Middleburg’s decision to expand west by hiring Scott Makee won’t dampen its focus on its established markets.

In fact, Middleburg is continuing to use its research-driven approach to scale up in high-growth Southeastern markets, where founder and CEO Chris Finlay said the fundamentals are improving rapidly.

“Our Southeast and Sun Belt markets remain core to our strategy and will continue to see significant investment from us,” Finlay told Multifamily Dive in emailed comments. “Expanding west isn’t a pivot away from those regions — it’s the natural next step for a platform that has matured over two decades.”

As it expands west, Finlay said Middleburg will seek markets with durable job growth, population inflows and persistent housing supply constraints. 

“The specific cities will evolve as we build the pipeline, but the focus will be Western markets where those long-term fundamentals support attainable rental housing,” he said. 

Middleburg will initially focus on Dallas and Phoenix, but also sees near-term opportunities in select locations in Denver, Houston and Las Vegas. Finlay said many Western markets face “some of the most acute versions” of the national supply imbalance.

“Strong population growth combined with constrained housing production creates long-term opportunities for disciplined builders,” Finlay said. 

Makee, Middleburg’s regional development partner, will establish and scale its development platform across key high-growth Western markets. He expects to construct both traditional multifamily apartments and build-to-rent communities in the Western U.S., as the firm does in other markets.

“Middleburg’s platform was designed to support multiple housing formats because the supply shortage isn’t limited to one product type,” Makee said.

Makee said that the mix will ultimately depend on local demand, land availability and market economics. “Different markets require different solutions,” he said. “Our objective isn’t to force a particular product — it’s to deliver well-built, attainable housing that aligns with how people in that market want to live.”

Finlay said entering new regions requires more than capital. It requires leadership, local market knowledge and the experience to navigate entitlement processes, construction dynamics and capital allocation across cycles. 

“Scott brings exactly that,” Finlay said. “His experience and relationships in Western markets allow us to expand thoughtfully while maintaining the same disciplined approach that has defined Middleburg since 2004.” 

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