A. Page (Pete) Sloss Jr.
Founder
Q: What drew you to commercial real estate as a career?
A: I was exposed to commercial real estate all my life. When I got out of the army, I needed to work but I wanted to go into business for myself. My Father, A. Page Sloss, Sr., started his real estate company in 1920 and had been successful at it, so I figured I’d try that too. I started Sloss Realty Company and teamed up with Wallace Boothby. We did a residential development at Honeysuckle Circle and did really well right away. My dad and I became partners later, blending our two companies, joining our two companies, and we worked together successfully until he died in 1974. I’ve enjoyed working with my daughter, Cathy since 1975.
Q: What drives you to build a better Birmingham?
A: I have family history here. It’s where I have lived my entire life. Birmingham is a better city than most – one of the best. It has nice people. It’s worth the energy to try to make it better.
Q: What does Sloss mean to you?
A: It’s where I’ve worked my whole life. I’m proud of the work we’ve done, but there is still a lot more to do!
Q: What’s your background? Where did you go to school? How long have you been in the CRE industry?
A: I was born and raised in Birmingham. I attended Sewanee Military Academy, then studied at Birmingham Southern College, UAB, the university of South Carolina and Babson School of Finance. I served in the Army, and the Merchant Marine. And I’ve been in commercial real estate for over 70 years!
Q: If you could change one thing about your city, what would it be?
A: I think the best thing would be if all the communities would work together. That would be very positive.
Q: What project, achievement, etc. are you most proud of?
A: There have been so many! Probably the One Fed Building. And the Hope VI project, which transformed Metropolitan Gardens into Park Place. That completely changed the neighborhood for the better.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: Sailing, reading, enjoying life. Over the years, I’ve served on a lot of boards, sometimes as chairman – Birmingham Aero Club, Birmingham Soaring Society, Southern Museum of Flight and Sloss Furnaces. I’m a member of the Downtown Rotary Club, New York Yacht Club, Mountain Brook Club and Cathedral Church of the Advent. I support the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, WBHM, Alabama Public Television, the Altamont School and the Maine Heritage Trust.
Q: What hobbies do you have?
A: I used to do a lot of flying. I still sail on my boat, Snowhawk, whenever I can.
Q: If you didn’t live in Birmingham, where would you live? Why?
A: I like Birmingham. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Q: If you weren’t in the CRE industry, what would you want to do for a living?
A: If I hadn’t gone into in real estate, I would have liked to own a steamship business.
Sewanee Military Academy
Birmingham Southern College
University of South Carolina
Roger Babson School of Finance
Birmingham Aero Club
Birmingham Soaring Society
Southern Museum of Flight
Sloss Furnaces
Downtown Rotary Club
New York Yacht Club
Mountain Brook Club
Cathedral Church of the Advent
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Public Radio, WBHM
Alabama Public Television
The Altamont School
The Maine Heritage Trust
Cathy Sloss
President and CEO
Catherine Sloss Jones is President and CEO of Sloss Real Estate Company, Inc., an urban redevelopment firm founded by her grandfather in 1920. Noteworthy achievements include Pepper Place, a vibrant mixed-use design district in Lakeview, home to a nationally recognized farmers market with 10,000 weekly visitors, started by Jones in 2000. Her company also developed Park Place, transforming blighted public housing into Birmingham’s first HOPE VI project, now a jewel in the downtown. She built One Federal Place, a prominent office building and pocket park and renovated the historic Young and Vann Building along with numerous other historic structures throughout the city center.
Jones serves on boards, including the Lakeshore Foundation, the Birmingham Museum of Art and Sloss Furnaces. She chairs the Lakeview Business Association and the Alabama Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She also serves on the National Steering Committee for Locus, Smart Growth America’s Coalition of Real Estate Developers and Investors. She attended Harvard University as a Loeb Fellow in 2007 and was a visiting scholar at Harvard’s graduate school of design in 2008.
Honors include: Businesswoman of the Year (BBJ), Women Who Make A Difference, (Birmingham News), Executives of Influence (BBJ). And last year she was chosen to be a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor.
Tom Walker
Chief Operating Officer
Responsible for the day-to-day operations and the company’s real estate holdings in Birmingham.
If Tom Walker weren’t in the commercial real estate industry, he’d own a hardware store downtown. Those two career paths may sound totally different but, as Tom says of himself, “I’m driven by results, so seeing the tangible change happening in Birmingham gets me fired up.” That desire for change is what brought Tom to Sloss in 2017 as he sees a great opportunity to continue developing great spaces throughout the city.
University of Alabama, PARCA Roundtable, Alabama Leadership Initiative
ULI Alabama Management Committee Member, CCDMC (CAP) Board of Directors Member
Tom Walker
Chief Operating Office
Responsible for the day-to-day operations of Sloss Real Estate Company and the company’s real estate holdings in the City of Birmingham.
