Our People

Twenty-five years later in 2011, he invited his daughter, Kathryn, to learn the business. After receiving her MBA from UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School, Kathryn returned to the company as the real estate market gained momentum. By 2017, Beacon's growth had soared, and the Howlett's recruited experienced developer Edward Lammas to join their team and expand their mixed-use and multifamily arm. 

Chris Howlett

CHRIS HOWLETT grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and moved to the Triangle in junior high school. He received his BS in Accounting from UNC Chapel Hill, before moving to Orlando to help grow his father’s home insurance appraisal business. Chris began his real estate career as a broker when he moved back to North Carolina, but he soon began putting together development deals on his own. With training as a CCIM and state-certified appraiser, Chris loves to think creatively about how to make every deal a win-win. He has now been developing retail, office, medical office, and mixed use projects in the Triangle Area for over 30 years.

Edward Lammas

EDWARD LAMMAS is responsible for mixed-use, multifamily, and land development. Edward has been responsible for the development of some 4,000 apartment units, including being land developer of over 2,000 units in the Triangle. Mr. Lammas holds a Bachelors of Science (with Honors) in Construction Management, and also an MBA with concentrations in Real Estate and Corporate Finance from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he remains an active alumni member and regular case-competition judge. Edward was elected to and currently sits on the Carolinas Innovation in Housing Council, for the Urban Land Institute.

Kathryn Howlett Abrams

KATHRYN HOWLETT ABRAMS is a Partner at Beacon, where her current roles focus on asset management and administration. She has an undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill, and an MBA in Real Estate Development and Finance from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Kathryn officially joined Beacon in 2011, and led the marketing and administration of Beacon’s 100,000+ SqFt Medical Office portfolio sale in 2015 that has fueled the company’s recent growth. She likes to say that Kenan-Flagler taught her the science of real estate development, but she learned the art from her dad.