Brendan Pierce joined Crescent Communities as the Senior Managing Director of Commercial Development in 2020. Previously, Brendan served as Office Development Partner at The Keith Corporation, a full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Charlotte where was responsible for sourcing development and acquisition ventures throughout the United States and abroad. Pierce also managed leasing for The Keith Corporation’s office portfolio. With nearly 20 years of commercial real estate development and brokerage experience, Brendan has developed and acquired over 1.7 million square feet of commercial real estate valued at $800 Million. Brendan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Brendan has a distinguished record of community involvement, including his past service as President for the Charlotte NAIOP Chapter. He has been a member of various non-profit boards of directors and is the Founder of F3 Foundation. Active with the Greater Charlotte YMCA, Brendan was a recipient of the prestigious George Williams Award, recognizing outstanding volunteer service. An avid athlete, Brendan is a coach for his children and an amateur mountain climber.

Richard Thurmond joined Charlotte Center City Partners in 2016 as Senior Vice President for Community and Business Development. He and his team of neighborhood directors engage residential and commercial stakeholders in Uptown, South End, and West End and advocate on their behalf. He also guides economic development and business recruitment efforts in Center City and manages special projects that make Center City Charlotte a more livable, memorable, viable, and sustainable place. Prior to joining Charlotte Center City Partners, Richard spent 21 years with Charlotte magazine. He served as editor for 13 years and publisher for four. During his tenure, the magazine and its ancillaries won numerous regional and national awards for excellence and experienced unprecedented revenue and audience growth. He has served on numerous community boards, including three years on the board of Historic South End and six years on the board and executive committee of CCCP. A native of Tallahassee, Richard holds a BA in English from Davidson College. His wife Ashley has worked in Charlotte’s cultural community for 15 years, and their daughter attends school in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system.

Walker McLear is a Development Manager with Northwood Ravin, a leading development, construction, and property management firm based in Charlotte, NC that specializes in developing mixed-use multifamily projects throughout the Southeast. Since joining the firm in 2017, her core responsibilities include managing all phases of development on new multifamily projects in the Charlotte, Tampa, and Orlando markets. Prior to joining Northwood Ravin, she was an Office Investment Sales Analyst with HFF, focused on the Carolinas region. Walker holds a B.S. in Finance from the College of Charleston.