A third-generation builder and developer, Lawson served as president of the 190-person multifamily real estate development, construction and management firm for 17 years, until he was named chairman in 2016.
For more than two decades, Lawson has promoted equitable and affordable housing policies through leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders. He has testified before Congress on three occasions and briefed the last three Federal Reserve chairs on challenges facing the nation’s housing stock.
A Duke University graduate, Lawson is a donor and adviser to philanthropic funds held at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, including the Lawson Family Foundation and the Nancy Bush Lawson Memorial Fund.
In June, Lawson Cos. completed Market Heights, a new 164-unit apartment community in Norfolk, and the company has projects underway in Richmond, Lynchburg, Woodbridge and Roanoke.
STREAMING SHOW I’VE ENJOYED: Reruns of “Kung Fu,” starring David Carradine
ONE THING I’D CHANGE ABOUT VIRGINIA: Zoning codes (to allow enough housing to be built to solve the affordability crisis in which we find ourselves)
A 25-year Dollar Tree veteran, Williams serves as senior vice president for the Fortune 500 discount retailer’s real estate portfolio, a position in which he leads Summit Pointe Realty, the entity developing Summit Pointe.
A downtown Chesapeake district being built around Dollar Tree’s 12-story corporate headquarters, Summit Pointe includes three apartment communities, restaurants, offices and public park space. Ultimately, it’s expected to encompass 1.75 million square feet of office and retail space and more than 1,400 apartments. In July, Venture X, a global coworking franchise, announced it is leasing 18,543 square feet in the 555 Belaire office tower in Summit Pointe.
Dollar Tree formed the Summit Pointe Realty subsidiary in 2015 after its $8.5 billion acquisition of North Carolina-based Family Dollar Stores.
Williams joined Dollar Tree in 1998 as vice president of portfolio management, a post he held until 2019 when he was promoted to senior vice president. He began his career as an accountant for KPMG in Norfolk after earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Old Dominion University.
Weinstein leads a multifamily real estate development and management company founded by her father, Marcus Weinstein, in 1952. She joined the company in 1994 with her husband, Ivan Jecklin, who serves as co-president. Before that, Weinstein lived in Chicago, where she worked in the recruiting and personnel department for a large Chicago-based law firm. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in 1984 and a law degree in 1987.
Weinstein Properties began as a developer of single-family homes in Richmond in the 1950s, expanding into apartments and commercial real estate in the 1960s and ’70s. Today, it operates apartment communities in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Its portfolio includes more than 20,000 units, and the company employs more than 600 people.
Weinstein’s parents are major philanthropists known for their support of the University of Richmond and the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Jewish Community Center. Allison Weinstein and her husband joined them in 2019 in giving $2 million to UR’s chaplaincy to fund student travel.
Lawson’s president and CEO since 2016, Hardee has been with the company for more than half of its 51 years. He oversees a 190-employee real estate development, construction and management company.
In June, Lawson held a grand opening for Market Heights, a 164-unit apartment community in Norfolk, and the company is near completion of 80 units at Miller’s Rest Apartments in Lynchburg. It also has large residential projects under development in Woodbridge, Roanoke and Richmond.
A Gulf War Army veteran, Hardee graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1987. He serves on TowneBank’s Portsmouth board, as well as Southeast Virginia Community Foundation’s board and Virginia Housing’s Rental Advisory Board.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Life is more about giving than receiving. We are where we are in life because people in our past believed in us and gave us an opportunity — it is our responsibility to prepare the future generations to lead.
Named CEO of Breeden in January 2022, Faulkner oversees a real estate development and property management company founded more than 60 years ago by Chairman Ramon W. Breeden Jr.
Faulkner previously served as chief operating officer and president of property management for Breeden, which has about 425 employees in Virginia. This year, the company’s Breeden Construction subsidiary broke ground on the $27 million Duplex Station apartment complex near Scott’s Addition in Richmond and the $46 million Ascend at Hilltop multifamily project in Virginia Beach. It also completed apartment communities in Albemarle County, Chester and Petersburg.
