Michael Foess (pronounced Fess) is a highly accomplished executive leader with over 25 years of experience in engineering, development, and project management. He is serving as the REBIC Board President of 2025 and brings with him a packed agenda for progress. It is during this episode that he shares his deeper visions for REBIC and for members of the entire Real Estate community. Within the context of regulatory and growth push-back as key elements bogging down housing affordability momentum, M...
Jun 24, 2025•31 min
A little-known fact about the important role played by UNC Charlotte in helping the city to attract large industries and corporations is its status as an R1 University (according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education ), meaning is a doctoral-granting institution with the highest level of research activity. It cannot be understated how important that status is to REBIC’s work and success. We rely heavily on their regional housing data to bolster our efforts to steer p...
May 19, 2025•27 min
As we welcome Alyson Craig back to the podcast booth, we get a chance to not only celebrate her advancement to the position of Assistant City Manager for the City of Charlotte but reconnect on so many issues that important to our members. By way of background, Craig joined the City of Charlotte in 2018 as the Charlotte Planning, Design & Development Deputy Director and managed the Land Development, Entitlement Services (Rezoning/UDO), and Design and Preservation divisions as well as the depa...
Apr 29, 2025•26 min
Our podcast has welcomed many who have served in our government but our short interview with Congressman Tim Moore proved not only important, but so very timely. Especially for those who are anxious to hear from this respected man about what he’s finding in Washington as he settles into Congress. Listen to his succinct delivery of facts, his philosophy about how to restore accountability in Washington, his time with President Trump, and his unceasing optimism about the future. This episode is re...
Mar 25, 2025•16 min
As James Pressly took his seat, his tall frame easing effortlessly into the seat opposite Rob, we watched as he opened his iPad to access his notes and listened to him express gratitude for the platform we were providing. Honestly, we couldn’t wait to hit the record button. Poised, prepared, and passionate, James covered topics from politics to his family’s legacy, from stories of angry farmers defending their land rights, to explaining the real origin of the term NIMBY. As we settled into the e...
Feb 25, 2025•31 min
This episode features Pat Mumford, President and CEO of the Gaston Business Association. Returning after his first visit in June of 2023 to get us up to speed on all things Gaston County. So much has changed in 18 months, and Pat generously shared, among other topics, his unique perspective on the recent Belmont transportation bond, and the success of micro-transit in Gastonia. Without prompting, he offered some advice to municipalities dealing with the crushing pace of growth by admonishing the...
Jan 27, 2025•37 min
Karla Hammer Knotts is an industry rock star. Pleasant. Insightful. Funny. And she calls a spade a spade. She was also our member spotlight in December of 2023, and we just can’t get enough of the world according to Karla. Currently Co-Owner and Vice President of Knotts Development, she is a passionate advocate of the industry and spends a great deal of her time digging into areas of purported malfeasance so that our industry can thrive in our beautiful Charlotte region. When we asked her why of...
Jan 02, 2025•37 min
Jim Morasso, Restauranteur and Developer, is our guest for this episode of Getting Real With Rob. A Gastonia changemaker who believes success is the result of creating opportunities for people to thrive. With over 30 years of education and experience in the hospitality industry –Steak & Ale, Houston’s, TGI Fridays, Harpers and Mickey & Mooch – his experiences laid the groundwork to establish, build and create along with his partners the iconic restaurants such as Epic Chophouse in Moores...
Dec 03, 2024•39 min
We’ve long wanted to introduce you to those REBIC internal team members whose exceptional skills help us move our mission forward. And we’re proud to feature David Coble , one of our valuable Area Advocacy Managers to the podcast booth for this episode. You’ll have to pay attention to keep up with the cascading flow of information coming from David during this interview. His boots-on-the-ground perspective, honest delivery, and fact-based perspective is just one of many reasons he has helped REB...
Oct 08, 2024•29 min
Since initiating our REBIC podcast, we have had many esteemed interviewees give us a true glimpse into their personal beliefs and self-governing principles. We now include our guest Terry M. Brown Jr., North Carolina House Representative for the 92nd District, into that club of transparency. Why? Terry likes to call himself an honest broker meaning that whenever he enters into a discussion over policy, he approaches the encounter by moving the intent forward without a need to first protect the p...
