Avery S. Rogers joined Beauxwright as a development manager in 2021, and leads investments including acquisitions, development and construction management activities of residential and commercial properties across the Southeast. She brings unique experience in real estate capital markets, project execution, market analysis and underwriting. Here she discusses growing up in as the daughter of a commercial real estate developer, the changes she has seen as a native Charlottean, and her passion for empowering women through charitable efforts.
You received your B.S. from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked in two sales-related roles prior to joining Beauxwright. What drew you to Beauxwright, and what ultimately made you decide to join the team?
I have previous experience as a retail investment sales broker, which exposed me to one facet of the CRE industry, but I was looking for more exposure to the principal side. The possibility of influencing the sustainable growth of Charlotte, which is where I’m from, and other burgeoning cities in the Southeast attracted me to Beauxwright. Not to mention the entrepreneurial freedom (with a healthy dose of discernment) you get to exercise as a developer. In combination with these opportunities, what ultimately made me decide to join the Beauxwright team was knowing I would be working with a great group, getting to build meaningful relationships from within and with our partners/investors, and growing with a team that has a significant forward-looking pipeline.
You mentioned that your family works in commercial real estate in Charlotte. Did this contribute to your interest in real estate? Did you always think it would be a part of your future?
Initially, I wanted to do something different, hence my first sales role out of undergrad with General Mills in Cincinnati. Eventually, the idea of working in commercial real estate kept capturing my interest, largely driven by watching Charlotte rapidly grow from afar, which was around 2017-2018. I wanted to get in on the action and it made sense to pivot careers in my hometown. I’m grateful that my family is actively involved in CRE in Charlotte because it allows me to build on relationships with those that knew me when I was just a kid running around industrial warehouses, following my dad to meetings.
Like several members of the Beauxwright team, you’re also a licensed real estate broker in North Carolina. Does this play a role in your day-to-day work? Does it influence your decision-making and overall approach to real estate?
The broker mentality regularly influences my thought process in my current role as development manager. Specifically, my experience as a broker translates to helping carefully craft developments that will be positively received by the market when we eventually decide to exit a project. It’s important to maintain a holistic perspective that not only considers the GP and LP, but also the buyer and end user, as your decisions today could ultimately impact marketability in the long term.
Beauxwright was built on the foundation of creating and cultivating long-term relationships. Why is this so important in what you do?
We are successful in what we do when we have the trust of our investors, partners and clients. Trust that we will do what we say we are going to do. That trust is built through cultivating relationships with integrity and using mindful business practices that set our investors up for success. Relationships are crucial to what we do because we wouldn’t exist without them.
What about your job do you find the most rewarding?
Knowing that we have a part to play in this exciting period of growth that Charlotte is experiencing. I love that we are building places for people to live, grow roots and make memories. The hard work is well worth it when the end product benefits the community.
You’re a Charlotte native. What has been most surprising to you about how the city has changed - or not changed - over the years?
There are almost too many surprises to count. Charlotte is entirely different from when I grew up here. The population was not dense enough to support the level of investment we’re seeing today. While unicorns like myself may complain about traffic and our local hamburger joint being redeveloped, it’s impressive to see projects like Lowe’s Design Center Tower, Eastland Mall and The Colony redevelopment shape the future vision of Charlotte.
Do you feel that being “native” provides you with an advantage in your approach to the local real estate market?
Building a professional network in your hometown and not having to learn a city from scratch definitely has its benefits. That being said, natives are equally challenged to not only make connections with, but also continue to innovate similarly to the slew of new investors entering the market. Natives need to think outside the box in search of the “new frontier” in places we never thought would be on our radar. There is just as much to learn from a transplant as there is a native, it just depends on your perspective.
You’re an active member of the Junior League of Charlotte. Why is this organization so important to you?
The Junior League of Charlotte is important to me because it encourages women to make a difference in the community through philanthropy and fosters the empowerment of women. Giving back to the community that has given so much to me is extremely rewarding. I’m also able to meet and build relationships with other like-minded women that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten to know outside of JLC.
If you had to choose only five words to describe Beauxwright, what would they be?
Hard-working, resourceful, innovative, thoughtful, fun.
What advice would you give to your 20-year-old self?
Don’t let anyone tell you that your dreams are too big. Be nice to that guy you met at a freshman year fraternity formal, he’s going to be your future husband. Don’t be so hard on yourself; you have to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run.
Lighting Round!
- Favorite restaurant: Good Food on Montford
- Beach or mountains: Beach
- Favorite day of the week: Saturday
- Call or text: Text
- Favorite hobby: Deep sea fishing