Each year, Midwest Real Estate News inducts a new class into its Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame. Last year, despite its challenges, was no exception. Here’s a look at the busy career of one of our newest inductees, Daniel Musser, executive managing director with the Kansas City, Missouri, office of Newmark Zimmer.
Daniel Musser has played a key role in shaping the commercial real estate landscape in Kansas City. As executive managing director of Newmark Zimmer, Musser has been involved in the development of commercial real estate projects with a collective value of more than $3.4 billion.
And many of these projects have been major ones. Some of them have ranked among the most challenging and complex real estate developments in the Midwest.
Musser, for instance, has played a key role in the development of the 4.1-million-square-foot Sprint Campus, the 600,000-square-foot office and operations facility for the Federal Reserve Bank, the renaissance of the Beacon Hill neighborhood and the College Basketball Experience/National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Musser has also been recently involved in the development of the 1.5-million-square-foot NNSA/National Security Campus; infrastructure improvements for Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri; projects for the Kansas City Zoo; and student housing and academic buildings for the Kansas City Art Institute.
This industry veteran is busy today working on the development of the $193 million Johnson County Courthouse, additions to the Pembroke Hill School and the new Jackson County Detention Center.
In all, Musser has logged more than 40 years in the commercial real estate industry, including 15 years as an architect and 24 as a development management executive.
“In my profession, each project has its challenges from a development perspective: neighborhood objections, inadequate budgets, team members who do not perform, cumbersome entitlement processes, clients who cannot make decisions,” Musser said. “But those are the challenges that make each project memorable and worth the effort.”
Musser points to his calm demeanor and experience in successfully managing teams as two reasons for his success. He said, too, that his background in architecture has given him a broad knowledge of the design and construction processes.
Education has played a key role in Musser’s success, too. He graduated from the MIT Center for Real Estate with a master’s degree in real estate development. This program helped Musser transition from architecture to a career in real estate.
Outside of work, Musser is active in his community. He serves on the executive council and board of trustees of the Kansas City Art Institute, on the executive committee of the Main Street Corridor Development Corporation, on the board of advisors for the Kansas City Design Center and the executive committee of the ULI Kansas City District Council.
Musser also enjoys spending time with his wife and family, traveling, reading and serving on the boards of not-for-profits.