News
Nashville, Tenn. (August 8, 2025) – Foundry Commercial, a full-service real estate services and investment firm, is pleased to announce that Chris Neese, a veteran Nashville executive with a background in hospitality, economic development, and commercial real estate, has joined the firm to lead project management operations and oversee the continued growth of Foundry’s Nashville office. A fifth-generation Middle Tennessean, Neese will play a key role in expanding Foundry’s service lines across the region.
Since opening its Nashville office in 2014, Foundry Commercial has steadily expanded its service offerings across brokerage, development, and investments. With a well-established project management platform in markets across the southeast, the firm sees the addition of Neese as the ideal opportunity to introduce this capability in Nashville, offering tailored, hands-on expertise to clients navigating everything from tenant buildouts to ground-up development.
“Chris’s combination of entrepreneurial spirit, operational expertise, and deep local relationships make him the right person to not only launch our project management practice in Nashville, but also to help lead the continued growth of the office and culture in this important market,” said Jason Holwerda, Senior Managing Director and Partner.
Neese offers an untraditional but entrepreneurial background to the role, having started his career in the music industry before launching multiple businesses. After returning to school and earning a business degree from Belmont University, he worked in economic development, helped lead a regional chamber of commerce, and later scaled two of Nashville’s most successful hospitality groups. He ultimately transitioned into commercial real estate, launching the project management division at Colliers Nashville seven years ago.
“What drew me to Foundry was the culture – one that values people, collaboration, and long-term relationships,” said Neese. “I’m excited to launch the project management practice in Nashville, but just as importantly, I’m energized by the opportunity to help shape a culture that attracts top talent, builds trust, and drives performance across the platform.”
Neese is a member of ULI and NAIOP and has been involved in a range of volunteer and nonprofit efforts throughout his career. As Foundry Commercial continues to grow its development and investment presence across Middle Tennessee, Jason Holwerda – who has helped lead the Nashville office since its inception – will focus on broader regional leadership and advancing the firm’s real estate platform across the southeast.
Foundry’s Nashville team has seen record activity over the past year, including accolades for its industrial brokerage team, most notably the $76 million sale of 2 Dell, a record-setting infill industrial transaction recognized as one of SIOR’s Top 50 Transactions nationally and honored in the 2025 CoStar Impact Awards. In parallel, the Nashville office continues to gain momentum across office, retail, developments, and investment services. Neese’s leadership adds depth to the platform and reinforces Foundry’s long-term commitment to the region’s full-service commercial real estate capabilities.