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Architecture | Engineering | Construction | Development
Architecture | Engineering | Construction | Development
Virginia Business// August 29, 2020//
PRESIDENT, VIRGINIA, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL LLC, NORFOLK
A nearly 30-year veteran in the real estate industry, Adams, who joined Colliers in January 2019, oversees the company’s Central and Southeast Virginia teams and, starting this fall, the Raleigh market.
Last year, Colliers Virginia, which employs more than 350 people, reported $54.5 million in revenue.
Adams began his career at CBRE in 1993, where he oversaw its offices in Central and Southeast Virginia and North Carolina. He also was a senior consultant in Kenneth Leventhal & Co.’s Washington, D.C., office.
A graduate of the University of Virginia and its Darden School of Business, Adams founded a commercial real estate initiative at Darden and is involved in military veterans’ causes. He is chairman of The Honor Foundation’s board and helped launch the military special operations organization’s campus in Virginia Beach in 2014. Adams also is a member of the executive advisory council for Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business. During his career as an investment sales broker, he has closed more than $1.5 billion in commercial property sales.
PRESIDENT OF CONSTRUCTION, ARMADA HOFFLER PROPERTIES INC., VIRGINIA BEACH
Apperson started his construction career at Armada Hoffler in 1987 and held multiple positions before becoming president of Goodman Segar Hogan Hoffler Construction, a company subsidiary, 10 years later. In 2000, he was named president of construction at the Virginia Beach firm. In his role as president, he oversees the company’s management, strategic growth and finances.
One of Armada Hoffler’s largest projects in the last five years was a $100 million contract to build the Hyatt Place Virginia Beach Town Center and the Hyatt House Virginia Beach/Oceanfront hotels. Armada Hoffler, however, may be best known on the East Coast for its extensive construction in Baltimore’s upscale Harbor East area, where it has performed a total of $1.5 billion of work.
Apperson earned his bachelor’s degree from Hampden-Sydney College, where he serves as a member of the board of trustees. He has also been a member of the board of directors of Bank @lantec (now Dollar Bank) since 2007 and became chairman in 2010. He now sits on Dollar Bank’s Virginia advisory board. Apperson also served as a board of trustees member at Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach.
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BECHTEL GROUP INC., RESTON
The fifth generation of his family to lead Bechtel since its founding in 1898, Brendan Bechtel was named CEO in 2016 and elected chairman in 2017, at age 36, after serving as president and chief operating officer from 2014 to 2016.
The nation’s largest construction company, Bechtel has operations in 160 countries and on all seven continents, and focuses on infrastructure, energy (including nuclear, oil and gas) and mining. The company earned $25.5 billion in revenue in 2018.
Bechtel graduated from Middlebury College and has two master’s degrees from Stanford University. He also leads the infrastructure committee of the Business Roundtable and serves on the boards of the National Geographic Society and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Bechtel has spoken in favor of nuclear energy replacing fossil fuels and also advocates for public private partnerships to address weaknesses in the United States’ infrastructure. In April 2020, Bechtel was named to the president’s team of advisers for the post-pandemic recovery of the construction industry.
HOWARD SHOCKEY & SONS INC., PRESIDENT, WINCHESTER
Boehm joined Howard Shockey & Sons Inc.’s sister company, the Shockey Precast Group, in 1987 and was named its director of business development
12 years later. In 2002, he joined Howard Shockey & Sons as its director of business development and was quickly promoted to vice president. As president, he oversees the company’s strategic growth.
Some of the company’s recent large projects include the $11.3 million T. Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge construction in Richmond and the $17.5 million expansion of Valley Health Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Woodstock. In 2019, the company reported $256 million in revenue.
Boehm currently serves on the board of trustees at the Winchester Medical Center Foundation. He also previously was a board member of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) for Virginia and West Virginia and was chairman of the ABC General Contractors Council.
BEST ADVICE: Surround yourself with those who are smarter than you, then keep pushing forward. Ever forward.
FIRST JOB: Working the counter at an Arby’s in Pittsburgh
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Ferris Bueller was right: “Life comes at you fast.”
PRESIDENT, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, TIMMONS GROUP, RICHMOND
Bortell has worked for Timmons Group for more than three decades, including 16 years as president and CEO. Under his leadership, Timmons has been named one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing, privately held firms in the nation for five years running, with $86.4 million in revenue in 2018. A Norfolk native, Bortell is a certified engineer. A former director of the Midlothian Rotary Club, he is a graduate of the Leadership Metro Richmond program, and he and his wife regularly foster dogs from the Richmond Animal League.
EDUCATION: Virginia Tech (B.S.), Averett University (MBA)
HOBBY/PASSION: Triathlons. Bortell is a seven-time Ironman World Championship qualifier and has raced in the Hawaiian Ironman several times.
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Very hoppy IPA beers
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: “Something Needs to Change: A Call to Make Your Life Count in a World of Urgent Need,” by David Platt
PRESIDENT, FOUNDER AND CEO, THE BREEDEN CO. INC., RICHMOND
Breeden founded the multifamily, commercial and single-family construction company in 1967 after working in real estate sales and mortgage financing. As one of the largest construction companies in Virginia, The Breeden Co. develops apartment complexes, homes and commercial properties.
Breeden is also the founder and a former board member of Virginia Beach-based Commerce Bank, which was purchased by BB&T (now Truist Financial Corp.) in 1996.