Sep 17, 2024•30 min
Rob Nanfelt, Executive Director of REBIC in Charlotte, NC, is our usual host for Getting Real With Rob . But today, he finds himself in the guest chair and interviewed by AnneMarie DeCatsye, CEO of Canopy REALTOR Association. In this episode he discusses all things UDO, (and becomes the victim of the Lightning Round questions himself!). His responses are comprehensive and detailed, giving us a valuable glimpse into the City of Charlotte’s master planning document. Charlotte’s Unified Development...
Aug 19, 2024•34 min
It wasn’t long into our interview before the conversation got really interesting: “I’ve lived in places that weren’t growing. You don’t want that. It’s sad, actually…” stated our guest Bart Landess , The Executive Director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy and The Carolina Thread Trail. You wouldn’t think our greatest supporter would be a conservationist, but growth and conservation can be complimentary. This all plays into his greatest hope, that we can preserve natural spaces that keep our regi...
Jul 18, 2024•29 min
Let’s hit this topic head on: The crux of the no-growth argument contends that by stopping growth, current residents can keep things stable and unchanged. Although avoiding change is impossible and unhealthy, they ignore this decision’s devastating results proven out repeatedly across the country such as skyrocketing taxes, shrinking access to housing, the inability to attract the best talent to fill needed service positions, business failure, even a disconnect from funding at the state and fede...
Jun 25, 2024•32 min
Just 3 days after the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) announced an agreement that would end litigation of claims brought on behalf of home sellers related to broker commissions, Anne Marie DeCatsye, Esq., and CEO of Canopy Realtor® Association joined us in the podcast booth. She shared her insight regarding the impact the settlement has on our region and gave us a preview of Canopy’s upcoming Members Value Campaign, intended to unify the voice of the Canopy membership to all buyers and s...
Apr 01, 2024•24 min
We welcome Charlotte Mayor Pro-Tem Danté Anderson and City Councilperson Marjorie Molina to today’s episode of Getting Real With Rob. This is an episode where listening between the lines is how to truly enjoy the discussion. If we’d begun the interview by asking each of them for a pedigree of education, experience, degrees, and accomplishments, we’d still be talking. Our guests are two intelligent, dedicated, personable, and approachable leaders, whose ability to create a familiar and warm envir...
Mar 04, 2024•37 min
Thinking outside the box doesn’t aptly describe the way Douglas Welton, Chairman of the Planning Commission for Charlotte/Mecklenburg, approaches the idea of change. For him, he doesn’t even see a box. He sees an open landscape of ideas, opinions, and solutions just waiting to be deconstructed and rebuilt into something new. Professionally he boasts a strong background that ratifies his claims. As the Chief Product Officer at einstein’s legacy v2.0, a company that creates innovative software pro...
Jan 30, 2024•27 min
Hey, listeners, get ready for the rush. This fast-paced, funny, and very educational interview with Representative Jason Saine is our first podcast episode for 2024; and what a way to begin! As the Representative for the 97th North Carolina House District (Lincoln County, NC), Rep. Saine is serving his seventh full term in the North Carolina House. He was appointed by Speaker Tim Moore in 2019 to serve as a Senior Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for preparing...
Jan 02, 2024•37 min
With more than 10 years of land planning and urban design experience in both the private and public sectors, you’ll find our November 2023 interview with Bridget Grant, guest on the podcast Getting Real with Rob, to be entertaining and educational. Bridget is the co-head of zoning, entitlement, and land use for Moore Van Allen. But we also discovered she is an accomplished artist. Balancing her professional life with the absolute commitment to dedicating one day a week to her craft, that of pain...
Nov 28, 2023•22 min
Our latest episode of Getting Real with Rob is with Mr. James Scruggs, CEO and President of Kingdom Development Partners. KDP is a thriving development group whose heart centered business model is getting attention in the Charlotte region. He shared with us his goal to ensure that creating affordable housing options is looked after with the same care as a market-rate community. And the execution of it interwoven with his faith. He tells us about his passionate mission to, “…transform lives throu...
