Jacksonville-based Rise: A Real Estate Co. announced Nov. 3 it appointed Cameron Hooper as senior vice president of development.
Hooper, a board member of the Downtown Investment Authority, most recently was senior vice president of multifamily at Matthews Real Estate Investment Services in Jacksonville. He joined Matthews in June 2023.
Confirmed by City Council legislation Feb. 11, Hooper’s DIA term ends June 30, 2027.
Rise is real estate development, property management and construction company. At Rise, Hooper will oversee development strategy and execution.
Hooper’s bio on the Matthews.com site says he also previously worked for Capstone Companies, where he specialized in multifamily brokerage and capital solutions as a senior adviser.
His experience includes director of finance for Corner Lot.
Rise specializes in student housing, multifamily, active adult and mixed-use developments.
“Cameron brings an incredible balance of financial insight, development experience, and leadership,” said Greg Blais, Rise president, in the release.
The announcement said Hooper brings more than a decade of experience in real estate investment, development and finance.
It says that over the past five years, he guided multifamily investment activity throughout Florida and the Southeast, closing more than 4,000 developable units.
His background also includes experience in development finance, where he worked with lending institutions and private equity groups to structure and capitalize large-scale residential projects for a regional developer.
Hooper began his career in the financial sector with firms including Morgan Stanley and Janney Montgomery Scott, managing portfolios for high-net-worth and institutional clients.
“This foundation in finance continues to shape his analytical and strategic approach to development that focuses on investor returns,” the release said.
Hooper earned his bachelor’s in business marketing and MBA at Coastal Carolina University.
Rise, founded in 1995, moved its headquarters from Georgia to Jacksonville in 2022.
It says it has developed more than 104 projects nationwide, totaling more than 61,000 beds across 26 states.
It has at least seven projects in Northeast Florida, including Rise Doro, which is under reconstruction at 960 Adams St. after being heavily damaged by fire in January 2024, days before move-ins were scheduled.
The announcement of Hooper’s appointment comes less than three weeks after Rise announced Oct. 16 that Eric Heninger joined as its vice president of asset management.
Heninger spent 13 years with The Collier Cos. in Gainesville and more than 20 years total in multifamily and student housing operations, financing and asset management.