There are many reasons to be optimistic about the Nashville-area economy. One of the most visible ones is the sheer number of cranes and large construction sites that dot Music City — enough to often be the first thing developers from other cities note when they head in from BNA. With this third CRE 50 list, we've lined up many of the people who can claim a fair share of the credit for that activity. We sat down with four of them for a wide-ranging discussion of the market; you can check out a transcript of our chat here and here.

 
Don Albright
Director, capital markets
Cushman Wakefield | Cornerstone
cornerstonecres.com

• Named the 2004 NAIOP “Broker of the Year” and received the NAIOP “Sale of the Year” investment award from 2003-06
• Client list includes AmStar Group, JP Morgan Investments and TIAA-CREF, among others

 
James Bearden
CEO
Gresham Smith + Partners
gspnet.com

• Leads what is one of Nashville’s two largest design companies
• Brings more than 30 years of national and international health care design experience

 
Harold Brewer
President, director of operations
American Constructors
americanconstructors.us

• Oversees a company that has built, among others, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and Vanderbilt University’s Commons at Peabody
• His 31 years at American Constructors represents one of the local real estate industry’s longest tenures at any one company

 
Joe Cain
Development director
Metro Development and Housing Agency
nashville-mdha.org

• Point man with MDHA Executive Director Phil Ryan on current projects including Gatewood, Ryman Lofts and the historic Trolley Barns
• Has been a key in MDHA’s opting for local architects to use noticeably contemporary design for buildings such as Nance Place, The Metro and the Music City Center

 
Wood Caldwell
Principal
Southeast Venture
southeastventure.com

• Teaming with H.G. Hilly Realty on 12 South Flats, to open in summer of 2013
• Leads company active in both urban and suburban sites, including MetroCenter and Cool Springs. Southeast Venture designed Bell Midtown (formerly 1700 Midtown) with an industrial vibe

 
Tim Downey
Founder, CEO
Southern Land Co.
southernland.com

• Leads a Franklin-based company that is making its mark on Nashville’s urban core with Elliston 23, currently under construction near Vanderbilt University
• Company is perhaps best known for Westhaven, a traditional neighborhood development in Franklin

 
Pat Emery
President
Spectrum | Emery
spectrum-properties.com

• Recently broke ground for first phase of Franklin Park mixed-use project in Cool Springs
• Will team with MarketStreet officials in hopes of developing various mid-rise office buildings in the Gulch
• Seven-building Cool Springs portfolio is now largest LEED EB-certified portfolio in the Southeast

 
Richard Fleming
Principal, broker
Cushman Wakefield | Cornerstone
cornerstonecres.com

• A key member of the Cornerstone team that has The Pinnacle at Symphony Place retail space now about 80 percent leased
• A gentlemanly industry veteran who has participated in more than 1,500 transactions

 
Bill Freeman
Chairman
Freeman Webb Co.
freemanwebb.com

• Teams with Jimmy Webb in what might rank as Nashville’s most influential commercial real estate duo. The company is the largest private owner and manager of apartments in Tennessee, with more than 16,000 multifamily units under management
• In 2011, FWC completed its most successful year to date with 30 percent growth in apartment units and record revenue of $104 million
• Company is on track to grow by another 25 percent in 2012

 
Tom Frye
Managing director
CB Richard Ellis
cbre.us

• Made significant strides the past 12 months in revenue enhancement in corporate real estate outsourcing, debt and equity finance, and capital market activity
• A former banker known for recruiting key brokers in office and retail leasing

 
Tony Giarratana
President, Premier Parking
Principal, Giarratana Development
giarratana.com

• Sold three sites, representing 750 apartment units, in downtown and the West End corridor
• Completed the liquidation or restructuring of a dozen bank loans representing $160 million in liability
• Has grown Premier Parking’s Nashville parking portfolio by 13 properties and more than 17,000 parking spaces

 
Susan Gorney
Principal broker
Gorney Realty

• A major leasing force for Gulch space. Tenants secured include Gulch Discovery Center, Bar Louie, Barry's Bootcamp, Kocktails & Kouture, Subway, Rumours Wine Bar, Sips N Strokes and Lucchese
• Landed Vera Bradley in Hill Center and Sardinia Ristorante in Parkview Towers

