Kettler names president of development

McLean-based real estate development and property management company Kettler announced on Monday that James Nozar has joined the firm as its president of development.

Nozar, who has about 20 years of experience as an industry executive, was most recently chief development officer at Method Co. Before that, he was CEO of East+Main, a Massachusetts-based real estate advisory services company, and founding CEO of Tampa, Florida-based Strategic Property Partners, where he spearheaded the initial development phase for Water Street Tampa, a $4 billion, 56-acre waterfront neighborhood.

At Kettler, Nozar will lead development efforts of the Gasworx project in Tampa. Kettler broke ground on the multiphase project in 2023. Axios reports that Kettler and Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw have invested more than $500 million in the project, which will add 5,000 residences, 500,000 square feet of office space and 140,000 square feet of retail to Tampa.

Situated at the edge of Ybor City, Kettler describes the project as “one of [the] most ambitious urban redevelopments in America.” Nozar will also oversee planned future projects in Orlando and St. Petersburg.

“Kettler’s vision and commitment to building communities that blend history, culture and innovation deeply resonate with me,” said Nozar in a statement. “Gasworx represents an opportunity to once again shape Tampa’s urban fabric in meaningful ways. I look forward to working with the team and local stakeholders to execute this vision as well as future Kettler developments nationwide.”’

Kettler founder and CEO Bob Kettler said in a statement that Nozar’s background and “deep industry connections” will aid Kettler in developing communities.

Kettler is focused on expanding its presence in high-growth markets like Florida, said company President Cindy Fisher, and Nozar “brings a proven track record of executing transformative projects. His knowledge of the real estate landscape, combined with his ability to deliver results, will help drive growth and revenue across our portfolio while ensuring Gasworx becomes a landmark destination.”

Founded in 1977 and headquartered in McLean, Kettler is a vertically integrated, mixed-use and multifamily-focused investment firm, real estate and land developer and property management company. Kettler has developed over 25,000 multifamily units, 8 million square feet of commercial space, more than 78,000 homes and many of the D.C. region’s mixed-use communities. The company also manages approximately 30,000 apartments in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.