If Tom Walker weren’t in the commercial real estate industry and COO of a real estate agency, he’d own a hardware store downtown. Those two career paths may sound totally different but, as Tom says of himself, “I’m driven by results, so seeing the tangible change happening in Birmingham gets me fired up.” That desire for change is what brought Tom to Sloss in 2017 as he sees a great opportunity to continue developing great spaces throughout Birmingham.
University of Alabama
PARCA Roundtable; Alabama Leadership Initiative
Vicki Bolton
Controller
Responsible for the company’s financial statements, general ledger, cost accounting, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, and tax compliance.
Sloss Real Estate is dedicated to maintaining as much of Birmingham’s history as possible while also moving its developments efficiently and creatively into the future. That’s part of why Vicki fits so well here. Whether she’s at the office or pursing her hobby as a judge for the Antique Automobile Club of America, Vicki sees the value in preserving and improving upon what came before. “I think it’s important to try and improve the world around you,” says Vicki. With over 30 years of real estate experience, Vicki is just the right person to steer us into the future.
Bachelor of Science and MBA — University of Alabama at Birmingham
Callan Childs
Director of Design & Development
Callan provides big-picture concept and design efforts and detail-oriented budgeting and implementation management, representing Sloss Real Estate to the City of Birmingham’s planning, zoning, engineering and economic development departments. She manages the pre-development and development for the company’s projects, paying particular attention to project concepting, design, budgets, schedule and construction.
After spending her entire career in architecture, planning, and interior design, Callan came to Sloss Real Estate because, as she puts it, “Sloss has a history of vision for redevelopment, a present vision for sustainability and growth, and a future vision of innovation both citywide and in our neighborhoods that embraces working with Birmingham through public/private partnerships.” Having lived on the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountains before returning to her home of Birmingham, Callan saw a lot of progress in medium-sized cities, and she thinks Birmingham has that same potential. “I want to help that happen,” she says.
Bachelors of Architecture – Washington University in St. Louis
Masters in Architecture – Southern California Institute of Architecture
Registered Architect in Alabama and Colorado
NCARBCity of Homewood Historic Preservation Commission
Creative Montessori School Board of Directors/Strategic Planning Committee
Greater Birmingham Tourism Tomorrow Master Plan Implementation Committee
PARCA Roundtable
YWCA Junior Board
Liz Rodell
director of marketing
Amplifies Sloss Real Estate Company’s voice in Birmingham through the implementation of a strategic marketing strategy, including special events, social media and community development amongst its various real estate holdings.
As a child, Liz would come up with creative ideas to bring people together for a common cause, whether it was a lemonade stand with her brother or a high school dance fundraiser. Now, Liz has turned it into a marketing career that specializes in the cultivation of creative events and collaborations. After moving to Birmingham in 2013, Liz became an advocate for the city as she experienced its evolution, connection and revitalization first hand. “I want to play a role in Birmingham’s exponential growth as it becomes a city that celebrates creativity and innovation.” This is what ultimately led Liz to joining Sloss Real Estate in 2019, where she has the opportunity to support local entrepreneurs and create a place of connection for the community.
Bachelor’s in Communications & Public Relations – University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lochrane Smith
Director of Leasing and Business Development
As a Classics major in college, Lochrane studied abroad in Rome and spent hours inspecting maps to try and understand how cities connect to best serve their populations. Lochrane’s vision for commercial real estate in Birmingham goes way beyond buildings, developments and office space. “I not only want Birmingham to be a place where the residents are proud of the community, but I also want Birmingham to attract the brightest scientists, most innovative entrepreneurs and most successful business leaders to the city.” A dedicated volunteer with medical research and education nonprofits in the city, Lochrane is doing all she can to make her personal mission a reality.
Bachelor’s/Master’s of Arts, History, Classical Civilization – University of Richmond
Lisa Beasley
Market at Pepper Place – Manager
Oversees the registration, scheduling, and layout of the weekly Market; performs farm visits to market vendors, attends agricultural and farming conferences, schedules Saturday morning chef demonstrations and musicians, organizes volunteers, and ensures the market runs smoothly every Saturday, rain or shine.
Lisa lived many lives before she became the Pepper Place Market Manager. Before she came to Sloss Real Estate, she was a radio producer, a broadcast news producer, a mom, a Community Events Director for WBRC TV, and the State Marketing Director for the American Cancer Society. But after all that Lisa says: “My job as Manager at the Market at Pepper Place has been the most personally satisfying job I’ve ever had. As much as I loved producing for broadcast television, I have enjoyed getting to know our state’s farmers and learning about farmers markets and our food.” It’s really a labor of love for Lisa to show others what she’s known for so long. “It makes me happy to see others discover the beauty and creativity that thrives in our city.”
Bachelor’s in English Literature, Sociology, and Secondary Education– University of Alabama at Birmingham
Michelle Cole
Vice President
Oversees and coordinates Sloss Real Estate Company’s portfolio from a financial, operational and capital prospective and emphasizes adding value to the properties individually, and as a whole.
