What Faison does

Faison Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held commercial real estate investment firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a five-decade operating legacy dating to Henry Faison's retail development work in the 1960s. The firm was formally incorporated in 1988 and transitioned from an operating development company into a pure-play real estate investment firm by 2018, following Henry Faison's passing in 2012 and the 2019 appointment of Kris Fetter as President and CEO. Across its history, Faison has developed and invested in more than $3 billion in real estate, and currently reports deploying over $200 million in equity across the prior three years through a network of 35 sponsor partners spanning 14+ Southeast MSAs.

The firm's core activity is selective capital deployment into development, value-add, and core real estate opportunities across the Southeast United States. Faison structures investments as limited partner positions, preferred equity, and short-term bridge financing, targeting $2–10 million per deal with project-level return targets of greater than 20% IRR and a 2.0x equity multiple. It does not operate a public fundraising vehicle or a traditional commingled fund; instead, it invests its own balance sheet alongside trusted operating partners across residential, retail, industrial, and mixed-use asset classes. Asset management, leasing, and construction services were divested to Trammell Crow Commercial in 1998, and four major malls were sold in 2003 prior to the Global Financial Crisis, sharpening the firm toward capital allocation rather than operating execution.

The business model generates revenue through investment returns, asset management on owned and partnered holdings, and selective fee development (such as an eight-project multifamily mandate for a large pension fund). There is no disclosed public pricing or fee schedule, and deal terms are negotiated on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The firm complements investment activity with significant philanthropic activity through the HJF Foundation, totaling more than $12 million in charitable giving since 1999. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on direct sponsor partnerships, an institutional LP pipeline, and a regional brand reputation rather than a public marketing or technology platform.

Name

Faison

Legal name

Faison Enterprises, Inc.

Website

https://faison.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Faison is a Charlotte-based private real estate investment firm that selectively deploys $2–10 million per deal as LP capital, preferred equity, and bridge financing into development, value-add, and core opportunities across 14+ Southeast US MSAs through a network of 35 sponsor partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Investment

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Capital Markets Advisory (Debt/Equity Placement, Refinancing) (BPAJANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Separate Accounts & SMAs (Mandates) (FSAAAGAL)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate investment
• Real estate development capital
• Value-add investing
• Multifamily investment capital
• Southeast real estate partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Investment Returns: Faison generates returns through equity investments in real estate development, value-add, and core opportunities across the Southeast. Returns are realized through project-level IRR greater than 20% and a 2.0x equity multiple, with focus on durable cash flow. The firm also earns returns through preferred equity and short-term bridge financing positions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Faison is a private real estate investment firm that selectively places capital in development, value-add, and core real estate opportunities across the Southeast United States. The firm invests through limited partner (LP) positions, preferred equity, and short-term bridge financing with experienced operating partners and sponsors, typically deploying $2-10 million per deal in residential, retail, industrial, and mixed-use asset classes.

Product overview

Faison is a private real estate investment firm (not a technology product company) that selectively places capital in development, value-add and core opportunities across the Southeast United States. The firm invests in asset classes including residential/multifamily, retail, industrial, and mixed-use properties through limited partner (LP) positions with investment sizes of $2-10 million. Faison partners with experienced operating partners and developers rather than operating its own product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LP Capital Placement
• Preferred Equity Investments
• Short-Term Bridge Financing
• Asset Management Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Project level IRR returns greater than 20%
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Trammell Crow CommercialminorOthers · 1 January 1998In 1998, Faison sold its property management, leasing, construction services and retail merchant build businesses to Trammell Crow Commercial, marking an important turning point in the firm's history.
• 35 SponsorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaison partners with experienced operating partners and talented real estate developers across the Southeast. The firm has deep roots with operating partners and seeks to establish new relationships with sponsors passionate about creating compelling environments.
• Ewing Southeast Realty and The Landmarks GroupminorOthersThe 3rd-party management group gained considerable scale with the integration of Ewing Southeast Realty and The Landmarks Group during the 1990s expansion period.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Childress Klein: Charlotte-headquartered commercial real estate firm that develops, invests in, and manages properties across the Southeast. Direct comparable because of shared Charlotte base, Southeast regional focus, and similar mix of development and investment activity.
• Crosland: Charlotte-based real estate development and investment firm operating across the Carolinas and Southeast. Strongly comparable to Faison in terms of regional focus, mixed-use development heritage, and Southeast LP-style capital deployment.
• Northwood Investors: Private real estate investment firm pursuing opportunistic LP and co-investment positions in U.S. markets. Direct comparable because of its private LP-investor model and flexible capital structures applied to real estate ventures.
• Crow Holdings Capital: Private real estate investment firm descending from Trammell Crow, which acquired certain Faison business lines in 1998. Closely comparable LP-driven real estate investment model and Southeast-relevant footprint.
• Stockbridge Capital Group: Private real estate investment management firm deploying capital across U.S. markets via separate accounts and commingled funds. Comparable to Faison in deploying institutional-style capital into U.S. real estate on a deal-by-deal LP/co-invest basis.
• Westbrook Partners: Private real estate investment firm investing LP capital in development and value-add opportunities globally. Comparable to Faison's LP-investment posture, though at a significantly larger scale.
• AEW Capital Management: Real estate investment manager running institutional capital through separate accounts, commingled funds, and co-investment programs. Direct comparable on the institutional real estate capital deployment model.

Regional players

• Pope & Land Enterprises: Atlanta-based commercial real estate developer and investor active across the Southeast. Comparable to Faison in regional asset focus, although it operates more as a developer-operator than a pure LP investor.

Broad incumbents

• TPG Real Estate Partners: Global private equity real estate platform within TPG. Relevant as a broader incumbent deploying opportunistic LP and co-investment capital into U.S. real estate sponsors at larger scale than Faison.
• Blackstone Real Estate: World's largest real estate private equity platform deploying opportunistic LP capital into U.S. and global real estate. Relevant incumbent comp for assessing competitive pressure on mid-sized Southeast LP investors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/faison

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Faison