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Professionals and teams that help our city thrive

With a hot real estate market, you want an agent who not only knows the area but is invested in it. Peachtree Corners Magazine looks at some locals who are the best in the business and have the interests of the community at heart.

The Terri Hayes Team

Laura and Terri Hayes

The Terri Hayes Team loves helping buyers and sellers and has earned a reputation as one of the most trusted and fastest-growing independent real estate companies in North Atlanta.

“We are so proud to be ranked No. 1 in our profession with a Five-Star rating from our former clients. Having a team of exceptional Realtors standing beside you and protecting your best interests is what sets The Terri Hayes Team apart,” said Terri Hayes, managing broker and owner of Executive Home Sales.

“Whether you are a buyer or seller, you can trust and rely on us to help you in every step of the process. When it comes to real estate, our goal is to get you the most value and fastest result when selling, or negotiate the best deal for you when buying,” she added.

Hayes is a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist. A graduate of North Carolina State University and former homebuilder, she has been a licensed broker since 1980 and has handled more than $1 billion real estate sales in Atlanta. Formerly, Hayes was the #1 Agent at Metro Brokers GMAC, a $1.5 billion company.

Her many roles include founder and owner of Executive Home Sales Inc. since 1995. Hayes is also a member of Graduate Realtor Institute, the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, The Atlanta Board of Realtors and The National Association of Realtors, as well as the Charity Guild of Johns Creek.

Another member of the team, Laura Hayes Reich, is an associate broker and licensed broker who has been serving families since 2004. She has 17-plus years’ experience as a real estate agent and has been voted “Best Realtor under 40.” She’s also a member of the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, the Atlanta Board of Realtors and The National Association of Realtors.

Hayes Reich is a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist and a Certified Pricing Strategy Advisor. She graduated from the University of Georgia and is a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority as well as The Charity Guild of Johns Creek.

The Terri Hayes Team sponsors many local organizations through fundraisers for schools, football, baseball, basketball, golf and tennis.

“The 30-plus years of proven experience gives us the power to provide you the highest quality of service that will absolutely make the difference,” Reich said.

Kelly Kim

Kelly Kim is a team lead with Ansley Real Estate. She was born in Seoul Korea and her parents immigrated to the U.S.in 1977. Since then, she’s lived in Georgia. Kim attended Stone Mountain Christian School and Boston University.

She began her career in real estate in January 2013. “I have a passion and motivation to drive to the top and be the best at what I do,” Kim said. “I have closed more than 500 homes since I started, and I have done a lot of new constructions as well as resale homes.”

During the pandemic in 2020, Kim started the Kelly Kim Team, which now has nine licensed agents, including herself.“We have multi-language speaking agents, including Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, Korean and Vietnamese — and, of course, English as well,” she said. “We’re a global team.”

Kim has been a top producer since 2014, and she is recognized as a reputable top-producing agent in the real estate industry. In 2021, Kelly Kim Team was a No. 1 Team for volume and units companywide. The team closed 185 units.

When not providing top-level service, Kim loves to travel, work in the garden and decorate houses. “I believe I was born to be a real estate agent,” she said. “I love what I do, and I am great at it. I’m bilingual; I speak Korean and English fluently. I also have great experience with remodeling houses.”

The Nancy Minor Team

Nancy Minor and Laurie Rogers

For over 30 years, The Nancy Minor Team has had the honor of helping thousands of families buy and sell their Peachtree Corners homes. It has been a wild ride over the years, with markets where sellers saw their equity plummet and markets where they saw them soar.

The team sells all over metro Atlanta, but its heart is in Peachtree Corners. “Our core belief is to do the right thing, and do not just say it, live it,” Nancy Minor said. “We believe in giving back to the community. It is wonderful to help so many of our local charities and to be affiliated with the Y.”

Minor is proud to have worked with like-minded agents who are strong, caring people. Every past member made the team better, and the agents on the team today are among the best: Ed Mitchell, MJ Westbrook, MaryAnne Burke and Fehmida Anwar.

After more than three decades as the team leader, Minor felt a change would be great for the team and for their clients. Minor asked team member Laurie Rogers to join her as her business partner.

Rogers had been an outstanding agent. With eight years of experience, she shares the same values and core beliefs. She is a strong leader and together, their business is soaring. Rogers lives in Peachtree Corners and has been involved for years with the community.

Other members of the team include Becky Paterni, the office manager, who has been the rock and ensures that clients have a successful experience. Nancy’s daughter-in-law, Rhea Minor, is a virtual assistant and in charge of finance and implementation.

