Milton V. Peterson is the Principal and Founder of The Peterson Companies, one of the largest privately held real estate development companies in the Washington region. Over the past forty years the Petersons have built a family company with a reputation based on integrity and vision which is known for developing high-quality, well-designed, cutting-edge properties specializing in large, mixed-use developments. Since the Peterson Companies does residential, office, retail, industrial and land development, it is well suited to do complicated, large, mixed-use developments, as it has, in-house, all of the disciplines required. The company has developed, acquired, managed and leased more than 35,000 residential units, approximately 10 million square feet of retail, hotel and office space throughout 11 jurisdictions in Virginia and Maryland. Presently Peterson Management Companies manages 8 million sq ft of retail and office space in the region.
Mr. Peterson is nationally recognized as an industry leader for state-of-the-art community real estate development. The Peterson Companies’ developments have earned honors and recognition both locally and nationally and received awards such as: Developer of the Year; The Distinguished Design Award; The Most Outstanding Project Conservation Award; The Pillars of the Industry Award and a host of others in the areas of planning, custom design, conservation, development and marketing. In 1995 he was recognized as the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce’s “Man of the Year”. The Urban Land Institute honored Mr. Peterson in 2003 with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the real estate industry, and in 2006 he received the Trendsetter of the Year Award at the Washington TrendLines Event.
Mr. Peterson began his career with Arlington, Virginia developer, Stephen Yeonas in 1959. In his first year in real estate he was one of 6 that made the “Million Dollar Sales Club” in the Metropolitan area. Mr. Peterson parted with Yeonas Development in 1965 to start his own residential development company. He became one of the two principals of the Hazel/Peterson Companies which developed such early projects as Burke Center, Franklin Farms and Tysons/McLean. He later formed the present The Peterson Companies which has developed a variety of mixed-use projects such as Fair Lakes, Virginia Oaks, Washingtonian Center, Fairfax Corner and the Downtown Silver Spring revitalization.
The Peterson Companies are committed to developing mixed-use properties providing excellence and emphasizing an intelligent combination of housing, employment, shopping and recreation. The newest signature property under development is National Harbor. Located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, this “Jewel on the Potomac” is designed to create a unique waterfront for the Washington region. Spreading over 350 acres of shoreline, with a mile and a quarter of Potomac Riverfront, the first phase opened in 2008 and includes Gaylord National, the largest Hotel/Convention Center on the east coast with 2000 rooms and 500,000 sq ft of meeting space; 425 condos; 8 restaurants; 350,000 sq ft of retail; 140,000 sq ft of office – a virtual city. At build- out, National Harbor will contain in excess of 10 million sq ft. It enjoys perfect access, as it has two full interchanges with I95 and 495, Washington’s Beltway. Construction of major piers and bulkheads has created National Harbor, Washington’s new waterfront. Complete with water taxis and dinner cruises, the waterfront is served by both commercial and recreational piers.
Mr. Peterson also utilizes his experience and talents for the benefit of the community. Over the years he has served on the Board of Directors of numerous financial, community, business and educational organizations. He served over 16 years under four governors on the Governor’s Economic Advisory Board. He also chaired and served eight years locally on the Fairfax Economic Development Authority. Mr. Peterson served on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Middlebury College, for 24 years and as Chairman for five years. During this time he was instrumental in raising significant funds for revitalization of the staff and campus, including new athletic and science facilities. He remains an Emeritus Member of the Board of Trustees. He has also been involved in significant fundraising for the United Methodist Church Board of Missions whose fundraising efforts raised in excess of $22 million and created over fifteen new churches and congregations in the metropolitan and greater Virginia area. In addition, in 1999 the Peterson family formed a family foundation, primarily supporting health services, education and human services in the areas where they live and work, both locally and internationally. This Foundation, with Inova Health System, serves as a primary supporter of Life with Cancer’s newly created Family Center, the Peterson family’s philanthropic jewel. Milt and his wife, Carolyn, received the George Mason Medal at graduation in 2008 in recognition of their civic and philanthropic donations to the college.
Mr. Peterson is an ROTC graduate of Middlebury College in Vermont with a B.A. in Economics. He also served in the military as a lieutenant with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. A native of Massachusetts, he has made his home in Fairfax County, Virginia, for over fifty years. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Carolyn (Skyllberg) Peterson, and is the proud father of four children, all of whom help manage The Peterson Companies.
|
|
