Gwinnett's Development Boom!

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.

Glenn Aspinwall, Executive Vice President, has 30 years of leasing and project marketing experience along with management, development and acquisition experience in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast. Over the years, Mr. Aspinwall has specialized in turning around assets for added value, maintaining superior occupancy in core assets exceeding leasing proforma in speculative development properties and successful brand enhancement. Over the past six years, Mr. Aspinwall has been involved in over $210 million of real estate transactions. Experience Mr. Aspinwall joined JLL nearly eight years ago and since arriving, has successfully brought Georgia-Pacific Center to over 95% leased, first time over 90% in over 12 years and partnered to bring Mansell Overlook from 64 percent to over 90 percent in less than 30 months, by executing over 320,000 square feet of new leases and expansion, and over 150,000 square feet of renewals.  Led the successful lease up and repositioning of Paces West, bringing occupancy from 72 percent to 90 percent. Successfully partnered to fully lease 375,000 square feet at Cobalt Center to Fiserv in early 2014.  Fully leased 75,000 square feet at 4800 North Point Parkway.  He also recently teamed to lease over 100,000 square feet of new and expansion leases in 18 months at Satellite Place which was a new assignment less than 50% leased. He most recently teamed to reenergize the Hurt Building with over 60,000 SF of leases within the initial 7 months. While at JLL, he has worked with investors such as MetLife, AEW, Oaktree Capital, Banyan Capital, Gamma Real Estate, MainStreet Capital, TIER REIT, Behringer Harvard, Alaska Permanent Fund, Hudson Advisors, M&J Wilkow, Wayzata Investments, Sovereign Capital and Investcorp. Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Aspinwall held leasing, management and development responsibilities for Colonial Properties Trust for nine years. While at Colonial, he maintained an 8 percent higher occupancy than his competitors in the North Fulton Market and in Midtown he increased occupancy from 76 percent to 94 percent in less than 18 months. Prior to Colonial, Mr. Aspinwall held positions with Laing Properties, The Staubach Company, Compass Management and Leasing, and JMB Realty where he turned around two properties in his initial real estate assignments. Mr. Aspinwall is dedicated to thinking strategically like an owner and working diligently to deliver results. Education & Affiliations Mr. Aspinwall received a bachelor degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University. Remaining active in his national fraternity, Mr. Aspinwall was elected to the National Council of Pi Kappa Phi National Fraternity in July 2016. He previously served as Vice President of Acquisitions for the fraternity’s national housing board, Pi Kappa Phi Properties, after serving as its President. He is a member of NAIOP and the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors. Awards & Recognition 2011, 2014 & 2015– JLL “Gold Achiever” 2010 & 2013 – JLL “Top Achiever” 2011 & 2014 Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Top Five Producers 2002 & 2014 NAIOP Top Five Office Producers 2000 Colonial Properties Trust “Outstanding Office Producer”.

Michael Werner is a Vice President in the Agency Leasing division of JLL. He is currently responsible for the leasing and marketing efforts for numerous office properties in Atlanta totaling more than 3 million square feet. Experience Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Werner was Director of Leasing for Parkway Realty Services, responsible for the oversight of leasing and marketing for numerous assets including Peachtree Center, Ten 10 th Street, 3344 Peachtree, One Capital City Plaza and Two Ravinia.  Previously, Mr. Werner was with CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) where he handled the leasing responsibilities for a number of office projects Peachtree Center, Ten 10th Street.  Prior to CBRE, he was with Colonade Properties where he began his leasing experience with Peachtree Center. Over the last seven years, Mr. Werner has completed more than 450 transactions totaling in excess of 3.6 million square feet.  Notable leases include Sun Trust Bank (330,000 SF), FDIC (103,000 SF), Google (32,000 SF), Jacobs Engineering (32,000 SF), GSA – Nuclear Regulatory Commission (101,000 SF), Carlock, Copeland, Semler & Stair (55,000 SF), Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs (49,000 SF), Rogers & Hardin LLP (47,000 SF) and Cardinia (47,000 SF). Prior to his career in agency leasing, Mr. Werner was a Corporate Tenant Advisor with Grubb & Ellis Company followed by Transwestern, where he provided office lease and build-to- suit negotiation services for local, regional and national clients. Education/Affiliations: Mr. Werner graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a licensed salesperson in the State of Georgia.  He is also an active member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and NAIOP-Georgia. Awards and Recognition: 2016 JLL Top Achiever 2016 Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Phoenix Award 2012 Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Top Ten Producer.

