We’re a source of capital for commercial real estate projects, providing 100 percent of the capital.

Take advantage of less complicated lending that offers decreased liability. We’re experts in finding the capital you need to keep your projects moving forward.

Our unique combination of experience and talent is as unique as the industry we serve. Our in-house expertise in the areas of finance, legal, entitlements, construction, and closing gives us the ability to pursue even the most aggressive development schedules without affecting your ability to pursue other projects in your pipeline.

Meet Our Team

Our menu of à la carte services allows developers to choose from capital only all the way through construction management.

Deals tailored to the project and developer

A national footprint

Net Lease Alliance is proud to provide capital for commercial real estate development projects from coast to coast in the continental United States.

THE NLA TEAM

Ron H. Johnston

Director & CEO

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Ron has served as a Director for NLA since its inception and has been CEO since February 2014. Prior to joining NLA, Ron was the owner of Johnston Financial Services, LLC beginning in 2001. Prior to that, Ron had a successful 23-year career in banking as a commercial real estate lender. Over his career, Ron’s teams have placed well over $1.7 billion in debt and equity. Ron works out of NLA’s Lexington, KY office.

Call 859-494-3810

Sam L. Colson

Director & CFO

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Sam joined NLA at its inception as a founder and CFO. Currently, he serves on the Company’s Board of Directors and as its Chief Financial Officer. He oversees NLA’s transaction closings, investor communications, accounting, and finance and works with the CEO to set underwriting parameters for NLA’s investments in projects. Prior to NLA, Sam was CFO for a national developer of shopping centers and net-leased properties and was a Director and COO of a large international investment bank’s affordable housing finance platform. Sam began his career as a CPA providing accounting, consulting, and tax services to a wide array of developer clients with a focus on commercial real estate. Sam has had direct involvement in the structuring and financing of over $2.8 billion in commercial real estate transactions ranging from multi-family, historic rehabs, shopping centers, strip centers, and single-tenant net lease properties. Sam works from NLA’s Montgomery, AL office.

Call 334-201-8464

Wayne Harris

VP of Legal Services

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For over 35 years, Wayne has successfully represented both national retailers and real estate development companies in commercial real estate development. Wayne joined NLA at its inception as Vice President of Legal Services. Prior to that, and after serving as Assistant General Counsel for Lowe’s Companies, Inc., the parent company for Lowe’s home centers, he joined a commercial real estate developer of properties throughout the Southeast, Midwest, and Southwest. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Law. Wayne is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Call 615-613-2992

Jill Mastin

VP of Accounting & Finance

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Jill joined NLA in 2019 and began her CPA career in 1992 in real estate tax and accounting. After leaving public accounting, she worked with Credit Suisse’s Column Capital in tax credit syndication providing portfolio management and investor relation services. Jill coordinates with other NLA team members from the initial development budgeting and due diligence phase throughout the construction period and ultimately the placement of assets. Jill is located in NLA’s Montgomery office.

Call 334-201-8242

Chad Williams

Director of Development Services

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Chad Williams has managed over 225 plus commercial build-to-suit and shopping center projects since 2006. Previously, he was a Development Manager for a successful national developer of shopping centers and net-leased properties. Prior to that, Chad worked for an architecture firm as a discipline captain for a national firm. His responsibilities at NLA include management of all steps of development including pre-development, entitlements, site planning, due diligence, managing civil and architectural construction consultants, and permitting. He regularly conducts hearings before the planning commission and city council officials for site plan approvals, rezoning, variances, and special-use and conditional-use permits. Chad is based in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Call 615-815-1465

Zack Barker

Director of Construction Services

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Zack has over 15 years of experience in commercial construction and 13 prior years in residential construction. He has managed projects such as single-tenant build-to-suit, multi-tenant build-to-suit, restaurants, rehabs, repurpose projects, large power centers, small medical, and hotels. Zack’s responsibilities include construction services such as estimating, engineering initiatives, and construction management. He has managed projects in more than 25 states coast to coast. Zack is based in Montgomery, AL.

Call 334-322-4253

Christina Nawrocki

Construction Manager

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Christina has been working in commercial real estate/construction since 2004. She has hands-on experience in all aspects of the development process from inception through completion with a primary focus on construction management. Christina is a NASCLA Board Certified General Contractor and has managed a broad variety of projects across the country such as single/multi-tenant retail, restaurants, self-storage, and multifamily. She started working with NLA as a construction management consultant in 2017 and became an employee in 2022. Christina works from NLA’s Birmingham, AL office.

Call 205-835-8635

Brian Baber

Underwriting & Banking Relations

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Brian joined the NLA team in 2020. He began his career in banking in 2001 as a commercial/real estate lender before moving to the credit side of the bank. Brian has experience working with real estate projects of all sizes for large, super-regional banks as well as smaller community-oriented banks. Brian works in all phases of project acquisition, capitalization, portfolio management, and asset disposition with a focus on project financing for NLA. Brian is based in NLA’s Lexington, KY office.

Call 859-404-0151

Hope Henderson

Legal Assistant & Closing Coordinator

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Hope has been with NLA since 2016. Her experience with coordinating commercial real estate transactions began in 2004 while working as a paralegal for real estate attorneys. She continued to gain knowledge and experience with real estate as a lending assistant for the commercial real estate lending department of a regional bank. Her responsibilities at NLA include creating and maintaining Smartsheets, forming Limited Liability Companies (LLC), obtaining & monitoring insurance, drafting legal documents for acquisitions & sales, and coordinating with lenders, their legal counsel, and title companies. Hope is located in NLA’s Montgomery office.

Call 334-247-6219

Karen Wientjes

Accountant

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Karen has been with NLA since its inception and has been working in general ledger accounting since 1998. In her role with NLA, she interacts with our developer partners, lenders, investors, and tenant personnel. Karen handles all aspects of accounts payable, case management/reconciliations, quarterly and annual closeouts, CAM reconciliations, and many other tasks related to all general ledger, accounts payable, payroll, etc. for 100++ entities at any given time. Karen is located in NLA’s Montgomery office.

Call 334-247-6144

Jay Timon

Consultant

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Jay Timon serves as a consultant to Net Lease Alliance on development, leasing, and other real estate matters. An industry professional for more than twenty years, he has sourced or managed more than 2.5 million square feet of ground-up or redevelopment projects of retail, mixed-use, entertainment, dining, institutional and industrial projects for institutional investors including a private development partner of AIG Global Real Estate. He holds MS degrees in finance, real estate development, and historic preservation from the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.

Call 504-418-4189