At his alma mater, the McIntire School of Commerce at The University of Virginia, he serves as president of the advisory board. Breeden was president of the Tidewater Builders Association and is a board member for the Hampton Roads Military, Federal Facilities Alliance and Virginia Beach Education Foundation.
HOBBY/PASSION: Hobby: Flying my helicopter and jet plane. Passion: Being the best in business.
FAVORITE VACATION DESTINATION(S): Palm Beach, Florida, and my home and farm located in Mathews County
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Diet Coke
FAVORITE SONG: “All I Ask of You,” by Andrew Lloyd Webber from “The Phantom of the Opera”
PRESIDENT, BASKERVILL, RICHMOND
Clark became president of the Richmond-based firm behind the engineering and design of Virginia hotels, university buildings and commercial spaces in 2004 after five years serving as Baskervill’s chief operating officer. The mechanical engineer earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Military Institute and served as an engineering officer for the U.S. Air Force for five years following graduation.
Clark joined the firm in 1995 and quickly worked his way up the ranks. Although they were designed before Clark’s time at the firm, Baskervill is known for engineering and designing Richmond staples such as the Medical College of Virginia’s West Hospital, The Poe Museum and the Richmond Public Library Main Branch. Recently, Baskervill has undertaken major jobs for Bon Secours, Hilton, Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University, as well as several large commercial office space projects.
This year, Clark took over as chairman of the Virginia Council of CEOs, a professional organization for executive leaders across the commonwealth.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA? The city-county separation of government
PRESIDENT, BLAIR CONSTRUCTION INC., GRETNA
After spending 14 years as a facilities engineer, Clark joined Blair Construction in 1999, eventually becoming the company’s president. Today, he oversees new business development, client relationships, contract negotiations, personnel, scheduling and bonding. Clark has deep roots in the construction industry, coming from a family of two generations of commercial and residential carpenters and supervisors.
Some of Blair Construction’s largest projects in the past few years include the $15.5 million Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville and the $9.9 million ICF International call center in Martinsville.
Outside of work, Clark has served as a board member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia 4-H Foundation and the Virginia Technical Institute. He also is an advisory board member for American National Bank and Trust and the Olde Dominion Agricultural Foundation. Clark previously served as chair of the West Piedmont Workforce Board and the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce.
HOBBY/PASSION: Raising and showing black Angus cows
FAVORITE APP: Words with Friends
MOST RECENT BOOK READ: The Bible
FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, CLEMENTE DEVELOPMENT CO. INC., TYSONS
A key figure in the development of Tysons into an urban edge city, Clemente founded his commercial development giant in 1986 after careers in banking and law. His firm is currently working on what will be the tallest building in Virginia and the Washington, D.C., region — The Iconic tower, part of Clemente’s mixed-use The View at Tysons project.
Clemente was appointed by Gov. L. Douglas Wilder to chair the Virginia Economic Recovery Commission’s Committee on Capital Formation and by Gov. Mark Warner to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.
Clemente serves on the Virginia Economic Development Partnership board of directors and is a former chair, who established VEDP’s Rural Virginia Action Committee. He also founded and chaired Community Bank and Trust Co.; was chairman of Virginia National Bank/Fairfax; founded First Commercial Bank; and was president and general counsel for subsidiaries of Virginia National Bank.
Clemente was previously George Mason University’s rector and chaired its board of visitors. And as director of the Friends of Clemyjontri (an accessible park in Fairfax), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave him the honorary title of Lord Fairfax.
CEO, NORTHERN VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, FAIRFAX
Conrad was named CEO of NVAR in 2015, after leading the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and serving as its government affairs director. He’s also an avid competitive athlete, having completed an obstacle course race at the Blue Mountain Ski Area. NVAR is one of the country’s largest Realtor associations, with more than 12,000 members, and is an educational and lobbying organization. NVAR also publishes economic reports in partnership with the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis.
Conrad served in elected office as a member of the Lower Macungie Township (Pennsylvania) Board of Commissioners for six years. He grew up in Westchester County, New York, and his mother was a lieutenant in the New York City Police Department. He is a graduate of SUNY’s University at Albany and the East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, holding bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE LONG & FOSTER COS., CHANTILLY
As head of Virginia’s largest residential real estate company since 2009, Detwiler leads 1,800 employees and 11,000 real estate agents in seven states and the District of Columbia. The company completes more than 74,000 annual transactions, with nearly $30 billion in annual sales.
For decades a family-owned business, Long & Foster was sold to one of Berkshire Hathaway’s affiliates, HomeServices of America Inc., in 2017 but still operates as an independent company. Detwiler oversaw a period of major expansion before the sale, growing Long & Foster’s operations into Delaware, Pennsylvania and Charlottesville.
He served on several boards, including George Mason University Foundation’s board of trustees and real estate committee and the Greater Washington Board of Trade. His background is in financial services, including mortgage banking, fixed income trading and traditional banking, and before joining Long & Foster, he was with Bank of America, Countrywide Home Loans and Credit Suisse First Boston.
A Princeton University alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Detwiler was ranked No. 30
on the Real Estate Almanac’s 2020 Power 200 list of the nation’s most powerful residential real estate industry leaders.
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, DIVARIS GROUP, VIRGINIA BEACH
Divaris is a South African native who co-founded his commercial real estate company with his cousin, Michael Divaris, the firm’s president and chief operating officer, in 1982.
Gerald Divaris has overseen dozens of projects in and around Virginia Beach, his adopted hometown. The company’s tenants include Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Staples, Gap, Old Navy and Best Buy.
