Overview
Frontier Development was founded in 1998, originally as a residential real estate development and investment company. In 2009, the firm relocated its offices to Washington D.C, and rebranded as Frontier Development & Hospitality Group shifting its investment focus to lodging assets. It has since acquired and developed hotels assets with a total capitalization of over $200 million, completing over 75 real estate transactions since its inception. The firm’s management team brings expertise in the areas of acquisitions, dispositions, development, construction management, asset management and finance.

Investment Strategy (Acquisitions)
Frontier employs a value-add investment strategy to acquire under-branded, under capitalized or mismanaged assets in growing markets with multiple demand generators. Its targeted sources of capital range from high net worth individuals, to institutional private equity and family offices.

Leadership
Evens Charles is the founder and managing principal of Frontier Development & Hospitality Group LLC. A native of Washington, D.C, Mr. Charles attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a Big East Conference Division I football athlete. During his five-year athletic tenure at Temple University, he earned a B.A. in Psychology and a Master of Education. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Charles was inspired by his landlord and began investing in real estate, which lead him to start Frontier. At the age of 25, he executed his first small transaction that required an out-of-pocket investment of $1,000 resulting in a $25K profit six months later. This transaction was the catalyst that catapulted Mr. Charles into real estate investing. After a ten-year period of several successful luxury residential and multi-family acquisition and development projects, Mr. Charles, at the age of 36, had led Frontier to its first hotel investment. The firm has since grown to over a nine-figure portfolio of Hilton and Marriot Internationally branded hotel assets across six states.

His accomplishments have been recognized as one of the 2019 Black Enterprise largest 100 Black-Owned Businesses in the nation; 2019 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award by the Caribbean American Heritage; The 2016 Deal of Year Award for the DoubleTree by Hilton Largo, MD, presented by NABHOOD; the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year awarded by NAMD; the 2010 Outstanding Hotelier Award presented by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association; 2009 Hotel Owner of the Year Award; and the 10 People Under 40 to Watch in 2010 awarded by the Philadelphia Tribune Magazine. He has performed speaking engagements throughout the country for several professional organizations and has been featured in various publications including Hotel Business, Lodging Magazine, Black Enterprise & Business Journals across multiple cities.

He has an endowed scholarship in his name at Temple University targeting underserved students, supports many philanthropic causes and serves as a mentor to many. He is also a member of Temple University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism Board of Visitors, member of the Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), as well as industry organizations such as the National Alliance of African American Hotel Owners and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.