Dan is an entrepreneur and real estate developer. He has developed several hundred million in real estate assets and has funded and developed several venture and growth companies. As a former venture partner of Renewable Tech Venture he helped raise $20 million for clean tech companies and raised millions for a biotech company in partnership with MD Anderson. He also managed the growth and business development of Foulger–Pratt from $20 million to nearly $140 million in annual revenues in seven years.

Dan served as Chairman of the Board for Cause for Hope, a non-profit NGO he founded, and raised over $10 million to expand operations into 5 Latin American countries and 20 offices. Dan has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCU). Dan served as Vice President of Marketing for CENTEX, a $2 Billion Fortune 500 service company and nationwide builder, where he oversaw strategic planning and the overall marketing effort for the East Coast Division. He currently serves as President of DG Development & Investment, Inc. Dan holds a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, cum laude, from Arizona State University. He is married to Heidi Nielson Gifford, with whom he has six children.