The Carolinas Industrial & Logistics Surge

Hans Bean has been in development roles with North Carolina Ports since 2016 and was appointed Chief Commercial Officer in 2019. During Bean’s tenure, the Port of Wilmington was recognized by the Journal of Commerce as the most productive port in North America, as well as the fastest growing port in the United States. As a vital member of the Business Development team, Bean has lead the development and execution of NC Ports commercial strategy, expanding global connectivity with the addition of several new ocean carrier services and extending Wilmington’s intermodal reach with the relaunch of an enhanced intermodal rail service. Bean has over twenty-five years of experience in the maritime industry, serving in a variety of commercial management positions in the US and overseas. He served in several leadership positions during more than 10 years abroad with the Maersk Group, with particular focus on Asian and North American trade growth. His experience spans across ocean carriers, logistics and ports, including roles early in his career in operations and as a licensed deck officer aboard merchant vessels. Just prior to his time at NC Ports, Bean worked as the Senior Director, Commercial – for APM Terminals (Maersk Group) North America. Bean is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy and holds a Masters degree in International Management from the University of London.

Steven E. McCraney, President & CEO of McCraney Property Company, has offices in West Palm Beach, Orlando, FL. and Charlotte, NC. A self-made entrepreneur, he and his team have developer of Industrial/distribution and office-flex properties. Additionally, the company has developed and operated some 24 company-owned fuel properties within the Florida markets. The company's present active Industrial / distribution developments in South Florida, Orlando (Central Florida), Charlotte and Atlanta total 6,600,000 sf for 2017 / 2018. Mr. McCraney is an active member of The Florida Council of 100, The Orange Bowl Committee, NAIOP’s National Board of Directors, and past President of NAIOP South Florida. National Real Estate Investor magazine acknowledged McCraney to its Top 50 list of US Industrial Developers for 2017. He was Developer of the Year for Central Florida in 2013, 2014 and 2016. He was the former Chairman of the YPO Florida, and serves on its Southern US Executive Board. He serves on the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Real Estate Advisory Board, Place of Hope Children's Charity, Villanova University DiLella Center for Real Estate, and was honored by the South Florida Business Journal as an Ultimate CEO. He holds the CCIM Designation and is a delegate member of SIOR. Mr. McCraney earned his degree from Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, and has completed additional post graduate work at Harvard Business School and Duke University. He is an active alpine mountain climber, having scaled many of the world’s tallest peaks for Children’s Charity "Place of Hope". Recent climbs include: The Avenue of Volcanos, Cayambe, Ecuador 19,000', Elbrus, Russia – 18,510', Aconcagua, Argentina-22,241', Kilimanjaro-Tanzania, Africa-19,340', Mt. Rainier14,411', the Grand Canyon 48 Mile-24 Hour Challenge, and ran the Marine Corp Marathon – Washington, DC.

​Alan Lewis is an Industrial and Office Development Partner at The Keith Corporation (TKC), with over 28 years of experience in commercial real estate. Since joining The Keith Corporation in 1992, Alan has steadily grown TKC’s industrial build-to-suit and business park development platform into one of national preeminence. Alan attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Finance. He is a past-president and board member of the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors, a member of the North Carolina Economic Developers Association, and a licensed broker in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Alan is also an elder at Myers Park Presbyterian Church and has supported and served on the Board of Directors of numerous charitable organizations.

John I. Ratliff, Vice President, is responsible for EastGroup’s operations in the Atlanta, Greenville, and Charlotte markets. Mr. Ratliff joined EastGroup in 2020. Prior to joining EastGroup, Mr. Ratliff was Vice President at Goddard Investment Group. He has also worked as an analyst at BB&T. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Rhodes College and a Masters in Business Administration from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Mehtab Randhawa is Director of Industrial Research for JLL’s Americas Region. In her role, her responsibility is to direct and implement strategy, methodology, product / platform enhancement and the firm’s overall analysis, message and outlook for the macro U.S. industrial sector. Mehtab also ensures that JLL’s research platform evolves to meet the evolving needs of JLL’s clients and prospects and proactively creates thoughtful research on a variety of topics including supply chain, manufacturing, warehouse & distribution and e-commerce that are relevant to today’s corporate real estate decision makers. Experience Mehtab has over ten years of experience in commercial real estate and related industries. Mehtab joined JLL in 2010 as an Industrial Research Analyst based in Miami. In this role, she provided thought- leading research with a unique focus on the South Florida’s industrial market, additionally contributing locally and nationally on topics including logistics, commercial ports and macroeconomic trends. In 2013, Mehtab was promoted to Research Manager for JLL’s Carolinas market. Mehtab was responsible for identifying and explaining current trends in the local and regional real estate markets, tracking market statistics and indicators as well as supporting our clients. In 2015, Mehtab was promoted to Research Manager, Americas working on the industrial research platform for the United States for JLL. Prior to joining JLL, Mehtab worked as a Research Assistant in the Department of Economics at North Carolina State University and as a Research Analyst at First American Corporation (CoreLogic), TX. Education Mehtab earned a Bachelor of Arts - Economics Honors degree from Delhi University, SRCC in India. She graduated in 2008 with a Master’s in Economics degree from North Carolina State University at Raleigh, NC. Contact T: + 919 424 8459 E: mehtab.randhawa@am.jll.com

