Field of broken dreams

J. David Matthews came to Baton Rouge from Georgia promising big things. At a business lunch at French Market Bistro not long after his arrival in late 2005, he told the small group of landowners dining with him that he wanted to develop property in the area and had investors in California who would cough up $100 million if asked. “He said, ‘I’ve got $100 million to spend, and if you want $20 million of it that’s fine and if not I’ll spend it somewhere else,’” recalls an attorney who was at the lunch but asked not to be identified. “He told us he had 100 investors and could get $1 million each from them in no time flat.” While no one in Baton Rouge who has done business deals with Matthews has seen any firsthand evidence of those investors, the flamboyant businessman does have a knack for getting people to put up money for his projects. In just three years, he’s gotten well-known local investors, builders and businesspeople to buy into his projects, the most notable of which is a planned traditional neighborhood development in Zachary called Americana. Where Matthews hasn’t had as much success is in bringing his projects to fruition. Instead, he’s ended up in dozens of lawsuits over Americana and other properties, many of which he has instigated. Those who remember him from the small Georgia town where he lived prior to moving here aren’t surprised to hear of the troubles swirling about him. To them, it’s a familiar story. “He was a man you didn’t want to do business with,” says Vicki Fossett, whose family sold property to Matthews in Barnesville, Ga., about an hour south of Atlanta. “He wasn’t very well liked in this town.” To read the full story in the Baton Rouge Business Report, click here. – Stephanie Riegel