About Us

About Us

Multiple firms throughout the Midwest region market themselves as Project Managers or Owner Representatives. However, most of them are only capable of offering the client one particular service, such as construction management, and rarely do such firms offer to vest themselves in the risk and return of the project. Due to past Gravitas experience as property owner and developer, as well as engineer and construction manager, the differentiation lies in our ability to span the entire spectrum of development services and genuinely act in an ownership capacity. Our expertise allows us to foresee critical paths in the design, entitlement, permitting, construction, and sale/lease period that individual contractors or consultants do not have experience handling or predicting.

With the current economic climate, Project Management is not just about managing the process. Many clients choose Gravitas to broaden their own resources and expertise, manage risk, make sound decisions, leverage knowledge of specific markets, and ensure the success of their overall investment. At Gravitas, we make it our business to understand a client’s vision and what success means to them. Our level of expertise handling urban development projects allows our clients to focus on other tasks, thus producing significant time and cost savings.

Founder Bio

CHARLIE POND, PRINCIPAL

In his 23 years in the industry, Charlie has held a variety of positions throughout the real estate development, architectural, engineering, and construction industries, encompassing projects totaling over 3 million square feet and a value of over $500 million. Charlie is also a licensed real estate professional in both Kentucky and Ohio. Charlie has been active throughout his career in not just traditional commercial development and construction, but in environmentally sensitive transformation of the real estate landscape. Charlie’s varying breadth of experience allows him to work as an advocate for all project clients and stakeholders, create lasting partnerships, and deliver a turnkey solution from a “back of napkin” sketch and budget through a completed and vibrant development.

Charlie earned both his Bachelor and Masters of Science Degrees in Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky, with a specialization in Land Development. While still a full time student, he took on internships with Architects Plus, THE Engineers, and Denham Blythe Constructors, before taking a post-graduate position with Huber Hunt Nichols in Cincinnati as a Project Engineer. He then spent 5 years with Venture One Construction as a Project Manager before taking a position with Neyer Properties. Charlie spent 6 years with Neyer as the Director of Building Development before spending his following 7 years at Oswald Company as partner and Vice President of Business Development.

Charlie has been involved on the board of NAIOP, a leading national commercial real estate development organization, for ten years, including serving in recent years as president and on the Executive Committee. He spent four years either on the board or on various special projects with Working in Neighborhoods (WIN), a non-profit community development organization. He also led special projects completed for People Working Cooperatively (PWC), another group that assists with charity renovation projects. He has traveled far into the Appalachian mountains to assist the Appalachian Service Project in their efforts in several of the most poverty stricken counties in Kentucky. In addition to his board involvement, Charlie is also an active member of Urban Land Institute, CREW, American Society of Civil Engineers, and University of Kentucky Alumni. Charlie currently resides in Cold Spring, Kentucky with his three children, and is active on his church’s advisory board for real estate and construction matters.