For more than 26 years, Taiwo has worked in the public and private

sectors as a City Planner and Transit Planner both in the United States

and internationally. As a City Planner, Taiwo worked with several cities

in preparing General Plans, Zoning Amendments, TOD District

Ordinance, Design Reviews and processing various land use planning

entitlements. As a Senior Transit Planner, Taiwo managed multi-million

dollar federally-funded light rail, bus rapid transit and streetcar projects

across the United States, including the first operating Bus Rapid Transit

project in the State of Michigan. In addition, he was an Adjunct

Professor of Transportation Planning with the Grand Valley State

University, Michigan. Taiwo is a Board member of the Charlotte Center

City Partners (CCCP) and University City Partners (UCP), a member of

the American Planning Association (APA), Women’s Transportation

Seminar (WTS) and the American Public Transportation Association.

Prior to joining the City of Charlotte as Planning Director, he worked as

a private consultant and was an executive for HNTB, a Charlotte

infrastructure consulting firm.

Janet LaBar is president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance. A seasoned regional economic development leader with strong communications, strategy and operations skills, LaBar was selected following a four-month national search.

Prior to joining the Alliance team in April 2019, LaBar held the same position at Greater Portland Inc. (GPI), a regional public-private partnership that markets the Greater Portland metropolitan and helps companies expand and relocate to the region.

At GPI, LaBar augmented the organization’s capabilities to provide its clients, investors and communities with more turnkey, highly sophisticated and professional economic development services. Under her leadership, GPI assisted 31 company expansions or relocations, which will generate nearly 2,800 jobs and nearly $153 million in income.

LaBar led the planning process for Greater Portland 2020 — the region’s five-year comprehensive economic development strategy. Focused on three core pillars of People, Business and Place, the plan is rooted in guiding principles of equity and advancement and has a goal of shared economic prosperity for across the region.

LaBar started her economic development career in 2002 at the Center for Workforce Development at the Maricopa Community Colleges in Tempe, Arizona, where she managed research and communications for the district-wide Center. From there, LaBar spent a decade at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), serving in key positions including Senior Vice President of Strategic Integration, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, and Director of Product Improvement. Her rise at GPEC topped as Chief Performance Officer, a role in which she oversaw day-to-day operations, organizational performance, strategic initiatives and action plans.

LaBar served on Oregon Governor Brown’s Regional Solutions Advisory Committee, and Portland Mayor Wheeler’s Council of Economic Advisors. She also served on the boards of United Way of the Columbia Willamette, OMSI, Portland Innovation Quadrant and Portland Business Alliance, and was a member of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon.

LaBar earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in marketing from the University of Phoenix.

She and her husband are proud parents to an older daughter and younger daughter/son twins.

Mark is a Deal Principal and Managing Director on the Development and Investments team. In that role, he leads underwriting, capitalization, and sourcing efforts for industrial, multifamily, retail, and office transactions in North and South Carolina.

Previous to Foundry, Mark was the Senior Vice President & Managing Director for Cousins Properties’ Charlotte portfolio, acting as market leader for six years. Prior to that, he was a Senior Vice President and Partner at Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, leading up to and including that firm’s acquisition by Foundry in 2015. He also spent nine years within Bank of America’s corporate real estate department, where he was a Senior Vice President and Transaction Director for a 20-million square foot portfolio in the Southeastern US.

Mark holds a Doctorate and Masters in Business Administration, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and is currently a Board Director for Charlotte Center City Partners.

Meredith Ball is a Partner at Foundry Commercial, where she provides advisory and leasing expertise to institutional investors, real estate firms, and property owners. Meredith handles a portfolio of over 2 million SF, for clients including Cousins Properties, Portman Holdings, New York Life, and ICM Group.

Prior to joining Foundry Commercial, Meredith spent three years as a part of the Asset Services team with Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer. Before that, Meredith was with the Charlotte office of Coldwell Banker Commercial MECA for eight years. She earned the distinguished Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2009, and served as the President of the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (CRCBR) in 2018.

Meredith is a graduate of East Carolina University, and has been recognized as one of the Charlotte Business Journal’s Forty Under 40, and Women in Business. She was also honored as the Top Producer in the Office category at CRCBR’s Deal Makers awards for 2019, and was recognized by Globe St. Real Estate Forum as a Woman of Influence in 2020.

