Crescent Communities Celebrates 60 Years Of Excellence Without Exception

Since its founding in 1963, Crescent Communities has stood the test of time and undergone many strategic evolutions, allowing it to become the thriving real estate authority that it is today. What started as Crescent Land and Timber within Duke Energy’s forestry department was later renamed to Crescent Resources in 1989, with a focus on residential master planned communities, and assumed the current name,  Crescent Communities, in 2013. 

Now a nationally recognized, market-leading real estate investor, developer and operator of mixed-use communities, Crescent Communities has become known across the industry for creating high-quality, differentiated multifamily and commercial offerings in some of the fastest growing markets in the United States. The organization covers 16 high growth markets across the Sun Belt and has nine offices including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, DC, Nashville, Orlando, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Brian Natwick, Chairman and CEO of Crescent Communities, is optimistic about the expansion and diversification of the enterprise and what’s on the horizon. 

“Our organization has experienced outstanding growth and evolution over the past 60 years, and this next chapter brings exciting new opportunities for our business,” said Natwick. “Change is a constant in the real estate industry. We have built a first-class team of talented colleagues that bring unparalleled expertise and knowledge to the table. This not only sets Crescent Communities apart, but also sets us up for long-term sustainable success.”

Crescent Communities’ core business has evolved over the years and currently focuses on the high growth real estate sectors, specializing not only in development and construction, but also in operations and investments. Its development portfolio alone includes more than 83 multifamily communities, 24 million square feet of commercial space, and 60 legacy single-family master-planned communities. The organization’s multifamily communities are branded NOVEL, RENDER, and HARMON by Crescent Communities, industrial developments are branded AXIAL by Crescent Communities, and life science developments are branded THE YIELD by Crescent Communities.

“When our business first began, the primary focus was on creating one-of-a-kind residential master-planned communities,” said Natwick. “Since then, we have become a nationally recognized, Top 25 multifamily developer and have expanded into all arenas of the real estate industry. Our most recent debuts include single-family build-to-rent (BTR) and suburban multifamily offerings as well as our life science and industrial brands, which have already seen tremendous success and synergies. As we look to this year and beyond, we are confident that Crescent Communities will continue to build upon this momentum across all business lines.” 

In addition to these milestones, Crescent Communities also places a heavy emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, company culture, and environmental stewardship, which will continue to be paramount as the company grows. The organization has also long encouraged its colleagues to embody the value statement, “Do What’s Right,” and prioritizes this through building a diverse team and fostering a company culture that values diverse perspectives, encourages engagement, and fuels strong business results. Current sustainability initiatives include partnering with community organizations like Trees for a Key and Habitat for Humanity, pursuing green building certifications such as LEED, WELL, and Fitwel, and measuring Crescent Communities’ own impact on energy usage across the portfolio. 

“In our line of business, we have a tremendous opportunity to be innovative, reduce our environmental impacts and build community, not only in the sense of ‘sticks and bricks’ but also in the form of human connections,” said Natwick. “We are building communities with an eye to the future and that will remain relevant over time as high-performing, energy-efficient spaces that support the health of the environment and simultaneously encourage physical and mental health and wellbeing.”

For Natwick, who first joined the Crescent Communities team nearly two decades ago, watching Crescent Communities’ evolution and collective accomplishments is incredibly rewarding. 

“We are thankful for the over 189 associates and previous leadership, including former CEOs Art Fields and Todd Mansfield, who have served this organization and look forward to a bright future for Crescent Communities,” said Natwick. “Our team is energized and ready to take on the next 60 years, with more exciting milestones to come.”