One of the founders of the Central Business District Association in Virginia Beach, he is responsible for developing the Town Center of Virginia Beach, a bustling mixed-use project with offices, retail, hotels and restaurants.
He now oversees Divaris Real Estate Inc. and Divaris Property Management Corp., with a portfolio of 31 million square feet of retail and office space and 170 employees.
Divaris also chairs Realty Resources, a national network of retail brokers, and serves on the Central Business District Association’s executive committee and TowneBank’s Virginia Beach location’s board of directors. He graduated from the University of Cape Town with a master’s degree in business science.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SOUTHEAST REGION, AECOM, ARLINGTON
Based in Arlington, Faust is the top Virginia executive of AECOM and since 2016 he has led the company’s design and consulting services business for the company’s Southeast region. With more than 4,000 employees and an annual revenue of $950 million, the region includes Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and other states, as well as Latin America.
Faust has worked for AECOM since 2005, overseeing its transportation market and the highways and bridges sector, among other duties. An international infrastructure design company that earned $20.2 billion in revenue in 2019, AECOM employs about 87,000 people and is based in Los Angeles.
The firm’s major current projects in Virginia are construction of the $320 million Potomac Yard Metrorail station and the 11-mile extension of the rail line toward Washington Dulles International Airport, a $1.6 billion project.
Before joining AECOM, Faust was chief engineer of the Delaware River Port Authority, and he holds degrees in civil engineering from Drexel University and the University of Delaware.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, BEACON ROOFING SUPPLY INC., HERNDON
Francis took the helm of the Herndon-based residential and commercial roofing materials distributor in September 2019. The company, which employs more than 8,000, reported $7.1 billion in sales last year and is ranked No. 434 on the Fortune 500 list. Beacon Roofing Supply operates in all 50 U.S. states and has more than 500 branches. In 2018, the company closed its acquisition of Allied Building Products for $2.6 billion.
Before his time with Beacon Roofing Supply Inc., Francis served in leadership positions at residential product and information services companies (including Owens Corning, Reed Business Information and USG Corp.) that each reported more than $2 billion in revenues. He was president of the insulation business at Owens Corning before taking his position at Beacon.
Francis earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and his doctorate in materials engineering at Swansea University in the United Kingdom. He also earned his MBA from DePaul University.
OWNER, FRIED COS. INC., CROZET
In 1962, Barbara Fried and her late husband, Mark Fried, founded the Springfield-based Fried and Fried law firm, specializing in real estate law. About 20 years later, the couple started a real estate development business in Albemarle County that continues to be family-owned and operated, with $100 million in construction business each year.
Among their projects are residential developments in Greene and Spotsylvania counties, as well as retail centers and offices in Northern Virginia. Known for their philanthropy and humanitarianism, the couple in 1971 founded Innisfree Village, a residential community in Albemarle County for adults with intellectual disabilities. The Frieds also established Charlottesville-Albemarle Riding Therapy (CART), a horseback-riding program for disabled adults and children.
In 2019, Germanna Community College opened the Barbara J. Fried Center, where the college has established a presence in Stafford County. The Fried family gave a $1 million gift to Germanna in 2015, and the center is the first building at Germanna named for a woman.
Fried herself attended the University of Chicago at age 16 and was one of five women in her class at Chicago’s law school in the 1950s.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, MARATHON DEVELOPMENT GROUP INC., NORFOLK
Shortly after graduating from James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Gadams founded Marathon Development Group, which has changed the literal landscape of Norfolk over the past couple of decades.
Marathon Development Group is responsible for the transformation of downtown Norfolk’s Bank of America building into a massive residential development called Icon Norfolk. Marathon also developed The Rockefeller Norfolk Apartments from the former Union Mission building. In 2017, Gadams sold the downtown ADP building (home to a large payroll services company) for $57 million, which, at the time, was the highest price fetched for a Norfolk office building. In October 2019, he announced his latest downtown 500-apartment development, which will be located in the city’s historic Neon District.
Gadams also directed construction for the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts and renovation of the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk. He has been a major donor to the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, having invested in the hospital’s biotech startup ReAlta Life Sciences and hosted a fundraiser for the hospital in 2018.
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND MARKET LEADER, VIRGINIA, COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL LLC, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Gannon leads Colliers’ offices in the Washington, D.C., region, including Northern Virginia, with more than 50 real estate agents. Before joining Colliers in 2019, he worked in Paramount Group Inc.’s D.C. commercial office division and at Vornado Realty Trust, where he was vice president of leasing. Gannon serves on the Commercial Real Estate Brokers Association board of directors, and he’s been named the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors’ top developer/landlord agent three times. A graduate of Fordham University, Gannon hails from New Jersey.
An international real estate and investment management company, Colliers has a presence in 68 countries and employs 14,500 people. In 2019, the company brought in $3 billion in corporate revenue and managed $33 billion in assets. Like most companies, Colliers saw a downturn in profits in the spring due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with revenues down by 15% to 25%, according to its June investors report.
VICE PRESIDENT AND CEO, VIRGINIA DIVISION, CLANCY & THEYS CONSTRUCTION CO., NEWPORT NEWS
Goggins has been with Raleigh, North Carolina-based Clancy & Theys for more than 25 years, overseeing some of the firm’s largest Virginia projects. Founded more than 70 years ago, the construction company was primarily focused on the Raleigh market but added four offices in Wilmington and Charlotte, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Newport News, further expanding its construction footprint. The Newport News location now employs approximately 100 people. In 2019, the company reported more than $581.6 million in revenue.
