Sarah oversees Gorman’s property portfolio strategy, bringing 20+ years of affordable housing experience. She has worked with two of the nation’s largest real estate firms in Indianapolis, specializing in development, ownership, and property management. Sarah is passionate about affordable housing’s role in creating opportunities for individuals and families. She has led integrated services for nearly 20,000 low-income seniors and families, focusing on housing retention and self-sufficiency outcomes in financial literacy, health, and education.
Her expertise includes compliance, property management, acquisition, repositioning, and construction coordination across affordable housing programs like HUD, Section 8, RAD, and LIHTC. Sarah holds degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Indiana University.
Brian Swanton transitioned into the role of President & Chief Executive Officer for Gorman & Company in 2018, after serving as the Arizona Market President since 2008. During his tenure as Arizona Market President, Brian led a multi-disciplinary team that designed and constructed over 1,000 units of new housing across the State with an emphasis on permanent supportive housing for families, seniors, veterans, and chronically homeless populations in both urban and rural locations. He also redeveloped some of the first public housing units in the country using HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.
As President & CEO, Brian oversees all of Gorman’s business units, including design, construction, development, property & asset management, and administration. Prior to joining Gorman, he held various leadership positions in the non-profit sector, where he directed the preservation and construction of over 2,300 units of housing in 29 residential communities across Arizona and successfully refinanced and/or repositioned 1,702 units of existing affordable housing. Brian also spent eight years of his career in the public sector, serving as the Housing Development Manager for the City of Scottsdale, as well as other positions in housing and community development with the City of Glendale, AZ, the Arizona Department of Housing, and the City of Quincy, MA.
Brian holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning, both from Arizona State University where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in housing finance and neighborhood revitalization. He is also certified as a Housing Development Finance Professional by the National Development Council and is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Arizona Housing Alliance, Arizona’s only statewide affordable housing advocacy organization, guiding that organization through a merger with the Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness in 2017. Brian continues to serve on the Board of the newly merged organization, the Arizona Housing Coalition. He is also an active member of Greater Phoenix Leadership, the Arizona Multihousing Association, the Housing Advisory Group (HAG), the Affordable Housing Developers Council (AHDC), and the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition where he advocates on the federal, state, and local levels to advance affordable housing resources across the U.S.
After 10 years, Gorman & Company and the Madison community celebrate the completion of Union Corners, a multi-phased redevelopment project on a 13-acre prominent parcel of formerly vacant land. This summer, partners, staff, city officials, residents, and additional community members came together at a grand opening event to recognize the positive impact this 252-unit, mixed-use, mixed-income community will have on the Madison community for generations to come.
Located at the intersections of E. Washington Ave., Winnebago St. and Milwaukee St., the property was developed in IV phases and addresses healthcare and affordable housing needs while considering the historic significance of the property’s past.
The Phases of Development
Phase 1 began with building a new home for the UW Health Clinic and Urgent Care. Completed in late 2016, this brand new $23 million 60,000 SF medical clinic serves approximately 92,000 patient visits per year with over 100 employees.
Phase II, Carbon at Union Corners, was the first residential phase of the Union Corners redevelopment. Carbon was completed in 2017 and added new housing and retail within two mixed-use buildings connected by a pedestrian plaza. Carbon features 90 apartment units, 76 affordable and 14 market rate, underground parking for residents, and 20,000 SF of ground floor neighborhood retail space, including restaurant space.
Generations at Union Corners, Phase III of the project, was completed in 2018 and consists of 60 units total between two buildings, a mix of 56 affordable and 4 market rate units for families. Specifically, this development serves grandfamilies (grandparents raising grandchildren) and kinship families (family members raising other family members’ children).
Phase IV has most recently been completed; Nexus at Union Corners opened its doors in 2022. Nexus consists of 105 market-rate luxury apartments close to highly desirable downtown Madison amenities and within the charming Shenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara (SASY) neighborhood.
“I am extremely proud of the community that our firm, along with our many partners, has created at Union Corners; it will be a permanent asset to the adjacent neighborhoods and the entire City of Madison for generations to come.”
Gary Gorman, Founder, and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Gorman & Company
Union Corner’s History
This site provides historical significance to the area as a former Civil War Union soldier encampment and home to the Schulkamp’s Corner Saloon, also known as Union House Tavern, named by soldiers who popularized it. During the Civil War, the wives of Union soldiers received their allotment checks in the paymaster’s headquarters on the second floor of the saloon. The French Battery and Carbon Company, also known as Ray-O-Vac Battery Corporation, served as a manufacturing center on this site until 2002. Gorman & Company found it incredibly important to honor the history of this site and installed three permanent art pieces created by Becky Ault and Mike Cunningham from the Art Design Group.
Grand Opening Celebration
The grand opening celebration featured a menu sampling from the new restaurant located within Carbon called Touch of Ukraine. Many of the staff there are Ukrainian refugees who made the brave decision to move here through the help of Gary Gorman’s sponsorship. The grand opening also held an unveiling of the permanent art installations honoring the Union soldiers, the famous and long-standing Union House Tavern, and the French Battery and Carbon Company that all previously called this location home.