 
Jimmy Granbery
CEO
H.G. Hill Realty
hghill.com

• Oversees a company with deep Nashville roots — and properties throughout the city’s urban and suburban areas
• Driving the train (with Southeast Venture) on 12South Flats project and prepping to undertake a demolition and infill project in Hillsboro Village
• Looking to reinvent the former Murray Ohio site in Brentwood

 
Nate Greene
President and managing partner, Nashville office
Colliers International
colliers.com

• Steered former NAI Mathews firm through 2010 transition to Colliers flag
• Brings more than 37 years of experience to the commercial real estate table

 
Danny Hale
Broker, auctioneer
Halo Realty
halorealtyllc.com

• Began real estate career as a builder of single-family homes before helping lead development of parts of Sumner County
• Instrumental in company’s involvement with Sam’s Wholesale Club, Watermark Apartments and WPI

 
Charley Hankla
Managing director, principal
Cassidy Turley
cassidyturley.com

• Known for his work in the industrial sector
• Client list includes Blevins Inc., Harsco and ProLogis, among others

 
Tom Harwell
Director of leasing and marketing
Eakin Partners
eakinpartners.com

• Works with a leasing and management team that has maintained occupancies in the Eakin portfolio at or above 95 percent
• Manages 800,000 square feet of Class A office space in high-profile buildings in downtown, Green Hills and Midtown

 
Kim Hartley Hawkins
Founding principal
Hawkins Partners
hawkinspartners.com

• Teams with husband Gary to oversee a downtown-based company that has worked on or is still involved with the Music City Center, Omni Hotel, Korean Veterans Boulevard, Fifth Avenue, Hyatt Place, Gulch Greenway and a new SoBro master plan
• Working with H.G. Hill Realty on the Murray Ohio property in Brentwood and with Highwood's on the LifePoint headquarters building at Seven Springs

 
Michael W. Hayes
Vice President
C.B. Ragland
cbragland.com

• Point man for a longstanding Nashville boutique company that recently completed a major renovation of its Ragland Building in SoBro
• Oversaw the successful execution of Asurion’s leasing of 92,000 square feet in the Ragland Building
• Serves on the Metro Board of Education

 
Jeff Haynes
Managing partner
Boyle Nashville
boyle.com

• Firm has seen various transactions in excess of $100 million aggregate value, representing more than 1 million square feet of office space
• Working closely with Northwestern Mutual Real Estate Services to develop a major portion of the North Gulch

 
Rick Helton
Managing director
ProVenture
pvcre.com

• Company sold Synergy Business Park in February for $62.8 million
• Helped negotiate and close one of the city’s most high-profile leases of late by keeping Waller at Nashville City Center. Completed with business partner John Keller, the lease represented 159,000 square feet

 
Ashlyn Hines Meneguzzi
Co-founder and principal
Bristol Development
bristoldevelopment.com

• An engaging personality at a company known for its charming and quirky professionals
• Was a major contributor to Bristol’s numerous urban infill residential buildings that rose throughout Nashville in the mid- to late 2000s

 
Jason Holwerda
Vice president, commercial
Crescent Resources
crescent-resources.com

• Helped lease and sell Nine Corporate Centre while getting Crescent’s next site designed for Two Greenway Centre
• A key figure in a company that controls 60 acres in Cool Springs

 
Tom Hooper
Broker, office leasing and sales
Eakin Partners
eakinpartners.com

• Tenant and owner rep for major Eakin properties
• Brokered deals for former AmSouth, Manpower and Raymond James headquarters relocation

 
Bill Hostettler
Principal broker, co-founder
Hostettler Neuhoff & Davis
hndrealty.com

• A visionary regarding the development of affordable multi-family residential buildings on the fringe of the city’s upcoming urban districts
• Prime mover of foreclosed properties

 
Douglass Johnson
Senior vice president
CB Richard Ellis
cbre.com

• Worked with Steve Preston to close the $41 million sale of a 480,000-square-foot, five-building suburban office portfolio in the Airport North market
• Teamed with Preston again on both a Saks relocation to a Borders distribution building and a Dorman Products warehouse selling to Stag as a leased property

