Executive Team

Founded in 1983 by David Altfeld, Ron Schaftel and Philip Z. Altfeld, The Southern Land Company has established itself as one of the most reputable and admired land development companies in the State of Maryland.

Since its founding, The Southern Land Company has adhered to a strict set of development guidelines which have enabled the Company and its principles to successfully develop thousands of residential lots and a multitude of commercial projects. The Southern Land Company prides itself in creating cohesive, efficient, neighborhoods while retaining the integrity of the environment and the special attributes that are unique to each property.

Ronald O. Schaftel

Founder

Ronald O. Schaftel graduated form the University of Maryland with a concentration of study in engineering and business. He has been engaged solely in residential land development since 1981, co-founding the Company in 1983, and was president of the Maryland Home Builders Association, Baltimore County Chapter, for two years. In that capacity, Mr. Schaftel interacted with all of the Baltimore County Department heads, including the Director of Permits and Development Management, who is responsible for overseeing the entire county- wide residential development process. He was on the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks Local Open Space and Greenway system within Baltimore County. He was elected in 2004 to serve as president of the Home Builders Association of Maryland for the entire state. After serving his tenure, he was honored with “Builder of the Year” award, in recognition of his outstanding service to the Association and builder industry. Mr. Schaftel has overall responsibility for engineering, entitlements, estimating all construction work, awarding all construction projects, overseeing all field activities, maintaining all books and records, and monitoring all billings and expenditures.

David E. Altfeld

Founder

David E. Altfeld received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Real Estate and Construction, from the University of Denver, and obtained his Masters of Science Degree from American University, Washington, D.C. in Real Estate and Urban Development. Mr. Altfeld has completed all of the required Appraisal Institute capitalization courses and became a candidate for his MAI (Member of the Appraisal Institute) designation. Mr. Altfeld, a co-founder of the Southern Land Company, has developed retail and office projects in the greater Baltimore area and, in the course of such work, received a Distinguished Service Award presented by the Towson, Maryland, business community. He was invited to testify before a Congressional Finance Committee regarding real estate matters in Maryland. He was president of the Home Builders Association of Maryland, Baltimore County Chapter, for three years and sat as a member of the Board of Directors of the Home Builders Association of Maryland.

He was appointed by the Baltimore County Executive (the County’s highest-ranking government-elected official) to represent the home building industry in a two-year, comprehensive effort to revise, by making more current, all development regulations, policies, and guidelines that impact real estate development in a program entitled ‘Builders for the Chesapeake Bay.” Mr. Altfeld is responsible for acquiring land and conducting financial and market analyses for the Company. He is also responsible for relations and negotiations with homebuilders, attorneys, accountants, financial institutions, elected officials, community leaders, property owners, and local municipalities.

Philip Z. Altfeld

Founder

Philip Z. Altfeld graduated from Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from the University Of Maryland School Of Law. He practiced law in Baltimore, Maryland, specializing in real estate, securities law, and the law of eminent domain. He represented Baltimore City as Assistant City Solicitor. Mr. Altfeld also served as Securities and Exchange Commissioner of the State of Maryland. He has represented the Exxon Corporation, as well as other major real estate developers in the Baltimore- Washington region. Mr. Altfeld developed residential, office, and commercial real estate in downtown Washington, D.C., and Georgetown. He co-founded the Company in 1983. He no longer works on a day-to-day basis, but remains available as a counsel or strategist when requested.

Stephen D. Roth

Project Manager

Stephen D. Roth graduated from YTI with an Associates Degree in design drafting technology. He has been involved in the homebuilding and land development business since 1986. Mr. Roth was on the Executive Management Team for a prominent national homebuilder for over 17 years, overseeing the drafting, permit processing, plan development and homebuyer relations departments. He works closely with the owners on the day-to-day operations of Southern Land including all aspects of construction, permitting, record keeping, and office management.

Silviya Gibson

Head Accountant

Silviya Gibson is a native of Bulgaria. She graduated in 2003 from St.Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo with a Bachelor’s degree in Philology and immigrated the same year to pursue future opportunity in the United States. Silviya recently earned her Masters of Science Degree in Accounting and Business Advisory Services from the University of Baltimore, Merrick School of Business. Silviya will be completing the requirements to become a Certified Public Accountant and a member of The American Institute of CPA’s. Prior to joining the Southern Land Company in 2014, Silviya used her accounting skills for leading firms in the home improvement and commercial service industries in Baltimore and Howard Counties. Silviya possesses expertise in – QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Sage 50, Sybase, Oracle, Microsoft Project and Microsoft Office Suite.