Vaike O’Grady, a residential real estate marketing veteran with extensive high-level experience in homebuilding and development, has joined Metro Development Group as Vice President of Marketing & Communications.
O’Grady leads the marketing for Metro Development Group, which currently has 12 actively-selling communities in four counties (Hillsborough, Pasco, Lee and Brevard), and it is in early planning stages for other new communities around the state. O’Grady also oversees marketing for Metro’s affiliated companies as well as all communications for the company.
Prior to joining Metro Development Group, O’Grady was Regional Director for Zonda (formerly Metrostudy) in Austin, Texas, where she worked with homebuilders, developers, and lenders to help them make informed real estate decisions using Zonda’s proprietary data and research.
O’Grady has a strong background in market analysis, community planning, marketing strategy and consumer research, thanks in part to her 17 years with Newland Communities, which included seven years in Austin and 10 years working on developments in Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa. The move to Metro brings her back to Tampa, a market she knows well.
Metro Development Group’s communities, marketed under the Metro Places brand, attract a wide range of buyers, both from surrounding areas in Florida and from other states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California. Buyers are drawn by the combination of a new, well-appointed home with the quality amenities Metro provides, from its cutting-edge Metro Lagoons to trails, parks and best-in-class ULTRAFi internet service.
Two Metro communities, Epperson in Pasco County and Southshore Bay in Hillsborough County, feature Metro Lagoons, and two more Lagoons are planned to open in 2022 at other Metro communities, Mirada in Pasco County and Brightwater in Lee County. The Lagoons use proprietary technology to keep their water clean and clear, surrounded by wide sandy beaches, restaurants and event spaces.
“So many people have the ability to work from anywhere, and we are finding that Metro’s suburban communities have only become more and more popular since the pandemic began,” O’Grady said. “I am excited to help drive Metro’s continued success, while being part of the planning that’s critical for our anticipated growth.”
O’Grady has long been extremely involved in the real estate industry. She is a longtime member of the Urban Land Institute and served as ULI District Council chair in Austin. She was also on the board of directors for the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, and on the board of directors of HomeAid Austin, a nonprofit that connects homeless care providers with developers, builders and vendors.
About Metro Development Group
A Tampa-based company founded in 2003, Metro Development Group is the largest privately held residential developer in Florida. The company’s communities, under the Metro Places brand, are known for innovative technologies and high-impact amenities like their extremely popular Metro Lagoons. For more information, visit MetroDevelopmentGroup.com.