 
Rusty Lawrence
Executive director
Urban Housing Solutions
urbanhousingsolutions.org

• Bought six apartment complexes in the Chestnut Hill area and in the process of renovating them
• Two commercial/residential projects underway, one if South Nashville and the other in East Nashville

 
Vince Lefler
Senior vice president
Jones Lang LaSalle
joneslanglasalle.com

• Teamed with Dave Gutting and Derrick Bloom to represent Lehman Brothers’ $130.5 million sale to  Norfolk, Va.'s Harbor Group International of four suburban apartment complexes representing 1,593 units
• Handled among the highest volume (if not the highest volume) of multifamily transactions in Nashville during the past 12 months

 
Alex Marks
Senior vice president
Tower Investments
towerinv.com

• Orchestrated the sale of Tower’s 150- acre Beechwood Plantation, a master-planned equestrian community in Leipers Fork
• Led company in its fight with Metro, resulting in ajury awarding $30.4 million to Tower (for property taken via eminent domain involving the Music City Center)

 
Steve Massey
Executive vice president
CB Richard Ellis
cbre.com

• Recent transactions in which he has participated include Aventura at Indian Lake Village (300 units), Stoneridge Farms (336 units), Aldridge at Gateway Village (320 units), Lodge North (187 units), South Wind (288 units) and  380 Harding (156 units).
• Active in other markets across Tennessee including Chattanooga and Knoxville

 
Bert Mathews
President
The Mathews Co.
themathewscompany.com

• Oversees firm that sold Commerce Center, bought St. Cloud Corner and opened Rolling Mill Hill’s Trolley Barns
• Company controls more than 3.5 million square feet of space across all sectors

 
Whit McCrary
Senior managing director and principal
Cassidy Turley
cassidyturley.com

• Partnered with Drew Robinson to represent law firm Frost Brown Todd in its lease negotiations at The Pinnacle at Symphony Place.
• Has participated in more than $513 million of lease transactions and approximately $218 million of investment sales transactions since 1996

 
Thomas McDaniel
Director of office properties
Boyle Nashville
boyle.com

• Worked with partner Jeff Haynes to purchase Synergy Business Park (an eight-building, 500,000-square-foot office campus in Brentwood) for refurbishment and in-fill development
• Helped develop 5000 and 5005 Meridian, which represent the area’s first speculative office development since prior to the recession
• Various transactions in excess of $100 million aggregate value and representing more than 1 million SF office space

 
David McGahren
Senior managing director and principal
Cassidy Turley
cassidyturley.com

• Sold nine bulk industrial buildings — representing 3.2 million square feet and $94 million — for J.P. Morgan
• Received, with colleagues Doug Howard and John Ward, the NAIOP Industrial Lease of the Year for involvement in the 518,000-square-foot Griffin Technology lease

 
Dirk Melton
Director of Development
MarketStreet Enterprises
nashvillegulch.com

• Helped company launch the 296-unit mixed-use apartment project Pine Street Flats, bringing the number of Gulch residences to almost 1,200 units
• MarketStreet and leasing broker Susan Gorney recently have opened or announced 10 new Gulch retailers and restaurants totaling more than 40,000 square feet

 
David Osborn
General manager
Market Center Management Co.
nmtc.com

• Teaming with Bill Winsor, MCMC president and CEO, to bring to downtown the much-publicized Nashville Medical Trade Center
• Founding executive director of The HealthCare Solutions Group, a Nashville think tank

 
Ty Osman
President, CEO and co-owner
Solomon Builders
solomonbuilders.com

• Helps oversee with Gregg Turner a general contractor company, celebrating its 20^th year of operations, that has built some of Nashville’s more distinctive structures, including Nashville Zoo exhibits, Nossi College of Art and the neo-gothic Covenant Presbyterian Church
• Building the largest structure in Brentwood history: the seven-story headquarters for LifePoint Hospital Systems in Seven Springs

