During his 15-year tenure with Epoch Residential, Justin has served in various roles in the financing, development and construction of over 10,000 apartment homes in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Arizona with a total capitalization in excess of one billion dollars. In 2019, Justin purchased the company from founder and industry icon, Jim Pugh. As new Principal of Epoch, Justin is focused on corporate strategy and team development, while remaining active in investor relations, site selection, and oversight of all facets of project execution. Prior to joining Epoch, Justin worked for Hunt Construction Group (now AECOM), a large scale, commercial contractor. Justin received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. He is licensed as a Florida Certified General Contractor, a Florida Real Estate Broker, a single-engine private pilot and has been involved in numerous civic boards and organizations, including the Bergstrom Real Estate Center Advisory Board at the University of Florida.

Lia Nichole Smith is the VP of Education and Performance for ApartmentRatings and SatisFacts. A published author, Lia has over 15 years of experience solving retention, reputation management and marketing challenges for conventional, affordable and senior communities. Before joining ApartmentRatings and SatisFacts, Lia was the Director of Marketing and Training at SPM Property Management where she constructed their first-ever online learning academy and developed and managed the organization's resident feedback program.

As a senior managing director in Newmark Knight Frank’s Orlando office, Scott Ramey focuses primarily on the Central Florida markets, including Orlando, Tampa, Melbourne and Daytona Beach. He is responsible for multifamily brokerage and advisory services and specializes in investment sales, land sales and equity and debt placement. Since joining Newmark Knight Frank in 2013, Scott has been involved in the sale of more than $7.8 billion multifamily assets throughout Florida. Prior to Newmark Knight Frank, Scott managed the leasing of a 4 million-square-foot industrial portfolio for EastGroup Properties, an industrial REIT listed on the New York Stock Exchange. During his tenure with EastGroup, Scott personally negotiated more than 250 lease transactions with a combined value in excess of $23 million in rental income. He previously worked as a commercial underwriter for SunTrust Bank in Jacksonville. Scott attended the University of Florida, where he earned a Master of Science degree in real estate and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance. He is a member of the University of Florida Bergstrom Council and an active participant in the University of Florida Friends and Alumni of Real Estate.

Darren oversees all business activities for ZRS Management across the East Coast. ZRS oversees, approximately 50,000 units and 160 communities. Darren joined ZRS in 2016 and has over 18 years of commercial real estate experience. Prior to joining ZRS, Darren has overseen investment and asset management responsibilities for Crescent Communities, Archstone, PNC Realty Investors and First Potomac Realty Trust. Darren is a graduate of American University’s Kogod School of Business with a dual major in Finance and Marketing. Darren also holds an MBA degree from Wake Forest University.

Samuel C. (“Trip”) Stephens, III is Chief Investment Officer of ZOM Living. He has been involved in the acquisition, management, development and sale of real estate in Florida since 1984. Trip joined ZOM Companies in 1986, and has directed the acquisition and sale of ZOM real estate holdings totaling in excess of $3 billion. Trip directs the underwriting, capital structuring, asset management and disposition activities for various ZOM affiliated ventures. He is also responsible for capital sourcing, investor relations and partnership administration. Trip received a B.S. degree in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Alabama, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida College of Law. He is an active member of the Florida Bar, a member of ULI and the Board of Directors of the National Multifamily Housing Council. He is also an active member of the Urban Land Institute. Trip is past Board Chair of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, and continues to serve in Coalition leadership.

Charlan Brock Architects is a full-service firm specializing in multi-family residential, student housing, and mixed-use developments. Since its foundation in 1981, the firm has impacted over one million lives, including clients, designers, consultants, and residents. The company’s success in development is complemented by awards from the business community. CBA was ranked #7 in the Orlando Business Journal’s Top Central Florida Architectural Firms of 2020, and was recognized as one of OBJ’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies, Golden 100 Top Privately Held Companies, and Best Places to Work. Over 40 years, CBA has designed over 2 Billion sqft of built multifamily housing and over 200,000 units, impacting an estimated 1 million lives. CBA is on track to impact another 1 million lives in the next 5 years. As a co-founding principal of CBA, Butch Charlan hones his skills in the science and art of creative collaboration. It’s a journey to create design solutions that are in harmony with the clients’ needs, and he always measures true success by the level of their satisfaction.