Leadership
Clearwater Management Team
Dan Kassel
With over 20 years experience in real estate development and the home building industry, Dan Kassel is the Founder and CEO of Clearwater Communities. Dan has entitled and built more than 2,000 homes in viable communities throughout Southern California and developed a strong network of industry relationships along the way.
Prior to establishing Clearwater Communities in 2009, Kassel served as President and Co-founder of Granite Homes. There, he led the land acquisition, capital raise efforts, and development efforts for over 25 different communities including Terra Shores, a 310-lot community built around a 13-acre lake in Menifee, CA. Kassel was also responsible for bringing the 593 lot Northfork community to life in the Dairy Lands area of Riverside County, California. Other notable communities include many large developments in Murrieta, Lompoc, Palmdale and Rancho Cucamonga, one of which earned the community Laurel Awards for Best Architecture and Best Interior Merchandising in 2008.
Kassel holds an MBA from USC Marshall School of Business (where he earned an Academic Fellowship), a Master of Real Estate Development from the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, and a Bachelor of Arts from USC. He is a member of the California Building Industry Association, the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, and is on the board of YPO (Young Presidents Organization.) Kassel is a licensed General Contractor in the state of California. He is a speaker at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, the USC Graduate School of Business, and at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He is a mentor in Newport Harbor High School’s Da Vinci program and Assistant Scout Master of Troop 911.
Patrick Donahue
As Executive Vice President of Clearwater, Patrick Donahue identifies and evaluates potential land and project acquisitions and oversees project management, construction, purchasing, quality control and customer service. Patrick is responsible for coordinating field operations with corporate departments and linking construction and sales activities so that construction schedules are met and developments come in on budget.
Patrick’s experience includes nine years with Pulte Home Corporation, where he held various financial and operations management positions in their headquarters in Bloomfield Hills, and both Southern and Northern California. Patrick left Pulte in 1996 to join start-up Heritage Communities as Chief Financial Officer, and then joined Pinnacle Communities in 2000 as Vice President, and was instrumental in managing their growth into a large regional builder. In 2003, Patrick brought his strong financial, operations and process management skills to Granite Homes, providing the guidance, leadership and discipline needed to ensure that each community is built with the quality and homeowner satisfaction, before transitioning to Clearwater Communities in 2009. Patrick has worked with Dan Kassel for over six years.
Mr. Donahue holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Wayne State University in Detroit, and was a licensed CPA in the State of Michigan.