Advance Realty — a leading Northeast U.S. owner, developer and manager of Class A office, multifamily, mixed-use and flex-space properties — today announced that it has hired industry veteran Bruce Katona as senior development manager.

Supporting the continued expansion of Advance’s commercial real estate portfolio, which is comprised of more than 10 million square feet of space, Katona will oversee a range of development processes for the company, including work related to entitlements and approvals, design, site improvements, construction and budgeting. On building and design matters, Katona will work in close collaboration with Advance’s internal project teams and third-party consultants.

With more than 25 years of experience in real estate planning and development, Katona joins Advance from Bergstol Enterprises, where he held the position of Director of Development. During his 14 years with the company, he led the identification and permitting of residential, commercial and golf course development, and management opportunities throughout the New York Metropolitan Area. His day-to-day responsibilities included analyzing the fiscal feasibility of land prospects, negotiating the terms of acquisitions and securing the necessary government approvals required for construction.

Prior to Bergstol, Katona held the position of Vice President of planning at Gale Wentworth & Dillon Group, where he oversaw design, permitting, entitlements and construction work throughout the state of New Jersey.

“Bruce is widely recognized in the industry, especially in the state of New Jersey, for his demonstrated record of success in residential and commercial development,” said Peter Cocoziello, Advance Realty’s president and CEO. “We’re thrilled to have him on board as we continue to experience rapid growth on the development front, and look forward to benefiting from his deep expertise.”

Katona is both a landscape architect and professional planner licensed by the State of New Jersey and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University’s Cook College and his bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Stockton State College.

About Advance Realty

Advance Realty is a privately owned real estate development, investment and management company headquartered in Bridgewater, N.J. Since its inception in 1979, Advance Realty has acquired or developed more than 10 million square feet of commercial, residential, R&D, industrial and mixed-use projects. Today, the company owns, manages and invests in a diversified portfolio of office, retail, industrial, residential and mixed-use assets in key urban and suburban markets along the Northeast Corridor. The company actively pursues real estate investments that provide opportunity to enhance value through development, repositioning and redevelopment. Advance’s strong capital base, fully integrated platform, outstanding talent and flexibility as a privately held organization position the company for continued growth. For more information, visit www.advancere.com.