The team has consistently been tops in production. Minor and Rogers are proud of their real estate growth, but they both feel the need to give back as a way of showing gratitude for a career that has allowed them to be involved in their city.

The Nancy Minor Team sponsors local schools, Norcross Coop, Fowler YMCA, Merry Market, Peachtree Festival, Norcross Festival, Veteran’s Monument and Norcross basketball and football. Nancy Minor is past chairman of the Fowler YMCA and recipient of the Y Volunteer of the Year Award. The team is also the winner of the Star award from United Peachtree Corners Civic Association (UPCCA).

The business success that The Nancy Minor Team has enjoyed would not be possible without her family’s support. Minor’s husband Sid has been a technology leader and was the reason The Team was among the first to have a website with photos.

Her two boys had to put up with pizza every night and did not even know their mom could cook. They never complained because they knew their mama was doing important work helping people with their biggest investment. 

Minor said that it is exciting to be part of a city that is thriving — and a city that people want to call home.

The Richards Team

The Richards team is comprised of two generations of successful Realtors — Marsha, Ned and Johnny Richards — with Keller Williams Realty Chattahoochee North, located in The Forum. They have over 35 years of experience and are well-regarded for their knowledge and expertise with residential buyers and sellers, especially in the Peachtree Corners area.

The Richards Team holds several distinctions, including Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, Certified Residential Specialist and Active Residential and Multi-Family Investors. Other notable achievements are a Phoenix Award, Active Life Member in the Million Dollar Club and a role in the KW Agent Leadership Council.

Marsha and Ned, both graduates of Georgia State University, have been residents of Peachtree Corners for 30-plus years and raised their three children here. Their son Johnny graduated from Stamford before joining his parents on their career path.

The Richards have been supporters of Wesleyan School and Norcross High School, and enjoyed many years of ALTA tennis, Rotary Club and coaching various youth activities. They are also members of Peachtree Corners Baptist Church and the Robert D. Fowler Family YMCA.

Alan Kaplan

Recognized as a top-producing Realtor with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, Alan Kaplan takes pride in being highly knowledgeable of local market trends. He maintains a Global Real Estate Network to assist clients relocating nationally and abroad.

The son of a military officer, he moved frequently in his younger years. Kaplan has over 30 years of professional experience, including serving as a Special Agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for 12 years, where he led several high-profile investigations, and enjoyed assignments with the FBI, Secret Service and U.S. State Department.

Kaplan is very passionate about serving others. He is actively involved in our schools and serves in a variety of organizations and boards, including as the Chairman of the City’s Planning Commission and past Chairman of Gwinnett County’s SPLOST Allocation Committee.

The proud father of two middle school boys, Kaplan coaches them in their professional TV and film careers. His wife Zhenia is from Kiev, Ukraine and the couple has been married for 21 years. They met in Belarus and have made Peachtree Corners their home for the last 20 years.
The Kaplans love their Catahoula leopard dogs, who make their family complete.

Hattie Cooper Best

Hattie Cooper Best is a Sports and Entertainment Realtor® with Keller Williams Chattahoochee North at The Forum. She’s a native of Stamford, Connecticut, a graduate of Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Georgia State alumna with an Executive master’s degree in Business Administration. She has lived in Peachtree Corners since 2020 with her son Jordan Green, an 8th grade student/athlete at The Wesleyan School.

A former software engineer, Cooper Best defines her approach to real estate as strategic, tech savvy and customer centered. She has a love for community service and is on a mission to teach families how to build generational wealth through real estate ownership and investment. In her spare time, she enjoys attending live music events, indulging in the city’s best Sunday brunches (with mimosas, of course) and spending time with family and friends.

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Lisa Anders Promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Explore Gwinnett

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Professional headshot of a brown-haired woman wearing a blue top

Explore Gwinnett, the destination marketing organization for Gwinnett County, has announced the promotion of Lisa Anders from executive director to chief operating officer (COO). Since joining the organization in 1996, Anders has demonstrated outstanding leadership and has established a track record of developing partnerships essential to leading and expanding the evolving destination marketing organization. The creation and oversight of both the Gwinnett Film Commission and Gwinnett Creativity Fund are just two of her achievements.

“I am honored to step into the role of chief operating officer at Explore Gwinnett,” said Anders. “Over the past 13 years as executive director, I have had the privilege of witnessing remarkable growth for our destination. I am eager to enter this new chapter, and I’m looking forward to continuing to see how we expand.”

