About Us

A team of seasoned developers started Neutral Ground in 2022 after years of battling blown budgets, discontinued specs, and costly delays. We knew owners needed better value and their project teams needed a smarter way to source materials, one that preserved design intent and came with transparent, near-real-time pricing. 

The team went straight to the source, creating personal relationships with factory owners and OEM manufacturers in Mexico and in Asia. The result: Neutral Ground’s private-label materials with unmatched cost, quality, and reliability. And we bring in-house expertise in tariff rates, shipping, and insurance to provide optimized, all-in pricing. 

No resellers. No middlemen. No surprises. 

Neutral Ground doesn’t just sell materials. We ship solutions.

Meet the Founder

Lydia Clay is a real estate development executive with over $1 billion in delivered projects. She has served as Partner at Mathias Partners and as Senior Director of Development for Ledcor Properties, where she led the Texas multi-family division and oversaw complex, high-value projects from planning through completion.

In that role, Lydia consistently delivered projects on time and under budget — earning recognition across the industry. But she also experienced firsthand one of development’s most persistent frustrations: broken materials sourcing that drove unexpected costs, unnecessary complexity, and timing delays.

In 2022, Lydia saw opportunity in the problem. She left development and founded Neutral Ground, moving to Mexico to build direct, personal relationships with manufacturers. That sourcing network grew quickly across Mexico and Asia, creating the foundation for NG’s global reach.

Today, her hands-on experience in development and direct sourcing drives Neutral Ground’s ability to guarantee quality control, cost efficiency, and reliable delivery at scale.

Lydia Clay

Founder + CEO

Advisory Team

  • Dan Cohen

    Dan Cohen is a proven real estate investor and proptech entrepreneur who has founded, scaled, and exited high-growth ventures in the multifamily and hospitality sectors. As Founder and CEO of Sentral, he took the company from $0 to $1 billion of assets under management and built a 25-person team before a successful exit. Prior to Sentral, he spent nearly 15 years as a Managing Director in real estate private equity, investing alongside local developers in dozens of ground-up projects across the country.

  • Matt Mathias

    Matt Mathias founded Mathias Partners, a full-service commercial real estate firm with a 30-year track record of delivering landmark projects for clients such as Tesla and Emerson. Mathias Partners has earned multiple Austin Business Journal Awards, including Deal of the Year for Tesla Gigafactory Texas and Best Office Sale for Emerson’s headquarters relocation. Known for his ability to forge lasting relationships and navigate complex regulatory landscapes, he brings strategic foresight and a vast network to his role as Neutral Ground advisor.

  • Michael Levy

    As President and COO of Mathias Partners, Michael Levy leads investment and development strategy, capital markets activity, and asset management, representing clients from private investors to Fortune 500 companies. Michael brings deep expertise in structuring complex transactions, securing debt and equity financing, and guiding acquisition processes. His strategic insight and market knowledge make him a valued advisor on growth, financial structuring, and operational excellence.