EVOLVE COMPANIES - Key Persons
Al Joined Evolve in 2021, Born originally in Burbank California, he attended the College of Charleston where he is putting down his roots - but not before he took time to live abroad in Portugal for a year, he is responsible for managing subcontractor relationships and project builds - he is always looking to improve his craft and loves the growth and learning that comes with being on site everyday.
Job Titles:
- ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGER
- in 2019 As Our Administrative Assistant
Brittany joined Evolve in 2019 as our Administrative Assistant. With many different tasks throughout the day she is always here to help anyone whether coworkers or customers.
Brittany is currently enrolled in school for Construction Management. When not at work or school she can be found spending time with her daughter, her golden retriever Belle, or practicing yoga.
Cheryl started with Evolve in 2020 as a Staff Accountant, her main responsibilities include working with our site supervisors, project managers, and vendors mainly as accounts payable. Cheryl was born in Boston but grew up in Greensboro where she attended Grimsley High School before going to Appalachian State University where she majored in Music. In her free time she enjoys cooking, playing pool and darts, spending time with friends and her two adorable cats.
Chris started with Evolve in 2022 as Director of Construction - where he manages the entire construction arm of Evolve. He was born in Savannah, Georgia but grew up in Wilmington where he attended Hoggard High School before attending the Citadel for college. From there, Chris went on to serve in the US Marine Corps where he was a Helicopter pilot - and flew 2 different US Presidents. Going into the construction industry was an easy adjustment as Chris is a pro at managing people, processes, and standards. He enjoys watching our team take a piece of raw land and building it to the highest standards for it to be someone's home.
Daniel has been with Evolve since 2018, he is responsible for contracting projects, planning, quality control, foresight and safety. Daniel enjoys the creativeness required to work through problems and solutions on the job site, and the feeling of accomplishment from completing a complicated project. He is originally from Greenville, SC where he went to school for Construction Engineering. He then went on to work as am LLR special inspector for a third party civil consulting firm. In his free time, he enjoys, off-roading, camping, hiking, and bowling - where he has maintained his championship crown for the last 4 years running in his old school bowling league.
Mr. Forde joined Evolve Construction in early 2007. He began his career in real estate in New York City as a commercial real estate paralegal specializing in land use and development. Mr. Forde was a commercial real estate paralegal in Greensboro, North Carolina for over 15 years prior to joining Evolve.
Job Titles:
- REGIONAL MANAGER
- Regional Manager for Evolve Management Group
Heather Korpela is the Regional Manager for Evolve Management Group and is responsible for supporting communities in Tennessee, North Carolina and West Virginia. She began her career in property management in North Carolina during the revitalization of Durham's downtown area. It was at that time that Heather found her niche in the industry. In 2014, she joined the Evolve team as a Community Manager in Knoxville, TN. Heather graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and has over 10 years experience in the industry. She is the proud recipient of Evolve Management's 2016 Corporate Team Member Award.
Hunter Joined the Evolve team in 2022. He originally moved to the area from Greensboro in 2011 to pursue a Finance degree at the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Throughout his academic tenure, Hunter took advantage of local business opportunities, interning at NAI Piedmont, becoming a member of the Cameron Executive Network, and working as a research assistant for his Real Estate Investments professor.
He moved back to the Wilmington area in 2018, where he joined a boutique Wrightsville Beach real estate firm as licensed real estate agent. Hunter is responsible for Site selection, acquisitions, broker outreach, investment analysis, and the development process of turning raw land into a beautiful Evolve Community. In his free time he enjoys, golfing, fishing, hunting, and being on the water.
As the Director of Operations, Jackie is responsible for the operating strategy and portfolio of Evolve Management Group, LLC. Jackie began her career in property management in 1998 and has experience in acquisitions and takeovers, property stabilization and maximizing performance. She has extensive experience in both student and conventional properties, new construction lease ups, capital improvement and renovation oversight, distressed asset turnaround and third party fee management. She consistently does what it takes to deliver a superior living experience for residents and excels in shaping high performance teams to build great residential communities. During the course of her career, Jackie has managed approximately 15,000 apartments. As an alumna of Leadership Greensboro and a licensed real estate broker, Jackie has earned many designations and awards including: Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor, Certified Apartment Manager, National Apartment Leasing Professional, Regional Manager of the Year award from the Piedmont Apartment Association; and has been recognized by the National Apartment Association for which she has served on the board of directors as the co-chair of the membership and education committees, as well as secretary. She is currently active on the organization's Government Affairs committee and is an active member of the Dolley Madison's Women's Club. Jackie enjoys spending time with her active family and going to the beach.
Jim joined the Evolve team in 2020 and has been involved in several projects, before coming to work for Evolve he had been in the construction industry for over 25 years. Most of his career has been in the multi-family arena in the DC metro market. Jim and his teams have delivered several thousand apartment units, in multiple states, with projects ranging from 30 to 130 million dollars. He has enjoyed building everything from single family homes to hotel buildings. He and his wife moved to the Raleigh area from Maryland when he came on board with Evolve. He fills his spare time playing tennis, boating and camping with his family.
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner and Co - Founder of Evolve Construction
- MEMBER / MANAGER DIRECTOR of QUALITY CONTROL
Mr. McKinney is a co-owner and co-founder of Evolve Construction, LLC. Mr. McKinney began acquiring investment real estate in the early 1980's. Since that time Mr. McKinney has acquired and/or developed a vast collection of income producing properties, including rental houses, retail shopping centers, office, industrial and warehouse spaces along with his holdings associated with Evolve.
