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Our Story

Since 1995, we’ve made a name for ourself as an industry leader in multi-family and student housing development, management, and financing.

Our Culture

Testimonials

Hear from our partners

Dr. Brian Hemphill

Former President - West Virginia State University

I’ve been extremely impressed with the hard work and dedication of the RISE team which includes true professionals that believe in the power of education, but also understand the role and the history of WVSU.

Dr. Gail Dillard

VP for Student Affairs – Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Ret.)

RISE helped us keep things on track, they helped us keep things on budget, and they helped us open on time. Those are the three things that we needed and we got all three.

Vickie Hawkins

Former Sr. Associate Director, Residence Life – Appalachian State University

RISE delivered quality housing for 525 students within budget and in record time. Its leadership operates with a ‘moral compass’ which reflects integrity and commitment to excellence. Troy University is proud of the partnership we share with RISE.

James Abbott

President - University of South Dakota

What we have here is a magnificent structure that was built in about 11 months and on budget. Clearly we did the right thing when selecting RISE.

Dr. Rob Kellner

Former Director of Auxiliary Services – Valdosta State University

Our relationship with RISE could not have been better, and the two-way communication helped us to stay on track with our timeline. The staff at RISE truly anticipated and responded to every need we had along the way.

Our Team

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News & Updates

11/28/22

RISE: A Real Estate Company opened its relocated headquarters on July 21 in Deerwood Park. Previously based in Valdosta, Georgia, RISE specializes in the development, construction, and management of apartments. RISE bought the nearly 60,000-square-foot Deerwood Park building at 10161 Centurion Parkway N. in December 2021 for about $7 million and has budgeted $3 million […]

05/28/22

In their latest edition, Student Housing Business magazine published their top 25 developers of student housing, with RISE once again making the list. SHB surveys the industry to determine the total development pipeline through to the fall of 2025, this is measured in the number of student beds planned for delivery. At the time of survey, RISE had nearly […]

05/09/22

Origin Investments, a leading real estate private equity firm, and RISE, a full-service real estate development, construction and management company, have formed a joint venture to develop Horizon at Sereno, a $79.5 million, niche-oriented, Class A multifamily community in suburban Tampa (Wimaumu and Sun City Center), Florida. This marks the second development RISE and Origin Investments […]

04/14/22

On April 13, 2022, RISE celebrated the groundbreaking of Element 34 in Gainesville, FL. Element 34 is RISE’s second development in the Gainesville market and designed to provide a “flexibility of lifestyle” to young professionals and graduate students looking for an upscale and modern living experience while pursuing their careers. A small ceremony on-site welcomed […]

05/16/24

RISE joined Choate Construction, along with other project partners, for a Foundation Celebration at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville on May 15, 2024. This event, which included lunch for over 200 subcontractors, development partners, and University officials, marked the completion of deep foundation work on the Andy Holt and Caledonia sites. These two sites, which […]

05/08/23

RISE was named once again to Student Housing Business’ (SHB) annual list of the industry’s Top Developers of Student Housing. With 5,414 beds planned through Fall 2026, RISE is managing a robust pipeline of exciting student housing developments both on- and off-campus. This pipeline has grown since last year’s Top 25 listing. To determine these […]

05/23/23

Originally published on UTK.edu. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is moving forward with plans to build three new multiuse student housing facilities through a public-private partnership. The new buildings will help meet the university’s short- and long-term housing needs, driven in part by growing enrollment. More students than ever are seeking to stay on campus […]

06/16/23

The National Apartment Association (NAA) has announced Anthem House as a 2023 NAA Excellence Awards winner. Anthem House won the Student Community of the Year. NAA’s annual Excellence Awards program recognizes outstanding performance and leadership across the rental housing industry – celebrating apartment communities, industry professionals and affiliated apartment associations that make unique contributions to […]

10/20/23

Jacksonville State University held a topping out ceremony for the RISE-developed, 515-bed North Village Residence Hall on October 17, 2023. Attendees included the JSU Foundation, Board of Trustees, student leaders, housing staff, and team members from RISE, Choate Construction, and Niles Bolton Associates. Part of the topping out ceremony included a meal provided to attendees […]

12/18/23

The first units at RISE Bartram Park have been delivered and residents have begun taking occupancy at the $60 million, 297-unit multifamily development located at 14900 Inspire Way in Jacksonville. The development is a joint venture partnership between RISE, a national multifamily development firm, and Origin Investments, a real estate private equity firm. RISE Bartram […]

01/18/24

RISE Thirty Fourth in Gainesville, FL has been selected as the New Community of the Year by the North Central Florida Apartment Association (NCFAA) during their Apartment Community Excellence (ACE) Awards held on Dec 14, 2023. This marks the second RISE community in Gainesville to win an ACE award following Anthem House’s selection as the […]

02/27/24

In furthering its commitment to the city of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, RISE announced it has closed on financing for RISE @ Glen Kernan Park. This first-class, master-planned community sits on 48.52 acres of prime Jacksonville real estate on northwest Butler Blvd. and Hodges Blvd. RISE @ Glen Kernan Park will be a luxury 55+ […]

