Leadership

Nicholas Hodge

CEO, Fund Manager and Principal

Mr. Hodge is the CEO and Fund Manager for Essential Growth Properties. He has been in commercial real estate for 25 years, including 20 years with The Kroger Co. where he most recently served as Vice President, Corporate Real Estate (Head of Real Estate), covering nearly 3,000 retail, industrial & manufacturing assets. In addition to deploying over $2 Billion per year in brick & mortar capital for Kroger and serving on their Capital Committee, he also had direct P&L responsibility for 200 company owned shopping centers. Nick is on the Board of Trustees for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Downtown Cincinnati Improvement District Board and serves on the Financial Committee for the Downtown Cincinnati Development Corporation (3CDC). He holds both a BA from Washington & Lee University and an MBA in Finance from The Ohio State University.

Ashley Meyer

VP of Asset Management

In her role as VP of Asset Management, Ashley uses her expertise to manage the overall portfolio to maximize cash flows through technical, operation, and financial management of the assets. Ashley gained 15 years of experience commercial real estate focused on financial portfolio management in roles working for Heitman, Phillips Edison & Company and Neyer Properties before joining Essential Growth Properties. Ashley holds a BS in Accounting with minors in Entrepreneurship and Decision Sciences from Miami University.

David Gordon

VP of Acquisitions & Dispositions

David Gordon is the VP of Acquisitions & Dispositions at Essential Growth Properties. Previously, David held roles in the Accounting, Finance and Leasing Departments during his 6 years at Phillips Edison & Company. Prior to his Commercial Real Estate experience, David spent 2 years at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, earning his CPA certification along the way. David graduated from Xavier University with his bachelor’s degree in accounting and was a member of the Men’s Swim Team.

Mark Davis

VP of Finance

Mark Davis is the VP of Finance for Essential Growth Properties, where he is responsible for our banking relationships and financial reporting. Mark has over 30 years of experience in retail / real estate, serving as Group Vice President of Capital Planning / Real Estate at Macy’s as well as Vice President of Asset Management for Neyer Properties in Cincinnati. Mark earned his BBA in Real Estate & Finance at the University of Cincinnati.

Chris Schulte

VP of Capital Markets

Chris is the VP of Capital Markets for Essential Growth Properties. Previously, he had leadership roles across Real Estate and M&A functions at The Kroger Company for over 18 years. Chris received his undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton and an MBA from Northern Kentucky University.