Key People

Ian Paget and David Harrison founded Patson Development Company, the first of a group of entities which are now referred to as Patson Companies, in 1984.  The two had been working together at the US outpost of a large UK-based development firm.  Ian headed the US office, which was based in San Francisco, and David Harrison was his junior but game right hand man.

The pair had been working on a large project in the San Francisco Bay Area when, within the space of a single week, they learned a) that the project had been declined by senior management at the company, and b) that the company would be winding up its operations in San Francisco, effectively leaving Paget and Harrison out of a job.

Ian's first response, upon learning through back channels that the office would be closing, was to say "They can't fire me, I quit!" The two realized they could raise third party financing to secure the deal they had been pursuing, and they decided to strike out on their own.

Ian Paget

Ian Paget's indefatigable humor and quick wit disguise an unerring instinct for choosing the right course of action in the face of multiple unknowns and risks.

Ian began his career in London with Keith Cardale Groves, Chartered Surveyors, having received his B.Sc. degree in Estate Management from London South Bank University in London.

He moved to the US in the late 1970's to open an office in Los Angeles for KCG.  Before long he was recruited by the Hunting Gate Group to establish a property development subsidiary in San Francisco.

Ian Paget's friendly and open negotiating style has led to multiple successes, including Patson's becoming the first developer ever to win San Francisco's beauty contest twice, for two separate development projects (235 Pine and 275 Sacramento).  That distinction has since been matched by Hines Interests and likely others, but it leaves Ian in rarefied company.

Among his many accomplishments, Ian lays claim to the "Paget Rule," a standard adopted by the San Francisco Planning department which allowed required public open space for new office buildings to be provided at a separate location within a set radius of the development site.

Ian Paget is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

David Harrison

David Harrison entered the business with Hunting Gate Management Company in Menlo Park immediately after receiving his B.S. in Biology from Stanford University in 1980. At Hunting Gate he undertook the development of the firm’s Menlo Park headquarters among other projects. Within 12 months David moved over to Hunting Gate Pacific in San Francisco to assist Ian Paget with the rapidly expanding Hunting Gate Pacific operation.

Ian Paget and David Harrison jointly founded Patson Development Company in 1984 and within the first 12 months of operation Patson had commenced a development program in excess of $200 million, comprising Bridgeway Technology Park, 235 Pine Street, and 1440 Chapin Avenue. All of these transactions began as off market deals. 

David presents the quieter side of Patson.  His analytical skills have formed the basis of many successful projects, and he possesses a knack for negotiating the often complex legal documentation which underlies each project.

David Harrison currently serves on the board of directors of the Central Market Community Benefit district, and previously served as director of the Civic Center CBD (where he was founding Chair) and the Fisherman's Wharf CBD.

Pam Gardner

Pamela Gardner, CPA has overseen financial and accounting matters for Patson since joining the firm as its controller in 2006. She received her B.A. in Geography from San Francisco State University in 2000, and is a licensed California CPA.