Eric Smith is the Chief Operating Officer of Croatan Investments. Executing the corporate growth plan and driving efficiency across the day-to-day operations of the firm is his main focus. He also provides leadership to the firm’s capital markets function and ground-up development investment efforts.

Mr. Smith most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer for Armada Hoffler Properties (NYSE: AHH), a publicly-traded REIT. His experience includes a broad range of asset types, including multifamily, retail, office, mixed-use, and hospitality, across the mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S.

In addition to the acquisition of stabilized assets, Mr. Smith had oversight of over $1 billion of development projects during his tenure as COO and CIO of Armada Hoffler with many of these projects containing a public-private partnership component. Mr. Smith was also part of the three-member executive team that shepherded Armada Hoffler through its 2013 IPO on the New York Stock Exchange which raised in excess of $230 million.

Mr. Smith spent the early years of his career in the management consulting, international corporate finance, and investment advisory fields as well as owning his own trading seat on the New York Futures Exchange. Mr. Smith holds a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Connecticut.