Jeffrey Smetana
Chief Development Officer
United Development Corp.
Real Estate Development
Commercial development is at the core of what we’ve done for the past 50+ years. That longevity, coupled with our innovations in the industry, track record of successful projects, and vertical integration with construction, finance, and operations are what keep us at the forefront in commercial development across the United States.
Development Team
Jeffrey Smetana
Chief Development Officer
Jeff has over 38-years of experience in real estate development, construction, property management, finance and accounting, including new development and acquisition of deals encompassing over 5 million square feet, with $900 million in projects costs and $700 million in financing. His work has included multi-family, senior housing, student housing, mixed use and commercial projects involving diverse forms of financing including conventional, tax-exempt, various tax credit programs and a variety of equity structures.
At United, Jeff is responsibly for all phases of project development, including opportunity assessment, planning, entitlements, design development, financial modeling, construction budgeting, project management and construction and permanent financing.
Jeff has a Masters Degree in Accounting from the University at Albany and a BS in Economics from SUNY Oneonta. He worked previously as a certified public accountant for Ernst & Young.
Tim Haskins
Vice President of Development
Tim Haskins has over 35 years in engineering, construction and real estate development, and serves as the Developer of multiple projects and is responsible for managing all phases of project development.
During his term with UGOC, Tim has managed the development and construction of over 1,700 residential units and nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of projects consisting of three independent senior apartment communities in upstate New York with a combined 436 units at a cost of $62.7 million dollars, four student housing projects with over 650 beds and 17,000+ sf of retail space, at a cost of $65.6 million dollars and in Florida, five senior independent living apartment communities totaling 908 apartments at a cost of $263.3 million dollars and a 108 unit multifamily community at a cost of $27.3 million dollars. Tim is currently managing the development of over $300 million in senior and multifamily projects in New York, Florida, and North Carolina.
Previously, Tim was General Manager of Earth Alliance of Saratoga, a paper mill waste recycling facility, Director of Regulatory Affairs and Special Projects for Emsig Manufacturing Corp. and Production Manager/Plant Engineer for Universal Medical Instruments.
Karen A. Schlederer
Vice President, Development Services
As Vice President of Development Services, Karen serves as a senior member of the management team. She is an integral part of the development and finance division and has been a dedicated professional since joining United Group in 1998. During her tenure, Karen has held a variety of positions ranging from administration to property management. Karen currently represents the development and finance division in development-related activities for new business and ensures internal systems and guidelines are executed to optimize the effectiveness of each team. She is responsible for ensuring that the development and finance divisions are focused, productive, and achieving United Group’s desired outcomes for performance. Karen is also responsible for due diligence efforts associated with loan applications and refinancing efforts, and facilitates and expedites loan closings to ensure banking requirements are met. Karen has participated in the development and management of over 6,500 apartments and financing in excess of $775 million of real estate-related transactions; including the use of taxable and tax-exempt structures and conventional mortgages. Karen holds an Associate of Applied Science degree from Endicott College.
Clay Decker
Director of Acquisitions + Development
As Director of Acquisitions + Development, Clay is responsible for advancing the company’s interests in property acquisition, which will engage the full capabilities of United Group. These efforts create opportunities to refurbish, reposition, and improve underperforming assets along with pursuing additional new ground-up development projects in various markets. Clay supports other development projects in the capacity of preparation of sophisticated cash flow analyses, proformas, development valuation, valuation modeling, joint ventures, and complex financing for a broad range of real estate products and transactions.
Clay was formerly United Group’s Senior Financial Analysist. In that role, he was responsible for the underwriting of each project. This entails incorporating and communicating all development costs, debt financing, operating revenues, and expenses along with Investor returns. The Analyst role worked closely with the Development, Finance and Operation teams to ensure accurate modeling and forecasting of each development deal.
Clay worked as a Senior Financial Analyst for Cushman & Wakefield where he provided underwriting and analysis to assess alternatives, optimize deal structures and delivers detailed cash and accounting metrics associated with proposed transactions including the new lease accounting rules.