As Chief Development Officer, Travis Garland oversees the day-to-day business across all asset classes at Portman, playing a key role in shaping strategy, executing transactions, and driving the development of new and existing product types.

Previously, Travis served as Managing Director of Office at Portman, where he led transactions totaling over $4 billion in gross value, including leasing, operations, and dispositions. He is an active member of NAIOP and ULI. His achievements have earned him recognition as a NAIOP “Top Producer” in 2014 and 2018, as well as the #2 Producer in 2016, 2020, and 2021. He was also named one of Real Estate Forum’s 40 Under 40 in 2014 and has been recognized as a CoStar Power Broker from 2013 to 2021.

Travis holds a B.B.A. in real estate from the University of Georgia and is a licensed Broker in Georgia and North Carolina. He has been active in commercial real estate since 2005.

Tommy Mann is Development Director for ATCO focused on all ongoing redevelopment efforts for Camp North End in Charlotte, NC, including leasing, design and construction. Prior to joining ATCO, Tommy was Director of Development at Kettler where he was responsible for developing urban in-fill mixed-use projects in Washington, DC. Prior to that, Tommy was Director of Development for Federal Realty Investment Trust where he led the development of Pike & Rose, a 3.4 million square foot mixed-use project in North Bethesda, MD. Tommy also worked for Crosland in retail and mixed-use development, and he began his career as a Consultant in Accenture’s Financial Services practice. Tommy holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

CURT RIGNEY HELD EVERY POSITION IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AT BATSON-COOK AS HE ADVANCED TO BECOME THE FIRST SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF BATSON-COOK’S CHARLOTTE DIVISION, WHICH WAS FORMALLY ESTABLISHED IN 2016. HE CARRIES OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DIVISION’S STRATEGIC PLANNING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ALONG WITH THE SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY OF ALL PROJECTS MANAGED BY THE CHARLOTTE OFFICE.

With more than two decades of construction experience, Curt has managed projects ranging from $3.5 million to $400 million, and his personal portfolio tops $1.2 billion. He has spent more than half of his career with Batson-Cook – which he likes to call “the small feel big work company” – and considers his role as senior project manager for Duke Energy Center in Charlotte to be his greatest career accomplishment to date.

HOMETOWN

Woodstock, GA

EDUCATION / CERTIFICATION / RECOGNITION

Georgia Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science in Construction Management

“Top 20 Under 40 Emerging Leaders,” ENR Southeast

Licensed General Contractor, State of Georgia

CURRENT AFFILIATIONS

UNCC Childress Klein Center for Real Estate, Advisory Board

USGBC of North Carolina

Parents Partnered for Preemies

PERSONAL

Wife, Kristie; one daughter, two sons

Self-described tinkerer who likes to work on cars

Enjoys spending time with family, working outdoors, and fishing

As Technical Director for Swinerton’s Mass Timber Division, Graham collaborates with clients and project teams across the nation bringing a new age of sustainable timber buildings to fruition. With a background in structural engineering, Graham combines his technical knowledge and construction experience to support projects from preconstruction through project completion including coordinating VD&C efforts, shop drawings, reviewing engineering efforts, and assisting with global procurement of materials. Swinerton’s success in the mass timber industry began with a corporate headquarters for First Tech Credit Union in Hillsboro, Oregon. Since then, Swinerton has created a dedicated mass timber division positioning them as leaders for mass timber in the construction industry and are currently working on the tallest wood building in the United States. Graham is a registered professional engineer in seven states and graduated from Clemson University with a BS and MS in Civil Engineering.

As the Director of Preconstruction for Barringer Construction, Keith is responsible for the oversight and leadership of estimating, value engineering, and bidding of more than 300 high-priority pursuits annually. With 20 years of industry experience, he has significant knowledge of the local marketplace, labor availability, trends, and construction costs ranging from data centers and center city towers to retail and high-end corporate upfits. Keith holds a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Keith is passionate about civic engagement and youth mentorship and is a dedicated supporter for Habitat for Humanity, the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte, and the Arts and Science Council. A recognized leader in the community, Keith holds board seats at the Morrison YMCA and Matthews Athletic and Recreation Association. Keith is also a 6-year volunteer softball coach and manager and was a member of the Community Building Initiative’s inaugural class of “Leaders Under 40”, which seeks to make Charlotte a more inclusive and equitable community through collaborations with the corporate, non-profit, and public sectors. Keith is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council both regionally and nationally.