Nicole is the Managing Director of Capital Markets & Multifamily Portfolio Management where she manages the firm’s debt originations, manages the existing book of borrowings, and oversees various entity-level facilities. Within the Portfolio Management team, Nicole helps align capital strategy, liquidity planning, and portfolio-wide performance across the firm’s multifamily platform. Nicole joined CRC in April of 2024 and previously worked as a capital markets broker at W&D and HFF where she sourced, marketed, and closed real estate debt and equity transactions for all property types. She is also very involved in industry organizations. She is the immediate past President of the DC Real Estate Group, a member of NAREIM’s Asset Management Committee, and is actively involved in NMHC, ICSC, and other locally focused organizations.

Ryan Reyes serves as the CEO and Managing Partner of Argyle Real Estate Capital, which he founded in 2022. Prior to Argyle, Ryan served as the Chief Investment Officer for the US Division of a Switzerland-based, international real estate company with over $5B AUM where he also sat on the Global Acquisition Committee. Over the last three years, Ryan led the US investment team and acquired over $1.5B of apartments. Ryan began his real estate career with an investment company specializing in residential real estate where he held various roles in acquisitions and construction management to spearhead the company’s growth from $50M to $1B during his 7-year tenure. Prior to his real estate career, Ryan served as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security's Special Operations Group. Ryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tampa, where he also served as captain of the NCAA swim team.

Ryan Hanks has over 22 years of real estate experience acquiring and developing apartment communities and storage facilities and has been involved in more than $9 billion in commercial real estate transactions.

Ryan started Madison Capital Group in 2009 with the purpose of creating an opportunistic real estate venture that was focused creating a diverse real estate platform that would provide outsized returns for its investors.

Ryan is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Young Presidents Association (YPO).

Allen Tate is a Partner at Windermere Insurance Group, a real estate focused insurance brokerage started in 2012, where he is responsible for the brokering, placement, strategy, and advisory of insurance products and risk management services for real estate owners, developers, and general contractors nationwide. Windermere’s Real Estate Practice advises some of the most active multifamily development and acquisition companies in the nation. Its team of industry-specialized personnel has an ever-evolving expertise in the market trends, product availability and strategic placement of complex builders risk, construction liability, and coverage solutions for operating multifamily assets and portfolios around the country. This dedicated focus has given them a proven edge in their industry and has grown a privately owned business into a top 1% nationally ranked insurance brokerage and recipient of Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America 2025 “Best Practices” award.

Chip Sykes is a Managing Director with JLL’s debt

and equity placement group focused primarily

on mixed use and multi-housing assets. Chip

has nearly 25 years of experience in commercial

real estate finance including mortgage banking,

lending, equity placement, restructuring, etc.

Mr. Sykes joined HFF’s Atlanta office in October

2011, was absorbed into JLL upon JLL’s acquisition

of HFF in 2019 and now splits time between

Charleston, SC and Atlanta, GA.

Prior to JLL/HFF, Chip was a founding member

of Cantor Fitzgerald’s commercial real estate

platform. During the GFC he was an Asset

Manager with TriMont Real Estate Advisors

and Gramercy Capital where he resolved

problem bridge loans, mezzanine and equity

investments. Mr. Sykes began his commercial

real estate finance career with Credit Suisse as

a commercial mortgage underwriter in Atlanta

and was eventually promoted to the firm’s North

American headquarters in New York City where

he focused on large loans.

Alan McMahon joined The Beach Company in 2004 after working in the Capital Management Groups of

First Union and Wachovia. He holds a Bachelor of Science with a Concentration in Finance from the

College of Charleston and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Alan’s first role at The Beach Company was as an Asset Management Analyst where he underwrote

potential acquisitions and helped analyze and determine short term and long term strategies for

portfolio assets. In 2011, he joined the Development Team and has assisted the company’s expansion

into numerous Southeastern markets such as Greenville, SC, Chattanooga, TN, and Wilmington, NC.

Alan has over twenty-one years of experience in Asset Management and Real Estate Development

across various sectors including residential, office, retail, and industrial. In his current position as

Director of Development, he helps set and implement The Beach Company’s development strategies

and guides the Development team as they take each project through the site development process from

initial site identification and feasibility through entitlement, permitting, construction and stabilization.

