New Forum
Charlotte-based real estate development, management, and operating firm specializing in mixed-use communities, senior living, hospitality, and commercial property across the Carolinas, with $360M deployed across 20+ projects and 1M+ SF managed.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What New Forum does
New Forum is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based real estate development, management, and operating company founded in 1989 by Charley Hodges. The firm develops, leases, and operates a diversified portfolio spanning commercial office, senior living, hospitality, retail, and multi-family assets, with cumulative investment of approximately $360 million across 20+ projects and a managed footprint exceeding 1 million square feet, plus the 2 million+ square foot Ayrsley master-planned community in Steele Creek. The company's commercial segment centers on Class A office buildings such as Two Silver Crescent (88,000 SF) and One Silver Crescent (120,000 SF, JELD-WEN headquarters), alongside shopping centers (Eastway Square, Madison Corners, Mountain Plaza) and a flex office park (The Design Center at Lake Norman). The senior living segment operates 666 units across The Dorchester (455 units, Pineville), The Manor (61 units, Pineville), and The Carillon (150 units, Greensboro), with units affordable housing-supported via the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.
The firm generates revenue through a mix of one-time development fees and property sales, recurring property management fees, recurring senior living resident fees, hospitality revenue from owned restaurant concepts (Harry's Grille & Tavern, Piedmont Social House) and the Hilton Garden Inn Ayrsley (120 rooms), and transaction fees from the New Forum Partners acquisitions platform launched in 2018. Distribution is primarily regional (Southeast US, focused on the Carolinas) via in-house leasing led by VP & Broker-in-Charge William Hodges, supplemented by external broker relationships (Thrift Commercial, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, JLL, TRIPP Commercial) and LoopNet listings. The customer base spans enterprise tenants (JELD-WEN, Odyssey Logistics, Robins & Morton), mid-market and SMB tenants across 20+ Ayrsley retail and hospitality venues, and senior living residents aged 55+. Headcount exceeds 180 team members across commercial real estate, development, and restaurant operations. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no public-market listing, and no institutional external funding; the company is privately held and founder-controlled.
New Forum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Forum
- Legal name
- New Forum, Inc.
- Website
- https://newforum.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Charlotte-based real estate development, management, and operating firm specializing in mixed-use communities, senior living, hospitality, and commercial property across the Carolinas, with $360M deployed across 20+ projects and 1M+ SF managed.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Forum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Development
- NAICS
- Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233), Corporate, Subsidiary, and Regional Managing Offices (551114)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mixed-Use Property Management (BPAJAGAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Single-Site CCRCs (HLADAEAE), For-Profit / Investor-Owned CCRCs (HLADAEAD), Mixed-Use Community Association Management (BPAJAHAF)
Keywords
Where New Forum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
New Forum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Commercial Real Estate Development: Development of mixed-use communities, office buildings, retail spaces, and hospitality properties. Revenue generated through property sales, leasing commissions, and development fees.
- Property Management: On-site property management services for commercial, multifamily, senior living, and hospitality properties. Ongoing management fees from tenantoccupied properties.
- Hospitality Operations: Owned and operated restaurants (Harry's Grille & Tavern, Piedmont Social House) and hotel management (Hilton Garden Inn). Revenue from food & beverage sales, hotel room rentals, and entertainment services.
- Senior Living: Operation of senior living communities (The Dorchester, The Manor, The Carillon). Revenue from resident fees and housing payments.
- Acquisitions & Portfolio Growth: Strategic acquisition of retail strip centers, office parks, and shopping centers. Properties acquired since 2018 include Madison Corners, Eastway Square, Mountain Plaza, and The Design Center at Lake Norman.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Commercial Office Leasing |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Restaurant Operations |
| Other | Monthly | Employee Compensation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
New Forum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Forum develops, builds, leases, and operates a diversified real estate portfolio spanning Class A commercial office space, retail centers, senior living communities, restaurants, and hotels, primarily within the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area. The company is the on-site property manager for the Ayrsley master-planned mixed-use community in Steele Creek, which combines office, retail, hospitality, residential, and entertainment uses into a single integrated walkable environment.
Product overview
New Forum is a real estate development, management, and operating company with a diversified portfolio of commercial properties, senior living communities, hospitality venues, and restaurants. The company operates as a holding company managing subsidiary companies across four segments: Commercial Office (including Class A office buildings like Two Silver Crescent, One Silver Crescent, Charleston Row, and Arcade Building totaling over 500,000 sq ft of commercial space), Senior Living (The Dorchester with 455 units, The Manor with 61 units, and The Carillon with 150 units), Multi-family (Ayrsley Lofts and Charleston Row Townhomes), and Food & Beverage (Harry's Grille & Tavern gastropub and Piedmont Social House entertainment venue). The company specializes in mixed-use communities, notably the Ayrsley master-planned development in Steele Creek, and also manages retail shopping centers, hotels (Hilton Garden Inn with 120 rooms), and entertainment venues (Ayrsley Grand Cinemas 14-screen theater).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ayrsley Master-planned mixed-use development in Steele Creek, Charlotte featuring over 1 million square feet of office and retail, four hotels, single-family homes, luxury apartments, restaurants, and a 14-screen movie theater. New Forum serves as the on-site property manager.
- Two Silver Crescent 88,000 sq ft Class A office building in Ayrsley Town Center featuring 5,000-22,000 SF floor plates, free covered parking, 10' ceilings, and collaborative areas designed for tech and creative tenants.
