Acadia Properties is owned by John Gilbert. John has been working in real estate related fields since 1988. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, John worked for a privately owned real estate development company in London for a year. John returned to New York and received a M.S. in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. From 1991 to 1994 John worked at Citicorp Real Estate as a Loan Officer, helping to manage large real estate secured loans to New York City area developers. In 1994 John began working for a New York based real estate opportunity fund, the Argo Partnership, co-formed by the O'Connor Group and J.P. Morgan to take advantage of the downturn in North American real estate values. At the O'Connor Group, John analyzed and valued portfolios of buildings and real estate loans located throughout the U.S. and Canada. Between 1994 and 1996, the Argo Partnership bought and partnered to buy several billion dollars worth of properties, shares in real estate operating companies, real estate loans, and commercial mortgage backed securities. In 1996 John moved to Oregon and established Acadia Properties.

Acadia targets real estate development and investment opportunities throughout the Northwest and Northern California. Three stars must align in order for Acadia to commit to a project: constraints on supply, strong market demand, and an advantageous cost of capital.

Acadia subscribes to the principles of Smart Growth and the New Urbanism. These approaches to real estate development recognize the importance of environmental sustainability, and creating places that are people-friendly.