John started with Evolve in 2021. His responsibilities include, site selection, acquisitions, entitlements, budgeting, and building relationships with investment partners. Originally from Greensboro, NC, John received his undergraduate degree in Finance from NC State University. He then lived in New York City for 3 years before pursuing a Master's in Real Estate Development from Clemson University. In his free time John enjoys hiking and backpacking in the mountains of NC.
Job Titles:
- CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
- CONSTRUCTION
Jon Joined Evolve Construction in 2001 after graduating from UNCW. After 20 years of construction management experience, Jon is a true industry professional and a master of his craft. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 kids.
Job Titles:
- STAFF ACCOUNTANT
- CONSTRUCTION ACCOUNTING MANAGER
- Construction in 2017 As Our Staff Accountant
Kim joined Evolve Construction in 2017 as our Staff Accountant. She assists our construction team with various admin and financial operations, and always does so with a smile on her face! When not at work, Kim enjoys spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of MARKETING and BRANDING
- Management in 2016 As the Director of Marketing and Branding
Krystyna joined Evolve Management in 2016 as the Director of Marketing and Branding. She is responsible for all efforts in branding, communications, reputation management, social presences and advertising. It is her personal goal to make sure everyone knows they are at an evolve community right upon arrival. Krystyna graduated from East Carolina University with a BSBA in Marketing. After her first year with Evolve, she was proudly awarded Evolve Management's 2016 Corporate Team Member Award. Krystyna enjoys spending time with her fur baby GiGi.
Job Titles:
- ACQUISITIONS / DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
- AQUISITIONS and DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
Leslie joined Evolve in February 2016 as the Administrative Assistant for the office in Wilmington, NC. Now she is the Acquisitions/Development Coordinator assisting the Development and Construction Team. Leslie was born in New York City and went to the UK for school where she attended the University of Greenwich, London and graduated with BA in Economics. She resided in the UK for 17 years before moving to Wilmington, NC. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, films and travel as well as spending time with her daughter in NYC.
Matt started with Evolve in 2022 as an Estimator, he analyzes past budgets to find trends that help him more accurately forecast for future construction budgets. Matt is a problem solver by nature, he enjoys the day-to-day issues that are inherent with Budget forecasting as things are always changing there is always new problems for him to solve. When he isn't working he enjoys all that Wilmington has to offer whether it be golfing, fishing, going to the beach or trying out any of the new restaurants in town.
Mr. Rogers began working in real estate development in 2009. Since then, he has led a number of commercial development projects from initial concept to operating businesses, with responsibilities including market/site analysis, design, entitlements, financing, and construction. Matt has acquired, developed and continues to manage his personal real estate investments. At Evolve, Matt is responsible for the daily operation and strategic management of land analysis, negotiations, relationship management, purchase agreements and land packages. Matt attended the college of engineering at North Carolina State University and graduated in 2005 with a BS degree. Matt holds a general contractors license in NC, VA & FL. Matt enjoys surfing, traveling and spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Job Titles:
- DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
- DEVELPOMENT MANAGER
Michael recently joined Evolve as the Development Manager and helps ensure that our current projects stay on track. He works with our project managers and superintendents to maintain accurate project schedules. Prior to joining Evolve in the Summer of 2020, Michael earned his BBA from Lipscomb University in Corporate Management and Corporate Marketing while playing basketball.
Mike began his career in real estate in the early 1990's in property management. In the late 1990's, Mike began acquiring and developing his own properties. In 2004, along with Joe McKinney Jr., a company was formed to manage the rental properties developed and constructed by the team. Mike and his team formed Evolve Companies around 2010 for the purpose of branding the portfolio. Throughout Mike's career, he has partnered in the development and construction of thousands of multifamily units, both conventional and student housing properties. Also, he has experience in commercial development of retail and office centers. Not only does Mike have development and construction experience, but over 15 years of management experience in multifamily and commercial properties. Mike attended UNC Chapel Hill and graduated in 1992 with a BA degree. He is a licensed NC Real Estate Broker. He also holds a contractors license in NC, SC, Tennessee, WV, Georgia, and Florida. Mike served as a County Commissioner for Guilford County from 2004 through 2012.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of PRE - CONSTRUCTION
Mr. Umstead has been with Evolve Construction since early 2001. Mr. Umstead has personally overseen the construction of over 2,000 residential units. Beginning as a site superintendent and then moving onto project manager, Mr. Umstead now oversees all pre-construction operations.
Spencer has been with Evolve since 2019, he is responsible for project coordination Buyouts, Scheduling, Site logistics, Owner Relations and whatever it takes to get the Project done. Spencer enjoys the people and relationship building. He is originally from Sandusky, Ohio, from there he went to THE Ohio state university where he received his bachelor's degree in construction management, he was also a collegiate athlete in both football and rugby. In his free time, he enjoys hanging with family and friends, boating, and fishing.
Ms. Buckland joined Evolve in early 2010. Ms. Buckland began her career in construction financial management in 1997 with a regional construction company specializing in steel buildings. In 2001 she became the Chief Financial Officer for a real estate company in Greensboro.
Tonya has more than 6 years of accounting experience with more than two of those years in property management. She joined the Evolve Team in 2015. She is responsible for the Evolve Management Group LLC portfolio which consists of student and conventional properties. In addition to her accounting responsibilities Tonya also shares the Human Resource position with the Director of Operations. She has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tonya enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering with her Girl Scout and Church families while not at Evolve.