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.

Jerrold Miller, founder of Fabric Developers, LLC, has over 30 years of experience in real estate development focusing almost exclusively on in-town projects set within a neighborhood and community context. As co-founder of Miller-Gallman Developers, LLC, Miller developed over $125 million in historic rehab loft apartments, townhomes, and mixed use developments. One of the early developers in Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta, Miller developed most of the block across from what is now Ponce City Market on Glen Iris Drive including the Troy Peerless Lofts, Glen Iris Lofts Phase I and II, and Ponce Springs Lofts. His historic rehabilitations include several projects in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood in Atlanta, along Memorial Drive in Atlanta, a textile mill in Athens, GA, a downtown building in Columbus, GA. Fabric Developers continues to seek out contextual developments that build on community. Along with Vantage Realty Partners, Mr. Miller is developing the Parsons Alley project in downtown Duluth, GA. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, and Macalester College. He has raised three children in Atlanta who are now scattered hither thither and yon. He is a session member of Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta, but as an avid cyclist is frequently found on a bicycle on Sunday mornings.

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.

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.

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.

Zac Gruber is President of the Office Division at Banyan Street Capital and currently oversees a portfolio of 28 institutional quality office buildings in major markets across the Eastern United States, including the firm’s 6 million square foot portfolio in Greater Atlanta. He is responsible for overseeing portfolio performance, leasing oversight, development and entitlement coordination and investor/lender relations for the firm. Over his career, Mr. Gruber has participated in the acquisition, development, leasing and management of over 32 million square feet of office, industrial and retail properties. He has successfully acquired over 3 million square feet valued at over $350 million and has successfully negotiated over 700 lease transactions totaling in excess of 8 million square feet. Prior to joining BSC, Mr. Gruber served as Senior Vice President at LYND where he was instrumental in growing the commercial portfolio to over 13 million square feet of office, industrial and retail in 14 states. Most notably, he sourced and led the firms’ acquisition of the iconic John Hancock Center in Chicago, IL. Prior to that, Mr. Gruber served in various leasing and investment positions at Cargo Ventures, LLC, PS Business Parks (NYSE: PSB) and CB Richard Ellis (NYSE: CBG). Mr. Gruber received his Bachelors degree in Economics from Tufts University and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Florida – Hough Graduate School of Business. He is a Miami native where is still lives with his wife Heidi and two daughters and they enjoy all the Miami shoreline has to offer and often as possible.

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.

Michael Kahn is an architect and Associate at Rosser. A native Atlantan, he received degrees in architecture and history at Tulane University in New Orleans. With both regional and international experience in architecture, urban planning, and campus design, Michael is actively working on the realization of the master plan and expansion for Gwinnett’s Infinite Energy Center (IEC) Complex. His work carries on a long legacy of Rosser in Gwinnett County, where the firm has served as the chief architect for the IEC for nearly two decades. In the past, Rosser designed the arena and ballroom facility, which bridges the campus’s lake. Michael is helping lead the facility into its next generation, including doubling the size of the convention facilities, consolidating surface parking, and paving the way for a convention hotel and live-work- play community. Michael sits on the Board of Directors for Atlanta AIA and Open House Atlanta. He is a regular contributor to various publications in the region.

Josh started working for the City of Suwanee in 2000. He has worked for the City ever since, most recently being promoted to Planning and Inspections Director in March of 2008. In 17 years he has been involved in several long range planning efforts including the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, the Open Space and Recreational Needs Assessment, the Downtown Suwanee Master Plan 2009, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan and the Downtown Suwanee Master Plan 2015. In current planning with the City he has been involved in more than 200 rezoning and SUP cases, 400 development reviews, and 200 variance cases. Josh holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia.