Charlotte Office Development Forum

John Boylan started his career with Spectrum in 1989. Hired as a marketing representative in Charlotte, he relocated to Winston-Salem in 1991 to begin Spectrum’s presence in the Triad region. In February of 1997, he also assumed responsibilities for the Raleigh portfolio. In November of 2004, Mr. Boylan was named president of Spectrum Properties Management Company. He plays a lead role in the company’s operations and is directly responsible for the leasing and management functions of our Spectrum Carolina’s portfolio, currently consisting of over 5 million square feet. Mr. Boylan also provides expertise in acquiring new business and identifying new development opportunities.

Brian Leary joined Crescent Communities as president of its commercial / mixed use business unit in 2014. In this role, he directs the company’s office, industrial and retail developments and property management across the country. With 17 years of experience in commercial real estate and development, he specializes in large and small-scale, mixed use holdings. Prior to joining Crescent, Brian held senior management and executive positions with Jacoby Development, Inc., Atlanta Beltline, Inc., AIG Global Real Estate, Atlantic Station, LLC and Central Atlanta Progress. While at Jacoby Development, a national developer of corporate, mixed-use and retail projects, he was the driving force behind ONE Daytona, a 4.5-million square foot joint venture with International Speedway Corp. As vice president of AIG Global Real Estate, he oversaw the design and development of Atlantic Station, a 13.5-million square foot joint venture that, at the time, represented the largest urban brownfield redevelopment in the United States. Previously Brian served as president and CEO of Atlanta Beltline, Inc., the organization planning and executing the implements of the BeltLine, one of the country’s largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment projects. Active in the industry and his community, Brian served on the Board of Trustees of Leadership Atlanta and the Urban Land Institute’s Livable Communities Coalition Council as well as the Governing Board of Atlanta Medical Center. He is a national author and speaker on topics including real estate trends, sustainability and transportation for the Urban Land Institute, United States Congress, Harvard University and others. Brian graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in architecture and a master’s degree in city and regional planning.

Charles Lindsey McAlpine started his first business at age 19, which quickly grew to $40 million in revenue. Since then, McAlpine’s experience and determination have grown through the inception of multiple, successful companies including his current role as Managing Partner of CitiSculpt, a commercial real estate development firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. McAlpine participates in the Urban Land Institute, National Apartment Association, National Association of Realtors, and National Homebuilders Association. He has served in a variety of leadership roles at civic and philanthropic organizations including as the President of the University of North Carolina Charlotte’s Alumni Board of Governors and the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Crosland School of Real Estate. With 25 years of experience as an owner, representative, investor and advocate in all types of real estate, McAlpine and his companies have developed more than 75 projects, which are valued in the billions. Today, McAlpine continues to earn respect through his long-range portfolio growth, investment strategies and expertise around Opportunity Zones.

Walker is Managing Partner at Trinity Capital and Foundation. He’s led the acquisition of several billion dollars of new investment of real estate assets across office, industrial, life science and mixed-use asset classes in competitive markets across the country, with a special emphasis on the Southeast, including Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Charleston, and Nashville. Walker develops and oversees Trinity Capital’s investment thesis and joint-venture equity partnerships with respected institutional owners including Starwood Capital, Goldman Sachs, and Barings, while managing the firm’s growing investment portfolio across the southeastern United States. Walker has proven experience in capitalizing on off-market investment opportunities, exemplified by the $1.1 billion,6.9 million square-foot, 63-asset office portfolio acquisition across four states (the Duke Real Estate portfolio). Prior to joining Trinity Capital in 2008, he worked in acquisitions for BayNorth Capital in Boston. He earned a master’s degree in real estate development from MIT and an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Walker is actively engaged in the community through various nonprofits in Charlotte, is a member of Christ Church in Charlotte and keeps busy supporting his daughters’ various extracurricular activities.

Sam has extensive real estate brokerage, development, and private real estate fund management experience. He has developed over $300 million in office, industrial, retail and multifamily projects, managed 7 real estate funds that have yielded a combined IRR of 16.48% since 2001, and has brokered over $1 billion in commercial real estate sales and leasing. He represents landlords, tenants and investors.

Charles Pinkham III is Senior Vice President of Development for Portman Holdings. With nearly two decades of commercial real estate experience, Charles is responsible for sourcing, structuring, and executing developments across the United States. He manages program conceptualization, entitlement, design, construction, and transition to operations for a multitude of developments, including office, hotel, life science, retail, and mixed-use projects. Charles has worked for Portman Holdings for more than 15 years, previously leading development finance in Portman’s Shanghai office. Prior to joining Portman Holdings, he worked for WestWind Capital Partners on the asset management team overseeing a trophy office and class-A retail portfolio valued at $2.5 billion. Before WestWind, he worked in private equity for Eads & Heald Investment Counsel. Charles currently serves on the NAIOP Mixed-Use Development National Forum and is a member of the Real Estate Group of Atlanta. He is active in his community, serving on the stewardship board and volunteering for East Cobb Church, as well as serving on the board for O’Kelley Servant Leadership, an affiliate of the Atlanta Children’s Foundation. Charles earned a BBA degree in Finance from The University of Georgia.

Elsa Simaan is Business Development Officer for Stewart Title Commercial Services in Charlotte. In this role, she guides customers with title insurance underwriting of complex commercial real estate transactions nationwide. She began her career as a commercial real estate paralegal for the law firm of Shutts & Bowen. She moved to JDC (America) Corp., a Japanese development company in Miami. As director and vice president for several subsidiaries, she was involved in the development of the Princess Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona; the World Trade Center office building in Miami; Embassy Suites Hotel in Singer Island, Florida; and a luxury condominium project in Brentwood, California. In 2001, she moved to Charlotte and joined Wachovia Bank (later acquired by Wells Fargo) as vice president and asset manager in real estate commercial servicing. She was responsible for handling highly complex pool transactions consisting of 975 properties valued at $1.8 billion.