Alan is a member of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Policy Committee, a Rising

Leader in the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, graduate of the Leadership Charleston Class of

2015, a volunteer youth sports coach, and has previously served on the Wando High School STEM

Advisory Board and volunteered with Junior Achievement.

Tammy Carvajal has been in the multifamily industry for 32 years. Tammy has been based in Charleston, SC since 1998. She has a portfolio of communities in the Carolinas with Ginkgo Residential. Through her years of experience, Tammy has experience overseeing a variety of asset types from Class A, lease-ups, new developement, value-add repositions, senoir, and affordable. While her current portfolio is in the Carolinas, Tammy has operating experience throughout the southeast and mid-west. She holds a SC Property Manager License, member of Charleston Apartment Association, National Apartment Association, National Association of Realtors, and Institute of Real Estate Management. She holds a CAM designation through NAA and CPM® certification through IREM. She sat on the Charleston Apartment Association Board multiple years, served as the former Charleston Apartment Association President, and now sits on the executive board of the South Carolina Apartment Association Board.

Ray is a seasoned real estate development executive with national experience transforming

distressed neighborhoods into affordable, mixed-income communities of choice. As Founder and

Principal of Nix Development Company, LLC, he has led the strategic planning, financing, and

delivery of more than 2,200 affordable housing units, representing over $315 million in total

development value.

Ray’s work is grounded in a disciplined, community-centric development philosophy that begins

with inclusive planning and extends through long-term asset stewardship. He brings

comprehensive expertise across every phase of the development lifecycle, including master

planning, financial structuring, public and private capital assembly, resident relocation, and

complex move-management logistics.

Throughout his career, Ray has partnered with a diverse range of stakeholders, including faith-

based institutions, non-profit organizations, public housing authorities, and market-rate

developers, to deliver projects that balance financial performance with lasting community

impact.

Ray is a distinguished alumnus of The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, where he

earned a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture and a Master of City and Regional

Planning. He is a graduate of Amazon’s inaugural Housing Equity Accelerator Fellowship cohort

and a founding board member of the 13th Man Foundation. A lifetime member of Kappa Alpha

Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, Raymond is also a devoted husband and the proud father of two.

Founded in 1995 by architect Matt Davis, Davis Architecture has evolved from a residential-focused practice into a full-service firm serving both commercial and residential clients throughout the Southeast. Over the past three decades, the firm has built a reputation for design excellence, client collaboration, and thoughtful project delivery. Headquartered in Columbia, Davis Architecture has strategically expanded its regional presence in recent years with additional offices in Charleston and Edisto Island, positioning the firm to better serve clients across diverse markets and project types.

Megan Finch Stevens focuses her practice on commercial real estate and corporate law. With approximately 15 years of experience, Megan advises buyers, sellers, and developers on their commercial real estate needs. Megan is experienced in drafting contracts, master deeds, and easements as well as handling negotiations, reviewing title and due diligence, and preparing leases. She also assists corporate clients with entity formation, structuring, and creation of corporate governance documents.

Megan has served as a leader within the South Carolina Bar, helping to set policy as a member of its House of Delegates. She currently serves as the vice chair of the Mount Pleasant Board of Zoning Appeals.

Barb O’Steen is senior director of real estate for Greystar overseeing the Greystar Development Group

portfolio in the Carolinas. Barb works directly with the team supporting the development process from

land control through lease up and disposition. A multifamily professional since 1992, Barb joined

Greystar in 2009 as an RPM and was most recently responsible for the third-party South Carolina

portfolio oversight, before transitioning to the Conventional Owned Assets team. During her career,

Barb has worked with some of the industry’s most highly respected firms including Summit Properties,

Trammell Crow Residential Services and Archstone. Her expertise includes new construction,

repositioning and renovations, with experience in mixed-use development and in all classes of assets

from A+ to C. During her career, Barb has operated in all major markets in the Southeast, as well as

Virginia/Washington, DC, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Barb previously served as a vice president

at Kettler, where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of communities in Virginia,

Maryland, DC, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Barb is a past President of the Triangle Apartment

Association and is a member of the National Apartment Association serving on the Global Outreach

committee as Vice Chair in 2024 and Chair in 2025. In 2015 Barb graduated from the NAA’s Leadership

Lyceum program, a program designed to identify and mentor the future leadership of the National

Apartment Association.

