Poiema Development Group (PDG) is a mission driven real estate development firm founded by Craig L. Sawyer, a seasoned community economic development professional with more than 25 years of experience shaping equitable, community centered neighborhoods across New Jersey and the region. PDG was created to bridge high quality development execution with genuine community impact, focusing on underserved populations, long term value creation, and partnerships that align public, private, and civic stakeholders. Craig’s expertise in planning, due diligence, and the structuring of complex debt and soft capital financing informs PDG’s ability to transform early concepts into financially viable, mission aligned projects.

Across his career, Craig has helped secure more than $300 million for residential, mixed use, and commercial development initiatives. He is currently co-developer on multiple community focused projects totaling well over $100 million. This experience anchors PDG’s core practice areas: affordable housing, mixed income residential development, and urban infill mixed use projects. Through joint ventures with landowners, nonprofits, and faith based institutions, PDG leads entitlement, deal structuring, public funding applications, and full project delivery with a disciplined, equity centered approach.

Craig’s broader industry influence is reflected in his role as the architect and Lead Trainer of the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority’s Redevelopment Training Institute (RTI), the state’s premier real estate and redevelopment education platform, which has trained more than 2,000 professionals since 2006. His long standing commitment to capacity building extends into PDG’s ecosystem through ESR Academy, where he mentors emerging developers, and through his prior work delivering youth entrepreneurship programs and serving in civic leadership roles with organizations such as the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey and HANDS Inc.

Together, these verticals illustrate PDG’s belief that development is more than constructing buildings, it is about strengthening communities, expanding opportunity, and ensuring that the people closest to the work are equipped to participate in it. Guided by collaboration, integrity, and long term vision, PDG continues to shape places that endure, reflecting both the needs and aspirations of the communities it serves.