Neighborhood Series: Southside Atlanta

Steve Mensch is considered one of the most influential people in the film and TV production industry in Georgia. He has executive experience in operations, strategic planning, budgeting, business development, and marketing at some of the biggest companies in the industry. But, he's best known for his ability to see opportunities and developments well ahead of others, allowing him to strategically push the industry into new arenas. His efforts have created billions of dollars of economic impact and placed him at the forefront of some of the most groundbreaking projects in TV/Film production history.

Tyler has nearly 25 years of experience in the Atlanta real estate market and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in Real Estate and Accounting and a minor in Finance. He is with Raulet Property Partners in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to Raulet Property Partners, Tyler joined the Price Waterhouse’s Atlanta Real Estate Taxation Group in 1988 and spent three years there focusing on real estate structure and taxation. During that time he attained the CPA designation. Tyler then left public accounting and joined NAI/Brannen Goddard for six years, consulting commercial real estate owners on maximizing cash flow and long term appreciation from their investments. Tyler participated in over 25 sales transactions totaling over $300,000,000 in total value. In 2000, Tyler moved to Resource Real Estate Partners to regroup with his former NAI/Brannen Goddard colleagues. At Resource, he continued to focus on real estate investments and structuring investment transactions. He was instrumental in putting together debt and equity for a wide variety of acquisition deals ranging from a 180 acre golf course to a 15,000 square foot multi-tenant retail building. At the end of 2004, Tyler relocated his office to the 80,000 square foot adaptive re-use project Southern Dairies, a project that Tyler, Paul Raulet and their partners originally redeveloped in 1998. Relocating to Southern Dairies allowed him to focus his efforts on continuing to acquire and reposition property in Atlanta’s urban core. To date, Tyler and his partners have completed nearly 50 acquisitions for their own account. The investment strategy has been to acquire well located urban properties with a focus on long term “basis” in the investment. These acquisitions have used very conservative leverage with short amortization schedules. Today the portfolio consists of 15 properties and is 93% leased.

John Barker, Jr., SIOR has been a commercial real estate professional for the last 20 years, providing companies with expertise in commercial real estate and development. John has completed millions of square feet of development-related projects from build-to-suit and sale/leasebacks to construction program and project management.

Jay T. Clark is the CEO and founder of Southeast Capital Companies (“SEC”) and is highly regarded as an expert in the multi-family/residential marketplace throughout the Southeast. Including current projects, he has been the General Partner on over $500 million of residential acquisitions and developments. His experience includes property management, finance, acquisition, construction, development, redevelopment and marketing. Since April 2000, Mr. Clark has focused exclusively on SEC after successfully selling his real estate brokerage operation that he had founded in 1993 (Apartment Realty Advisors). During his tenure in the brokerage business, Mr. Clark had underwritten and sold more than $1.8 billion in apartments. Mr. Clark’s combined experience in development, brokerage and property management provides him with the ability to address both the short and long term goals for a successful development. He focuses on the real estate development and redevelopment process and is an expert in community and site identification. He attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he received a degree in Business Administration and was certified as a Certified Public Accountant in 1986. Mr. Clark is a licensed Georgia real estate broker and is a member of the National Multi-Family Housing Council. He serves as a board member for various local Atlanta charities.

