Brian Philpot and Rob Harper created Land South Group (“LSG”) in 2002. Over the past nine years, LSG grew into a leading investor in vacant land throughout the US. Beginning with an initial purchase of 6,200 acres of timberland in South Carolina in 2002, LSG has specialized in large tract purchases of various land uses, and has profited by applying entitlement, development and marketing expertise. Brian was a principal and project leader on the acquisition and sale of timberland, ranches, groves, residential entitled projects, commercial projects, office projects and industrial projects.

From 2002 to 2010, LSG acquired and sold more than $330 million of property, including the third largest land acquisition by the State of Florida, Joshua Creek. This was a $50M sale to the state of a 4,500 acre property on the St. John’s River on the east side of Orlando. In 2007 Brian and Rob purchased the famed Cypress Gardens Theme Park, Florida’s first theme park located in Central Florida. Through his extensive governmental relations experience, Brian was able to secure vested development of regional impact rights on the 150 acre site and sell the property to Merlin/Legoland in January 2010. Legoland invested $300 M in the site opened it as Legoland Florida in 2011. They have retained Brian and Rob as advisors to the company. Brian has been a principal in the acquisition of more than 160,000 acres. He has an extensive background in real estate law, growth management and land use issues, market analysis and negotiation.

Prior to forming LSG, Brian owned and operated Land One Properties, a land investment company formed in conjunction with his family in 1998. Specializing in timberland and transitional developments, he invested in excess of $40M in real estate transactions between 1998 and 2002. Prior to Land One Properties, Brian was a general practice attorney in Lakeland, Florida for three years. Brian received his B.S. in Finance, cum laude with honors in investments, from Florida State University. He wrote his honors dissertation on reducing information asymmetries in equity markets. While at FSU Brian served as the youngest Student Body President in university history and oversaw a $5 M student activity budget. Following his time at FSU, Brian received a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Florida College of Law. Brian is a licensed real estate broker and a licensed mortgage lender in the state of Florida. He has served on the Polk County Land Use Planning Commission, the Lakeland Regional Medical Center Foundation Board of Directors, the Lakeland Economic Development Council, and as Chairman of the Lakeland First United Methodist Church Board of Trustees.