Proven Success – Strength in Diversity
For more than 35 years, Matrix Development Group has consistently maintained its position as one of the Northeast’s most respected real estate investment and development firms. The company’s unyielding dedication to integrity, excellence, and innovation has earned Matrix the respect of its clients, municipal and regional government officials, and corporate leaders.
Matrix opened for business to untap the development potential of the area surrounding Exit 8A of the New Jersey Turnpike which was in its nascent stages: commercial development was virtually nonexistent and industrial activity was minimal. Initially, representing over 2,000 acres of raw land, Matrix emerged as one of the largest mixed-use developers in the central New Jersey area, and one of the first companies with the vision to harvest the tremendous potential of Exit 8A.
In the early years, Exit 8A provided Matrix with a firm foundation and the resources, experience, and reputation to seek further growth opportunities through geographic and business diversification. Matrix quickly expanded its commercial and industrial development base throughout New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. Along with the company’s growth, came numerous awards and recognition of the firm as one of the most successful and trail-blazing private real estate investment and development firms in the Northeast. Over the years, Matrix has prosecuted more than 40 million square feet of some of our region’s most exciting industrial developments and more than of 5.0 million square feet of office. Matrix also expanded its portfolio beyond its commercial and industrial suburban investments to include mixed-use urban initiatives, and added business lines such as Matrix Residential Properties, Matrix Golf & Hospitality, Matrix Construction and Matrix Asset Management.
The diversification of the company from its commercial and industrial roots has proven successful for Matrix. The additional business lines provide Matrix with the ability to weather shifts in the regional and national economies. In turn, each of the business lines have thrived independently: in recent years, Matrix Residential Properties has prosecuted the development of numerous communities and thousands of residential homes; Matrix Asset Management has partnered with Morgan Stanley for the acquisition and management of more than 30 million square feet of industrial properties; and Matrix Golf & Hospitality has grown into an operating company that owns and operates three properties in the region.
Leading Matrix’s growth is Joseph S. Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, alongside Donald M. Epstein, Executive Vice President and CFO, and a talented team of partners working together. Through the years, this team has pursued exemplary development initiatives in exceptional locations, conducted client transactions with the highest standards of integrity and honesty, and maintained a continuing commitment to the communities with which it conducts business. As a result, Matrix has established itself as the region’s leading full-service real estate investment and development firm. Guided by sound principles and strengthened by the solid relationships it enjoys with its business and community partners, Matrix looks to the future with great optimism.
In the years ahead, real estate will present new challenges and demand an even broader range of specialized skills. Creative thinking, flexibility and a solutions-oriented approach will be the keys to success. At Matrix, our team includes outstanding professionals with the judgement and experience necessary to navigate the challenges in real estate today – and tomorrow.
JOSEPH S. TAYLOR – PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Mr. Taylor joined Matrix Development Group in 1981 at the age of twenty-four. He is responsible for growing Matrix from a sole investment in New Jersey – CenterPoint at 8A, an 1800-acre assemblage of commercial, industrial and residential properties – into one of the most successful full-service real estate investment companies in the industry. Under Mr. Taylor’s leadership as President and CEO, the company strategically expanded its geographic reach throughout New Jersey and into New York and Pennsylvania, as well as its business base to include a full service construction firm and a golf and hospitality company. Over the years, the Company has developed more than 20 million square feet of commercial, industrial and residential properties. Mr. Taylor has received countless awards and recognition on behalf of Matrix for his leadership in the industry, charitable efforts as well as quality business practices. Some of Mr. Taylor’s professional affiliations and charitable involvements include: Board Chair, Hands Together; Chairman Emeritus, State of New Jersey’s Real Estate Advisory Board; Chairman Emeritus, Board, NCCJ-NJ National Association of Community & Justice; and Chairman Emeritus, Board of Trustee and Executive Committee, NAIOP NJ and National- National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, to name a few.
Recently, Mr. Taylor has received the following designations and awards: Lifetime Achievement Award – NJ-NAIOP, Person of the Year – Business News NJ, Person of the Year – NCCJ, National Developer of the Year – NAIOP, Business Leader of the Year – Alliance for Action, and Outstanding Service Award – NAIOP National, and most recently, the 2012 Leadership Excellence Award from Monmouth University’s Real Estate Institute.
Mr. Taylor has spent his life giving back to the communities in which he works or with the multiple non profit efforts he supports. Whether it is in his support of the poor and less fortunate, providing computers to a local educational non-profit, being a founding supporter of various hospitals or shaping Matrix’s community support efforts through the Matrix Foundation, Mr. Taylor has led his life striving to make a difference.
DONALD M. EPSTEIN – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Mr. Epstein joined Matrix Development Group in 1988 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. At that time, Mr. Epstein became a principal in the firm and assumed the additional responsibilities of Asset Manager for the firm’s holdings. He has played an integral role in the expansion and capitalization/financing of the Matrix portfolio and the company’s evolution from primarily developing real estate at Exit 8A market in New Jersey into a full-service real estate investment firm active in the commercial, industrial, urban, residential, and golf and hospitality markets throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. As a result of the company’s expansion and diversification, Matrix has become widely recognized as an industry leader in the Northeast marketplace, having developed in excess of 40 million square feet. Mr. Epstein, in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is charged with overseeing all financial, accounting, property management and leasing operations of the firm.
Prior to joining Matrix, Mr. Epstein was with Ernst & Young, serving in various capacities in the firm’s real estate, international and SEC client groups as Senior Manager. Mr. Epstein is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Epstein has been a leader within the real estate community as well as his religious community. He has received numerous awards for his commitment to his Jewish heritage. What follows is a sampling of some of his professional and charitable affiliations.
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
- New York Society of Certified Public Accountants
- Financial Executive Institute
- Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County, Chairman of the Board of Governors
- Jewish Community Center of America, National Board Member Center for Creative Change (Moment Magazine) – Chairman
- Board Member on various other charitable and philanthropic agencies