In Hampton Roads, the construction firm run by Goggins has constructed some of the most recognizable buildings in the region, including Dollar Tree’s Chesapeake headquarters, Norfolk’s Wells Fargo Center, the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach and Canon’s Advanced Cartridge Manufacturing building in Newport News. The company was also the general contractor for the Norfolk International Airport renovations in 2014.
Outside of the office, Goggins is involved in the region as a member of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, ARMADA HOFFLER PROPERTIES INC., VIRGINIA BEACH
Haddad joined Armada Hoffler in 1985 as an on-site construction superintendent, quickly rising to become president of its construction company in 1987. By 1996, he was at the helm of Armada Hoffler’s parent company. Today, it is among Virginia’s largest commercial real estate companies and is known for Virginia Beach’s Town Center, as well as more than two dozen public-private development deals and $800 million in new projects since going public in 2013.
Haddad and his wife, Mary, co-founded a foundation in 1999 to help at-risk children, and he has volunteered with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Special Olympics, United Way and other charities.
Last year, amid some community criticism and citing not enough support from Portsmouth city government, Armada Hoffler withdrew its plans to redevelop Portsmouth’s waterfront by moving city-owned buildings inland to make room for private development on the coast. In June 2020, the company salvaged a deal to sell seven grocery-anchored shopping centers to a Canadian company for $90 million after an initial $106.5 million agreement was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic’s economic impact.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE LAWSON COS., VIRGINIA BEACH
A 29-year veteran of The Lawson Cos., Hardee previously served as vice president, chief operating officer and president of the firm’s property management company before taking the helm in 2016, succeeding Steven Lawson, the company’s chairman of the board. Hardee also is a U.S. Army veteran of the Gulf War and a graduate of Virginia Military Institute.
Founded in 1972, Lawson owns and manages about 5,500 apartments in Virginia and South Carolina, and Hardee is responsible for the firm’s multifamily and commercial business divisions, as well as serving as Lawson’s executive certified property manager.
In 2019, the company’s Seaside Harbor Apartments in Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District won an award from the National Association of Home Builders for best affordable apartment community. A $16.5 million project completed in 2018, the complex was built in partnership with the nonprofit Samaritan House to accommodate residents with developmental disabilities.
MANAGING PARTNER AND PRINCIPAL BROKER, COLDWELL BANKER PROFESSIONAL REALTORS,
VIRGINIA BEACH
In addition to her job as a real estate agent in the Hampton Roads region, Helfant-Browning was the first woman to lead the National Association of Realtors in 1992, having earlier led the Virginia Association of Realtors and the Tidewater Board of Realtors. During her tenure as NAR president, Helfant-Browning was instrumental in persuading President George H.W. Bush’s administration to support tax cuts to stimulate the national economy, which had recently slowed. She also has served as a trustee of the Realtors Political Action Committee and in 1993 was named a member of Fannie Mae’s advisory council. Having started her career in 1967, Helfant-Browning became the owner of her own firm in 1974, which affiliated with Coldwell Banker in 1989. She currently serves on the board of directors of Virginia FREE, a nonpartisan political organization geared toward the business community, and is a former member of the State Board for Community Colleges.
CO-CHAIRMAN, HITT CONTRACTING INC., FALLS CHURCH
In 1984, Brett Hitt joined the family-owned company started almost 50 years earlier by his grandfather and grandmother around their dining room table. Starting out as an assistant project manager, he was named as co-president in 2005. Twelve years later, he became co-chairman of the board. Hitt focuses on firm strategy and oversees the principal leadership team. He streamlined the company’s construction delivery process by transitioning the company to web-based project management and building information modeling.
Hitt Contracting, which is behind the construction of several Northern Virginia data centers, hit more than $771 million in 2018 revenue, with Washington Business Journal ranking it as the No. 1 interior construction firm in the greater Washington, D.C., area in 2019. Hitt’s clients have included American University, ExxonMobile Corp., GEICO and United Airlines.
In his philanthropic life, Hitt supports organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Wounded Warriors Project.
FOUNDER AND CEO, HOURIGAN GROUP, RICHMOND
Nearly 30 years ago, Hourigan founded his Richmond-based construction and development firm. It reported $400 million in 2019 revenue (placing the firm No. 3 on construction trade magazine Engineering News-Record’s list of Top Mid-Atlantic Contractors). The firm acquired Capstone Contracting Co. in 2019.
Some of its projects include the new Dominion Energy headquarters, the Commonwealth University STEM building, the University of Richmond’s Robins Stadium and the Altria Center for Research and Technology.
Hourigan serves as board chair of Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction and as an advisory board chair to the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. In his roles at Tech, he serves as a guest lecturer, develops curriculum and sponsors internships. He has also served as a board member of Lansing Building Products, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Virginia Business Bank.
He serves on several community boards, including ChamberRVA and the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. Hourigan also sits on the GO Virginia Region 4 Council, which recommends state economic development grant investments for projects in the greater Richmond region.
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, JOHNSON COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, BRISTOL
After a knee injury ended his National Football League career playing for the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson founded the Bristol-based commercial development company in 1995. As president, he oversees all developments, sales, marketing and operations.
The largest project Johnson has been responsible for is The Pinnacle, a $150 million, 240-acre shopping center located directly off Interstate 81 in Bristol, Tennessee. The development opened in 2014, and Johnson Commercial Development has plans to expand the development, adding a 300-acre sports and entertainment complex on the Bristol, Virginia, side.
