Commercial real estate firm Sansone Group was founded in 1957, 20 years before Nicholas G. Sansone, Esq., the youngest of eight children, was born. Sansone grew up watching his dad run the business, absorbing and learning as much as he could. He started working at the company as a teenager, doing maintenance and custodial work.

Sansone worked his way up and when he became a principal, he was determined to carry on the legacy of his father, Anthony F. Sansone Sr., the company’s founder.

Nicholas G. Sansone applies the lessons learned from his father to the business today.

“There is no substitute for hard work. This can often mean seven days a week. My father instilled this in my siblings and me at a young age,” Sansone said.

“My dad always told us we are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. For the people around us to reach their highest potential, as leaders, we need to constantly ask them questions and put them in positions where they must really think a problem through. I am biased, but feel we have some of the best team members on the planet, not only due to their ability to think critically but also for their love of our company and the passion they bring every day.”

The Sansone Group team has developed over 40 million square feet of industrial projects from coast to coast in 24 different states. These projects include warehouse and distribution, truck terminals, manufacturing and refrigerated warehouses.

Over the past three years, under Sansone’s leadership, the company has developed over 40 million square feet of industrial, retail, office, healthcare and multifamily projects. It has completed $1.2 billion in investment transactions over the past five years and currently has $1.4 billion in market value under construction. The business manages 150 properties with approximately 15 million square feet of properties worth over $1.5 billion, and it has nearly 5,000 acres of land in development.

Sansone worked for the family business in marketing and brokerage while he was in college, earning his law degree. He returned to the business in 2007 and worked with the Florida Commercial Property Management Division. Sansone led the company’s shift to acquisitions and development.

“Development was always a passion for Nick, and he and his brothers had a vision to formalize and grow Sansone’s development presence and acquisition opportunities,” the company said. “Nick played a critical role in establishing limited partner relationships for co-investment on deals and in capitalizing on the e-commerce boom specifically for industrial development.”

In 2021, Sansone Group was named a top 10 development firm in the U.S., and — under Nicholas G. Sansone’s leadership — it has its sights on climbing to No. 1, the company said.