Danny Chavez joined the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance (CLTA) in November 2021 as the Chief Business Recruitment Officer. He serves as the executive lead for the business development team at CLTA. He formerly represented the Dallas-Fort Worth (McKinney) and San Antonio regions in executive roles. As an economic development executive, Danny has worked domestically & internationally, with corporate executives, site selectors, capital partners and real estate developers to close projects and investments of all sizes. He has served in multiple capacities where he has focused on commercial & mixed-use developments and working with startups. Mostly in the cybersecurity and SaaS sectors. Danny’s innovative approach to economic development and related business interests, have created new means to close corporate investments and identifying growth opportunities. He is the creator and chief architect of a first-of-a-kind, web-based incentive fund, called the Innovation Fund. In 2021, he was named a Finalist for D CEO Magazine’s Innovation Advocate of the Year award, for his work on the Innovation Fund. Danny was also featured in D CEO Magazine’s 2022 edition of The Dallas 500, the publication’s premier feature of the most powerful executives in North Texas. Danny has managed teams and individually worked on and closed many economic development projects. Ranging from Fortune 500 and headquarter operations to startup relocations. The teams he has managed have yielded over $1.2B in capital investment and created over 7,200 jobs. His individual efforts have yielded over $845M in capital investment and created over 5,700 jobs for the regions he’s represented. He has spent much of his career focusing on innovating incentives and fundraising for startups. Teams he has managed have garnered more than $56M in funds for their projects. Danny was the Co-Founder of an exited mobile software company, Epux and is the Founder of a management consulting firm, Iconimi. He continues to serve in consultancy or advisory roles for several startups. Danny holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Angelo State University. In 2017, he was selected to the Forbes Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) and in 2021, he was named by Consultant Connect as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. His approach to leadership is authenticity above all else.

Justin has over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate finance and business development. As Al. Neyer’s market leader in Raleigh, he is responsible for creating strategic business solutions and partnerships while representing our integrated process. His vision and creativity — matched with a knowledge of the market and a focus on creating trusted relationships — strengthens his ability to support our pipeline and expansion across our fourth market in The Triangle and beyond.

Micah Mallace is the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Sales for the South Carolina Ports Authority. He started with the SCPA in 2011. The Port of Charleston has been the fastest growing major port in the U.S. since 2009, and Mr. Mallace has been instrumental to that growth, including his role in attracting Walmart to build its seventh import distribution center in Ridgeville, S.C. Mr. Mallace previously worked for Riverstone Residential, handling property management within the multifamily sector, and for Vail Resorts, handling sales for the resort company. Mr. Mallace graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007 with a Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management degree. He returned for an MBA in Finance in 2011 and was admitted into the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society. He has been fascinated with the economics of global supply chains since circumnavigating the world, visiting ports in Asia, India, Africa and Latin America on a Semester at Sea study abroad program in 2005. He serves on the College of Charleston School of Business Board of Governors and on the South Carolina Economic Developers Association Board of Directors. He also works with the College of Charleston MBA mentorship program. Mr. Mallace feels unbelievably fortunate to be married to his wife, Katie. They have a son and twin daughters. So far, the apple has proven to fall not far from the tree; Alden loves trucks, trains and ships as much as his Dad.

Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on an excess of $10 billion USD. Prior to Dalfen Industrial, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.ral Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee. After joining the firm in 2006, Sean was instrumental in the firm becoming one of the largest buyers of industrial real estate, having executed over $1.4 billion of transactions involving in excess of 30 million square feet of industrial properties in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to Dalfen, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity industry events in both Canada and the U.S. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.

Matt Bear founded Bear Real Estate Advisors, LLC in 2018 with one goal – to cater to investors looking for personalized service and real world, battle-tested acquisition and disposition advice. He built the firm on a foundation of genuine sincerity and partnership to foster lifelong friendships that promote personal and financial growth for all. Before founding Bear, Matt was one of two founding partners of Venture Development Group, which specialized in the development of single tenant buildings, neighborhood and power center projects. The firm acquired, developed and/or disposed of 20 properties totaling $55 million. He led a team of 18 professionals across three regional offices that encompassed development, finance, property management and legal management. Matt was directly responsible for the development and execution of the firm’s investment/development strategies, while leading all aspects of acquisitions, dispositions and leasing of commercial real estate assets. In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, Venture Development Group discontinued operations and Matt resumed his career as one of the leading investment brokerage professionals with international commercial real estate services firms Avison Young and CBRE. A real estate and finance business leader with a rich history of nearly 30 years of transactional, development and advisory experience, including 10 years of principal investing and retail real estate development, Matt’s experience covers many of the major markets of the United States with clients and key business relationships that span across the real estate, finance and private equity sectors. Matt is an avid reader, a frequent blogger, a formerly good golfer, and an aspiring guitar player. He and his wife, Kelly, have been married for more than 20 years and are the proud parents of two beautiful, smart teenage girls who offer constant challenges and perplexity to their life, as well as an immeasurable amount of joy.

Mr. Skibinski has 31 years of experience in industrial commercial real estate transactions. He has successfully negotiated transactions totaling more than $1.5 billion for manufacturing, research and development, and logistics facilities throughout the country. He has worked in all facets of the industrial sector, including multi-property portfolio leasing and sales, complex land acquisitions for developers, corporate asset dispositions, and build-to-suits. Recently, Mr. Skibinski assisted the Silverman Group in the leasing of their 3.4 million square foot Charlotte portfolio, as well as the development and leasing of Scannell Properties’ 2.1 million square foot business park in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He also assisted Evergreen Industrial Properties in their 944,000 square foot portfolio in Charlotte, NC, Hartz Mountain with their 1 million square foot portfolio and Somerset Properties in their 1,361,756 square foot industrial building. In addition to assisting investors with industrial park development and leasing, he has handled over 2.2 million square feet of property sales for Scannell and multiple transactions for the Silverman Group, Indus Realty Trust, Lightstone and iStar Financial. He is a multi-year award recipient of Costar’s Power Broker Award and Avison Young’s Circle of Excellence.