Exploring Gwinnett County & Northeast Atlanta

An expert in developing complex, large-scale mixed-use developments, John brings a passion for creating great places to Toro Development Company. Kelley leads all aspects of commercial development, applying a collaborative approach that blends creative thinking with technical expertise. With over 23 years of experience, Kelley has developed nearly six million square feet of award-winning projects with a combined valuation of more than $2 billion. Prior to joining Toro Development Company, Kelley served as Partner and Senior Vice President of Commercial Development at North American Properties where he led the mixed-use development platform for the company’s Atlanta office. During that time, he oversaw the ground-up development of Avalon, the $1 billion “urbanburb” in Alpharetta, and the iconic transformation of Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta. John graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and earned an MBA in Real Estate from the University of Georgia.

As President of Ackerman Retail, the retail division of Ackerman & Co., Leo Wiener directs the growth of the group’s national services platform, spearheading developments, acquisitions, leasing and property management. With industry leadership experience spanning more than 25 years, Leo has made numerous strategic staff additions to strengthen Ackerman Retail’s comprehensive services and deliver solid results to its growing roster of local and multi-market clients. To date, the Ackerman’s Retail division has completed nearly 10 million square feet of transactions valued at more than $1 billion. Prior to joining Ackerman, Leo was a Principal and Partner of Glenwood Development Company, concentrating on retail development and redevelopment in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic; and Managing Director at an Atlanta-based boutique real estate firm. Deeply involved in the community, Leo is Chairman of the Board of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, a board member of the High Point Civic Association and the lead Advisor to Sweetwater Growers.

Charlotte J. Nash was elected Chairman of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in a special election on March 15, 2011. In 2012, she was re-elected without opposition. Prior to running for office, she was president of a consulting firm specializing in governmental and public strategy and management. Charlotte worked for Gwinnett County Government for more than 27 years until she retired in 2004. She served as the County Administrator for nine years and previously held the positions of Director of Financial Services, Budget Director, and Grants Manager. Charlotte has also been active in numerous civic, business, and service organizations in the community. She served on the Gwinnett Recreation Authority from 2005 until the end of 2010. By virtue of her position as Commission Chairman, she serves as a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission Board and the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District Board, which she currently chairs. She also serves on the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority as an appointee of the Governor and the Board of Managers for ACCG, Georgia’s county government association, having led the organizations as President in 2015-2016. The Atlanta Business Chronicle named her one of the 100 Most Influential Atlantans in 2011 through 2017. In addition, Georgia Trend has included her as one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians annually since 2013. Charlotte is a Gwinnett County native who has lived her entire life in the Dacula/Harbins community. She graduated with honors from both Dacula High School and the University of Georgia, where she received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Charlotte and her husband, Michael, have been married for 45 years and have two grown children and two granddaughters.

Nick Masino is the President & CEO at Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development and Partnership Gwinnett (PG). In this role, Masino oversees the business recruitment and retention efforts for Gwinnett, as well as the implementation of the Partnership Gwinnett Strategy. To create this community-focused economic development (ED) organization, Partnership Gwinnett, Masino worked with public and private leaders on ED studies in 2006, 2011 and 2016. Masino leads the implementation efforts of the PG strategy, which has brought in approximately $1.3 billion in capital investment and 17,578 new jobs since its inception. The third iteration of the plan began in January 2017, and will continue through 2021. A leading authority on local and state economic development, Masino is regularly sought after for prominent speaking engagements throughout metro Atlanta and Georgia. In addition, he has spoken internationally, in Seoul, South Korea and Wuxi, China, representing Georgia on government, economic development and international business subjects. As a result of his extensive expertise in the economic development arena, Masino is a preferred interviewee for regional and local television, radio, newspaper and magazine outlets.  Masino’s career with partnership Gwinnett began in February 2007, when he accepted the role as Vice President, but he is no stranger to the field. In December 2007, he ended his eighth year as one of Georgia’s youngest Mayors for the City of Suwanee. Masino also spent 12 years in Division, Regional and Territory Management positions within the recruiting and staffing industry. Before departing the industry, Masino held the position of Professional Services Division Manager for a national staffing agency. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Masino holds a bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. He and his wife—his high school and college sweetheart, Suzanne—are the parents of three children, Anna, Vincent and Julia.

