The commercial real estate executive who helped Regent Partners develop the 3344 Peachtree office and condominium tower and most recently two Thompson luxury hotels in Buckhead and Savannah is changing teams to help lead the development of the sea of asphalt that sits between State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

CIM Group has hired Keith Mack, Regent Partners' former director of development services, as its new vice president of development as the Los Angeles-based developer kick-starts a slew of new buildings at Downtown Atlanta's $5B Centennial Yards.

CIM is developing 40 acres in the heart of downtown — now mainly asphalt parking and railroad tracks called the Gulch — into 12M SF of commercial space that will include multifamily, office, hotel and retail.

“After 15 years, 3 phenomenal hotels, one iconic Atlanta tower, more than 600 million dollars in development, more than 1.5 million square feet of construction, and countless memories, I’ve made the decision to move on from Regent Partners to become the next VP of Development for CIM Group, with the incredible opportunity to execute upon the Centennial Yards mixed use development,” Mack posted on his Facebook page.

Mack couldn't be reached for comment. Brian McGowan, CIM's president of the Gulch redevelopment, confirmed Mack's hiring but declined to comment further.

Mack is the latest high-profile hire CIM has made in Atlanta to shepherd its massive Centennial Yards project. In May, CIM Group lured McGowan, who had been CEO of Greater Seattle Partners, to head up CIM's Centennial Yards Co. division.

McGowan has deep roots in Atlanta's economic development scene, having previously led Invest Atlanta, the economic development arm for the city, and served as chief operating officer of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine Inc.

Last year, former Colliers Atlanta principal Scott DeMyer left to head up Atlanta office leasing for CIM Group, and in late 2020, CIM Group hired Nick Garzia to head up leasing for Centennial Yards' planned 1M SF of retail. Garzia is the former retail leasing director for Hines who was pivotal in repositioning Atlantic Station's retail space after Hines bought it in 2015.

Mack joined Regent Partners in 2006, having managed the design and construction of the 50-story 3344 Peachtree/Sovereign building in Buckhead and $50M in tenant improvements throughout Regent's portfolio, according to his online biography. Founded in 1998, Regent Partners has acquired and developed $2.6B and 10M SF of commercial space throughout the Southeast.

Mack also is the founder of the Atlanta commercial real estate social group The Circle of Trust.