05/01/24

Above: A groundbreaking ceremony was held at RISE at Glen Kernan Park on April 30. Pictured here: Greg Blais (RISE President), Lowell Larson (Southern Ventures), Courtney Gordon (RISE COO), Paul Morgan (RISE Senior VP of Project Management), Terry Phillips (Joyce Development), Greg Hunter (RISE CFO), Randy Baugh (Development Consultants, Inc.), John Joyce (Joyce Development), Will […]

04/21/23

Via Jacksonville State University By Buffy Lockette Jacksonville State officially broke ground on Monday on three new building projects aimed at bringing the 140-year-old university into a new era. Alumni and members of the community gathered on the site of the future North Village Residence Hall to see the Board of Trustees, President Don C. […]

07/01/24

RISE is pleased to announce the early delivery of North Village at Jacksonville State University. This 515-bed, P3 development was originally scheduled for an Aug 1, 2024 delivery. This residence hall was an answer to the need created by Jacksonville State University’s unprecedented recent growth. It is the first new housing added to the rapidly […]

07/16/24

RISE is thrilled to announce that financing has closed, and construction has begun, on our latest build-for-rent development. RISE St. Augustine will be a 272-unit townhome community in St. Augustine, FL sitting on 34 acres. This development, grossing 508K SF, is another example of RISE’s commitment to Northeast Florida and to our mission to improve […]

10/01/24

On Monday, Sept 30, 2024 the RISE development team, joined by partners from Michigan Technological University, Niles Bolton Associates, and Walbridge Construction, celebrated a major milestone at our Public-Private Partnership (P3) on-campus student housing development in Houghton, MI this week. Lunch for all the workers and subcontractors was provided by RISE during a ceremony to […]

01/16/25

RISE celebrated the grand openings of two 55+ Active Living communities in January. Both RISE Viera (Melbourne, FL) and RISE at Nocatee (Jacksonville, FL) held their Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting ceremonies in January, marking a major milestone for RISE’s first two 55+ Active Adult communities. RISE Viera is a 55+ active living development located […]

02/13/25

The RISE team in Valdosta, GA team assembled 55 Blessing Bags filled with donated essential needs and snacks. This special Valentine’s Drive was organized by QUOLA, a local soup kitchen dedicated to serving the homeless community. A huge thank you goes to Brett Johnson for discovering this opportunity and bringing it to the team, our many […]

02/26/25

Fania Childree, Marketing Manager, and Brandon Spencer, Development Project Manager, represented RISE at the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) conference in Huntsville, AL, where they had the chance to share RISE’s long history of transforming campuses across the region. SEAHO is an affiliate of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I).

03/06/25

Matt Marshall, RISE Senior Vice President of Development, once again did an admirable job representing RISE as a panelist at the BISNOW Jacksonville State of The Market event on March 6. Matt, alongside fellow industry experts, discussed growth, development, and talent retention in an expanding market. Matt put a spotlight on key development projects in the […]

RISE App State Student Housing Innovator Award

04/20/23

Austin, Texas — Tuesday evening, April 4, Student Housing Business presented 28 prestigious Innovator Awards to student housing owners, developers, operators, architecture firms and universities for excellence in student housing development, marketing and operations. More than 200 industry experts judged on more than 150 entries in this year’s contest. The Innovator Awards were presented during the InterFace Student Housing […]

02/22/23

RISE has been recognized the #2 Student Housing Management Company in the country based on J Turner Research’s Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) scores. RISE has climbed the Top Ten list, published by Multifamily Executive Magazine, improving from #3 in last year’s rankings. Additionally, a RISE off-campus student community was included in the Top 100 properties, also […]

01/26/23

This article was originally published in the Student Housing Business magazine. It is no secret that the student housing industry was impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. Few groups felt that more acutely than colleges and universities. New on-campus development slowed dramatically as higher education institutions shifted their focus primarily to keeping classes in session […]

07/01/22

Origin Investments and RISE have expanded their relationship with the announcement of a development in Baymeadows Way, a new, $85 million, 331-unit ground-up development opportunity in Jacksonville. Baymeadows Way is a submarket southeast of downtown Jacksonville. The RISE-Origin partnership recently acquired the nearly 13-acre parcel on which Baymeadows will be developed. Construction is expected to […]

01/23/23

The construction team at our Gainesville, FL development, RISE Thirty Fourth, organized a topping out party to celebrate the roof completion of Phase I. The team took this opportunity to recognize and celebrate the subcontractors for all their hard work. Local catering company, Hills BBQ, was on-site to serve the roughly 120 subcontractors and team […]

12/09/22

The North Central Florida Apartment Association (NCFAA) awarded Anthem House the Student Community of the Year during the 10th Annual Holiday Party and A.C.E. Awards Event on December 8, 2022. Anthem House is a RISE community located in Gainesville, FL and caters to grad students attending the University of Florida as well as young professionals. Anthem […]

