Our Team

Mark E. Sofge

Founding principal & managing member of Piedmont Private Equity LLC, a real estate investment company; Piedmont Energy Connection LLC, a clean energy renewable development firm; and, Yukon Property Consultants LLC, a real estate acquisition & consulting firm. In his various roles, Mark has been responsible for the sale and purchase of over half a billion dollars of real estate.

Mark has held Series 7, 6, and 63 licenses and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).  His experience includes real-estate development, fund management, financial planning, wealth strategies and asset and liabilities management for high net worth clients including state tax credits, equities, fixed income and real estate management.  He also has experience in structured asset financing of triple net lease properties.

Walter M. Hall

Founding principal and managing member of numerous companies, including: Piedmont Private Equity LLC, a real estate investment company; Piedmont Energy Connection LLC, a clean energy renewable development firm; and, Yukon Property Consultants LLC, a real estate acquisition & consulting firm.

Mr. Hall spent over 20 years in various leadership roles at Wachovia Bank, NA in Winston Salem, Charlotte and Atlanta where, among other responsibilities, he managed the tax planning units for Western North Carolina and Georgia. He has spoken locally and nationally on various tax and real estate topics, including addressing conferences sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Brookings Institute in Washington, DC.  He holds inactive certifications in both trust and financial advisory services and as a real property appraiser.

Tim D. Monks

Tim began his professional career in 1988 in the tax practice of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) and subsequently launched and operated his own CPA practice. For more than two decades, he has been an accomplished financial executive in the real estate, healthcare, business services and technology sectors. Tim’s disciplined financial leadership and execution of value-enhancing business and investment strategies have consistently produced long-term exit opportunities for owners.

Tim has held CFO and SVP Finance positions with five private equity firms and portfolio companies.  He was the senior finance officer for a multibillion-dollar real estate investment firm where he was responsible for accounting, banking, tax compliance and investor reporting for the firm’s investment funds which had total real estate assets of more than $4 billion.  He has successfully closed almost $3 billion in real estate transactions.

Eric B. Conkright

Eric serves as Executive Vice President and maintains oversight over project acquisition, diligence, and fund financial reporting. He has served as VP of Finance for multiple operating companies. Eric spent 11 years in public accounting, with expertise in the areas of real estate & REIT consulting and planning for high net-worth investors with firms including super-regional Carr Riggs & Ingram and Top 100 firm Frazier & Deeter.

Eric holds a CPA designation and obtained a Masters of Accounting from Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, and a BBA from Georgia State University. He has served as an adjunct professor with local colleges and as an instructor for continuing professional education courses. He is an active member with the AICPA, GSCPA, Urban Land Institute, and serves in the community through leadership at Northside Church in Roswell GA and various local organizations.

brice hall

Brice Hall is the Director of Investor Relations of Piedmont Private Equity, serving as a key liaison amongst investors and third party advisors and professionals.

Brice spent a decade in the public accounting realm with “Big 4” and middle market firms. His experience was concentrated in real estate development and management, manufacturing and nonprofit clients. He followed his public accounting tenure serving as the Corporate Controller for two real estate firms in the Carolinas.

Brice obtained his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, he received a Masters of Accounting and Finance from the University’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

lauren barnett

Lauren Barnett joined Piedmont Private Equity as general legal counsel in 2012.

Ms. Barnett began her career in Atlanta after graduating from law school at the University of Alabama.

Ms. Barnett is an active member of the Georgia Bar Association, the Junior League of Atlanta, and various community and volunteer organizations.

caroline worth

Caroline Worth joined Piedmont Private Equity in 2012, as an administrative assistant & now serves as the Director of Public Affairs. In addition to managing the office, Caroline is also responsible for all the presentations & books that highlight the conservation eligibility of the firm’s projects.

With her background in drawing & painting, Caroline has brought an artistic eye to the marketing department at PPE. She is an active member of her community & volunteers as a survivor advocate at Day League in DeKalb County.

Jill Matlock Hall

Jill Matlock Hall serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for Piedmont Private Equity LLC, Yukon Property Consultants LLC, and Piedmont Energy Connection LLC. She is responsible for Human Resources, Data Management and Internal Accounting and has been with us since inception.

Jill has a BSBA in Finance from East Carolina University and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). Prior to joining our team, she was a Vice President with SunTrust Bank serving as a Personal Trust Officer in the Private Wealth Management Group. Jill began her banking career in North Carolina at First Citizens Bank, and later moved to Atlanta where she joined the Wealth Management group at Wachovia Bank. Additionally, she is the Tax Matters Partner of Longinus Media Group, LLC.

Michael G. Messner

Co-founder of Seminole Management Co., Inc., an equity hedge fund, and served as Co-CEO since 1995. Since inception, Seminole delivered 19.5% gross annualized returns before fees including 1.8% gross return in 2008 when the S&P 500 was down 37%.  Mike led Seminole to positive gross returns in 21 of 23 years.  Seminole peak assets exceeded $3 billion.

Mike has led multiple philanthropic initiatives in Charleston, SC including public/private partnerships.  His vision and determination led to the acquisition of Norfolk Southern Rail right-of-way on the Charleston peninsula, enabling the creation of the LowLine Park.

Michael graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He is a trustee of Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc.

mike@charlestonep.com