Benjamin Magelsen

Biografía: May 2004 Benjamin R. Magelsen is President and founder of Createrra, inc., a local land-development firm that is currently developing the Sharon Steel Superfund Site in Midvale, Utah. Ben has spent most of his life in and around the development industry. At age eight he began mowing the lawns of model homes in his father's developments. Over time, he moved on to work in several of the construction trades. After college, Ben started doing small-scale infill development and construction in Kennewick, Washington. Over several years, he transitioned to mid-sized residential development projects. In the mid 1990's, Ben and his wife Jessica relocated to Utah, where they had previously attended Brigham Young University. They have three children, two boys and one girl, ages eight, five, and two. Ben attributes most of his success to two factors: his dedication to continuing education and the relationships he has made in the industry. Ben has seen the benefits of education in the various disciplines land development requires. He has found that through his continual studies, he maintains a competitive advantage, earns the respect of collaborators, and preserves a balance between consultants' ideas and the demands of the market. As a result, Ben enjoys the opportunity to solve development problems in increasingly technical and complex projects that have been passed over by others. In addition to his own talents, Ben maintains relationships with many national and regional builders, has a strong network of consultants, and maintains financial partners with many years of experience in the industry. Ben feels that their experience and knowledge fortifies his ability to successfully tackle projects of growing complexity. To date, Ben has developed several projects in the Salt Lake and Utah County markets. His work has gradually evolved from traditional greenfield development to more diverse developments- infill, clustered-density, and mixed-use, which are often on economically challenged properties. Ben is currently redeveloping the Sharon Steel Superfund site, under the name of Jordan Bluffs, which is his largest and most complex project to date. When complete, Jordan Bluffs will be a mixed-use, master-planned community located on approximately 270 acres containing 2,200 residential units as well as retail, office, and industrial components. The environmental challenges involved with Jordan Bluffs, such as the fact that it is believed to be the largest capped environmental site in the world, make it one of the most sensitive and complex redevelopment projects in the country.