Cape Fear Development

Inspired Solutions From An Experienced Team

Cape Fear Development’s team is comprised of senior-level professionals who are knowledgeable in all facets of commercial real estate development. While each member contributes significant value within a particular area of practice or development sector, our specialists work in a collaborative, results-driven manner to deliver efficient, risk-managed real estate solutions. The diverse experience and unique strengths of each specialist are what make our team unparalleled and allow Cape Fear Development to provide a true, full-service approach to quality development.

Brian Eckel

Partner

Brian Eckel is a Partner with Cape Fear Development. He plays a critical role in identifying and managing development opportunities for the firm. Brian has led several successful residential developments, such as Autumn Hall, and is currently developing Echo Farms – both former failed golf course communities. He has also managed the development of multiple office and industrial properties throughout Southeastern North Carolina.

Additionally, Brian is the co-founder and a Partner of Cape Fear Development’s sister company, Cape Fear Commercial. He oversees strategic planning for the organization, providing clients with a sophisticated arsenal of services. Brian has extensive experience in Corporate Advisory Services and strategic real estate planning, allowing him to offer invaluable perspective and add value for clients. He understands all aspects of real estate negotiations that have balance sheet implications and impact the bottom line. As such, Brian has represented clients of all sizes, including large, international companies such as First Data Corp., PPD and GE Capital.

Prior to his roles with both firms, Brian was Vice President of Ackerman & Co. in Atlanta, where he specialized in representing Fortune 500 companies, as well as emerging growth technology organizations in the acquisition and disposition of their real estate requirements. He began his career at Edens and Avant, a full-service commercial real estate firm in Columbia, South Carolina, while in college at the University of South Carolina.

Brian has been awarded the “SIOR” designation from the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, a professional affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS. SIOR is dedicated to the practice and maintenance of the highest professional and ethical standards, and its real estate professionals are known for being the most capable and experienced brokerage practitioners in any market. Due to Brian’s extensive experience in office and industrial, he qualified for the coveted Dual Specialist Designation (Industrial and Office).

A native of Wilmington, Brian prides himself on the highest level of integrity and the personal style of professional services he offers his clients. He volunteers for various charitable organizations and has served as the Co-Chairman of the Economic Development Board, as well as on the Board of Directors for Wilmington Downtown, Inc. He has also been appointed by the New Hanover County Commissioners to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and as a Founding Member of Coastal Carolina Tomorrow, Inc., he served as Vice President/Treasurer. Brian’s community involvement also includes the Land Acquisition Committee of the Coastal Land Trust and sitting on the Board of Directors for the REALTORS Commercial Alliance of Southeastern North Carolina. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builder Association and Business Alliance for a Sound Economy, as well as the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees. Brian lives in Wrightsville Beach with his wife, Carroll, and children, Julia, Madeline, Web and Lucy.

Vin Wells

Partner

Vin Wells is a Partner with Cape Fear Development, in addition to serving as a Partner and the co-founder of the firm’s sister company, Cape Fear Commercial. With over 20 years of industry experience, he plays a critical role in identifying and managing development opportunities for both organizations. Vin’s broad-based knowledge of the real estate industry, combined with his goal-directed, analytical and organizational skills, add significant value for his clients. Throughout his tenure with both firms, he has managed multiple commercial development projects, including retail stores for Publix and Walgreens and medical office buildings for Vidant Health and Wilmington Health.

At Cape Fear Commercial, Vin is the managing broker for the firm’s Property Management Division and works closely with the brokerage and development teams on target leasing, build-to-suit and development efforts. Additionally, he is responsible for developing budgets, property performance analyses and coordinating tenant construction build-outs. Vin’s array of expertise and results-oriented mindset gives true meaning to the idea of “full-service” real estate.

Prior to his roles at Cape Fear Development and Cape Fear Commercial, Vin developed a formidable brokerage practice as a Leasing Representative with Highwoods Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns over 45 million square feet throughout the country. Throughout his time with the organization, he was responsible for leasing and marketing a portfolio of 13.4 million square feet, which consisted of retail, office, warehouse, industrial and flex space in Tampa, Florida, and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Vin earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He community involvement includes the Cape Fear Council Boy Scouts of America and the Commercial and Investment Division of the Wilmington Regional Association of REALTORS. Vin is a native of Wilmington and resides in the area with his wife, Elizabeth, daughter, Lulu, and son, Webb.

Bill Schoettelkotte

Mike Brown

Partner

Mike Brown is a Partner with Cape Fear Development and serves as a Senior Vice President at the firm’s sister company, Cape Fear Commercial. He is responsible for identifying and managing new and ongoing development projects for both entities and their clients, in addition to handling brokerage and property management responsibilities for Cape Fear Commercial’s retail portfolio.

Mike joined Cape Fear Commercial as an Intern in summer 2003. After graduating in 2004, he began his career in sales in the Triangle, working for Pulte Homes Corporation, a publicly traded Fortune 200 company. Later recruited to work on the company’s land development team, Mike was responsible for acquiring, entitling and developing the division’s annual 800+ lot supply. During his tenure with Pulte, Mike managed the development of a lot supply valued at more than $45 million.

In 2007, Mike was asked to join the Development Team for Autumn Hall, a high profile, 236-acre, mixed-use project located in Wilmington, North Carolina. As the project’s Development Manager, he was responsible for all planning, entitlements and ongoing development activities. While Mike joined Cape Fear Commercial in 2009 and Cape Fear Development in 2015, he remains the Development Manager for Autumn Hall and is heavily involved in the project’s development through his roles at both firms.

A native of Wilmington, Mike prides himself on community service. He is a past Board Member of the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, serving nine years on the organization’s Executive Committee and as Chairman of the Board from 2016-2018. Mike has also been on the Executive Committee for the Cape Fear Council of the Boy Scouts of America and sat on the Board of Directors for the Carousel Center. A past member of the Vestry of St. James Church, he presently serves as the organization’s Treasurer.

Mike is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Management in Society. He resides in Wilmington with his wife, Jamie, and their two sons, Corbett and Miller.

Paul Loukas

Conner Crawford

Connor Pollock

Meredith Linden

Virginia Pizzi

Marissa Rodriguez

Julia Eckel