Frank Edwards, a Carl Freeman Companies executive since 1999 who was recently appointed company president, said in an interview this week that the company’s vision of being “committed to the communities” where it operates will stay intact despite the tragic loss of Josh Freeman, the former president and CEO of the real estate giant.
The real estate company, known in the area for its responsibility and that of its former leader, works in synergy with the Carl M. Freeman Foundation — a philanthropic organization that awards grants to support community programs where the company does business.
“We don’t see any changes in the nature of character of the company,” Edwards said. “Our core values that have been established include being committed to the communities where we operate and remain in place. We plan on being involved in Sussex County for many years.”
Freeman died on Dec. 14 when a helicopter in which he was a passenger crashed just outside of Dagsboro, claiming his life and that of Alisa Danielle Howell, a 30-year-old pilot from Richmond, Va.
Freeman was well known in coastal Delaware for his philanthropic efforts — personally and professionally — and his company’s developments, which include the Village of Bear Trap Dunes, Sea Colony and Bayside.
The company’s CEO spot will remain vacant, Edwards said. Edwards, the former chief financial officer and senior vice president of Carl Freeman Companies, was already handling much of the company’s day-to-day administrative duties before Freeman’s death.
Apart from handling the company’s financial affairs, Edwards formerly headed the real estate services, and sports and hospitality divisions, essentially managing two-thirds of the company, he said. He will now report to Steven Huttler, the company’s recently-appointed chairman of the board and long-time legal counsel to Freeman and his company — which was founded by Josh Freeman’s father, Carl M. Freeman, in 1946.
Michelle DiFebo Freeman, Freeman’s widow, was also appointed to sit on the company’s board. She has deep roots in the area as well.
“Obviously, Josh was a visionary and leader for the company, but he had put together a team that was handling day-to-day and month-to-month execution of the company,” Edwards said.
Josh Freeman — and his company — came to be known in coastal Delaware as a compromiser who genuinely cared about the responsible growth of the area, though he did not call Sussex County home. After his death, local business partners, friends and acquaintances of the Gaithersburg, Md., resident remembered him for his kindness and humility.
He was remembered by Harold Schmidt — a 10-year human resources employee of Carl Freeman Associates — as a personal supporter who would give “without expecting anything in return.”
Gary Meredith, Ocean View’s mayor, remembered a meeting with Freeman he entered with hopes of buying property for the town’s new police station and left with the property for free. Sussex County Councilman George Cole and former County Administrator George Cole remembered Freeman as an unusual developer who did now allow the “bottom line” to get in the way of what they agreed to be the responsible decisions for the community.
It is that vision implemented by Josh Freeman, and earlier by his father Carl M. Freeman, that Edwards and other company officials insist will not change in his absence.
“He was very much a believer in giving back to the communities in which he worked, as well as doing the right thing for the people that he worked with and for,” said Tom Halverstadt, a senior vice president of Carl Freeman Communities, in an earlier interview. “I would certainly think that we would hope to see the operation continue in the spirit in which he led it. Nothing really changes other than our hearts are broken.”