In 2004, Johnson donated a building for the construction of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia, and he is a donor for the United Way of Bristol. He also serves as honorary co-chair of the Niswonger Children’s Hospital Foundation in Johnson City, Tennessee.
A Virginia Tech alum, Johnson has continued to be involved with the Hokies and is a member of the university’s Ut Prosim Society, which recognizes major benfactors. In 2013, Tech renamed its football practice fields in honor of Johnson, who was the Hokies’ sixth-ranked all-time tight end with two All-American honorable mentions.
FOUNDER AND CEO, KETTLER INC., MCLEAN
After spending a few years renovating apartments and retail stores in Washington, D.C., Kettler in 1977 founded his eponymous company, which began as a home builder. And in 1988, Kettler Inc. added its property management wing, which now oversees more than 30,000 apartments.
Since its inception, the company has developed 46,000 home lots for builders, 15 shopping centers, 10 million square feet of commercial space and eight championship golf courses — making it one of the largest multifamily developers in the country. The company employs approximately 1,000 people.
One of Kettler’s larger, more recent projects was the transformation of the former SAIC campus, which now includes 1.7 million square feet of mixed-use development in Tysons. One might also recognize Kettler as the former sponsor of the Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, the training center for the Washington Capitals ice hockey team.
Kettler has served on the boards for the Trust for the National Mall, the Tysons Partnership, The Kennedy Center and the Wesley Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Charlotte, served as co-chairs of a $50 million capital campaign that led to the redevelopment of the Potomac School in McLean.
PRESIDENT, RETAIL SALES AND LEASING, HARVEY LINDSAY COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, VIRGINIA BEACH
King began his career with Harvey Lindsay in 1978, leasing shopping centers in the Hampton Roads region; since 1985, he has led the retail leasing team, which oversees the company’s 4.5 million square feet of retail space. He holds degrees from Duke and Old Dominion universities, and his clients have included Eastern Virginia Medical School, Food Lion, Walmart and Kroger.
He became president of the firm in December 2019, taking over from his brother, Billy King, who left to pursue private investment opportunities. The King brothers were adopted by Harvey Lindsay Jr. after he married their mother, Frances; their father, a Navy pilot, died while taking off from an aircraft carrier.
Harvey Lindsay Sr. founded the company in 1919, and after his son took over in 1954, it shifted from residential real estate to sales, leasing and development of commercial real estate.
Last year, the company represented the seller of Williamsburg-based shopping center Courthouse Commons, which was purchased for $12.2 million by a Baltimore limited partnership.
CEO, RICHMOND ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS, RICHMOND
Lafayette oversees the 6,000-member Richmond Association of Realtors and the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service. A William & Mary graduate who attended Yale Divinity School and the University of Virginia, Lafayette took a detour and became then-gubernatorial candidate
L. Douglas Wilder’s press secretary, continuing the role after he took office in 1990. The two met when she was an intern and he was lieutenant governor and she became a speechwriter for him.
Along with her duties at RAR, Lafayette served on the Virginia Housing Commission until her term ended June 30, and she also oversaw a Richmond-area affordable housing task force. Currently, she chairs the board of Maggie L. Walker Community Land Trust, and serves on the boards of several nonprofit groups focused on housing accessibility for low-income people.
In 2009, she was promoted to CEO of RAR after serving as its government affairs and communications director, among other roles, since 1993. A Richmond native, Lafayette enjoys coaching boys’ basketball in her spare time.
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, W.M. JORDAN CO., NEWPORT NEWS
In 2018, Lawson stepped down from his position as president and CEO after 32 years leading the Newport News-based construction company his father founded in 1958. During his tenure, the company grew from $25 million to more than $500 million in revenue.
W.M. Jordan focuses mostly on local construction projects, including the recent Ferguson campus at Newport News City Center, Liebherr USA’s expansion in Newport News and the Measurement Systems Lab at NASA Langley Research Center.
A Virginia Tech alum, Lawson in 2017 received the university’s highest honor, the William H. Ruffner Medal. He is one of the namesakes of the university’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction. He also serves as chairman of the board at ivWatch LLC and is a board member for TowneBank.
HOBBY/PASSION: Boating, reading, golf, history and art
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA? Dillon Rule
FAVORITE SONG: “God Only Knows,” by The Beach Boys
FIRST JOB: Selling popcorn and peanuts at a Minor League Baseball park when I was 13
PRESIDENT, CHAIRMAN AND PARTNER, S.L. NUSBAUM REALTY CO., NORFOLK
Leon has been with Nusbaum, which has long been a significant player in Hampton Roads’ commercial real estate market, for more than three decades. He oversaw the revamp of Norfolk’s St. Paul Apartments and the building of Norfolk Premium Outlets. In May, the company brokered the sale of a former hotel property in Norfolk to the city’s Economic Development Authority for $2.4 million.
Leon serves on several organizations’ boards, including the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Health System, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, Downtown Norfolk Council, Old Dominion University’s Real Estate Foundation and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, of which he is a former president and annual campaign chairman. He also has served as president of the Commercial Real Estate Council and has received awards for service and excellence in commercial real estate. Leon is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of Miami, where he earned his MBA.
CEO AND OWNER, GROUNDWORKS COS., VIRGINIA BEACH
Malone founded the Virginia Beach-based repair brands holding company Groundworks Cos. after nearly two decades spent working with both finance and environmental servicing companies. Groundworks Cos. currently has 15 brands, encompassing products used for waterproofing, foundation repair and basement repair.
