By Joshua Burd
Keystone Property Group has elevated a longtime executive to the role of president and chief operating officer, the development and investment firm said this week.
Richard S. Gottlieb, who previously served as senior vice president and operating partner, assumes the role effective immediately and will oversee all of the firm’s operations, including development, management and leasing for the firm’s 10 million-square-foot portfolio. That includes about 1.7 million square feet in New Jersey.
Gottlieb will report directly to Bill Glazer, the Conschocken, Pennsylvania-based company’s former president and CEO, according to a news release. Glazer will retain his role as CEO and focus on honing Keystone’s long-term strategic vision and pursuing opportunities with institutional capital providers.
“For more than a decade, Rich has leveraged his extensive knowledge of the local market and strong leadership skills to improve every facet of our organization, and he’s been extremely successful at helping solidify Keystone as the premier mixed-use developer in the region,” Glazer said in a prepared statement. “As I focus more heavily on our strategic vision and capital growth, there is no-one better suited than Rich to oversee and direct the day-to-day operations of our organization and ensure that we continue to expand the scope and scale of our portfolio.
“With his appointment, we are positioned ideally to accelerate our momentum of creating dynamic, multi-faceted commercial properties where the most innovative companies of today and tomorrow can thrive.”
Gottlieb has been a key member of Keystone’s management team since joining in 2005, the news release said. Since then, the firm has expanded its holdings of commercial properties in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, while implementing significant capital improvements to improve the work environments and amenities at the buildings.
Before joining Keystone Property Group, Gottlieb served as a senior vice president at Stoltz Management Co. and previously held roles at Prentiss Properties Trust and Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust. He holds an MBA in real estate and urban land studies from Temple University and a B.S. in marketing and accounting from Drexel University.
“The world is evolving rapidly, and we’re increasingly seeing companies seek workspaces that reflect the social and technological shifts that they experience in their daily lives,” Gottlieb said. “Under Bill’s leadership, Keystone has created a portfolio of mixed-use properties across major markets along the East Coast that feature our unique stamp of best-in-class technology and collaborative culture.”
“There’s a great need for these sorts of transit-oriented environments in both downtown areas and beyond the city limits, and I’m eager to contribute to developing these properties for years to come.”
Gottlieb is a board member at the Greater Philadelphia chapter of NAIOP, vice chairman of the City Avenue Special Services District and a member of Drexel University’s Real Estate Advisory Board.