Klay is a 35 year + veteran investor and developer of industrial real estate throughout the Southeast and Southwestern United States. Klay formed River Oaks Capital Partners in 2013 , an Industrial development company targeting e-commerce, and last mile facilities, and has completed, or has currently under construction over 2. 5 million square feet in both Georgia and Florida.
Klay formed KWS Properties, LLC in 2012 to pursue land brokerage, equity placement, and small industrial development opportunities in the Southeastern United States. Since the inception KWS Properties has placed over $7 million for multiple 3rd party developments, and closed a multi-state land and industrial portfolio on behalf of a large institutional pension fund totally over $90 million during 2014.
In 2009, Klay formed SCS Ventures to invest in industrial and office properties through acquisition of opportunities created by the economic downturn. SCS partners with both institutional and private investors and offers asset management and investment advisory services to its partners. In 2010 SCS acquired a 457,000 sf vacant industrial building in the I-85 North submarket and was stabilized during the first 90 days of ownership. The asset was marketed and sold in 2012.
Klay formed Fleetwood Partners, LLC, a development firm specializing in constructing and financing speculative and build to suit facilities for institutional and private equity investors throughout the southeastern United States in May 2006.
Prior to Fleetwood Partners, Klay formed AVERA Capital Partners, an investment/development firm based in Houston Texas in 2003. The company’s main focus was the development and acquisition of industrial product in Texas. During his tenure the company acquired 16 income producing properties totaling 250,000 sf in Southwest Houston. AVERA also completed 2 build to suits and 2 speculative warehouse buildings totaling 115,000 sf in 2006.
His former work experiences have included a Senior Vice President position at Taylor & Mathis where his responsibilities included leasing and securing build to suits in the metro Atlanta area. Build to Suits completed during his tenure at Taylor & Mathis included a 250,000 sf building for Resperonics, a 125,000 sf building for BellSouth and a 125,000 sf building for Publix.
Klay won the “Million Dollar Club/ Top Producer” in Atlanta award four years in a row during 1992-1995 and finished in the “top Five” category three times from 1996-2000. Klay has also served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Weeks Corporation (he held the same positions with Senkbeil & Associates and A.R. Weeks who later merged). While at Weeks, Klay was a member of the Senior Management team, with responsibility for leasing of the 14 million square foot portfolio consisting of low rise office and industrial product. During his tenure at Weeks Corporation he was involved in over 6 million square feet of lease transactions that included build to suits.
Klay started his career with the Vantage Companies, a Texas based national Real Estate developer in 1979 as a leasing specialist and became a Senior Vice President of Marketing. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Klay serves on the Football Board at Johns Creek High School and is a member of the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) in Georgia and is a SIOR National Developer Member. Klay and his wife, Melissa, are very involved with serval Atlanta based children charities including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
