Cornerstone Development Group, Inc.™ is a company anchored in a multitude of experiences talents, resources and a shared vision and commitment to excellence.

After 20 years of developing autonomously, John A. McNeil, Jr., Davage J. “Buddy” Runnels, and V.R. “Pete” Halter consolidated their efforts to create a new collective focus for the next decade and beyond. The result is a company that thinks globally with partners active on a national level, yet they develop and manage locally.

Runnels, a Destin resident since the age of six, began Destin’s oldest real estate company more than 30 years ago. The relationship between Runnels and McNeil began over 20 years ago when John McNeil, Sr. join-ventured with Runnels on several developments. The McNeils, natives of Birmingham, Alabama, made regular trips to Destin for many years and John McNeil, Jr. relocated to Destin in 1993. The two families continued to combine their expertise on many developments. Runnels, with his real estate and development expertise, and McNeil, with his financial and corporate management background, came together to create the vision for Kelly Plantation. Halter founded his company in 1972 and has been actively involved with more than 65 developments both coast-to-coast and internationally, including planned communities and clubs.

As you get to know Cornerstone Development Group, our accomplishments, character, and credentials will quickly come into focus. We will never be ranked among the large, “mega developers.” That is not our goal.

Our aim is to achieve sustainable growth through the development of signature properties that are executed in such a way that they improve the quality of life for those who live and work in them long after our involvement has ended. We feel that the “cornerstone” of our success is our team’s focus on “majoring in the minor things.”