Give her a spreadsheet and a little bit of time, and she’ll find a way to make a deal work that is beneficial for everybody. Michelle’s approach to real estate transactions is a little more altruistic than most commercial real estate asset managers, and that’s why we love her. “Sloss Real Estate presents an opportunity for small, niche type businesses to have a space for their trade. And it’s an opportunity for me to get to shape Birmingham, even in just a small part, to reach its full potential.” And that generous spirit goes beyond her work at Sloss. If she weren’t in real estate, “I would probably just rescue all the dogs that I could.”
Bachelor’s in Accounting – University of Alabama
Quinton Craig
Maintenance Engineer
Maintenance Engineer/Onsite Pepper Place Farmer’s Market Operations Manager. Maintains all building maintenance issues at Pepper Place and manages operations of the seasonal Farmer’s Market
We couldn’t do it without Quinton. Because Pepper Place is such a big part of Sloss Real Estate’s holdings, and because it stands as an emblem of our dedication to Birmingham, we need Quinton — our dedicated man on the ground for 17 years — to ensure everything is always running smoothly on 3rdAvenue. Birmingham has been Quinton’s lifelong homeand working with Sloss and the Pepper Place Farmer’s Market has given him the opportunity to help grow and change the city that means so much to him.
Graduate of Tarrant High School
Wanda Gilmore
ASSistant to Cathy SLoss Jones
Assiss Cathy to help grow Sloss Real Estate and make Birmingham a great place to live and work.
Wanda is the backbone of everything that happens at Sloss Real Estate. She met Cathy upon the recommendation of a friend a little over 10 years ago and they immediately hit it off. In SRE, Wanda found a family. She has been committed to moving Birmingham forward from an early age – beginning her career as an elementary school teacher in 1975. She taught at the same school for 22 years before becoming a Teacher in Residence at UAB for several years. Wanda retired from teaching in 2000 but didn’t stay retired long. She immediately joined the Bruno Event Team and for eight years was the volunteer coordinator for golf tournaments around the country. Wanting to slow down and spend more time at home with her three daughters and five grandchildren, Wanda joined the Sloss team in 2010 and has been an integral part of all operations ever since. While at Sloss, she is most proud launching the sponsorship program for the Market at Pepper Place and being successful at helping to keep Cathy organized and where she needs to be at any given moment.
B.S. Samford University
MA UAB
Post Graduate work in Administration
Bekah Hayes
Accounting Clerk
Keeps financial records updated, prepares reports and reconciles bank statements.
Bekah might be an accountant by trade, but she has a servant’s heart. After studying Christian Counseling at Jacksonville Theological Seminary, she combined her talents with her financial skill set to help over 500 third-world children find sponsors. Now, as a member of the Sloss Real Estate team, she hopes to help build a better Birmingham. “I believed we are all called not to live life for ourselves but to give our time, talent, and treasure. Sloss is an opportunity to use my gifts to help the company and the city in turn.”
Christian Counseling – Jacksonville Theological Seminary
Certified Professional Financial Life Coach – American Association of Christian Counsellors
Chris Jett
MAINTENANCE ENGINEER
Maintains buildings, troubleshoots problems and ensures Sloss Real Estate properties are in tip-top shape.
Chris comes to Sloss Real Estate with a background in construction and engineering. Upon graduation from high school, he joined Jefferson County working his way up to the Engineering Department. After a long career there, he chose to move into the private sector and began a second career in commercial real estate management engineering. This public/private experience gives him invaluable experience to help manage Sloss properties.
He has lived just outside Warrior his entire life and is excited with all the change he’s seeing in his hometown. He views that being on the Sloss team allows him to do his part to help the city continue growing and changing for the better. When not at one of our properties, he’s with his wife, Angela, four children and one grandchild – or having a good drink and a good cigar.
Graduate of Warrior High School
Leigh Sloss-Corra
Executive Director, The Market at Pepper Place
Oversees Market operations, fundraising, marketing, Friends of the Market membership program, and relationship-building with Alabama farmers, vendors, shoppers and corporate and community partners.
Birmingham is in Leigh’s DNA. Her family built historic Sloss Furnaces around which the city of Birmingham sprung up. Her family founded the real estate company that bears her name. After growing up in Birmingham, Leigh tried to get away, but the pull of the Magic City prevailed. After living and working for twenty years in New England, Leigh came back to Birmingham as a head of the Time Lifestyle Video Group. Eventually, or inevitably, she came on to lead the Market at Pepper Place. “Three years later,” she says, “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Bachelor of Arts – Brown University
Master of Arts – Columbia University
Ashley Walker
lead property manager
Manages and interprets the financial side of Sloss Real Estate Company.
Ashley has seen a lot of growth since she moved to Birmingham in 2011. “It’s so exciting to live in a place where you can watch revitalization take place. Decades from now people are going to look back and remember this as a time when Birmingham got its flare back. I’m proud to be part of that.” As the Asset Management Analyst at Sloss Real Estate, Ashley’s knowledge and skills in commercial real estate are growing every day, as is her enthusiasm for Alabama football. “Roll tide!”
Bachelor’s in Finance – University of Alabama
ULI Alabama Management Committee Member