JLL Charlotte announces leadership team transitions

JLL has announced that Chase Monroe has been appointed the East Region leader for its Occupier and Tenant Representation business. In addition, the company has promoted Executive Managing Directors Chris Schaaf and Bryan White to co-leaders of its Charlotte Brokerage operations. Schaaf and White each have more than 15 years of industry experience and have facilitated some of the region’s most high-profile real estate announcements. 

As East Region Tenant Representation Lead, Monroe will oversee JLL’s Occupier and Tenant Representation business, which covers the East Coast and Midwest. With Monroe’s experience and leadership over JLL’s busiest region, this new role will be extremely valuable to multimarket occupiers. Monroe has served as JLL’s Charlotte Brokerage Lead since 2011 and has more than 30 years of experience. Monroe was a founding member of Keystone Partners, where he worked alongside both Schaaf and White before the firm’s acquisition by JLL in 2011. For the past two years, Monroe has served as President for the Brokerage Leadership Council, driving adoption of strategic initiatives with broker leads across the country.

“I’m honored and excited to transition into this new chapter of my career in which I’m able to continue focusing on Charlotte and the Carolina’s, and also have the opportunity to apply my experience throughout the East region,” says Monroe. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Chris and Bryan for over a decade and I know they’re well-equipped for their new roles. I’m confident they will continue to excel and deliver invaluable, best-in-class service to our clients. I look forward to this next chapter of growth and success for our firm.”

As Brokerage Co-Leads, Schaaf and White will oversee all aspects of JLL’s Charlotte business and will continue their current roles of consulting clients on real estate strategy. Over their 11-year tenure at JLL, they have led several notable projects that have helped shape the city’s real estate landscape, including the 560,000 square foot headquarter relocation for Truist, Ally’s 750,000 square foot move to 601 South Tryon, Red Ventures move to Ft. Mill, South Carolina, and USAA’s 100,000-square-foot lease at The Square at South End, among others.

Schaaf started his real estate career in 2005 at Trammell Crow Company as an Associate broker, working with the industrial brokerage team exclusively representing companies with site searches and lease negotiations. Following that position, he served as the Vice President of the Tenant Representation group at Keystone Partners until its acquisition to JLL in 2011. 

“I am thrilled to partner with Bryan and serve as a leader as we continue to expand our capabilities, innovate our technology offerings and provide market-leading solutions to clients and organizations that are growing in our great city,” added Schaaf. “JLL has always had a strong reputation of success among its clients and employees, and I am grateful for the opportunity to build upon this foundation in this new role.”

White has extensive experience working on behalf of both office tenants and landlords, allowing him to apply a unique approach to each transaction. He began his career as a leasing agent for Childress Klein Properties where he oversaw the leasing for approximately 2.5 million square feet of Class A office space in North and South Carolina. He then transitioned to a tenant representation role at Keystone Partners, where he focused on providing companies with strategic guidance for all aspects of their real estate needs.

“JLL’s investment in its people is unmatched,” added White. “We take pride in building a roster of unparalleled talent and I’m excited to continue making an impact on our people, clients and the Charlotte market as we embark on this next phase of growth.”

White and Schaaf have both served on the JLL Leadership Council Advisory Board, which focuses on driving professional growth and influencing the brokerage business line priorities across the Americas. They continue to give back and are involved in JLL’s National Mentor-Protégé program and Broker Boot Camp, focusing on the professional development of up and coming leaders in the organization. 

JLL Charlotte continues to experience rapid growth. Last year, the firm opened a reinvigorated office at Legacy Union in Uptown Charlotte. Spanning nearly two floors and 41,000 square feet, the space represents a major expansion for the Charlotte team. Today, JLL Charlotte’s growing team spans seven business lines, including Work Dynamics, Tenant Representation, Landlord Representation, Capital Markets, Property Management, Project and Development Services, and JLL Technologies.

According to JLL’s Discover Charlotte report, Charlotte is the fifth hottest real estate market in the U.S. Last year, the Queen City gained additional momentum as 4.9 million square feet of office space delivered, which was one million square feet more than any other metro. In comparison to Q4 2021, leasing activity in Q1 2022 nearly doubled, with suburban submarkets dominating the market movement. Despite lingering effects of the pandemic, innovative and talent-rich cities like Charlotte continue to thrive and the market’s highly educated talent pool, affordability and top employers will continue to make it a great place to live and work for years to come.