Cherry & Associates exclusively represents the real estate interests of occupiers of office and industrial space. Our business platform is designed to eliminate conflicts of interest, which are commonplace throughout the real estate industry. We do not represent building owners, nor do we own or represent any commercial property for lease. Our allegiance and fiduciary duty is only to our client, the Tenant or Purchaser of office and industrial real estate.

Joseph J. Cherry, CCIM
Partner

Benjamin K. Speir, CCIM
Partner
Ben represents the real estate interests of corporate and entrepreneurial occupiers of office space throughout the Carolinas, along with performing multi-market transaction management for select clients. He began his career in 2000 with Lat Purser & Associates, where he was responsible for project leasing of the company’s local office developments and holdings. Through the GVA Worldwide affiliation, Ben found his passion for representing the interests of Tenants, working with notable clients such as Prudential, Willis and JP Morgan Chase. In 2007, Ben became Director of Tenant Advisory Services for Trinity Partners in Charlotte. Ben joined Cherry & Associates in 2010 as Partner, where he is responsible for the execution and management of client lease transactions and real estate portfolios. In addition to servicing his local clients, Ben leads the firm’s efforts in the portfolio representation of two prominent law firms, with locations throughout the Southeast. He is skilled in navigating complex lease transactions and is known for his loyalty and uncompromising advocacy on behalf of his clients. Ben holds a CCIM Designation from the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute.

Barney Earles
Partner
Prior to his retirement from CBRE in August 2018, Barney served, as a Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Services / Occupier Services since 1999. While at CBRE, Barney was responsible for the management and execution of real estate transactions for corporate clients throughout the United States and internationally.
During his career at CBRE, Barney provided oversight for a team of real estate professionals based in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. Barney has been involved in numerous assignments involving transaction management, property acquisition and disposition, build-to-suits, sale leasebacks, advisory and strategic planning. Most recently, Barney served as Lead Account Manager for the Lenovo International, SPX Corporation, SPX Flow, Dixon Hughes Goodman and Babcock & Wilcox portfolios. His experience also includes account management for Red Hat, Royal Bank of Canada, Chiquita, Duke Energy and Qualex.
Barney has over 34 years of commercial real estate experience in corporate services development, leasing and brokerage. He also held positions with Lincoln Property Company and Harbert Realty Services early in his career.

Joseph (Joe) J. Cherry IV
Advisor
Joe spent 4 years in service to his Country as an Officer in the United States Army, earning several designations and distinctions to include the coveted Ranger qualification. Prior to his entry into the Service, he graduated from the Kenan Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In June of 2016, joined Cherry & Associates. He currently co-leads C&A’s real estate services platform provided to EnPro Industries, a public company with over 40 locations in North America. In addition to EnPro, Joe assists in the representation of existing C&A clients, along with cultivating new relationships for the company. Joe’s skill sets earned in the Service enable him to continue the legacy of serving C&A’s clients in an excellent manner.

Benjamin (Ben) J. Cherry
Advisor

Maggie Gentilini
Transaction Specialist
Maggie is Business Professional with over 15 years in the professional services industry. She has served as a corporate trainer, sales coordinator for a national sales team, is an experienced facilitator, business coach and business owner.
After her time with Bank of America, E*TRADE Financial (where she earned her FINRA Series 7 and 63 Licenses) and The Inspiration Networks, she entered the sphere of entrepreneurship, founding two successful businesses. During that time, she became a client of Sandler Training, which enabled her to triple her business revenue in just a year and joined the team at i10 Solutions for 5 years. As of spring 2019, she accepted the Transaction Coordinator position with Cherry & Associates.

COMPANY HISTORY
Cherry & Associates was founded in 1994 as a real estate advisory firm, to solely represent the interests of occupiers of office space. Prior to founding the firm, Joe Cherry was a consistent Top 5 producer with the Nashville, TN office of CBRE, then known as Coldwell Banker Commercial. In 1999, the Charlotte office of Cherry & Associates was opened, and remains the principle place of business today.
We are a boutique Tenant Representation firm by design. Our job is to put our clients in the best position to reduce real estate costs, minimize risks and maximize flexibility within the confines of the lease or purchase agreement.