BROWNFIELD PARTNERS
OUR EXPERTISE
The Brownfield Partners team has acquired and remediated numerous sites around the country that have environmental problems. Sites acquired, remediated, and sold and/or leased have ranged from a 90-acre asbestos brake plant to an 18-acre PCB-contaminated Superfund site; the first Superfund site in the country to be sanctioned by the EPA for conversion to residential use.
Over the past decade, we have successfully acquired and sold more than $50 million in real estate assets in need of remediation, redevelopment or repurposing. Our clients have included partnerships with leading financial institutions, Fortune 500 corporations such as General Motors, Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and state and local governments including the State of Maryland and the City of Gahanna, Ohio.
Key to our success has been our relationships with private sector companies, most notably ExxonMobil and British Petroleum (BP), who seek trusted, reliable companies with proven track records working hand-in-hand with government entities. Our work has allowed the oil companies to dispose of assets quickly and easily, and to effectively limit or cap their environmental liabilities. For example, we acquired two 1500-acre parcels that were former oil refineries in California and Louisiana, respectively. We indemnified the oil companies from future environmental responsibilities, backed by the financial assurance of environmental insurance policies. On the Louisiana parcel, there are now first-class commercial buildings and homes.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
"At every stage - acquisition, remediation, and resale - we align our success with our clients’. Our expertise turns commercial properties into shared opportunities, delivering value through strategic insight, reduced risk, and maximized return for all parties involved." - Gary Silversmith
Brownfield Partners is led by Gary Silversmith, a respected environmental attorney who frequently speaks at EPA conferences and brownfield educational programs. Gary is co-founder and president of Brownfield Partners which includes subsidiary P&L Investments, a national brownfields developer based in Washington, D.C. Most notably, P&L Investments was the first firm in the country to get permission from EPA to convert a federal Superfund site to residential use. He is known for their creative redevelopment approaches, ranging from building an attractive single-family community on a former oil refinery in Louisiana to graving cattle on an active oil field in Santa Barbara County, California. In addition to his brownfield work, Gary actively helps Wounded Warriors and disabled veterans, and for that, he received the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. As an Eagle Scout, Gary has been active on the Advisory Committee of the Boy Scouts. He has also served as a Board member or Trustee for hospitals and colleges.
Our team has over 50 years of combined experience in real estate investment, finance and asset management. In addition to our full-time members, we have an extensive team of contracted professionals, including environmental engineers and lawyers, in over a dozen states where the firm owns and manages brownfields.