- Senior Living Communities Three senior living communities offering independent living with universal design elements for aging in place, emergency response, transportation, and dining services: The Dorchester (455 units, Pineville), The Manor (61 luxury apartments, Pineville), and The Carillon (150 units, Greensboro). Partnerships with North Carolina Housing Finance Agency provide affordable senior housing options.
- Harry's Grille & Tavern American gastropub offering upscale casual cuisine for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with locally crafted beer, signature cocktails (program launched with mixologist Bob Peters), and an extensive wine list. Operates two Charlotte locations including original Steele Creek site and Quail Corners location.
- Piedmont Social House 21,000 SF indoor venue with 5,000 SF patio offering full-service restaurant, two bars, bowling alleys, darts, corn hole, shuffle board, bocce ball, ping pong and billiards tables, featuring southern-inspired cuisine.
- Hilton Garden Inn Ayrsley 120-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel built in 2008, located in Ayrsley Town Center, managed within New Forum's hospitality portfolio.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ayrsley achieved 98% occupancy rate
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use New Forum
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Forum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
New Forum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- TRIPP CommercialminorTripp Guin and Mary Allison Mitchell of TRIPP Commercial represented Odyssey Logistics in their 22,000 SF lease at Two Silver Crescent.
- Cushman & WakefieldminorGrant Keyes at Cushman & Wakefield handles leasing for The Design Center at Lake Norman property acquired by New Forum Partners.
- CBREminorMatt Smith at CBRE represented sellers Paul and Roz Streeter in The Design Center at Lake Norman sale.
- Thrift CommercialcoreJay Mitchener of Thrift Commercial handles retail leasing of Madison Corners and represents landlord in multiple lease transactions for New Forum properties.
- Concorde ConstructioncoreGeneral contractor for Two Silver Crescent 88,000 SF Class A office building development. David Privitera is President & CEO of Concorde Construction.
- BB+M ArchitecturecoreArchitect for Two Silver Crescent Class A office building project.
- Kimco RealtyminorTracy Zart at Kimco Realty represented the landlord for Quail Corners Shopping Center where Harry's Grille & Tavern opened its second location.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
New Forum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Highwoods Properties: Publicly traded REIT focused on Class A office properties in the best-performing submarkets of the Southeast. Comparable to the commercial office portion of New Forum's portfolio (Two Silver Crescent, One Silver Crescent, Charleston Row).
- The Related Companies: National diversified real estate developer with mixed-use, affordable housing, and senior living exposure. Comparable to New Forum's full-stack development-and-operations model at national scale.
- Cousins Properties: Atlanta-based REIT owning Class A office towers in Sun Belt markets including Charlotte. Comparable to New Forum's Southeast-anchored Class A office strategy at a much larger, publicly-traded scale.
Direct peers
- Kisco Senior Living: Operator of independent living, assisted living, and memory care senior living communities. Directly comparable to New Forum's senior living subsidiaries (The Dorchester, The Manor, The Carillon).
- Crescent Communities: Charlotte-headquartered real estate developer with mixed-use, multifamily, and master-planned community projects across the Southeast. Comparable in scale, segment mix, and regional focus to New Forum.
- Lincoln Harris: Charlotte-based commercial real estate firm providing development, leasing, and property management services across office and retail. Directly comparable business model and Charlotte geography to New Forum.
- Beacon Partners: Charlotte-based commercial real estate development and investment firm focused on office, industrial, and retail. Comparable developer/investor model with similar Carolinas footprint.
- Crosland: Charlotte-based real estate developer with deep mixed-use and master-planned community experience across the Carolinas. Highly comparable to New Forum's Ayrsley-style community-building approach in the same regional market.
- Discovery Senior Living: Operator of senior living communities across multiple states with a focus on independent, assisted, and memory care. Closely comparable to the operating model of New Forum's senior living subsidiaries.
- The Spectrum Companies: Charlotte-area real estate developer with multifamily and mixed-use communities. Comparable segment overlap (multifamily, mixed-use) and Charlotte market focus to New Forum.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
New Forum social profiles
Digital presenceNew Forum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Forum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
New Forum subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
New Forum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Forum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Forum
What does New Forum do?
New Forum develops, builds, leases, and operates a diversified real estate portfolio spanning Class A commercial office space, retail centers, senior living communities, restaurants, and hotels, primarily within the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area. The company is the on-site property manager for the Ayrsley master-planned mixed-use community in Steele Creek, which combines office, retail, hospitality, residential, and entertainment uses into a single integrated walkable environment.
Is New Forum a public or private company?
New Forum is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was New Forum founded?
New Forum was founded in 1989. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is New Forum based?
New Forum is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does New Forum make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Commercial Real Estate Development is the primary driver. The others are property Management, hospitality Operations, senior Living and acquisitions & Portfolio Growth.
Who are New Forum's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Highwoods Properties, The Related Companies and Cousins Properties. Direct peers are Kisco Senior Living, Crescent Communities, Lincoln Harris, Beacon Partners, Crosland, Discovery Senior Living and The Spectrum Companies.
Does New Forum have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Forum.
What industry is New Forum in?
New Forum's product category is Commercial Real Estate Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAGAE, Mixed-Use Property Management, with a secondary code of HLADAEAE, Single-Site CCRCs. Its NAICS code is 53131 and its SIC code is 6531.