Construction & Development

An expert in developing complex, large-scale mixed-use developments, John brings a passion for creating great places to Toro Development Company. Kelley leads all aspects of commercial development, applying a collaborative approach that blends creative thinking with technical expertise. With over 23 years of experience, Kelley has developed nearly six million square feet of award-winning projects with a combined valuation of more than $2 billion. Prior to joining Toro Development Company, Kelley served as Partner and Senior Vice President of Commercial Development at North American Properties where he led the mixed-use development platform for the company’s Atlanta office. During that time, he oversaw the ground-up development of Avalon, the $1 billion “urbanburb” in Alpharetta, and the iconic transformation of Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta. John graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and earned an MBA in Real Estate from the University of Georgia.

Luca Maffey is a Principal for John Portman & Associates. He has always believed that architecture should be anchored in its particular context, enrich its location and collaborate with its natural environment. By focusing on the people who will actually use the space, he strives to create multiple perspectives and a slow reveal that invoke a process of discovery, resulting in unexpected visual and spatial experiences. Mr. Maffey not only personifies Portman’s sensory/experiential approach to design, he always believed that architecture should be anchored in its particular context, enrich its location and collaborate with its natural environment. By focusing on the people who will actually use the space, he strives to create multiple perspectives and a slow reveal that invoke a process of discovery, resulting in unexpected visual and spatial experiences. Prior to rejoining John Portman & Associates, Mr. Maffey worked for TVS design and Cooper Carry in Atlanta, Georgia; Design 2000 in Bahrain; and STUDIODWG in Rome, Italy. While his native language is Italian, Mr. Maffey is fluent in English and also speaks French.

Jim Irwin is the President of New City, LLC and directs the company’s real estate development and consulting operations, as well as new business pursuits. Over the course of his career, Jim has been responsible for over $500 million of new investment around the United States. Prior to founding New City, Jim served as a Senior Vice President at Jamestown Properties, leading the development of Ponce City Market, a 2.1 million square foot former Sears, Roebuck & Co. distribution facility that was originally constructed in the 1920’s. During its redevelopment, the project was one of the largest and most significant historic renovations underway in the United States. Jim began his career in real estate working for Atlanta-based Barry Real Estate Companies. Among other projects, Jim managed the development of a FBI Regional Headquarters, a $60 million-build-to-suit project in Minneapolis, and Harrison Square, a 16 acre mixed-use development in Fort Wayne, Indiana, anchored by an 8,000 seat minor league ballpark associated with the San Diego Padres. Since it opened to the public, the ballpark has been named “best overall minor league baseball experience” in the country four separate years. Jim earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College, where he played football for four years. After college, he served as a legislative aide to two U.S. senators and a U.S. representative before returning to Atlanta to pursue a MBA with a concentration in real estate finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Jim and his wife, Elisabeth, have three young children.

Zach Olsen is Turner Construction’s Senior Project Manager for the Philips Arena Renovation and will provide oversight and management for the Atlanta Joint Venture (AJV) team. A lifelong Atlanta resident, Zach has experience in K-12, Higher Education, and Sports market segments with a specialization in large/complex renovations. From estimating, procurement, operations, and ultimately closeout Zach will provide oversight and delivery of the Philips Arena Renovation. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a BS in Civil Engineering.

Chris Bontrager is currently the DPR Atlanta Business Unit Leader. Chris has been with DPR since his days as project manager in 2000 and has been a Project Executive on the Atlanta's Leadership Team since 2014. Chris brings a wealth of construction experience with more than 3 million square feet of construction experience to his credit including construction in education, corporate office, senior living, retail and multi-family projects. Chris brings a communicative, can-do management approach to his role within DPR and fosters open, honest communication across the region, internally, among pre-construction, shared services, and operations, and externally, with subcontractors, owners and design professionals.

Nathan Hedges is our Georgia-based Director of Development. His focus is on Class-A multi-family, Class-A Office and Mixed-Use Development, especially in Atlanta’s urban core including often difficult in-fill projects. Nathan has managed the development and construction of large commercial buildings in Atlanta and the Southeast for the last 20-years. His skills and expertise include: • Land Acquisition • Zoning • Development Entitlements • Property Due Diligence • Site Planning • Architectural Design • Value Engineering • Construction Management • Real Estate Financing • Property Disposition In his free time, Nathan loves to spend time with his young daughter. He also enjoys surfing all over the world, snowboarding, mountain biking, road cycling, and kite surfing. He is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering and Minor degrees in Economics & Spanish.