 
Alex Palmer
President and CEO
Alex S. Palmer Co.
aspcompany.com

• A member of the city’s “elder statesmen development community” whose Palmer Plaza, when opened in 1984, dominated the Midtown skyline
• Known for being particularly tenacious, he and his team continue to market West End Summit

 
Larry Papel
Nashville office managing partner
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough
nelsonmullins.com

• Serves as office managing partner for Nelson Mullins, a national law firm that entered the Nashville legal market in April
• Former Baker Donelson Nashville managing shareholder is legal counsel to many players in the Nashville real estate market and also serves as chief manager for Corner Partnership LLC, which owns various high-profile Nashville-area real estate

 
Randy Parham
Principal
Southeast Venture
southeastventure.com

• Delivered a 175,000-square-foot two-building project for HealthSpring in MetroCenter
• Assisted the Tennessee Hospital Association in the acquisition, redevelopment and design of its new headquarters in Maryland Farms

 
Anil Patel
Principal
Concord Hospitality
concordhotels.com

• Firm is ready to break ground in Midtown on a mixed-used building to include Marriott brand the Residence Inn and Spring Hill
• Recently opened the Sheraton Four Points in Brentwood

 
Michael Rankin
President
Crain Construction
crainconstructioninc.com

• Second in command at company that continues to build many of Nashville’s more high-profile structures, including the Belle Meade Town Center, Hill Center Belle Meade and the SoBro Hampton Inn & Suites
• Brings more than two decades of experience in the construction industry

 
Brian Reames
Senior vice president
Highwoods Properties
highwoods.com

• Company began work on a 240,000-square-foot mixed-use complex at Seven Springs in Brentwood and to be anchored by the corporate headquarters of LifePoint Hospital Systems
• Oversees Nashville office of a company that has a presence in 12 cities

 
Frederic A. “Rick” Scarola
Managing partner, principal
Covenant Capital Group
covenantcapgroup.com

• Co-founded company with Govan D. White
• Leads company that manages more than $475 million of equity invested in $1.3 billion of apartment assets with approximately 20,000 units located predominantly throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions

 
Robert Schaedle
President, co-founder
Chartwell Hospitality
chartwellhospitality.com

• Spearheading Chartwell’s efforts to develop a Courtyard by Marriott in SoBro
• Company garnered headlines in December 2010 when it spent $36.5 million for two Hampton Inn hotels near Vanderbilt

 
Floyd Shechter
President
SmartSpace
smart-space.com

• Brings more than 30 years of experience to the industry
• Ranks among Nashville’s most formally educated members of the commercial real estate community, holding a juris doctorate from Washington University

 
Peggy Sells
Senior vice president and principal
Cassidy Turley
cassidyturley.com

• Represented a client in taking two high-profile retail locations (2525 West End and Shoppes of Demonbreun) to 100 percent occupied
• Manages Demonbreun Street strip (for Lionstone Group) that recently saw a lease involving the expansion on the popular Tin Roof

 
Stan Snipes
President and principal broker
XMi Commercial Real Estate
xmicommercial.com

• Placed five sites under contract and closed on two additional properties in 2012 Q2 and Q3
• Key player in a company known for its Midtown holdings

 
Tim Stowell
Managing principal
Corporate Real Estate Advisors
tenantrepresentation.net

• Orchestrated the successful sublease of XO’s 45,000 square feet and its subsequent relocation
• Represented Video Gaming Technologies in the purchase of its new headquarters location in Franklin

 
Seab Tuck
Principal
Tuck Hinton Architects
tuck-hinton.com

• Partners with Kem Hinton to direct company that has designed the addition, currently underway, to the County Music Museum and Hall of Fame
• Hinton and Tuck formed their eponymously named design company in 1984

 
Aaron White
Co-founder
Evergreen Real Estate
evergreenei.com

• Served as co-founder of Core Development, whose multi-family division has now spun off as Evergreen Real Estate (co-founded with Hunter Connelly)

• Boutique development company finished Midtown Lofts Putting finishing touches
• Teaming with Donald Seitz on a residential project at Wedgewood and 17th Avenue South/Magnolia Boulevard
• Recently moved into Chattanooga and Knoxville markets