Oct 31, 2023•25 min
During this episode of Getting Real with Rob, we are introduced to Dena R. Diorio, our Mecklenburg County Manager. Rob and she pack a lot of information into a 20-minute podcast, but her journey to become the very first woman to serve as County Manager for Mecklenburg County is a story worth hearing. After moving from the Northeast to Charlotte in 2007 to take the position as Director of the Department of Financial Services, (a time she was recognized as guiding the County through the fiscal cri...
Sep 19, 2023•18 min
REBIC is extremely excited to launch this episode of Getting Real with Rob , featuring Tim Minton, Executive Vice President for the North Carolina Home Builder Association. The conversation is both efficient and entertaining as it showcases Tim’s intuitive grasp of the global issues surrounding home building and real estate advocacy. In an easy to listen to style that makes what seems like complicated content easy to understand, he shares an absolute wealth of information about how to tackle the...
Aug 22, 2023•28 min
This fact-filled episode is more than just a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the River District, a multi-faceted master planned community planned for west of the CLT Airport. During the conversation Rob guides his guest from the micro to the macro to the micro again. Because in the end it is the people and their talent that bring these large developments into fruition. Guiding a large portion of that vision is our guest Fran West, PE, Director of Development, Special Projects for Crescent Communi...
Jul 31, 2023•25 min
We’re thrilled to welcome Patrick Mumford, the President, and CEO of the Gaston Business Association to our sound booth. By way of introduction, we wouldn’t begin by listing his successes, although there are many. We would first talk about and celebrate his approach to his job and his friendships. Clearly outlining for us the difference between intention and impact, this former Corporate Real Estate Executive, Charlotte City Councilman, and City of Charlotte Neighborhood & Business Services ...
Jun 27, 2023•26 min
We often speculate about what’s behind the scenes with Charlotte’s UDO, set to launch June 1, 2023. So, we decided to go to the source! Our latest podcast episode features the ebullient Alyson Craig, current Planning Director for the City of Charlotte. The interview is fast paced, yet entertaining, as you get to know the private and public persona of Alyson. Hear her boldly deliver advice on how REBIC members can MORE effectively offer valuable insight on UDO issues with here statement, “Don’t b...
Jun 23, 2023•23 min
Did you know that at one point during the pandemic our own Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) was the busiest terminal in the world? It’s a testament to the airline that has helped put Charlotte on the world map in terms of attracting, maintaining, and growing business opportunities around the greater Piedmont region. That and other historic, economic, and strategic facts were shared by our guest Tracy Montross, Regional Director of Government Affairs for American Airlines. Why should...
Apr 24, 2023•27 min
One of REBIC’s main purposes is to create a space for legislative leaders to connect with our membership. In this episode, Rob does just that with guest Shawn Heath, Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services for the City of Charlotte. He joins us as a relatively new resident of Charlotte, and answers our questions about his passion for his job, and how he hopes to moderate communication between the Council, the City, and our membership. You’ll discover new insights about the way housing init...
Mar 11, 2023•25 min
Politics are often associated with people not getting things done. But when you’re interviewing two individual with decades of experience bringing facts and people together, a lot of "done" starts happening. Our first episode of 2023 features powerhouse duo Ron Pappas and Ed Driggs. Pappas, Mayor of Waxhaw, NC, 30-year veteran of home building, and Chair of the CRTPO (Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization), and Driggs, 4th term Charlotte City Council member and economist, are p...
Jan 23, 2023•28 min
A long-time housing professional and veteran of a wide range of housing markets, Mark Boyce is someone who cares deeply about the communities he both works and lives in. Whether it's growing up in The Hague, Netherlands, helping to establish an educational foundation in Parke County, Indiana, or founding True Homes when he moved to Charlotte in 2007, Mark leaves an impact wherever he goes. Mark Boyce joins host Rob Nanfelt to talk about his diverse background, and how his work in housing and dev...
Sep 21, 2022•20 min
As we launch our first episode of Getting Real With Rob, we are thrilled to feature Lee Allen, president of the Canopy Realtor Association. In his usual clever and insightful way, Lee -- arguably one of the most influential figures in real estate in Charlotte -- entertains as well as informs. Key issues are discussed about REBIC’s relevance in the marketplace and we are expertly spoon-fed the carefully honed principles that Lee uses to create happy and impactful leaders. And because ‘getting rea...
Aug 24, 2022•19 min
