Franklin became CEO in 2023, succeeding his father, Wendell, who is now chairman of the real estate development, management and investment firm. Previously chief operating officer, Franklin oversees approximately 1,050 employees, as well as a portfolio of 200 properties in 10 states and Washington, D.C.

In 2013, Franklin, his father, Tom Johnston and Steve Cooper started The Franklin Johnston Group after leaving S.L. Nusbaum Realty. Johnston stepped down from the firm last year, and the two Franklins remain managing partners of the company, now the Franklin Group.

Over the past decade, the business has developed more than 10,000 new multifamily residences across Virginia and North Carolina, totaling more than $1.6 billion in financed projects.
Construction is underway on The Canopy, the company’s $80 million mixed-use development in Virginia Beach that will have 132 apartments as well as retail and office space. The Franklin Group plans to relocate its headquarters to the new building once complete.

Franklin serves on the William & Mary Board of Visitors, and he is chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Wine Classic Foundation board, as well as the 2022 King Neptune for Virginia Beach’s Neptune Festival.

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Between her leadership positions with the Richmond Association of Realtors and the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service, Lafayette serves more than 6,800 Realtors in Central Virginia.

In May, her MLS launched a data share agreement with Bright MLS, allowing subscribers to search current and historical property listing information. While the Central Virginia system covers the cities of Richmond and Petersburg and counties ranging from Hanover to Sussex, Bright’s system includes several mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C.

Lafayette continues to advocate for affordable housing through her work on the board of the Partnership for Housing Affordability, where she was previously executive director. She also is on the board of trustees for Virginia Episcopal Real Estate Partners.

A William & Mary graduate, Lafayette did postgraduate work at Yale Divinity School and the University of Virginia. She also wrote speeches for former Gov. Doug Wilder when he was lieutenant governor and later was his press secretary.

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Gannon joined Colliers International as executive managing director and Washington, D.C., market leader in 2019, taking on responsibility for the strategic direction and performance of the firm’s offices in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Maryland. He also leads the company’s national agency leasing platform, having served in a similar role at Paramount Group before moving to Colliers. Gannon also worked in leadership roles at Vornado Realty Trust.

An international commercial real estate and investment management corporation, Colliers has $100 billion in assets under management and nearly $5 billion in annual revenue.

The company has been charged with leasing for a 2 million-square-foot spec industrial park in Stafford County known as Austin Ridge Logistics Center, which is under construction, although the first building is completed.

Gannon serves on the board of the Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Association of Greater Washington, D.C., and is a graduate of Fordham University in New York.

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Since Rogers founded Capital Square in 2012, the real estate investment company has completed more than $7.9 billion in transaction volume and grown from handling mainly Delaware Statutory Trust 1031 Exchange offerings to launching a real estate investment trust and developing and operating multifamily properties across the nation.

In 2022, Rogers’ son-in-law, Whitson Huffman, was promoted from chief strategy and investment officer to co-CEO. In 2023, the company launched its Capital Square Living subsidiary

for multifamily property management. In July, Capital Square Housing Trust offered up to 4 million shares of preferred stock at $10 a share, seeking $40 million to fund more investments.

With nearly 400 employees, Capital Square made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies for the eighth straight year in 2024, with a three-year growth rate of 136%. The company has been the largest developer in Richmond’s Scott’s Addition neighborhood.

A graduate of Northeastern University, Oxford University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Rogers previously served as president of Triple Net Properties, which he helped found. Before that, he was a partner with Hirschler Fleischer.

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Guillot is a commercial real estate developer focused on mixed-use projects with Class A office, retail and multifamily. He joined Thalhimer in 2007 as an office broker and developer, and he led the redevelopment of the former Westhampton Theater in Richmond into the Westhampton on Grove retail complex.

He’s now involved in larger developments, including the $2.44 billion Diamond District project in Richmond, which includes replacing the Diamond field for the Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball team in time for the 2026 season. As of the summer, construction of the $117 million-plus CarMax Park is well underway.

Thalhimer Realty Partners and its partners are developing the first phase of the mixed-use component surrounding the planned stadium and began infrastructure work in the spring. The Diamond District is expected to include 2,800 residential units, 935,000 square feet of office space, two hotels and 195,000 square feet of retail and community space.

A University of Richmond graduate, Guillot is on the VCU Real Estate Trends Conference planning committee.

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Lawson has been chairman of his family’s 53-year-old real estate company since 2016. Previously, he served as president for 17 years.

A third-generation builder and developer, Lawson has long been an advocate for equitable and affordable housing, testifying before Congress and using his leadership positions with the National Association of Home Builders to raise awareness. This passion is also reflected in the firm’s work.

In November, Lawson Cos. broke ground on Smith Ridge Commons, a 216-unit apartment community in Roanoke that will provide housing to people who make 60% or less of the area median income, and the company plans to build a $20 million, 144-unit apartment complex in Richmond.

In September 2024, the company announced Carl Hardee’s planned retirement as president and CEO. Aaron Phipps, formerly chief financial officer and senior vice president, succeeded him.

Lawson earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Duke University. He’s a director of the Lawson Family Foundation and the Nancy Bush Lawson Memorial fund, two donor-advised funds administered by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.

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