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History

THE HISTORY OF HALLMARK


In 1978, Martin Petersen — Pete, to his family, friends, and business partners — started his career in the residential real estate industry. He began managing a large residential portfolio and went on to become the finance branch manager for a syndication company in 1981. He then co-founded a REIT company, which he later exited to found the Hallmark Companies.

the building in which the residence is located
a large brick apartment building with blue doors
By 1986, Pete acquired his first multi-family housing property.

He had spent 13 years of learning the business of acquiring, managing, and syndicating properties; balancing the objectives of owners, developers, and investors while focusing on tenant needs.

In 2003, The Hallmark Companies began acquiring larger portfolios of USDA Rural Development properties including an 79-property portfolio in Georgia and Florida. Acquisitions of a 40-property portfolio and 25-property portfolio in Tennessee quickly followed.

the building in which the residence is located
the building in which the residence is located
In 2009, Hallmark Management ventured into multi-family development and began utilizing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and USDA Rural Development programs to preserve their aging portfolio. The success of initial in-house development operations spurred acquisitions and continued the expansion of Hallmark's portfolio.
In 2013, Pete and his son, Billy, co-founded Hallmark Development Services. Billy focused on cultivating state agency and financial partnerships to support HDS's preservation, acquisition, and development goals. Strategic partnerships, innovative financing solutions, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit applications all proved successful and further fortified HDS's development pipeline.
an empty parking lot in front of an apartment building


TODAY

We're proud to be a vertically integrated multi-family real estate firm that delivers high-quality, affordable housing where it's needed the most. Hallmark's 450+ employees are responsible for the management, maintenance and compliance of 14,250+ multi-family units throughout the southeastern United States.  We're dedicated to building vibrant communities — and relationships — that enrich lives and cultivate growth for our tenants, employees, and financial partners. Whether we're serving our residents, communities, financial partners, or employees, we've maintained the values Pete brought to the business decades ago.
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