Last year, Groundworks Cos. reported more than $174 million in revenue and since May 2019 has acquired six companies — with a goal to be the leading foundation services company in the U.S. With more than a dozen acquisitions under its belt, Groundworks Cos. is one of the 10 fastest-growing private businesses in Hampton Roads. It ranked No. 1,598 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, with 270% growth.
With his background knowledge in investments from his time at Hunt Investment Corp., Malone in 2009 founded Succession Capital Partners. As founder and managing partner, his goal is to provide investment capital services in Southeast Virginia. Some of its acquisitions include Petro Chem Recovery, Shipyard Staffing and A-1 Sewer & Drain — all Hampton Roads businesses. After the transactions, Malone served as owner and chairman of Petro Chem Recovery and Shipyard Staffing for more than five years.
CEO, RAND CONSTRUCTION CORP., ALEXANDRIA
After leading Bethesda, Maryland-based real estate investment firm First Potomac Realty Trust, Milkovich joined Rand Construction Corp. in January 2019. During his time at First Potomac, he was responsible for the company’s $1.4 billion sale to Government Properties Income Trust in 2017. Founded in 1989, Rand specializes in building renovations, tenant interiors, base building and commercial design-build construction. Last year, the company reported more than $300 million in sales.
In Virginia, Rand has developed headquarters buildings for organizations such as the March of Dimes, Carfax, the National Automobile Dealers Association and the American Diabetes Association.
Milkovich served on the membership committee for The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and was president of The Real Estate Group of Washington, D.C.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maryland, where he played varsity football. Milkovich is still involved with his alma mater as director and vice chair of the University System of Maryland Foundation’s investment committee.
CO-CHAIRMAN, HITT CONTRACTING INC., FALLS CHURCH
Millar started his four-decade career with Hitt Contracting Inc. in 1981 as a laborer. After serving as an assistant project manager and project manager, he was named co-president in 2005. Twelve years later, he became co-chairman of the board. Millar is also one of the owners of the company, overseeing companywide executive, financial and support operations.
Hitt Contracting, which is behind the construction of several Northern Virginia data centers, hit more than $771 million in interior construction revenue in 2018 revenue, with Washington Business Journal ranking it the No. 1 interior construction firm in the Greater Washington D.C. area in 2019. The company has constructed buildings for Microsoft and Navy Federal Credit Union and also specializes in hotel development.
An avid golfer, Millar’s first job at 13 years old was cleaning golf clubs in the bag room at Washington Golf. In 2014, he earned his company the David Wortman Citizen of the Year Award from the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America Middle Atlantic Section for the company’s longtime sponsorship of the Junior Tour. In his volunteer life, Millar has previously served on the board of the Virginia Hospital Center.
MARKET DIRECTOR, MID-ATLANTIC REGION, JLL, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Molivadas is the top-ranked Virginia executive at international commercial real estate company JLL, overseeing its properties in the mid-Atlantic region, including Virginia, since 2018. He previously was director of JLL’s investor suite and regional manager for its project and development services business.
Before joining JLL, Molivadas worked for Quadrangle Development and the Clark Construction Group. In his current position, Molivadas is responsible for several major projects
in Virginia, including the VCU Health System’s $350 million children’s hospital under construction in Richmond. The company saw $4.2 billion in transactions in 2019 and has 32.7 million square
feet of leasable space, as well as 9.7 million in managed square feet.
Molivadas has a degree in real estate and urban land economics from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business and has won several sales and revenue awards at Chicago-based JLL, formerly known as Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.
CHAIRMAN, CEO AND PRESIDENT, AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES INC., ARLINGTON
Naughton joined AvalonBay in 1989 and has served as president since 2005, becoming CEO seven years later and chairman of its board in 2013. AvalonBay, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, was created through a merger in 1994, and as of March 2020 has nearly 87,000 apartment units across the Washington, D.C., metro area, New York City, Seattle, New England and California.
Naughton, a graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Business School, is also a director of Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. and serves on the executive board of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. A past chairman of the Urban Land Institute’s Multifamily Council, he is a member of the Real Estate Round Table.
AvalonBay owns and manages several high-end apartment complexes in Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington, including around the Amazon HQ2 campus under development in Arlington.
FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, KBS INC., RICHMOND
With a $1,000 investment, Paulette started in 1975 what is now one of the largest construction companies in Virginia. The firm was responsible for the Virginia War Memorial expansion and several apartment complexes and manufacturing buildings in the Richmond region, with about $300 million in revenues.
Paulette graduated from Virginia Military Institute with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. At his alma mater, he has been vice president of
the board of visitors and president of the VMI Keydet Club.
In the Richmond community, he has served as a board member of the Virginia State Board for Contractors and Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia. Paulette also was chairman of the Henrico County Community Services Board. He is currently a deacon at River Road Baptist Church.
WHAT WOULD A COMPETITOR SAY ABOUT YOU? “Been around for a long time”
PERSON I ADMIRE: George C. Marshall. He was a smart, honest and selfless man who reconstructed Europe after WWII. In my opinion, he was the greatest American of the 20th century.
BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Vodka tonic
SOMETHING I WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN: Scuba dive without proper instruction
CEO AND CHAIRMAN OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THE PETERSON COS., FAIRFAX
Peterson took his top leadership role of the family company in 2018 when his father, Milt Peterson, who founded the company in 1965, became chairman and principal. Two years prior, Jon Peterson was named as chairman of The Peterson Cos.’ executive committee, which oversees all aspects of retail, residential, commercial and mixed-use development and management.
