Future of Gwinnett County and Northeast Atlanta

Emory Morsberger took the helm as Executive Director of Gateway85 CID on April 15, 2019. Emory comes with a long history of involvement in the development, management and growth of community improvement districts in Georgia, including his involvement with the Tucker Summit CID and Lilburn CID, as president. He was instrumental in forming the Gateway85 CID (formerly Gwinnett Village CID) in 2005, where he also has served on the board of directors. He has a strong vision for the area and will continue to gain momentum with his plan for the future of the largest CID in Georgia.

Jeff Garrison’s passion is to create dynamic, community-changing retail centers that encompass connection, walkability and activation. He believes development should drive neighborhood engagement and bring people together for experiential shopping and dining. His key strengths lie in shaping the future of a community layout and thoughtfully converting urban infill into thriving neighborhoods that benefit residents in meaningful ways. Jeff is a partner at S.J. Collins Enterprises and has been with the company since its 2007 inception. He handles the intricate mechanics that bring a vibrant development property together – from locating new sites, building tenant relationships and communicating with neighborhood groups to hiring contractors and shepherding the project to its final phases. Over the past decade, he has developed more than 5 million square feet of retail and mixed-use space across the country. Current projects include The Interlock, an award-winning $450 million mixed-use center rising in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, and Southern Post, a multi-use property soon to transform a much-needed section of Roswell, Georgia. Jeff graduated magna cum laude with degrees in real estate and speculative finance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Georgia real estate license and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. He currently serves on the board Mount Vernon Presbyterian School, where his children attend school. Jeff lives in Atlanta with his wife Jennie. The two have three children.

Adam Schwegman is a seasoned leasing strategist with significant experience in the culinary, entertainment and hospitality industries. Adam joined NAP in 2019 as partner and senior vice president of retail leasing. In this role, he is leading NAP’s leasing team focusing on an experiential merchandise mix at each of NAP Atlanta’s projects, including Avalon in Alpharetta, Ga.; Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta, Ga.; High Street in Dunwoody, Ga.; Revel in Gwinnett County, Ga.; and Riverton in Sayreville, NJ. Throughout his career, Adam has worked with some of the country’s premier mixed-use and open-air destinations. Prior to joining NAP, Schwegman served as senior vice president for Brookfield Properties (formerly GGP), where he launched Eat/Drink, a national team responsible for all food and beverage deals across the country. Under his leadership, he expanded Brookfield’s food and beverage within the portfolio from 6% to 13% with over $2 billion in annual sales. He also conceptualized several food halls, including Flagship Commons and District at Oakbrook. Adam has lived in Atlanta for 18 years. He was first introduced to the hospitality industry through work at several upscale restaurants in high school and college. After college, he worked as a real estate associate for Bank of America, a senior associate at Robert Charles Lesser & Co., LLC and as a senior leasing representative at Cousins Properties, where he was responsible for leasing Emory Point, Terminus and The Avenues, among others. Adam holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration, finance and real estate from the University of Tennessee. In addition to his career, Adam is involved in several professional development organizations. He is a graduate from Urban Land Institute’s Center for Leadership Inaugural class and Buckhead Business Association’s Leadership Buckhead. Adam is very active within the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), including Co-Chairing the 2018 ICSC Food for Thought Conference. Outside of the office, Adam enjoys traveling, woodworking and reading.

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.

Chuck Warbington is a life-long resident of Gwinnett County and a member of the Dacula Football Hall of Fame.  He is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree.  While at Georgia Tech, he was a wide receiver for the 1990 National Championship Football Team.  Chuck and his wife, Stacey, have been married for over 21 years, and have 4 children.  Chuck is a registered professional engineer having worked as a principal manager for a local Architectural/Engineering company (Pond & Company) for over 13 years.  He began the leadership of Gwinnett Village in January 2006 leading the efforts in forming the largest Community Improvement District (CID) in the state in mid- 2006.  He was appointed City Manager for the City of Lawrenceville where he oversees just under a $200 million budget and just over 300 employees. As a graduate of Leadership Gwinnett, Chuck is serving his community in many capacities including as a board member for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, and the Fort Daniel Historical Foundation.  He currently serves as chairman of the Gwinnett County Planning Commission, past president of Partnership Gwinnett PFE, past president of the Rotary Club of Gwinnett and past executive board member of the Gwinnett Chamber.  He also serves on the Quantum National Bank Board of Directors.  He was selected by the Georgia Engineering Alliance as Engineer of the Year in Private Practice for the state of Georgia in 2003 and was honored as one of Georgia Trend’s 40 under 40 for 2006.  In 2012, Chuck was selected by the national publication CE News as one of fifteen Rising Stars in Civil Engineering.  He is also consistently ranked on Georgia Trend’s notable Most Influential Georgians list.

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.

Tara Smith is the Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Norcross. In this role, she is responsible for business retention, business recruitment, redevelopment, and developing and implementing the City’s economic development strategies and policies. Coming from an extensive economic development background, she uses her strategic, visionary, and creative skills and talents to revitalize communities and solve complex issues. Smith has over ten years experience in community and economic development. Over the course of her career, she has worked on a number of large-scale economic and business development projects. Since her time at Norcross, she has been instrumental in several projects. In 2017, she assisted the city in offering Freeport Tax Exemption with class-4 stock-in trade, the first city in Gwinnett County to offer such incentive. Voters overwhelming supported the referendum. She was also a driving force behind one of the city’s largest annexation projects, was influential in assisting in securing the city’s first four-star hotel, and most recently, launching NorcrossWorks, a workforce development and talent initiative of Mayor Craig Newton. Tara is also the Senior Project Manager of Econ404, an economic development consulting firm specializing in low-income and underserved markets. She has also served as a Business Development Specialist at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), and has taught community and economic development workshops at Spelman and Morehouse Colleges. Tara has been involved in a number of professional and community organizations. At the age of 27, she was the youngest person to chair the Membership Committee of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern KY African American Chamber of Commerce, one of the nation's most influential chambers for African Americans. She was a volunteer on the Hurricane Katrina economic development rebuilding efforts. She has also been a member of Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, International Economic Development Council, International Council of Shopping Centers, and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)-Detroit. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Western Kentucky University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University.