A Lake Toxaway native, John L. Nichols, III founded The Nichols Company, Inc. in 1999. With over 30 years in real estate, he has played a pivotal role in revitalizing Charlotte’s inner-city communities and restoring numerous historic buildings in North Carolina. The Nichols Company is renowned for selling and leasing unique and stylish buildings.

Known for his creativity, John harbors a profound passion for photography, drones, and filmmaking.

Inspired by the Greek proverb, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit,”

John’s visionary leadership has propelled The Nichols Company to receive accolades such as “Charlotte’s Best Commercial Real Estate Firm” and “Charlotte’s Best Places to Work.” Moreover, the company boasts the “Number One Independent Brokerage for a Large Firm” title, with many of its brokers frequently recognized as Top Producers by the CRCBR.

Historically, John held the helm at the Plaza Central Development Group and has served on prominent boards including the CRCBR, Johnston YMCA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has been a driving force behind Charlotte’s transportation initiatives, including the Gold Line StreetCar and the Independence Blvd. Citizens Advisory Committee.

He recently co-founded The Historic Toxaway Foundation and actively serves on the board of the Heart of Brevard & Transylvania Economic Alliance. In recognition of his significant contributions, John was awarded the Charlotte Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.”

On a more personal note, John and his wife Mish, a distinguished broker at the Lake Toxaway Company, cherish their moments with their two daughters and son.

Josh Beaver is a native Charlottean, joining The Nichols Company in 2003 after starting his career in commercial real estate brokerage in 2000. 

Over his career, Josh has been involved in hundreds of transactions totaling several hundred million dollars in value with an equal emphasis on both leasing and sales with proficiencies in retail, office, industrial, urban core land, corridor commercial and medical properties.   

Some noteworthy accomplishments include winning the Award of Excellence at The Nichols Company in 2004, Broker of the Year numerous times, the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (“CRCBR”) Deal Makers award for achievement in commercial brokerage annually and having been recognized perennially as a Platinum broker by CRCBR for transaction volume, placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the retail category many times.  Other accolades include being voted by his peers in the Charlotte market as the Best Tenant Rep in Retail in 2016 and winning the Top Overall Producer at an independent firm across all categories in 2018.  CoStar has awarded Josh its prestigious Power Broker award numerous times during his career for transaction volume in the Retail category and CREXi has awarded Josh its Platinum Broker Award as a top producer as well.

Josh became Vice President of The Nichols Company in December of 2007 and in 2012, was selected as a recipient of the prestigious Forty Under 40 award, as recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal.

Josh is a licensed real estate broker in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina.  He is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (“ICSC”), where he served on the planning committee for the Carolinas Idea Exchange, was the North Carolina/South Carolina State Retail Chair and served as its Chair for the Carolinas Idea Exchange in 2015. 

Josh is an active member of the Dowd YMCA of greater Charlotte, having represented its interests during a major renovation, a member of Christ Episcopal Church, ICSC and CRCBR. He attended Charlotte Latin School and received his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University. 

Josh lives in Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood with his wife, two children and their dog.

A Charlotte native, George graduated from Presbyterian College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Business with a double major in Economics and Management. He has been serving as a real estate Broker in NC & SC since 1992. George has served with the Gaston County YMCA Board, served as President of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and serves as Chairman of the Yiasou Greek Festival. George has been engaged in helping clients identify and acquire properties to meet their needs. George joined The Nichols Company in 2019.
George is married to Kiki Karres and they have three children Demetra, Theo and Andrew. George is a member at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte and serves on the Parish Council.

John Hadley has been working the last fifteen years in the restaurant industry. He was previously a co-owner of Just Fresh. He started the Doc Greens Gourmet Salads and Grill franchise in Charlotte. He has extensive experience in the restaurant industry from the creation, planning and design to the operational and expansion into multi locations. John has served as committee chairman of the Carolina Golf Club food/beverage committee while helping with menu, management and operations. He serves on the advisory board for the Elizabeth Area plan and participates in the Charlotte Streetcar Project.

John is married to Wendy Hadley and they have two children Ella and Sallie. John is a member of Dilworth United Methodist Church and a basketball coach for the Dowd YMCA for six years.

Matt is a licensed Broker in North Carolina, specializing in commercial property sales for owners/occupiers and investors. Matt’s education and background in finance translates to high competency in commercial property financing, feasibility, and investment analysis.