11/28/22

Earlier this month, Multifamily Executive Magazine unveiled the “Top 10 Student Housing Management Companies” by Online Reputation Assessment (ORA) for 2021. Simultaneously, the publication also listed the “Top 100 Off-Campus Student Housing Properties.” RISE ranked #3 in the nation. One of RISE’s communities, Eagle Landing Apartments, secured a spot in the top 100 off-campus properties. […]

11/16/22

RISE team members and their families joined over 1,700 other volunteers last weekend packing meals and books at Hunger Fight’s 10th Annual Thanksgiving Community Outreach Packing Event on November 11 & 12 in Jacksonville, FL. Eighty-seven organizations and businesses came together to produce 427,560 meals as well as pack 20,000 books to distribute to local […]

11/10/22

Since 1995, RISE has been committed to providing the highest quality financing, development, construction, and management services in the student housing industry. As part of the 55,000+ student beds delivered over nearly three decades, RISE has established itself as an industry leader in multiphase, core campus housing replacement projects across 37 separate projects with repeat […]

11/07/22

On October 14, 2022, RISE successfully closed on construction financing for its latest Build-For-Rent (BFR) community. RISE Florence Villa marks the company’s second BFR project in Davenport and future residents will enjoy its convenient location near retail and entertainment options while easy access to Interstate 4 offers an effortless commute for residents. The community will […]

10/05/22

The ribbon was ceremoniously cut at Maple Hall on September 29, 2022, marking the most recent P3 on-campus development to be delivered on-time and on-budget by the RISE team. Maple Hall is a 548-bed, apartment-style residence hall for students attending the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, NJ. Following a nationally competitive P3 […]

07/19/22

RISE has begun development on a new, 55+ active living, age targeted community near Melbourne, FL. On May 27, 2022, RISE announced it had closed on financing for the deal with Schneider Downs Corporate Finance, LP (“SDCF”) as the equity partner. The $49M development will consist of 166 units of one- and two-bedroom apartments and […]

Case Studies

Our Featured Work

Birmingham , AL

RISE Red Mountain

RISE Red Mountain offers one bedroom / one bathroom and two bedroom / two bathroom floor plans. Residents will enjoy a high-end amenity set designed for comfort, convenience, and lifestyle.

Viera, FL

RISE Viera 55+ Active Living

RISE Viera is a 55+ active living development located in the Viera master-planned community located near Melbourne in the central coastal region of Brevard County, FL.

Boone, NC

Appalachian State University P3

RISE delivered over 2,300 beds to the Appalachian State campus across a multiphase, P3 development that transformed the campus and includes Raven Rocks Hall, Thunder Hill Hall, Laurel Creek Hall, New River Hall, and 477-space parking deck all delivered on-time and on-budget.

Jacksonville, FL

RISE Julington

RISE’s 260-unit apartment community in the beautiful Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville.

Jacksonville, FL

RISE Doro

Matching the excitement and style of Jacksonville’s sports and entertainment district, RISE Doro is a mixed-use apartment community designed to offer the best in downtown living.

Davenport , FL

RISE Citrus Ridge Townhomes

RISE Citrus Ridge is a 222-unit townhome community serving residents in the growing city of Davenport, FL. The two-and three-bedroom townhomes feature garages and luxury features.

Birmingham , AL

RISE Red Mountain

RISE Red Mountain offers one bedroom / one bathroom and two bedroom / two bathroom floor plans. Residents will enjoy a high-end amenity set designed for comfort, convenience, and lifestyle.

Viera, FL

RISE Viera 55+ Active Living

RISE Viera is a 55+ active living development located in the Viera master-planned community located near Melbourne in the central coastal region of Brevard County, FL.

Boone, NC

Appalachian State University P3

Jacksonville, FL

RISE Julington

RISE’s 260-unit apartment community in the beautiful Mandarin neighborhood of Jacksonville.

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Who We Are

Our Story

Our Ethos

Dr. Brian Hemphill

Dr. Gail Dillard

Vickie Hawkins

James Abbott

Dr. Rob Kellner

Our Team

Ryan Holmes

Greg Blais

Greg Hunter

Courtney Gordon

Jeremy Doss, LEED AP

Paul Morgan, LEED AP

Matt Marshall

Evan Riggle

Alana Savoie

David Williams

Ben McLendon

Charles Van Cleave

Tesa Spray

Chris Jackson

Brad Chilton

Brett Johnson

Fania Childree

Carla Ashley

Mona Vogele

Kristy Anderson

Tyler Drucker

Daniel Kelly

Ashley Browne

Carol Seawood

Marcus Dallas

Vyron Bernard

Brandon Spencer

Brian Sudduth, AIA LEED AP

Sara Nichols, AIA, NCARB

Casey Anderson

Brendan Giblin

Robert Kovacs

Case Studies

Boone, NC

Appalachian State University P3

Our Team Members

Our strongest asset