Stephen is a native of Atlanta and graduated from Woodward Academy and then University of Georgia. He’s spent twenty years’ working with engineers and general contractors in the US and a developer in Asia and is proud to have been involved in many amazing projects, in both hemispheres. He began working in the local A/E/C industry just before the 1996 Olympics, where he personally experienced the renaissance of urban Atlanta and growth of the metro area from two angles. Initially from the real estate development side and then as an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, when he opened one of Midtown’s premier nightclubs followed by a popular restaurant. In the early 2000’s, he decided to follow his dream of living abroad and moved to Thailand. While there he served as Sales Manager, Southeast Asia for a condominium developer. Stephen joined the Fox Building team in 2017.

Brand is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board for Brand Properties which he founded in 1998. As the CEO of Brand Properties, Brand has been responsible for overseeing the development of industrial, office, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use projects throughout Atlanta and the Southeast Region. He currently manages the development, acquisition, and disposition strategy for Brand Properties' real estate holdings and manages over 4 million square feet of third-party assets. Brand was the recipient of the Atlanta Business Chronicle's and Georgia Trend's 40 under 40 and honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the Philanthropic Leader of Tomorrow Brand is the Chairman of the Home of Hope at the Gwinnett Children's Shelter, as well as a member of the Board of Directors for The Westminster Schools, Board of Directors of Trinity School, a member of the University of Georgia Board of Visitors and Regional Board of Directors for the University of Virginia where he received a bachelor's degree in economics. Brand also serves on the Board of the Buckhead Coalition and Chairs the Sugarloaf Community Improvement District. Brand's relationships have allowed him to create alliances with the region's most respected real estate investors. development companies, and financial institutions. With years of experience in real estate development, deal structuring and financing. along with great leadership, Brand continues to pave a path of success for the Brand Properties team.

Mr. Xue is the CEO of DEZHU US. He has more than 15 years of real estate and financial management experience, both in privately held companies and publicly traded companies. Prior to starting DEZHU US, he served as the Vice President of Bank of America and spent 8 years at Deloitte Consulting, where he served as the Senior Manager for Financial Transformation. Prior to that, he was a Manager in BearingPoint. Mr. Xue is a Board Director of Oaktree Stone Ventures and he is managing the overall investment portfolio of the entity.

Kelly is responsible for all property sales and acquisitions. He directs the development during the initial start-up period, performing duties such as land development due dilligence, loan negotiations and zoning, as well as assisting with planning and permitting for the construction phase, site feasibility and market analysis. Kelly is Gary's son and the beginning of the third-generation of the Quintus management team. Before joining the family business in 1996, Kelly worked in various sales and marketing capacities with Warner Lambert Company. Kelly received an AB in Communication and Human Relations from the University of Georgia and holds a Georgia Real Estate license. He is active in the Council for Quality Growth, the National Association of Home Builders Multi Family Council, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Town Center Community Improvement District. He also is active in the YMCA.

Brad Carr heads up the Corporate and Business Transactions Group of Andersen, Tate & Carr. His practice focuses on a wide variety of corporate law and commercial finance matters, including mergers and acquisitions; private equity and debt offerings; representation of development stage and emerging growth companies; formation of corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability companies and joint ventures; compensation and employment issues; stock and asset sale and purchase; venture capital financing; asset and receivables based financing; bond financing; electronic commerce and internet law; software licensing and development agreements; business succession planning including shareholders’ agreements and family partnerships; corporate finance and restructuring including tax-free reorganizations; intellectual property matters including trade secret and proprietary information protection and securing trademark and copyrights for corporate clients. Roughly ten percent of his practice is devoted to litigation. Brad served as the Managing Partner of the Firm for over six years and currently serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee. He is the Managing Partner of the Firm’s Hiring Committee and Technology Committee. Brad is very involved with the Peachtree Ridge High School Council and the Norcross First United Methodist Church. He and his family live in Duluth.

Marsha took the helm of the CID in 2016, bringing with her more than 40 years of experience in the field of civil engineering, planning and community development. As executive director, Marsha leads day-to-day operations at the CID and ensures that the organization progresses toward its goal of increasing commercial values in the district by enhancing public safety, developing community identity, improving mobility for all modes of transport, encouraging quality redevelopment and maximizing property owner investment.