By Joshua Burd
AST Development, a boutique developer and financing firm based in Lavallette, has rebranded as part of its shift to a fully integrated real estate platform.
The company, now known simply as AST, said it will align its ground-up development and value-add capabilities with its two subsidiaries, AST Financial and AST Realty. The new identity will reflect both its in-house capabilities and the services it offers to third parties, drawing on decades of industry experience.
AST has also launched a new website to showcase its full offerings.
“We have been guided by an unwavering commitment to bringing transformative development projects to local communities for over 35 years,” said Robert J. D’Anton, founder and president of AST. “While the development and acquisition of commercial real estate for our own portfolio will always be the core of our work, our ongoing diversification has enabled us to better leverage our experience to help our partners find success as well. Through our new identity, we are now able to unite all our services under one umbrella and better capitalize on value creation opportunities in an increasingly complex commercial real estate marketplace.”
The firm, which is independently owned, said its development arm is focused on opportunistic ground-up development and acquisition opportunities throughout the Northeast and Southeast. It has been responsible for more than $1 billion in development and investment activity across several asset classes, taking what it described as a collaborative approach with municipalities and community leaders.
The company launched AST Financial in 2015, offering a lending platform that extends construction and bridge financing, along with preferred equity, through direct-to-lender capital programs developed by builders for builders, according to a news release. Since its inception, it has provided more than $250 million in financing to help builders bring their projects to life.
AST Realty, meantime, works in conjunction with the lending platform and provides residential brokerage services. The firm offers the service in part by drawing from its on-the-ground experience in its target markets.
“Our expertise in development, finance and realty has enabled us to serve as a trusted real estate partner for some of the most successful transformative projects in the region,” said Shane Soranno, a director at AST. “We look forward to building upon our success as we enter into this exciting next phase of our company’s growth.”
