About Our Firm

Headquartered in Lakeland, FL, Blue Steel Development (BSD) is a privately held, commercial real estate development firm specializing in build-to-suit and speculative industrial projects.

Blue Steel Development is a privately held national real estate development firm led by an executive team with a proven track record of industrial development, leasing and sales transactions across the United States. Headquartered in Central Florida’s I-4 manufacturing and distribution corridor, BSD has built a reputation for delivering best-in-class facilities to a client base that includes multiple Fortune 500 companies among its repeat customers. With deep roots in both development and construction, our team is equipped to manage every phase of the project lifecycle, including:


  • Pre-construction services
  • Construction management
  • Design and build
  • General contracting
  • Site development

Our Mission

When you work with BSD you see progress from the start. You’re not relying on a series of vendors to provide answers or waiting on what is often a lengthy back-and-forth process between outside parties to see progress. We move swiftly, eliminating all of the extra layers that are typically involved with other developers.

As a result, our clients realize significant savings in both time and money as resources are leveraged to complete projects expeditiously. We have worked with several Fortune 500 clients including FedEx Freight, The Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Ikea.


Our Team

With more than 60 years of experience serving clients nationwide, our team is dedicated to help our clients and our community. 

Howard Bayless

Founding Principal | Chief Executive Officer

Austin Jones

Founding Principal | President

Ryan Vaught

Principal | Chief Investment Officer

Curt Barquin

Chief Financial Officer

Matt Hubert

Executive Vice President | Investments

John Smith

Director of Operations

Leslie Raysin

Asset Management

Justin Bolding

Construction Manager

Martha Cronk

Accounting

Aida Maxell

Executive Assistant

Stephen Arian

Legal Counsel

Nora Martinez

Paralegal