Austin, Texas — Bill Bayless, co-founder of American Campus Communities (ACC), has returned to the student housing industry with the formation of Maslow’s Campus Communities. During his career, Bayless has been involved in more than $30 billion worth of student housing transactions, including more than $8 billion in ground-up development. He retired from the position of vice chair at ACC in April 2023 after leading the company as CEO for 20 years.
With the formation of Maslow’s Campus Communities, Bayless is looking to once again build a best-in-class brand to serve students, parents and universities. The Austin, Texas-based company will specialize in the development, ownership and management of student housing communities, with a focus on assisting universities with the development of affordable, modern on-campus housing projects via public-private partnerships (P3s).
“I’m excited to be back in the student housing space and look forward to Maslow’s having a meaningful impact — helping students achieve academic success and personal growth, bringing parents peace of mind and further innovating how universities develop modern, affordable on campus housing,” says Bayless.
“Once capitalized, Maslow’s Campus Communities will also focus on industry consolidation via mergers and acquisitions, as well as the selective pursuit of off-campus development,” he continues. “Over the next six months, my efforts will focus on developing the strategic business plan, building out the executive team, analyzing capitalization alternatives and visiting with universities to fully understand their perspectives to help evolve P3 transaction structures.”