specializes in creating private club residential communities with lots of amenities.
“You know the adage that sometimes you’re stronger apart? I think that’s where we ended up, [with] each side focusing on what they did best and having the right leadership in place for both groups to structure and capitalize their businesses differently, because they were different at their core. And the rest,” Johnson says, “I guess, is history.”
As president of Daniel Communities, a position he has held since 2022, Johnson oversees all aspects of the company’s day-to-day operations, its more than 1,000 employees and its current strategic direction. Together, Johnson, Gunderson, the company’s CEO, and Jenkins, the CFO, have played pivotal roles in establishing the company’s reputation for developing and operating luxury resorts and private club communities.
“Our mission is to be one of the leading real estate developers and operators of luxury resorts and highly amenitized private club communities,” Johnson explains. “And we have found ourselves moving away from the traditional, high-density, master-planned community model to focus on the growing high-end secondary home market.”
Reynolds Lake Oconee is their flagship development, a project that took root in 2012 when Daniel Corp. coordinated the acquisition of 12,000 acres on behalf of MetLife. Nestled along 374 miles of Lake Oconee’s forested shoreline, the property is home to more than 3,800 resident families and includes the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds resort, seven championship golf courses, eight club campuses, five marinas and several restaurants. An additional 6,000 acres are on deck for future development opportunities.
“Our focus is finding those locations that are highly sought after, that really create a connection between people and the land and provide a memorable experience,” says Johnson. “Our company is structured around finding exceptional locations and creating communities that not only thrive financially long-term, but also become lasting landmarks that enhance the greater community and improve the lives of those who experience them.”
The company’s High Hampton property in Cashiers, North Carolina, is a prime example. The 1,100-acre mountain retreat was owned and operated by the McKee family for 95 years before Daniel Communities orchestrated the acquisition between the McKee family and Birmingham-based Arlington Family Offices in 2017. The team worked with golf course architect Tom Fazio to completely renovate the golf course and added amenities and private real estate offerings. They also restored the property’s historic 1922 inn. Today, Daniel Communities manages the golf and club operations and continues to develop plans for further enhancing the property.
“[High Hampton] was special,” Johnson says. “It helped us set the tone for how to build that high-end, exclusive mountain community. It really gained us a lot of favor, not just in Birmingham, but throughout the Southeast.” He adds that a lot of people from Birmingham and the surrounding area seek that part of North Carolina to escape the summer heat.
“We structure ourselves to create, execute and operate,” says Johnson, and he thinks that’s a big part of what sets Daniel Communities apart from other developers. “There are a lot of people out there that will go buy dirt, create something and turn it over to somebody else.”
Attention to detail is another of Daniel Communities’ chief assets, says Johnson, pointing to a new project the company is currently working on. “We draw and redraw and argue the littlest things: ‘Should the road go in front of a lot or behind the lot? Should the amenities be here or 10 feet that way?’” But, he adds, that kind of effort pays off, even if the prospective buyer can’t quite put their finger on what makes them prefer a Daniel Communities property over the one down the street. “When you walk on one of our properties, we hope you think it just feels right.”
One thing people won’t find at Daniel Communities is a set template. The company’s portfolio includes club and resort, residential and senior living properties in multiple states throughout the Southeast, and each is unique. And while replication may be a more efficient business model, it doesn’t have a place in Daniel Communities’ mission.
“When you discover a truly special piece of land, you have to listen to the story it wants to tell,” says Johnson.
Johnson emphasizes that honoring the vision of the previous landowners is equally important to the development process, and Daniel Communities takes that responsibility seriously.
“If you don’t respect the history and essence of the land, it often falls short, both in terms of value and the experience. We specialize in taking on projects that are complex and irreplaceable. That’s not something you often see in the marketplace.”
To illustrate the point, Johnson notes that members of the families who previously owned the Reynolds Lake Oconee and High Hampton properties are regularly seen on site enjoying the new amenities. “That’s how you know you did it right.”
When Alabama Power sought to develop some of its company-owned land and build connectivity between lakeside properties throughout Alabama, they partnered with Daniel Communities. The Kennebec and Talisi Cove developments at Lake Martin and the Mills Creek development at Smith Lake were three initial projects that are part of a larger project known as LakeTown.
Daniel Communities has two projects currently underway: a new 58-lot subdivision near Cashiers Lake in North Carolina and a 600-acre, 69-home community called Wyelea on the West Harpeth River in Franklin, Tennessee. Both will start development this fall.
And there’s more, but Johnson isn’t ready to fully reveal details.
“We are in the pre-development stages of a new project. While it’s too soon to share specifics, the vision is to create a coastal retreat that is in balance with the land and celebrates the cultural traditions of the Lowcountry with highly specialized, private amenities.”
Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
This article appears in the November 2024 issue of Business Alabama.