STEVE MORGAN Executive Managing Director Steve Morgan joined Newmark Knight Frank in 2017 as an executive managing director in the company's Atlanta office. Mr. Morgan has more than 35 years of experience in the commercial real estate business and has been consistently recognized as one of the top producing brokers in the marketplace, representing many national and local companies. Mr. Morgan joined Newmark Knight Frank after serving as a principal at Avison Young for five years. Prior to joining Avison Young, he was a senior vice president and associate broker at Grubb & Ellis, now a part of NKF, for 10 years. He also served as president of Morgan Realty Advisors; as a managing director for the southeast region on behalf of CSFB Realty Corp., the real estate brokerage division of Credit Suisse First Boston; and as a senior vice president for 18 years at a leading commercial real estate firm in Atlanta. Prior to entering the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Morgan was employed by the Coca-Cola Company as a senior district manager in the western United States. PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Million Dollar Club Member (MDC), Life Member, Atlanta Commercial Board of REALTORS® (ACBR), 1983 - 2015 Silver Phoenix Award (25-year MDC recipient), ACBR Phoenix Award (10-year MDC recipient), ACBR Multi-Year Top 20 Producer Award, ACBR PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS: Member, ACBR Licensed real estate broker, state of Georgia Mr. Morgan graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial management. He played college football during his freshman and sophomore years and achieved Dean's List honors during his junior and senior years. He attended St. Pius X High School in Atlanta, where he played football, basketball and track.

Jim Lowe is a professional engineer and land developer with more than 30 years of civil engineering design, development and construction management experience. As a preferred consultant to the Wal-Mart Corporation for over 25 years, Mr. Lowe designed and oversaw the development of more than 150 Wal-Mart shopping centers across the nation. Because of this unique long-term relationship with the largest developer in the United States, Mr. Lowe learned the inner workings and thought process from one of the most successful commercial land developers in recent history. For 18 years, Mr. Lowe served as Founder and CEO of Lowe & Associates Inc. (dba LAI Engineering) civil engineering and surveying firm, with annual sales that reached $11M. In 2015 Mr. Lowe managed the successful merger and integration of LAI with Atwell LLC, where he became an owner and partner in a $100M firm. Mr. Lowe has served as a development partner for projects that exceed $100M in value. Some of these properties include: a 300,000 sf mall redevelopment in Charlotte, NC, 100,000 sf retail shopping center in DeKalb County, GA, 400 bed luxury student housing complex in Tallahassee, FL, land sales to Chick-fil-A, Burger King, RaceTrac Petroleum, and a 100,000 sf retail shopping center in Peachtree City, GA.

Cookie Smoak brings 36 years of sales and marketing experience to her role as president of the ATL Airport District Destination Marketing Organization. Her mission is to generate economic development for the cities of College Park, East Point, and Union City by effectively marketing the community as a preferred tourism, convention and meeting destination. In this role, Smoak leads a team of destination marketing professionals while managing a multi-million dollar budget. Before leading ATL Airport Distrct, Smoak served as the director of convention services for the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB). During her tenure with the ACVB, Smoak was responsible for all convention services personnel and was the liaison between sales, membership, meeting planners and the public sector. Her work with the ACVB ensured group satisfaction, account retention and promoted financial return to the City of Atlanta. Previously, Smoak was the destination sales manager for national accounts at the ACVB, working primarily in the Washington, D.C., Chicago and corporate market segments. She also served as the spokeswoman for the national account team. Before coming to Atlanta, Smoak served as the director of sales for the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau. Prior to her position in Orlando, she worked for Delta Airlines for 20 years as well as other large corporations where she gathered invaluable experience in both in marketing and sales.

Windsor Stevens Managing Partner Rod Mullice is an experienced developer who believes deeply in the crucial role the built environment plays in creating healthy communities. His vision is not just about creating spaces where people live, work and play. His approach to development focuses on crafting a built environment that encourages social interaction, technological innovation, environmental sustainability, and transportation options, facilitating the Connected Lifestyle. Rod has closed on over $150 million in transactions of urban development, financing and acquisitions since 2009. He led the team that renewed the leases of a 217,000 square foot office building in Historic Downtown College Park for the Federal Aviation Administration Southern Regional headquarters. Rod successfully conceived, planned, financed and managed the construction of the $20.9 million apartment community, The Pad on Harvard, next to the College Park, GA, MARTA Station as the Managing Partner of Air Realty, LLC. The Pad opened for residents in December 2017 and is now at 96% occupancy. He has recently completed construction on Phase I of Temple Square, a $5 million townhouse community in College Park Rod has engaged actively with the College Park community by initiating the Rose Stevens Mullice Academic Achievement Awards at College Park Elementary School, named for his mother. He serves on the City of Atlanta’s Office of Buildings Technical Advisory Committee; the Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance Board of Directors; the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Board of Directors, who’s Mentoring Committee he chairs, and a member of its Million Dollar Club, the Urban Land Institute Committee. He Born in Liberty County, GA, where his multigenerational family ties continue, Rod is a graduate of Savannah State University with a BA in Political Science and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Management Development Program. Since the success of The Pad on Harvard and the launch of College Park’s special TOD District, which he actively supported, Rod has been invited to speak to a number of professional organizations. His presentation offers insight about the benefits of TOD and how to leverage transit for thriving communities.