As COO, Anders will take on the additional responsibility of overseeing the Gwinnett Sports Commission. This division is dedicated to driving economic development through sports, managing a variety of events for youth, collegiate, amateur and professional athletic organizations. Ander’s innovative approach and extensive network of local and national connections will further support the commission’s overall mission to establish Gwinnett County as a premier sports destination.

“The Gwinnett Sports Commission team has excelled in attracting and managing a diverse array of sporting events over the past several years,” Anders added. “I look forward to working closely with this talented team to support their ongoing efforts and foster economic development for our community.”

For more information, visit exploregwinnett.org.

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Peachtree Corners Resident Receives Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

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man in black shirt, arms crossed in front of him, looking at camera

Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood, was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Berry College in August

Berry College recently awarded its annual Distinguished Alumni Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit to Leroy Hite, founder of Cutting Edge Firewood (and Berry College graduate, class of 2008). The annual award recognizes and honors alumni who have demonstrated a range of positive entrepreneurial skills — including a commitment to turning a dream into a reality, the vision to create an enterprise, the courage to assume risks and the ability to make changes and take advantage of new opportunities. 

“This award holds a special place in my heart, maybe more than any other I’ve ever received,” said Hite. “Being recognized by my alma mater is incredibly meaningful to me. 
My entrepreneurial journey began at Berry College. It’s where that initial spark was ignited, and honestly, I’m not sure I’d be where I am today without it. Berry nurtured my curiosity, drive and resilience — the key ingredients to entrepreneurship.”

Innovative entrepreneurship

Berry College professor and leader of the school’s Entrepreneurship Program, Dr. Paula Englis, said that Hite took every class she offered. And when those ran out, he did directed studies with her.

man in cap sitting in front of a fireplace
photo courtesy of The PR Studio and Cooper & Co. Photography

“He always knew he wanted to run his own business, and the growth and success of his firewood enterprise has been a wonder to watch,” she said.

Hite was nominated by Berry alumni Alison Ritter, class of 1994. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also supported Hite’s nomination.

“As a small business owner myself, I have strong appreciation for and recognize the perseverance it takes to build a business from the ground up,” said Kemp. “Leroy’s innovative approach to the firewood industry, focusing on product quality and customer service, mirrors the entrepreneurial spirit that has long driven Georgia’s economic success.” 

man standing next to firewood delivery truck
Photo courtesy of The PR Studio and Cooper & Co. Photography

The company

When Hite founded Cutting Edge Firewood in 2013, he created the world’s first luxury firewood and cooking wood company. He reinvented everything about the firewood industry, from how firewood is dried and stored to how it’s packaged, shipped and delivered. When the company began, it was just Leroy with a one truck and a trailer. Now Cutting Edge Firewood employs 40, stocks enough inventory to fill its 40,000-square-foot Peachtree Corners warehouse and ships wood to all 50 states. 

The wide variety of wood from Cutting Edge undergoes a special drying process to ensure that it’s free from unwanted pests, mold or fungus and provides an unmatched clean and bright burn with pleasant aroma. Their focus on process and the use of hardwoods such as oak, hickory, cherry, apple, pecan and maple ensures their customers receive the highest quality firewood, cooking wood and pizza wood possible.

For more information about Cutting Edge Firewood, visit cuttingedgefirewood.com.

To learn more about the Entrepreneurship Program at Berry College, visit berry.edu/academics/majors/entrepreneurship.

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Cornerstone Christian Academy Named One of Atlanta’s Top Workplaces 2024

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image with Cornerstone Christian Academy logo and Top Work Places 2024 banner

Cornerstone Christian Academy was recently awarded a Top Workplaces 2024 honor by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Recipients of this annual award are chosen solely from employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures multiple culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution and connection.

In addition to their place on the 2024 list, Cornerstone was also ranked number one among small businesses and won a special award for company “Communication.”

Three people on stage in front of an audience at an awards show honoring the #1 small business winner 2024

“We were extremely humbled to hear that we were not only named on the list, but ranked first among small companies,” shared Colin Creel, headmaster at Cornerstone. “I am very thankful our staff has received this public validation of the amazing work that occurs here at Cornerstone. Our staff deserves all of the accolades they are receiving; Cornerstone is a very special place because of them.”

2024 marks the 14th year the AJC has recognized metro Atlanta businesses with the Top Workplaces award. And it’s the third time that Cornerstone has been named to the top spot in their category. This year’s recipients were selected from over 9,000 nominated companies and honored at an awards ceremony held at the Georgia Aquarium on August 14.

For more information about Cornerstone Christian Academy, visit cornerstonecougars.org.

To learn more about Top Workplaces, visit topworkplaces.com.

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