About Carlson Gardner Inc.

The Principals

Development Philosophy

Carlson Gardner was formed for the purpose of developing single family and multi-family properties on a statewide basis with an emphasis in providing high quality affordable housing for all sectors of the population.

Today we concentrate our efforts in creating quality affordable housing through the Missouri Housing Development Commission program.  We have found great satisfaction in building both multi-family and  senior housing that allows low to medium income families the opportunity to live in new, clean and safe environments.  Our goal is to build the best product available for these developments.  We provide amenities in our units that would not be found in other units of the same rent structure.  Managing our projects in a professional manner as well as maintaining them in a condition of good repair is of the utmost importance to our company.  Having tenants that feel a sense of pride for where they live makes our efforts and commitment to these projects a high priority.

We strive to work closely with the communities in which we develop, including forming partnerships with not-for-profit entities whose mission is to provide affordable housing. We try to obtain input from the community and its public officials as to the nature of the community's needs before we plan our developments. A recent example is the "Quality Endorsement" which we received of Hickory Valley from the Regional Commerce and Growth Association (RCGA). Hickory Valley is a 240-acre development currently under construction near Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. We worked with the community on this development for over a year before the plans were finalized. This master-planned development will provide over 600 new housing units to civilian residents, as well as to base personnel expected to be assigned to Ft. Leonard Wood over the next several years. Our receipt of the RCGA's Quality Endorsement was the first such endorsement of any development by the RCGA. We have also worked closely with the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) on this and other developments.

Missouri Equity Partners, LLC

Missouri Equity Partners, LLC (MEP) is a sister company to Carlson Gardner, Inc.   MEP was formed to syndicate the Missouri Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Historic Credits awarded by the Missouri Housing Development Commission to the Carlson Gardner projects.  Each year MHDC makes awards to developers to build affordable housing projects in Missouri.   The Federal Government has authorized MHDC to award Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits to developers.  The State of Missouri at the same time has authorized MHDC to combine the award of Federal Credits with an equal amount of State Credits.   

After the award of the credits, developers sell the credits to companies (frequently banks and insurance companies) who have tax obligations to either the Federal or State government, or both.   The money received from the sale of the credits is used to finance the construction of the affordable housing developments.  Insurance companies find the state credits particularly attractive because the credits may be used to offset the gross premium tax charged by the State of Missouri on every insurance policy sold in the state.    These credits are awarded over a 10-year period.   Therefore, one tenth of the total credits purchased may be used annually to offset the company’s liability to the State of Missouri, whether that is for state income tax, state franchise tax, or the gross premium tax.  These credits are priced very competitively so as to generate a safe but very favorable rate of return.  

Mid America Management, Inc.

As a related entity owned by Carlson Gardner, Inc., Mid America Management, Inc. plays a major role in providing quality, affordable housing to communities statewide. We believe that in-house management is critical to the success of any community development. This philosophy ensures maximum control over our resident selection process and in turn protects our investment through the compliance period, which could be up to 30 years.