Prior to working for Breeden, Faulkner was president and COO of Lawton Lumber Co. He has also worked for American Coating Technologies and Procter & Gamble. Faulkner chairs the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s board and serves on the Neptune Festival board.
HOW I UNWIND FROM WORK: I walk several miles every day, rain or shine, cold or hot. It’s a great stress reliever and I get to enjoy the beautiful city I live in.
HOBBY/PASSION: I am passionate about cooking. I’m not a fan of baking so much, but I love creating a wonderful meal for friends and family to share.
As S.L. Nusbaum’s chief executive, Leon holds significant responsibilities for overseeing all company operations and driving new business development for the 117-year-old Nusbaum, which manages more than 30,000 apartment units throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States.
Leon co-founded First Commercial Real Estate Services, which was purchased in the early 1990s by Nusbaum, and Leon has served as president since 1991, later becoming CEO and chairman. In 2021, the company reported more than $400 million in completed transactions, and it has developed 7.3 million square feet of commercial real estate.
Leon serves on boards for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Children’s Health System, Downtown Norfolk Council, Hampton Roads Community Foundation and several other organizations. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Georgia and an MBA from the University of Miami.
Before becoming CEO in 2022, Schall was AvalonBay’s president, joining the company just the year before. Previously, Schall was CEO of Seritage Growth Properties and chief operating officer of Rouse Properties. At Rouse, he oversaw the redevelopment and operations of a $2.5 billion portfolio of 35 regional malls across the country, totaling 25 million square feet.
AvalonBay acquires, develops and manages multifamily communities around the country. As of this spring, it owned or held a direct or indirect ownership interest in 295 apartment communities with more than 89,000 units in 12 states and Washington, D.C.
AvalonBay primarily focuses on developments in metropolitan areas in New England, the mid-Atlantic, the Pacific Northwest and California. Last year, AvalonBay sold nine communities for $924.4 million, including Avalon Park Crest in Tysons, which sold for $145.5 million.
Schall received an MBA from Harvard Business School and earned his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College.
The Breeden Co. has named Sydney Balmer to its multifamily property management’s regional director team.
The Virginia Beach-based real estate developer announced Balmer’s hire Aug. 8. She will oversee a portfolio of multifamily assets in the South Hampton Roads market.
“Sydney brings her passion for problem solving and elevated resident experiences to the multifamily operations team,” Bonnie Moore, Breeden’s president of property management, said in a statement. “She has extensive yet diverse leadership experience and will apply those skills as she leads her teams to continued success.”
Prior to joining Breeden, Balmer was a residential community manager at Newport News-based Drucker + Falk, focusing on stabilization of Class A assets. Balmer is certified as an apartment manager through National Apartment Association. She has more than 17 years of experience in working in the multifamily area.
A $98 million luxury apartment building, The Ace Apartments, will be the newest addition to Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood.
The 1.7-acre project will have 295 luxury studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments that will average 753 square feet per unit, and 85% of the units will have balconies. The development’s plans also call for a 7,500-square-foot courtyard, a 4,500-square-foot club room and a swimming pool, as well as more than 13,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Located at 1201 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., The Ace will be seven floors — five of wood construction and a mezzanine over two floors of concrete.
Chicago-based Cresset Partners, Washington, D.C.-based Level 2 Development LLC and Washington, D.C.-based SJG Properties formed a joint venture to develop the property and expect construction to begin in the third quarter of this year. Developers expect initial occupancy beginning in the first half of 2025.
The venture is Cresset’s first from its third Qualified Opportunity Zone fund, launched in June 2022. Maryland-based Sandy Spring Bank and New York-based Five Star Bank have committed a $58.4 million construction loan for the development.
Fortune-Johnson, a Georgia-based contractor with four previous projects in the greater Richmond area and an office in Midlothian, is the project’s general contractor.
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