Chris brings construction know-how and a passion for architecture to his role as Partner in Childress Klein’s Industrial Division, where he identifies sites, guides building design and delivers completed projects.

Chris began his career in 1985 as a leasing agent with Trammell Crow Company in Charlotte and was part of the team that joined Fred Klein and Don Childress when they founded CK in 1988. Like many CK leaders, he learned the business from the tenant’s side through leasing, and he became a Partner in 1996. He holds a B.A. and an MBA from Duke University.

Much of Chris’s work focuses on finding and securing land, then taking it through entitlement, design and construction. CK’s model is to acquire large tracts on the edge of growth and build them out over many years, and Chris has led parks such as Aspen Business Park, a 2.1 million-square-foot park in Rock Hill, S.C., The Concourse in southwest Charlotte and Velocity I in Greer, S.C., along with build-to-suits for Home Depot, Daimler Trucks North America, Gordon Food Service and Minka. With about 1,000 acres in its land inventory, CK’s industrial team is positioned for years of future development.

On every project, he starts with a clear understanding of each client’s needs, then proposes custom solutions that improve speed to market and keep cost and schedule predictable. His projects balance cost, function and good design without compromising any of them.

Chris is a LEED Accredited Professional and a licensed broker in North and South Carolina. He is a past president of NAIOP’s Charlotte chapter, has served on NAIOP’s national board and editorial board, and is a past board member of Child Care Resources and Loaves & Fishes.