The company, which reported $400 million in 2019 revenues, has been responsible for some of the largest developments in the Washington, D.C., metro area, including Fairfax Corner, Fair Lakes, National Harbor, Virginia Gateway, Downtown Silver Spring, Burke Centre and Tysons McLean Office Park.
In the Northern Virginia community, Peterson has been a member of the George Mason University Board of Visitors and previously served as vice rector. He is involved with many philanthropic and economic development organizations, including Youth for Tomorrow, 2030 Group, Inova Life with Cancer, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance and Prince George’s County Economic Development Board.
PRESIDENT, MID-ATLANTIC OPERATIONS, BALFOUR BEATTY U.S., FAIRFAX
Phillips in 2018 was promoted to lead the London-based construction company Balfour Beatty plc’s U.S. mid-Atlantic operations after 31 years of working with the company. During his career, he has overseen more than 45 construction projects totaling $4 billion and 11 million square feet. Balfour Beatty U.S. last year reported $4.78 billion in revenue —
with $209.92 million of revenue in the Northern Virginia area alone.
Some of the most prominent projects Phillips has been involved with include the $1.4 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Campus East headquarters at Fort Belvoir and the construction of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial. Balfour Beatty U.S. was also responsible for the Dulles Main Terminal rehabilitation project and the construction of the National Science Foundation headquarters in Alexandria.
Phillips is a member of the Associated General Contractors of Virginia Inc., the Society of American Military Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE WHITING-TURNER CONTRACTING CO., HERNDON
Regan took the helm of the $8.4 billion construction company in 2014 after the death of longtime CEO Willard Hackerman, who had led the company for 60 years. Having been with the company more than three decades before he became president and CEO, Regan had also previously been executive vice president of the company.
With $13.2 billion in 2018 revenue, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. is one of the largest contracting companies in the U.S. The Baltimore-based company has offices in Norfolk, Herndon, Richmond and Roanoke. One of Whiting-Turner’s most recent Virginia projects is the $50 million restoration of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia.
A University of Maryland alum, Regan continues a relationship with his alma mater through a Whiting-Turner scholarship program and serves on the board of visitors at the Clark School of Engineering.
CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MOSELEY ARCHITECTS, RICHMOND
A longtime educator, Roberson joined the Richmond-based architecture firm in 2011 after decades in public education and higher education. The former middle school teacher, principal and director of instruction served as superintendent of schools for Falls Church City Public Schools and Hanover County Public Schools. He also has taught at the University of Virginia Curry School of Education and Human Development, and School of Continuing and Professional Studies (from which he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees).
As chairman, president and CEO of Moseley Architects, Roberson uses his education background to inform many of the firm’s projects, including designs for Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech and other higher education institutions in Virginia and across the nation. The firm also has completed several projects for public school systems and libraries.
In 2019, the nonprofit Henrico Education Foundation hosted a gala in Roberson’s honor for his work on strengthening public schools. Roberson currently serves as chair of the U.Va. K-12 Advisory Council, which develops relationships and programming between U.Va. and Virginia’s public schools.
AREA MANAGER AND RICHMOND BUSINESS UNIT LEADER, GILBANE BUILDING CO., RICHMOND
Robinson became head of the Providence, Rhode Island-based construction company’s Richmond office in June. He is currently leading Gilbane’s renovation of the Virginia General Assembly Building, as well as Altria Group Inc.’s corporate headquarters expansion. Work on the 400,000-square-foot General Assembly Building began in 2016 and is expected to be complete by 2022. Altria’s headquarters will be expanded by 170,000 square feet and undergo renovations.
Gilbane reported $6 billion in revenue in 2018.
Robinson had a hand in some of Richmond’s most prominent redevelopment projects, including the Virginia State Capitol, the Altria Theater and Carpenter Theatre. He got his start in the construction industry while working as a temp on a construction site as a student at James Madison University. He has spent almost all of his 24-year construction career in his hometown of Richmond, where he has worked for Gilbane as a project engineer and project executive.
LOUIS J. ROGERS
FOUNDER AND CEO, CAPITAL SQUARE 1031, GLEN ALLEN
Rogers founded Capital Square in 2012 after working as an attorney specializing in real estate securities and helping start a company that became the country’s largest sponsor of the IRS’ Section 1031 programs, which allow investors to receive tax breaks by purchasing replacement properties after selling property.
Before starting Capital Square, Rogers was a partner at Hirschler, one of Virginia’s largest law firms, for 17 years, founding and leading the firm’s real estate securities practice group. Rogers also was outside legal counsel and later a board member of Triple Net Properties LLC, which became the country’s largest sponsor of securitized Section 1031 programs, with a portfolio of $4 billion.
Capital Square, which has completed $2 billion in transactions, works with investors seeking property to qualify for the IRS’ Section 1031 exchange programs, and he leads the firm’s Delaware statutory trust programs. The company ranked No. 1,838 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list, with 231% growth.
Rogers was chair of the Investment Program Association’s Section 1031 Exchange Committee and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar’s Real Property section. He holds degrees from Northeastern University, Oxford University and the University of Virginia School of Law.
PAUL C. SAVILLE
PRESIDENT AND CEO, NVR INC., RESTON
In 2005, Saville became president and CEO of what is now America’s fourth-largest home builder, having constructed more than 430,000 homes. The Reston-based, publicly traded NVR constructs single-family homes, town homes and condos through its three brands: Ryan Homes, NV Homes and Heartland Homes. NVR in 2019 reported more than $7.3 billion in revenues.
