Ryan Companies US, Inc., a national commercial real estate solutions provider, announced today the hiring of Brook Barefoot as vice president of real estate development, multifamily for its Atlanta office. With over 1,300 units already in the pipeline currently in the region, Barefoot’s new position reflects Ryan’s rapid expansion across the Southeast.
“Development in the Southeast is not slowing any time soon as we’ve seen consistently healthy demand and rent growth across the region for multifamily and other commercial properties,” said Cloteen Jasmin, senior vice president, market leader – Atlanta. “Atlanta and other major Southeast metro areas are taking an interesting turn as home ownership increasingly becomes less affordable for prospective buyers who are competing against each other for a limited supply of single-family stock. The multifamily sector is poised to capture much of that excess demand, and Brook’s extensive leadership background in multifamily development, investment, construction and design makes him a natural fit for a position that will be one of Ryan’s most important roles in the months and years ahead.”
“As challenges to home ownership grow while overall housing demand remains strong, we expect to see an even more competitive rental market both in the city and suburbs,” said Barefoot. “Though recent interest rate hikes and inflation have created new challenges, the current environment still provides considerable reward opportunities for Ryan and other development firms that see through the short-term fog and are playing the long game. I’m very excited to join the team of talented professionals at Ryan and look forward to leading the charge on our multifamily strategy for the Southeast.”
With 30 years of experience, Barefoot previously worked for Atlanta-based Lincoln Property Company as its vice president of development. He made the move to Atlanta in 2017 from Dallas. He holds a master’s degree in business with a concentration in finance from the University of Texas at Dallas, and a bachelor’s in civil engineering with a minor in business administration from Southern Methodist University. Barefoot’s resume includes employment at Duke Realty Corporation and Sarofim Realty Advisors, among other notable companies.