Prior to commercial real estate, Matt was a Vice President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he managed a portfolio of institutional clients dealing in foreign currency sales and trading. Matt began his career with Morgan Stanley in New York City where he worked in Institutional Equity Sales and Research. Matt has previously held his Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Matt was born and raised in Chapel Hill and graduated from Appalachian State University where he studied Economics and Finance. Matt is a member of the Professional Associates Network of the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina and a member of Myers Park United Methodist Church. Matt lives in Myers Park with his wife and son.

Lauren, a Charlotte native, has spent her entire career in the commercial real estate industry. She began with five years in commercial title insurance sales in Manhattan, where her love for commercial real estate flourished.

Lauren made the decision to move back to Charlotte, where she proudly joined The Nichols Company in April 2021.

Lauren’s unwavering commitment to excellence sets her apart in the industry. She takes immense pride in going the extra mile in every transaction, leveraging her extensive knowledge of commercial real estate on both a national and local level, along with her creative deal-structuring skills, to differentiate herself from her competitors.

With a genuine understanding of the intricacies involved in buying, selling, and leasing commercial properties, Lauren excels in demonstrating balanced decision-making, motivation, and exceptional negotiation skills—attributes that define her professional strengths.

Currently, Lauren is actively pursuing her CCIM designation and has successfully completed CCIM 101–104. She was the recipient of the CRCBR Silver Award in 2022 and 2024.

In addition, she serves as a board member of SwimMAC and remains an engaged member of the Charlotte community. Lauren earned her Bachelor of Science in Communication from East Carolina University and is currently licensed in NC and SC.

Mike Sullivan is a seasoned broker with more than a decade of experience in commercial real estate. Since joining The Nichols Company in 2007, Mike has assisted hundreds of property owners in the sale and lease of their property and aided numerous buyers and tenants in locating space for office, retail and industrial uses. A former employee of the City of Charlotte (Neighborhood and Business Services) and a two term Commissioner on the Charlotte Planning Commission (2013-2019), Mike has accumulated extensive knowledge about land use, zoning, permitting and building standards as well as government organization, operations and procedures related to development. He has an undergraduate degree from Winthrop University and a MA from UNCC. Currently Mike is co-chair of CharlotteEast, board member of Preserve Mecklenburg, board member of The Charlotte Gold District and is a part-time instructor at Central Piedmont Community College.

Mish is a native of Columbia, SC and graduated from the University of the South (Sewanee). Real estate has been a part of her life since an early age, with a mother in the industry as well as her husband who owns The Nichols Company. Mish welcomes the opportunity to work with you as she understands the importance of a prudent investment since she was a licensed financial adviser at Merrill Lynch, and also has a discerning eye which served her well when she was a buyer for a retail company with multiple locations in the southeast.

Rusty Gibbs is a North Carolina native who moved to Charlotte in 1999 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and working abroad in London, England. With more than two decades of experience in real estate, Rusty specializes in land and is recognized for his ability to identify a property’s highest and best use to maximize value. His work spans office, retail, and industrial sectors, where he advises tenants, landlords, developers, investors, and small business owners with strategic insight and market expertise.

Rusty’s leadership in the Charlotte real estate community includes service on the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (CRCBR). He was selected for the CRCBR Leadership Committee in 2020 and currently serves as Chair of the Education Committee and as a member of the CRCBR Board of Directors.

Beyond brokerage, Rusty enjoys traveling, collecting vinyl records, and cheering on the Tar Heels. He lives in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood with his wife and their three sons.

Taylor is a native Charottean and joined The Nichols Company in 2020. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Taylor’s background includes marketing for national retail clients. Taylor is a licensed real estate broker in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. Taylor specializes in retail, infill, and adaptive reuse properties within Charlotte’s urban core neighborhoods and surrounding tertiary markets. Additionally, he is a member of ICSC, CRCBR, and is currently pursuing his CCIM designation. Taylor lives in Charlotte’s historic West End with his wife, Katie, and daughter, Lucy.

Tracy Efird is a native to Charlotte. He is a graduate of Myers Park High School and North Carolina State University. He has been working the last seventeen years with a family business in the retail/service industry. He became a broker in 2007 and is actively pursuing his CCIM designation, along with being a member of CRCBR. He attends Myers Park Baptist Church and when he’s not working his interests are sports, music and travel.

Williard (Will) L. Carlton began his career as a commercial real estate broker upon joining The Nichols Company in 2005 and is working toward obtaining his CCIM designation. Will moved to Charlotte from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While in Philadelphia, he worked with a prominent local Real Estate Developer, the Knauer family and Oakland’s Business Parks, Inc and with Liberty Property Trust.

Will is a CPA with extensive experience working with vairous types of companies and is experienced in leasing as a landlord representative, to investment properties, with financing, analysis, and acquisitions