In his newly created role as president of Pinewood Forrest, Parker will oversee strategy, planning, financial management, development and ongoing operation of the groundbreaking Live-Create-Play community adjacent to Pinewood Atlanta Studios. Rob is a seasoned CEO with the perfect blend of experience in project management, entertainment, philanthropy, organization and leadership to take the helm of this vitally important development,” key visionary and lead developer Dan Cathy said. “I look forward to working closely with Rob at Pinewood Forrest as we create a community that will continue the excellence of my home county of Fayette and the philosophy of place-making around the world. Parker has over 30 years of experience in organizational leadership on a local, national and international level. Parker worked closely with Fortune 500 CEOs, philanthropists, sports and entertainment figures, foundation leaders and government officials in the US, and around the world. Parker previously served as CEO of Southern Ground, leading both the business and philanthropic efforts of three-time GRAMMY winning, multi-platinum artist, Zac Brown and Zac Brown Band. As part of that assignment he helped raise millions to build Camp Southern Ground. Prior to joining the Southern Ground family, Parker served as a Chief Executive Officer with Kiwanis International, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Chad DuBeau is the Senior Managing Director of Mill Creek's development efforts in the North Florida and Atlanta, where he is responsible for pursuing new development opportunities, product design, and the pursuit of entitlements to meet all local jurisdictional requirements. Prior to this position, Chad served as Managing Director in Mill Creek's Mid-Atlantic region where he notably had oversight of the 703-unit apartment community, Avenir Place, at the Dunn Loring Metro Station in Merrifield, Virginia. Prior to joining Mill Creek, Chad was a Managing Director with Trammell Crow Residential (TCR) and was with the company from 2004 through 2010. Prior to joining TCR, Mr. DuBeau was a Regional Operations Manager/Team Leader with the Bozzuto Group, a role in which he was active throughout the Mid-Atlantic region with a concentration on the Washington, DC and Baltimore markets.  At Bozzuto, he was responsible for all phases of development for multiple product categories, including multifamily homes, town homes and single-family homes, and land development projects.  Prior to Bozzuto, he worked as a Project Manager for Milestone Communities and as Project Engineer for VIKA, Inc. Chad obtained a BS from University of Delaware in Civil and Environmental Engineering and an MBA from the George Washington University.

As Founder and Principal of Banko Design, Melissa is passionate about creating beautiful, functional spaces with strong character and individual narratives. Banko Design is an award-winning interior design and procurement firm that services the multifamily, senior living, and boutique hospitality sectors. In addition to overseeing a fleet of 35 of interior designers and procurement agents in their Marietta, Georgia headquarters and Amelia Island satellite office, Melissa owns design studios under the BD Studio Collection umbrella in Minneapolis, California, and Illinois. Prior to starting Banko Design, Melissa honed her interiors craft at Rule Joy Trammell + Rubio and tvsdesign. The strong attention to detail instilled at those architectural firms, along with Banko Design’s ability to provide turnkey FF&E and materials procurement are core to the firm’s success and steady growth over the past 9 years. In Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra, Banko Design has completed 2 new build multifamily projects, a handful of value-add renovations, and has designed an additional 3 new build in various stages of development and construction.

Ken Kraft is the founder of the Parker Hudson Real Estate practice group. Over the course of his 40+ year career he has worked on billions of dollars’ worth of real estate transactions and more than 25,000,000 square feet of leases, in deals at all levels of complexity. His experience, judgment and reputation ensure that his clients are in the optimum position to achieve their objectives. A former senior executive for Atlanta developer Taylor & Mathis and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Ken truly understands and is oriented to the business of commercial real estate. He represents owners, lenders, and developers in the purchase, sale, financing, and development of office, industrial, residential, and hotel real estate. In addition, Ken regularly represents clients in large national headquarters leases and leasing of retail locations throughout the United States. Ken is steadfastly committed to seeing his clients’ deals through to a successful conclusion. The breadth of his experience over the commercial real estate landscape enables Ken innately to understand not only the needs of his clients, but also those of his clients’ counterparties, and thereby devise solutions that work without compromising client goals. One client described Ken’s leadership and creativity succinctly: "He cuts through the clutter" – Chambers USA 2017.

Shawn is the SR Director of Business Development for the Big South Region of Comcast. He is responsible for developing partnerships across the Big South Region with Builders/Developers in the Mixed Use space. He also has responsibility for managing capital deployment for residential and commercial network expansion. Shawn has more than 18 years of telecommunication experience in the commercial and residential areas of business.