Our Roots

Columnar was founded in 2009 by Daniel A. Traylor and family to take advantage of the precipitous slide in national residential real estate markets. Since that time the company has made more than 20 distinct residential land investments in Florida and North Carolina delivering superior risk-adjusted returns along the way. Based on early success and a rapidly growing capital base, Columnar will continue to expand its reach throughout the southeast.

Columnar relies on locally based managers with long-established presence in target geographic markets to source best-in-class opportunities. Columnar taps both traditional and non-traditional channels to uncover the most unique off-market transactions.

Columnar prides itself on staying in front of local development trends and fostering relationships that lead to uncommon opportunities. Critical to past and future success, Columnar maintains an excellent reputation for contract performance.

Columnar is committed to maintaining a robust local presence in its target markets, and accordingly, will devote the resources necessary to generate investment opportunities, effectively plan and develop communities, and efficiently execute land dispositions.

Daniel Traylor

Principal

Daniel spent the early stages of his career in project management and engineering in both the building and heavy civil construction industries before returning to business school in 2005. In 2006 he launched a career in real estate finance gathering experience as a commercial mortgage broker, an analyst for a commercial debt REIT, and an associate underwriting and managing residential real estate acquisitions for SunCal, a privately owned developer based in Southern California. Daniel founded Columnar in 2009. Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University (1999); Masters in Business Administration from H.E.C. Paris, Grande Ecole, (2006).

Sean Froelich

FL Division Partner

Sean has been in the real estate development and construction fields for over eighteen years in the Central Florida market. During this time, he has managed the acquisition, entitlement, development and construction of over 20,000 lots, covering a broad spectrum of land development projects including single-family, resorts, condominiums, and neighborhood commercial centers. Prior to joining Columnar, Sean was the President of Park Square Land, one of the largest privately-held developers in Florida. Sean’s scope of experience spans seven counties throughout Florida, concentrated in the Orlando and Tampa markets, where he has earned a reputation as a top tier land developer. B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida in 1996.

Joseph Lassiter

NC Division Partner

Joseph has operated as a Raleigh-based real estate developer, investor, and property manager since 1987 primarily through operation of the Pinellas Corporation. During the late 80s through the mid 90s, Pinellas developed several residential subdivisions in the Raleigh area before turning its focus to the acquisition of commercial investment properties in the mid 90s. Prior to Pinellas Corporation, Joseph was involved in the development of over 2,000 dwelling units and entitled 3,400 acres of land in partnership with ITT/Paul N. Howard Corporation and Southern Properties, Inc. With contacts and operations from Charleston, SC to Wilmington, NC and as far west as Charlotte, Mr. Lassiter has a long established regional reputation of excellence in real estate investing and development. B.S. in Business Administration from Atlantic Christian College in 1982.

Our Team