Helping You Complete Your Property Development Projects
FirstStar Development offers fully integrated real-estate services “vision to completion”. Sculptured from over 20 years of hands on experience working with Investors, Planners and Engineers provide fertile ground for success on your project. Knowledge and Experience create good decisions at the start of the project where the impact is the greatest. “Production plus Quality equal Profits.”
Stephen R. Cissel Professional Bio
Through a career as a top executive at major real estate companies, Stephen R. Cissel has gained a regional and statewide reputation for his work in land development and production management in large-scale residential and commercial real estate projects. Prior to starting FirstStar Development, a Development Management Company and Real Estate Brokerage Company, he founded TDG Construction, State Certified General Contractors that handled the development management for the Development Group in Jacksonville, Florida a developer of “High End” multi-family projects. He as a driving force in the first ten years of The Development Groups start-up in the multi-family/commercial developments, handling site evaluations to complete turn-key packaging of the due diligent process from Acquisition and Development Loan to the Investor Sale of the completed project.
Cissel is known for his diligence and tenacity. His understanding of income properties and land development give empowerment to feasibility for development. His history of product sales brings to any development team a realm of experiences. Recognized as a tough negotiator for production contracts that brings value to the proforma from the first day on the job. Cissel’s contract administration process clarifies and insures containment of liability along with expert in conflict resolution to get the job done without incident. Utilizing a talent for engineering and architectural details coupled with production and long term maintenance goals in focus, has made Cissel a team player in the development process. “Production plus Quality equals Profits.”
Cissel served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales of the Deltona Corporation in Miami, Florida where his responsibilities included the six communities known as the Three Seasons Corporation which consisted of 100,000 acres of Florida real estate from St. Augustine to Pensacola South to Marco Island. Cissel dramatically broaden the Deltona’s marketing product development and the introduction of the “third party endorsement” in a joint agreement with Owens-Corning Corporation in the exclusive usage of the Pink Panther in Florida as a marketing icon for energy efficient homes that were computer modeled for operating cost.
Cissel’s roots are deep in the real estate business in Florida. He started his professional career working for Stockton Whatley Davin & Company out of college, handling Construction Management responsibilities for construction of several buildings on the oceanfront at the Ponte Vedra Club as well as several projects throughout the states of Florida and Georgia. During his tenure at SWD his responsibilities included the workouts for distressed development in South Florida and St. Mary’s, Georgia. Cissel introduced “PC” automated formatting, along with analysis for production management. Cissel’s work under the guidance of the Legal Department and Executive Board of Directors led to many successful resolutions of loan pay-back.
Cissel begin his land infrastructure and road development career with Dickerson Incorporated of Monroe, North Carolina, where he was involved in the development of Johns Island Golf Course in Vero Beach, Florida and Sawgrass Golf Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. This experience allowed him to attend the University of Florida as an Industry Scholar and under a work/study grant handling several projects during his college years. Cissel graduated from the College of Architecture as Bachelor of Building Construction receiving his license as a State Certified General Contractor.