Dave Schmit has spent his career creating places and experiences that engage people. From building paper mills to shopping centers to residential communities, Dave has focused on providing quality of life improvements and economic opportunity for people in the communities he serves. His company develops town-centered mixed-use projects in the Atlanta Metro area.
Dave’s career experience includes management of complex construction projects, including pulp and paper mills, petrochemical plants, retail centers and office buildings. In a mid-career transition, Dave moved into residential development. He became president of Colony Homes (1992-2000) and grew the company deliveries from 200 homes per year in Atlanta to nearly 1800 homes annually in Atlanta, Raleigh and Charlotte. Dave later leveraged his expertise to join the executive team at Morrison Homes in 2003, aiding the company in becoming the 29th largest builder nationwide and leading the integration of SAP enterprise software to optimize operations. From 2003-2009, Dave was president of Marathon Land Company, an organization formed to develop suburban mixed-use projects in the Atlanta area. In the years since, he has served as Principal of Schmit+Associates and a strategic partner of the Atlanta-based urban development firm The Integral Group.
Dave’s leadership expertise is also seen in his passion for the community, where he is a past president of Roswell Rotary, past board member of the Roswell Downtown Development Authority, and past Vice-Chair of Habitat North Georgia. He served as chairman of the Comprehensive Plan 2030 for the City of Roswell and is an emeritus board member for the Rinker School at the University of Florida. He currently serves on boards for the Roswell Economic Development & Tourism and L.E.A.D., an inner-city program that empowers young black leaders to live a life of significance.
Deep Roots owner Dana Gurela developed a passion for wine after her first visit to Napa in 2009. When Dana and husband Todd moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2012, she turned that passion into an obsession. Gurela enrolled in wine school and began working in wineries as a hospitality professional and wine educator. She received a California Wine Appellation Specialist certification via the San Francisco Wine School and obtained a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 2 certification from the Napa Valley Wine Academy.
After living in the San Francisco Bay Area for five years, Gurela knew it was time to return home to her family in Georgia, but not without bringing a little piece of wine country with her, opening Deep Roots Wine Market in Historic Roswell. Prior to her wine life, Dana was employed in the field of Purchasing & Inventory Management for over 15 years.
Dana and husband Todd have five children and one grandchild, plus 2 daughters-in-law and 1 son-in-law. Everyone lives here in Roswell, with the exception of one son who remains in the Bay Area.