As Director of Land Development – Tennessee, Derek focuses on land acquisition, design, entitlement, and site development activities on all projects in Middle Tennessee and North Alabama. Prior to joining Suncrest, Derek carved out a niche as a Land Forward Planning and Entitlement Manager with a top ten national builder in Nashville, steering the company’s strategic direction in land acquisition and development.
His responsibilities at Suncrest are multifaceted and require a blend of technical expertise, strategic foresight, and project management acumen, including analyzing prospective land deals and applying a rigorous analytical framework to assess their viability and alignment with strategic objectives.
Derek received a BS in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University and currently is a licensed Professional Engineer in Tennessee and Mississippi.
As Chief Financial Officer, Chuck is responsible for all financial, fiduciary and compliance matters of the company. Before joining Suncrest, Chuck served as CFO for multiple construction companies, including one of the Southwest’s largest asphalt firms. Chuck retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army after 21 years of service including time at the Pentagon, NATO and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Chuck received his BA from the University of Tennessee- Chattanooga and his MBA from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
As Team Administrator, Suzie Finch has been working for Suncrest since 2015, and in the real estate industry for over 17 years. Her expertise includes contract and property management, with an eye for detail, accompanied by excellent written and verbal communication skills. Prior to joining Suncrest, Suzie’s real estate experience included assisting with land acquisitions for over a decade. This incorporated all aspects of the purchasing process, along with the property maintenance of +/-60,000 acres of residential, commercial, and industrial land located throughout the United States, and parts of Canada. At Suncrest, Suzie predominantly works with the Managing Partners and the Accounting Team on a daily basis. Suzie’s constant willingness to help the team succeed by completing any task given is a testament to her overall commitment to the Suncrest team.
As Accounts Payable Associate, Ann is an integral part of the financial team and responsible for performing a variety of accounting tasks and processes related to the maintenance/processing of payable account records/invoices for Suncrest’s various clients and vendors in a timely and accurate manner. Prior to joining Suncrest, Ann worked for several local homebuilders with various roles in Billing, QA Analyst, Accounts Payable, and Contract Administration.
As Senior Financial Analyst, Luke plays an important role on the financial team and his responsibilities include building/maintaining financial models, preparing financial reports, scenario analysis, and auditing data to ensure accuracy. Before joining Suncrest, Luke interned as an analyst for a telecommunications company, where he gained valuable business and analytical skills that have served him well in his current role.
Luke earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Personal Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and later went on to earn his Master of Science degree in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. In addition, he is currently pursuing his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, having already passed the first of three rigorous exams.
As Senior Business Analyst, Gage assists in the back-office management and all the financial reporting to the company’s institutional and private equity investors, lenders, government agencies, and partners in business. By reporting directly to the CFO, Gage helps direct the flow of back-office activities while also developing models and analysis for ongoing and potential projects.
Gage received a BA in Economics from Northwestern University and a MS in Finance from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
As Project Manager, Moses is responsible for managing the development process from the feasibility stage through entitlement and construction by coordinating the efforts of consultants, contractors, and municipal governments. In addition to his project management duties, Moses also prepares a wide range of graphic exhibits to support project presentations and proposals.
Prior to joining Suncrest in 2020, Moses spent 15 years in the planning profession, gaining valuable experience in land development while overseeing a wide range of projects, including the development of residential, commercial, and mixed-use properties.
Moses holds a BS in Urban Planning from Arizona State University.
As Director of Land Development – Carolinas, Mark focuses on land acquisition, design, entitlement, and site development activities on all projects in North and South Carolina. Before joining Suncrest, Mark was a Partner at a large Engineering, Planning, and Landscape Architecture firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. His primary role as Director of Operations in the firm was leading project and business operations in the Charlotte and Raleigh office, including building and developing project teams, training project managers, preparing project contracts, forecasting revenue, and recruiting and hiring. Mark has also successfully led multi-disciplinary engineering and construction teams over his 17+ year career, with over $1 billion of impactful land development projects in the Carolinas in a variety of project sectors including single family, multifamily, healthcare, higher education, and commercial projects. With his experience in a variety of sectors, Mark has developed a strong network in the real estate development world in the Carolinas.
Mark received a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University and currently is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina and a LEED Certified Professional.
As Executive Vice President – Real Estate, Casey is responsible for the oversight of land acquisition, entitlement, and site development activities. Prior to joining Suncrest, Casey was a principal at a Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture firm located in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was responsible for the management of planning, design, and engineering for complex projects ranging in overall construction cost from $10M to more than $100M. His senior role required involvement beginning at conception through close out to ensure the project was delivered on time and budget.
Casey received a BS in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and currently is a licensed Professional Engineer in Arizona and North Carolina.
As Managing Partner, Mike is responsible for sourcing new land investment and development opportunities while managing Suncrest’s operations, marketing, capital sourcing and business development activities. Prior to Suncrest, Mike’s professional real estate and capital markets business experience included the management of land and lot acquisitions in select markets across the United States for over a decade. In doing so, Mike was responsible for managing the due diligence, entitlement, and acquisition of over +/-60,000 acres of residential, commercial, and industrial land located in Greater Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Atlanta, Washington D.C., North Carolina, and Southern California.
Mike received his BA from the University of Victoria and holds the commercial and real estate investment designation CCIM as a recognized Certified Commercial Investment Member.