Who We Are
A family-owned development firm built on traditional values of trust, honesty, and community impact.
Our Legacy
The Zachary family's journey began 85 years ago in the heart of the Rondo neighborhood — a historic Black community in St. Paul. Jay and Elizabeth Zachary settled here after migrating from the South during Reconstruction.
Despite the challenges of displacement when Interstate 94 tore through their neighborhood, the Zachary family's values of hard work, honesty, and integrity laid the foundation for future generations.
Today, The Zachary Group has grown from a one-person insurance agency to one of the largest minority-owned brokers in the nation. Zachary Development Group represents the next chapter in this 85-year legacy, expanding our impact from risk management and construction into the creation of the communities themselves.
Executive Leadership
Steven Zachary
Founding Partner & CEO
Steven serves as the guiding vision for Zachary Development Group, providing strategic leadership that spans from acquisitions and new market growth to institutional partnership development.
With deep expertise in both real estate and risk management, Steven brings a comprehensive perspective to development. He is the founder of The Zachary Group, one of the largest property and casualty insurance brokers in the country. In addition to his role at ZDG, he is a 15-year licensed real estate broker, leveraging this experience to identify and secure high-value opportunities for the firm and its partners.
Louis Zachary
EVP, Real Estate Development
Louis brings over 30 years of real estate development experience across various sectors to his role as EVP, Real Estate Development. He oversees the technical execution of ZDG's developments, ensuring that every project meets the highest standards of quality and efficiency.
His background includes a robust track record of successful project delivery across the industry. Louis's expertise in construction oversight and development management is central to ZDG's ability to execute complex multi-family, mixed-use, retail, and industrial projects on time and on budget.
Institutional Expertise
Decades of construction and development leadership across senior housing, industrial, retail, data centers, and multi-family.
Community Commitment
Workforce housing focus, adaptive reuse, and neighborhood revitalization that puts people first.
Integrated Capabilities
Construction, insurance, real estate, and development under one family of companies, streamlining execution.