Bob PetersonChairman

As chairman, Bob is responsible for setting the overall company strategy and providing executive oversight of all aspects of the organization.

Bob joined Carter in 2001 as an owner and executive vice president and in 2002, assumed the role of chairman and CEO. Today, Bob is one of the two principal owners of Carter.

Since then, Bob has led the transformation of Carter from a full-service commercial real estate company into a highly-focused real estate investment, development, and advisory firm. In September of 2011, Carter sold its brokerage and property management divisions to Cassidy Turley (now Cushman and Wakefield). 

Under his leadership, Carter has invested over $1.5 billion in the acquisition and development of multi-family, office, mixed-use and office real estate since 2004. In 2010, Bob led the Carter initiative to form two publicly listed, non-traded REITs, Carter Validus Mission Critical REITs I & II, to acquire single-tenant, net-leased assets in the data center and healthcare sectors across the U.S.; to date the REITs have invested in over $3.5 billion of assets. Carter currently has approximately $900 million of mixed-use, multi-family and student housing projects in cities such as Atlanta, Sarasota and Tampa, among others.

Prior to joining Carter, Bob was managing director of CarrAmerica Realty Company (NYSE: CRE) and president of CarrAmerica Development Inc. He also served as CEO of Peterson Properties, a full-service commercial real estate company, which he founded in 1979 and sold to CarrAmerica in 1996. Peterson Properties developed over 30 office and industrial projects totaling four million square feet, and handled more than $1 billion in investment transactions over a 17-year period.

Bob has been consistently recognized within the industry and provides insights and market trends for both local and national media outlets. He was named an Atlanta Real Estate Icon in 2012 by Real Estate Forum magazine and has served as a guest lecturer for MBA students at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Outside of work (and inside as well), Bob’s life centers around family. He married his college sweetheart, Cathy Bailey, in 1973 after he was smitten on their very first “parlor date.” They have four children, 13 grandchildren, and a large, active extended family. Bob and Cathy’s house is always the hub of activity for the family when they are not traveling or enjoying local sports events. Bob loves to exercise, play golf and go to movies with his grandchildren. He volunteers passionately for the Atlanta Police Foundation where he especially enjoys working on programs that reduce crime by providing opportunities for Atlanta’s disadvantaged youth. 

Education

B.S. Business Administration - University of North Carolina

Affiliations

Licensed Real Estate Broker- Georgia

Civic Involvement

Member of the Buckhead Coalition Board of Trustees
Lovett School Board of Directors
Atlanta Police Foundation Board of Trustees