Brian Hooker serves as Executive Director of the Fort Mac LRA, the organization leading the redevelopment of 486 acres in the underserved Southwest Atlanta community. His chief responsibility is to lead the Fort Mac LRA team and its partners to manage and facilitate nearly $1 Billion of revitalization projects featuring mixed used, affordable developments utilizing market based financing and public incentives. Previously, Brian served as the Director of Real Estate for Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., and prior to that Brian served as Director of Site Selection Consulting with CBRE. Brian has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He serves nationally on both Urban Land Institute’s Public Development and Infrastructure Product Council and as Co-Chair of the Association of Defense Communities’ LRA Directors Council. Locally he was appointed to the City of Atlanta’s IN REM review board and serves on the Southwest Atlanta Partnership Board of Directors. Brian hails from Southwest Atlanta where he graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High, and where he now lives with his wife and family. He is member of Cascade United Methodist Church, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees.

A native of Albany, GA, Shannon W. James Sr. received a full Men’s Basketball scholarship to Valdosta State University. While in undergrad, he became Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc and active member in Students In Free Enterprise. He would obtain his Bachelor of Business Administration in both Management & Marketing in 2004. Immediately post undergrad, he would begin his 15yr career in banking starting as a part-time teller and customer service representative. He would soon become the first African-American accepted into the Park Avenue Bank Management Trainee Program in 2005. Upon MTP graduation, James would be promoted to Jr. Commercial Lender in the Gwinnett County market and later Special Assets & OREO, Banking Officer during the great recession (2008-2011). In 2011, Mr. James accepted a position with SunTrust Bank as VP, Commercial Banking. He would be recognized in both 2012 and 2013 as a Platinum Performance Award Winner for the Diversified Commercial Division for both new commercial loan and deposit portfolio growth. He entered a new challenge in 2017, by accepting a role with Branch Banking & Trust as Vice President of Commercial Banking serving Middle Markets. During this time, James would serve as Chairman of Investor/Finance Committee for Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance (AeroATL) and Chief Financial Officer for South Fulton Chamber Of Commerce, where he received Board Member of the Year. In 2018, AeroATL leadership would unanimously elect him as Chairman of the Board of Directors and later to his current role as President and CEO. He currently leads the non-profit mission to serve as a catalyst for regional economic competitiveness in the Aerotropolis region and vision of creating a world- class destination for all those who live, learn, work and play in the Aerotropolis. Under James leadership, the organization has created a 501(c)(3), received numerous awards and considered a change agent for the region. In 2021 and 2022, Mr. James was honored by Atlanta Magazine as a Top 500 Most Powerful Leader in Metro Atlanta. He currently serves as Secretary for ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts, Advisory Board Member for LISC Atlanta, Clayton State University College of Business, Bisnow, Clayton County Public Schools and Head Basketball Coach for his son’s 14U AAU Team. A committed husband and father of three, James attributes much of his foundation to the skills and knowledge he received while attending the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in Albany, GA. A former Youth of the Year, James credits the program for providing much needed community resources like mentors, structure, and hope.