29 October . 2020
Meet Rita Brandin, the new head of Newland’s Austin Division
With a real estate career that spans more than 30 years, including 14 years with Newland, Rita Brandin has recently moved from Newland’s headquarters city of San Diego to start her new position as Senior Vice President, Operations for Newland’s Austin division.
Rita now directs operations for Newland’s two active Austin communities, Sweetwater and Rancho Sienna. She is also overseeing the completion of another virtually sold-out Newland community, Teravista.
She will also focus on land acquisition for future communities in the Austin metro area, which Newland identified as one a top market for expansion within its national footprint.
Near the beginning of her career, Rita began a 17-year tenure with national mall developer the Rouse Company, managing and developing regional shopping centers across the country.
Her early career included many visits to Austin, where Rouse projects included Highland Mall. In 1999, she moved to Las Vegas to direct the $450 million redevelopment and expansion of Rouse’s 2-million-square-foot regional mall, The Fashion Show.
Rita joined Newland in 2006 to lead development of Symphony Park, a 61-acre mixed-use project in downtown Las Vegas, developed in partnership with the City of Las Vegas.
In 2012, Rita relocated to San Diego to direct planning and entitlement activities for Newland Sierra, LLC, a future 2,000-acre master-planned community.
The San Diego Business Journal has included Rita on its list of 500 Influential Business Leaders in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She has served on numerous boards in the San Diego area, including the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Building Industry Association of San Diego. She is a sustaining member of the Urban Land Institute.
Rita recently arrived in Austin with her husband of 23 years, Erik Brandin. They have two grown daughters who live on the West Coast.
“We’ve visited Austin several times for fun, and we’re very excited to become part of the community,” Rita said. “We love how Austin combines the energy of a vibrant metropolitan area, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Hill Country. It’s no surprise that Austin is consistently rated as one of the nation’s best places to live. At Newland, we are committed to growing our presence in this thriving metropolitan area.”
Rita’s longstanding passion for horses will fit right into her new life as a Texan. She has two horses and occasionally competes at horse shows in western dressage, English hunter pleasure and western ranch riding.
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