Southern Land Company Promotes Matt Ritsko to President of Construction in Four-Executive Leadership Expansion

Southern Land Company has promoted four New York-based executives to expanded leadership roles, including elevating Matt Ritsko to President, Construction, as the Nashville-founded developer scales its vertically integrated national platform amid a period of sustained portfolio growth.

The promotions, announced September 11, also include Alex Cauchon to Executive Vice President, Hospitality; Carly Catalana to Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Marketing & Branding; and Kevin Wilson to Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Marketing & Strategy. Together, the four appointments strengthen Southern Land Company's in-house capabilities across construction, hospitality, branding, and strategic positioning as the firm celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Matt Ritsko Takes the Helm of Construction Operations

In his new role, Matt Ritsko oversees construction for Southern Land Company's multifamily and mixed-use portfolio, leading construction management, project management, estimating, and preconstruction activities. Ritsko brings nearly 25 years of design and construction experience, with a track record spanning numerous multimillion-dollar projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Ritsko is a licensed architect in Pennsylvania, a member of the American Institute of Architects, a LEED Accredited Professional, and holds OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety certification. His technical credentials span architecture, sustainability, and construction safety — a profile that reflects Southern Land Company's emphasis on integrating design and construction under one organizational roof.

The promotion places Ritsko at the center of a pipeline that includes luxury multifamily communities in Las Vegas and White Plains, New York, as well as large-scale master-planned communities in Colorado, Tennessee, and Texas. Southern Land Company's vertically integrated model — which brings development, design, construction, horticulture, property management, and hospitality together within a single organization — means Ritsko's role carries direct implications for cost control, project timelines, and delivery quality across the firm's national footprint.

New York as a National Leadership Hub

All four promoted executives are based in New York, where Southern Land Company recently expanded its office at 99 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The office houses senior executives responsible for national operations, positioning New York as an increasingly important strategic center for the firm alongside its Nashville headquarters.

"These promotions recognize four leaders who have made a tremendous impact on Southern Land Company's growth," said Tim Downey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Land Company. "Over the last 40 years, we've grown by hiring incredibly talented people, expanding our in-house capabilities, and never losing sight of the experience we create for the people who live in and visit our communities. Alex, Carly, Kevin, and Matt embody that principle, and their leadership will help shape SLC's evolution."

The four promotions follow other recent leadership investments at the firm. Tony Marchbanks was appointed National President of Homebuilding to expand single-family investments, and Bobby Frank was appointed to lead SLC Lending, the company's in-house mortgage division.

Three Additional Executive Appointments Round Out the Expansion

Alex Cauchon, now Executive Vice President, Hospitality, leads Southern Land Company's newly created hospitality division, overseeing food and beverage strategy for mixed-use communities with restaurant and dining components. He brings more than 25 years of hospitality experience, including 12 years with BR Guest Hospitality, where he ultimately oversaw 25 locations across five states generating $140 million in annual revenue. Most recently, he worked as an independent consultant advising restaurants, fine-dining establishments, and hospitality groups.

Carly Catalana, Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Marketing & Branding, leads brand strategy and marketing across Southern Land Company's portfolio, including corporate initiatives, master-planned communities, multifamily and mixed-use developments, and hospitality concepts. She previously led digital and social marketing strategies at Brookfield Properties for mixed-use destinations including Fifth + Broadway in Nashville, River Oaks District in Houston, and Buckhead Village District in Atlanta. Catalana is a GlobeSt. 2026 CRE Aspiring Leader and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Sociology from Pace University.

Kevin Wilson, Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Marketing & Strategy, leads strategic positioning, marketing, and go-to-market strategy across Southern Land Company's master-planned, multifamily, mixed-use, corporate, hospitality, and mortgage businesses. Prior to joining the firm, he served as Vice President of Marketing for Kushner and its property management subsidiary, Westminster Management, and previously held marketing roles with Toll Brothers and Home Properties. Wilson was named a Crain's New York Business Leader in Advertising, Marketing and PR in 2022 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Ursinus College.

Portfolio Context: A $5 Billion Pipeline Across Nine States

Southern Land Company was founded in Nashville in 1986 and has grown into an estimated $5 billion national real estate portfolio spanning multifamily, single-family, master-planned communities, office, retail, and hospitality, with more than 10,000 homes delivered across 18 communities.

The firm's current pipeline spans nine states. In Las Vegas, Southern Land Company developed and recently began leasing Bria, Gemma, and Capella — three luxury rental communities. Gemma, located at 1201 S. 3rd Street in the 18b Arts District, offers 337 luxury one- and two-bedroom apartment homes ranging from 585 to 1,254 square feet, with total monthly rents starting at $1,872. Bria is situated at 255 Promenade Place in Symphony Park. Capella is positioned as Downtown Las Vegas's first all-rental high-rise in Symphony Park. In White Plains, New York, the firm recently began leasing Juliette, a 177-unit luxury rental community.

On the single-family side, Southern Land Company is advancing Westerly, an approximately 800-acre master-planned community in Colorado, and Fairington, a master-planned community introducing more than 700 homes to Nolensville, Tennessee, which broke ground in November 2023. The firm will also soon break ground on Lunaroya, an ultra-luxury single-family gated community in the Austin metro area.

In Nashville, Southern Land Company is set to open its first full-service restaurant, Lupo Notte, on September 16, 2026, at Vertis Green Hills — the firm's flagship mixed-use community and headquarters, located in the Green Hills submarket at 2035 Richard Jones Road. The Italian concept represents the firm's first affiliate-owned restaurant and a direct application of its newly formalized hospitality division under Cauchon's leadership.

The breadth of the pipeline — spanning luxury high-rise multifamily, master-planned single-family communities, and mixed-use hospitality destinations across markets including Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Colorado, and Texas — underscores the operational scope that the four promoted executives will now help direct from Southern Land Company's expanded New York office.