Clay began his career at State Street Bank within the Investment Services division overseeing the day-to-day functions across multiple funds. He joined the Global Real Estate group as a Business Analyst where he worked on a global corporate real estate portfolio comprising 7.5M SF across 23 countries and 84 properties. As part of the Global Real Estate group, Clay was responsible for the market, demographic, economic and geographical information used to develop portfolio and transaction strategies. He was promoted to Assistant Vice President where he managed the analytics teams responsible for measurement, monitoring and reporting of the key performance metrics for the global real estate portfolio.
Clay earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics, State University of New York at Albany.
Patricia Sibilia
MCM Securities Administration Specialist
Patricia joined The United Group of Companies in March 2019 as an Administrative Assistant. Her job entails supporting all aspects of development, from opportunity assessments through to financial closings, including coordination with third party professionals, municipalities, industry organizations and regulatory agencies. Her work has included grant writing, market research, preparation of regulatory documents, and finance support, as well as administrative duties including calendaring and travel arrangements and coordination of sponsorships and corporate giving.
Patricia is a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP®). She had a successful 30-year career on Wall Street that included senior roles in technology, operational processing and efficiency and global business strategy, which also included owning a consulting firm for 10 years. Patricia also holds leadership positions in volunteer and civic organizations.
Kaitlyn Robinson
Construction Project Specialist
As Construction and Development Coordinator, Kaitlyn aids in all aspects of the construction and development process. Kaitlyn works specifically on expense reporting and tracking, travel arrangements, vendor relations and coordination, and took the lead on the Arcadia Gardens community garden and dog park completion. She has been involved in many large-scale projects that include Sovana at Stuart, Alloro at University Groves and Arcadia Gardens.
Kaitlyn began working at United Group in 2021 after spending over seven years in sales.
Katie Zilka
Dev. & Finance Specialist
As Development and Finance Project Specialist, Katie is responsible for supporting both the real estate development and finance functions of United Group. In this hybrid role, she assists with financial modeling, capital structuring, investor relations, and equity raising for new ground-up projects and acquisitions. Katie works closely with United Group’s development and construction teams, contributing to site identification, due diligence, entitlement processes, and conceptual planning. She also helps coordinate with legal counsel, accountants, and internal leadership to ensure accuracy and compliance in private placement memorandums and other investor materials.
Prior to joining United Group, Katie held dual roles at Stuart Development in Salt Lake City as Marketing Director and Real Estate Development & Asset Manager. In these positions, she oversaw marketing operations and investor communications for $520M AUM, structured and delivered offering memorandums and investment presentations for $114M of private investor capital, and managed a $600M real estate development project. She directed client and government relations, coordinated architectural design and contracts, and secured $200M in financial backing through private funding and legislative support. Her efforts also drove over $2M in new revenue through organizational restructuring.
Katie holds an MBA from Siena College and a Master of Studies in Law with a concentration in Business Law from the University of Southern California. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Strategic Communications from Siena College, where she competed as an NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse athlete, and was also a member of the NCAA Division I Alpine Ski Team at Saint Michael’s College. While at Siena, she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society reserved for the top 10% of business students worldwide.
End-to-End Excellence
Our commitment to value is built into every aspect of our development process. We prioritize not only short-term development potential but long-term cycles, ensuring future relevance and success. The results reflect the effort put into development, optimizing clients’ financial position and strategic goals.
What Makes Our Real Estate Development Different
Leverage Our Years of Experience
Comprehensive Staffing Across Phases
Eliminate Understaffing Worries
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Our Development Portfolio
Explore our active development projects.
Marquee at Metro North
Cicero, NY
Active Adult
Terracotta Terrace
Casselberry, FL
Active Adult
The Apex at Metro North
Cicero, NY
Multi-Family
The Apex at Water Street
Binghamton, NY
Multi-Family
The Arbella at Ashland
Ashland, MA
Active Adult
The Arbella at Blue Hills
Bloomfield, CT
Active Adult
The Arbella at Newbury Street
Peabody, MA
Active Adult
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