Bio

With an extensive background in commercial, real estate and banking transactions, George Matteo has more than 30 years of experience in real estate, land use, zoning, corporate law and finance. Furthermore, as a founder and former CEO of a community-based commercial bank, he brings a unique legal and business perspective to his clients. George has substantial experience advising clients on land use and real estate development issues, including complex planning and zoning, land use and environmental permitting, appeals, development agreements and related matters. He represents national developers in obtaining approvals and entitlements for the construction of a wide range of property types, including residential, commercial, retail, affordable housing and power generation facilities, in addition to Brownfields and Pinelands development. George regularly appears in front of state and local boards and commissions for a variety of projects. In addition, George advises on a wide range of corporate matters, such as entity formation, restructuring and dissolution, and is highly experienced in preparing ownership agreements and organizational documents, including shareholder, buy-sell and membership agreements and business succession planning. He also represents both public and private borrowers and lenders in traditional debt financing, as well as insurance company financing, securitized financing and tax-free bond financing. Prior to joining Connell Foley, George was the founding partner of Matteo & Associates, LLC. Previously, he was a partner at several regional firms where he likewise focused on commercial, real estate, zoning and banking transactions. He is the former Chairman, CEO and President of Cornerstone Bank in New Jersey.