News
Charlotte, N.C. (May 13, 2025) – Known for their wide-ranging expertise and collaborative approach, Foundry Commercial’s Charlotte Retail team has been named among GlobeSt.’s 2025 Retail Influencers, joining an elite list of professionals and teams across the U.S. who are making a significant impact in the retail real estate industry.
With an impressive roster of talent, the Charlotte team is led by Partner Keely Hines, who specializes in landlord leasing for both local and national clients. She is joined by Senior Vice President and Master Broker Rhett Batanides, who spearheads tenant representation efforts across the U.S. and Canada; Partner Tommy Trimble, who focuses on land and retail site selection; and Senior Associate Nicole Edmonds, who supports both tenant and landlord needs across the Carolinas. Together, the team combines decades of experience with a shared dedication to creating lasting value for their clients.
“Each member of our team has such a unique set of expertise,” said Hines. “This grants us a huge advantage because of how we collaborate. By tapping into each of our experiences, we are able to hunt well for new business and serve clients at a higher level.”
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Batanides brings a distinctive lens to his work in retail real estate. “When we would fly training missions, the youngest person was in charge of picking the restaurants and hotel rooms,” he said. “Going on these trips for many years and experiencing great food all over the world gave me a passion for the retail and food & beverage side of CRE.” That passion now fuels his work helping brands scale their footprint, including Nozzleman Pizza, which has tapped Foundry to lead a 50-store rollout across Wal-Mart locations nationwide, totaling $22 million in deal volume.
The Charlotte team’s reach is extensive: over the last three years, they’ve represented more than 1.5 million square feet of retail space on the landlord side. Locally, they oversee 277,773 RSF in Charlotte’s SouthPark submarket—second only to the SouthPark Mall—and represent nationally recognized tenants like HomeGoods, Chico’s, and the first-to-market Ann Sacks Stone & Tile showroom.
It is the team’s continued success that has paved the way for an additional hire, recently on-boarding Anne Myers Gary as an associate to assist with new client demand in such a dynamic market.
True to Foundry’s culture of collaboration, the Charlotte retail team often partners with their Raleigh counterparts—recognized by GlobeSt. in 2024—demonstrating the company’s strength throughout the Carolinas. Behind the scenes, marketing professionals Ashtin Hmielewski and Kelsey Ballesteros amplify the team’s visibility, delivering high-quality pitches, event planning, and creative design work that supports business growth.
From lifestyle centers and urban infill sites to mixed-use developments and neighborhood shopping centers, the Charlotte team’s well-rounded capabilities and people-first mindset have earned them a reputation as trusted advisors in an ever-evolving market.
The 2025 Retail Influencers issue of GlobeSt. celebrates the individuals and teams pushing the industry forward. Learn more about the honorees at https://www.globest.com/2024/05/07/influencers-in-retail-real-estate-2025/.