LAKELAND - The Ruthvens, a Central Florida real estate and development company, recently promoted Brandon Clark to president, a press release said.

Clark is the third president of the Lakeland-based Ruthvens, which has been in business for 64 years. The company was formed in 1957 by founder Joe P. Ruthven.

Clark said, “It’s an honor to be entrusted with this role in our family’s business. We have a wonderful group of clients and a great team supporting them.

"I’m eager to see what the future brings as we continue to build on the foundation laid by Greg and Joe P. Ruthven,” he said.

As the son-in-law of board chairman and CEO Greg Ruthven, Clark is the third generation to lead the private, family-owned company, the release said. He took the helm on Jan. 1 at its headquarters at 41 Lake Morton Drive.

Clark started at The Ruthvens in 2018 as vice president, the release said.

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"In this role, he has been responsible for Ruthvens’ construction and development activities, leasing, finance, and operations," the release said. "Since 2018, The Ruthvens have developed over 560,000 square feet of new warehouse space while increasing occupancy to 99%."

Prior to his tenure at The Ruthvens, Clark worked for 11 years in large corporate banking at J.P. Morgan and SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

“Brandon’s prior experience in finance and his time at The Ruthvens has prepared him well for this next step in his career," Greg Ruthven said in the release.

"The Ruthven family is excited to have Brandon on board and leading our company into the next generation,” he said.

As part of this leadership transition, Greg Ruthven will work part time as chairman and CEO of the business. The release said that since joining the company in 1983, Greg Ruthven has

overseen the company’s growth from approximately 350,000 to over 4 million square feet of real estate.

“I was fortunate to work alongside my father, Joe P. Ruthven, for 36 years," Greg Ruthven said. "He would be proud to see Brandon taking over as president of the company he founded.”

Clark is married to Lauren Ruthven Clark and has three children: Georgia, MaryCharlotte and Sutton. Joe P. Ruthven died in December 2019.

According to a Jan. 5 blog for the Central Florida Develeopment Council, "Clark said both Ruthvens worked in the industry so long they’ve forgotten more than most people ever learn. He reminds people that the company first was a real estate development firm, with holdings that included apartments, shopping centers, retail and, yes, warehouses."

“Then, with Interstate 4 and Tampa and Orlando growing, they started seeing more and more demand for warehouse space. Greg pushed to sell non-warehouse holdings and really focus on the warehouse piece. He’d say, ‘Specialize in it and make that what we do and what we do well. They made that decision to be the warehouse specialists,” Clark said.

The Ruthvens specializes in industrial, manufacturing and distribution warehouse space. The company owns more than 4 million square feet and 90 buildings, which are located along the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Brandon Clark, son-in-law of CEO, named president of The Ruthvens