McFaddin Blanding serves as the President for Orange Capital Advisors (OCA), an apartment development firm owned by the Evans Management Group based in Orangeburg, SC. OCA is a sister company to CF Evans, a general contractor that has been in operation for 80 years.

Together with Johnny Evans, Blanding launched OCA in 2013. Since that time, OCA has built or started 2,950 units with a total Project Cost of $498M and $185M in total Equity raised (predominately via a club-style, high-net-worth model). All projects have been located within the Carolinas and developed with a small development team led by Blanding.

Prior to OCA, Blanding served as an Acquisition and Development Manager for Pacolet Milliken Enterprises, the family office for the Milliken textile family. There, he sourced existing investment and proposed development opportunities throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. These investments were mostly in Joint Venture arrangements with various Sponsor Partners and required underwriting the terms of the partnership terms as much as the underlying assets.

Blanding began his career as a Civil Engineer and was once a partner in the design firm Burns, Blanding, and Robinson. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The Citadel and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of South Carolina. Blanding has also served as a part-time adjunct professor in Clemson University’s Master of Real Estate and Development program.

Seth Clark is an Executive Vice President and Principal at Bridge Commercial, a regionally focused commercial real estate firm headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina. He represents clients in the acquisition and disposition of land and income-producing properties, with more than $1 billion in completed transaction volume. Seth brings extensive development experience across master-planned communities, resorts, brownfields, and urban infill sites, working on projects throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Known for his analytical, data-driven approach, Seth works with developers, public-sector entities, institutional owners, and private capital to provide advisory and brokerage services that maximize land value and guide complex projects from concept through execution. His team at Bridge Commercial serves as the exclusive broker for the award-winning Nexton development in Summerville, a 5,000-acre master-planned community entitled for 10,000 residences and 6 million square feet of commercial space.

Megan Kornegay is the Owner and President of Level Five Designs, which she founded in 2014. She leads the firm’s creative vision and strategic growth, partnering with multifamily and mixed-use developers across the South East. With 17 years of experience in multifamily design, Megan blends brand strategy with innovation to create purposeful, high-performing spaces that elevate the resident experience and strengthen client brands. Her diverse portfolio spans luxury, attainable, and urban infill multifamily projects. Megan sets each project’s design direction and fosters collaboration within her team, positioning Level Five Designs at the forefront of shaping the next generation of multifamily environments.

Jim Sewell serves as a Senior Managing Director for Investment Sales out of the

Charleston, SC office. Jim has more than 25 years of multifamily sales experience in the

Southeast, with a track record that includes over $6 billion in transactions across all risk

spectrums. He specializes in the Carolinas and coastal Georgia markets, leveraging his

extensive knowledge in multifamily site selection, development, and dispositions. His

experience spans the entire multifamily industry, making him an asset in guiding clients

through every stage of the process.

Prior to joining Berkadia, Sewell was a part of CBRE’s Southeast Multifamily Team where

they focused on covering South Carolina and the Southeast coastal regions.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He is

actively involved in several professional organizations, including the National Multifamily

Housing Council (NMHC), Urban Land Institute (ULI), and the American Economic

Association.

Gurtis has nine years of experience in the banking industry, all with United Bank. She began

her career as a college intern in United’s Morgantown, West Virginia Market and returned

after graduation as a universal banker. She then advanced to an analyst role in the Credit

department and then to commercial portfolio manager. During this time, Gurtis was also

chosen for United’s competitive four-year Leadership Development Program, contributing to

several projects across the Bank, including United’s 2020 acquisition of Charleston-based

Carolina Financial Corporation, the parent company of CresCom Bank. Her work on this

initiative earned her a promotion to senior portfolio manager and led to her relocation to the

Bank’s new Charleston Market.

In 2023, Gurtis was promoted to assistant vice president and commercial banker, the position

she held prior to becoming market president. Her leadership and contributions to the

Charleston community have been recognized with recent accolades such as Charleston

Business Magazine’s 2025 Best and Brightest 35 and Under awards.

Gurtis is actively engaged in the Charleston community, preferring to give back through

hands-on service. She teaches Sunday School at Seacoast Church and participates in

several local business organizations, including the Urban Land Institute, the Carolina

Contractors Association, and the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

She graduated with honors from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a double-major in

economics and business administration, where she also competed on the women’s varsity

soccer and golf teams. Gurtis is currently completing her final year at the Louisiana State

University Graduate School of Banking.