In 2018, Saville was Virginia’s top-earning CEO, bringing home more than $39 million. And this year, he ranked No. 15 on USA Today’s list of the highest-paid CEOs in the country. He earned 617 times more than his average employee, according to USA Today. Saville joined the company in 1993 and previously served as executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of the home-building giant.
Following in the footsteps of NVR’s founder and former CEO, Dwight Schar, Saville has been a major donor and supporter of Inova Health System. Following Schar’s $50 million gift to the regional health system (which established the Inova Schar Cancer Institute) in 2015, Saville chaired a $26 million fundraiser for Inova in 2018.
KYLE M. SCHOPPMANN
PRESIDENT, MID-ATLANTIC DIVISION, CBRE GROUP INC., WASHINGTON, D.C.
Schoppmann oversees CBRE’s offices in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., having joined the company in 2007 as managing director of brokerage services. She serves as a member of CBRE’s Executive Diversity & Inclusion Council and has been honored as one of the Washington metro region’s most powerful women in business. Schoppmann was part of Leadership Greater Washington’s class of 2019, and she served as a David Rockefeller fellow in 2009-2010 for the Partnership for New York City. Recently, she served on the steering committee for CBRE’s COVID-19 relief fund, an international fundraising campaign for organizations including the Capital Area Foodbank and Samaritan House.
EDUCATION: Duke University (B.S.), University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business (MBA)
FIRST JOB: Selling beach supplies at my uncle’s store in Ocean City, New Jersey
PERSON I ADMIRE: Growing up, Amelia Earhart was my hero. She was an adventurer, pioneer and trailblazer who helped pave the way for the women who followed her.
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Washington Capitals, of course.
CEO, The DEWBERRY COS. INC., FAIRFAX
With more than 35 years of experience in architecture and engineering, Stone oversees a 2,200-person, $380 million family-owned design and construction firm with more than 50 offices across the nation.
Stone started his career at civil engineering firm O’Brien & Gere, where he worked for 25 years, rising to president of the company’s total water solutions division. He joined Dewberry as chief operating officer in 2008 and became CEO in 2010. He has overseen six acquisitions, adding 350 employees and expanding the firm’s operations in the Southeast and California.
In 2018 and 2019, Dewberry released plans to help combat sea level rise in Hampton Roads, including a $3 billion proposal to construct flood walls along the Bayfront Beaches and floodgates at Lynnhaven Inlet. In June, Dewberry joined one of four teams of companies bidding on the massive Interstate 270 and American Legion Bridge project.
A 1980 graduate of The Citadel, Stone served as a captain in the U.S. Army for five years. He is a licensed professional engineer in 19 states and a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.
CEO, VIRGINIA REALTORS, GLEN ALLEN
A former state delegate, Suit has served as CEO of Virginia Realtors since 2013, representing the 36,000 members of the association, which provides education, legal advice, business tools and statewide lobbying services.
Suit began working as a Realtor in 1985 and later worked as a mortgage loan officer.
From 2000 to 2008, she was the Republican delegate representing Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. As a delegate, she served on the Virginia Housing Commission, where she worked with its chair, Sen. Phil Mims, to develop the Virginia Fair Housing Office. Suit later chaired the commission and sponsored numerous commission bills shaping state housing policy.
After retiring from the House of Delegates, she served as then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s secretary of veterans affairs and homeland security, the first person to hold the post.
Suit holds degrees from Tidewater Community College, Old Dominion University and the University of Mary Washington, where she earned her MBA. She also has served on several committees at the National Association of Realtors.
CHAIRMAN AND PARTNER, VAN METRE COS. INC., FAIRFAX
After nearly four decades at the real estate development company, Van Metre was appointed as vice chairman, then promoted to chairman and a trustee for the Van Metre Family Trust in 2008. As of 2018, the nearly 700-employee firm reported $1 billion in assets.
The Van Metre portfolio of companies includes several subsidiaries covering the development and construction of homes, apartments, commercial real estate and recreation. The firm also offers financial services and has funded more than $2 billion worth of mortgages.
Van Metre Cos. has developed large shopping centers in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, as well as in Washington, D.C. The company currently owns and manages more than 1 million square feet of commercial space and 3,500 apartments.
In his philanthropic life, Van Metre is recognized for his philanthropic involvement with Capital Caring, which named its Van Metre Campus for him. After donating 37 acres of land in Ashburn to George Mason University in 2009, the university renamed an academic building in 2019 in honor of the Van Metre Cos. Valued at more than $20 million, the land will be sold to support university programs.
PRESIDENT AND CEO, CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD | THALHIMER, RICHMOND
Warfield has spent 25 years of his career at Thalhimer, representing Walmart, Sam’s Club, Home Depot and Kroger, among other large retailers, over the years. In 2011, he became the company’s president and in 2016 was named CEO. During his tenure, the company has opened offices in Hampton Roads, western Virginia and South Carolina. He also serves on the board of directors of Sports Backers, which organizes running and cycling races in the Richmond area, including the Richmond Marathon. He plays basketball and tennis, as well as coaching youth basketball and baseball.
EDUCATION: James Madison University (B.S.)
BEST ADVICE: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Whatever you do, work hard and reward will follow.
NEW LIFE EXPERIENCE RECENTLY: I recently purchased a banjo. I have always admired those who could play an instrument well. I have no musical talent but mastering an instrument is on my bucket list.
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM: Boston Celtics
