Our Team
BENTON MOSS
President & CEO
JOHN LEA
VP, Business Development & Commercial Brokerage
ROB FERGUSON
VP, Investment Sales & Capital Markets
With nearly a decade of experience in real estate investment, development, and brokerage, Benton has a demonstrated history of building successful ventures. His career has been marked by a robust portfolio of projects, encompassing over $500 million in mixed-use developments, and currently, he serves as the President and CEO of Simmons & Harris, a thriving full-service real estate firm.
Benton's strengths include financial analysis, project management, and connecting people to his robust network of real estate professionals and expert consultants in the Carolinas. In his role at Simmons & Harris, he is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions, building successful teams, and achieving exceptional results for our clients.
Before beginning his real estate career, Benton played baseball professionally for five seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays system and traveled to over 30 states. He was a Morehead Cain scholar at UNC Chapel Hill and graduated with degrees in Economics and Business Administration. Outside of work, Benton spends time with his wife and two daughters, enjoys playing golf, reading history and nonfiction, and spending time at the coast.
Benton Moss
President & CEO
BENTON MOSS
President & CEO
JOHN LEA
VP, Business Development & Commercial Brokerage
ROB FERGUSON
VP, Investment Sales & Capital Markets
Rob brings over seven years of experience in the commercial lending and investment sales industry where he focused on FHA / HUD loans for new construction, acquisitions, and permanent lending for multifamily properties. This, coupled with his experience developing over $250 MM in multi-family and residential land makes him an asset to Simmons and Harris clients and partners. Since 2020 Rob has been a North Carolina licensed Real Estate broker to further assist his clients in the process of buying land.
Working together with clients and sellers to develop relationships is one of the factors that has helped Rob become a trusted resource for many groups throughout the Southeast. Working with clients to understand their long-term strategy is just as important as market knowledge and operations. Serving his clients in their business development is where he is often most helpful.
Rob works with clients to identify land for development projects, acquire existing multifamily and commercial assets, and place debt and equity as well. With over 25 years of experience in risk management, insurance, and real estate advisory services, he can bring a well-balanced approach to his brokerage practice with the relationships and skillset he has built along the way.
With nearly a decade of experience in real estate investment, development, and brokerage, Benton has a demonstrated history of building successful ventures. His career has been marked by a robust portfolio of projects, encompassing over $500 million in mixed-use developments, and currently, he serves as the President and CEO of Simmons & Harris, a thriving full-service real estate firm.
Benton's strengths include financial analysis, project management, and connecting people to his robust network of real estate professionals and expert consultants in the Carolinas. In his role at Simmons & Harris, he is dedicated to delivering innovative solutions, building successful teams, and achieving exceptional results for our clients.
Before beginning his real estate career, Benton played baseball professionally for five seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays system and traveled to over 30 states. He was a Morehead Cain scholar at UNC Chapel Hill and graduated with degrees in Economics and Business Administration. Outside of work, Benton spends time with his wife and two daughters, enjoys playing golf, reading history and nonfiction, and spending time at the coast.
John W. Lea Jr. is a skilled real estate professional specializing in commercial brokerage, leasing, and business development. He has extensive experience in the construction industry, with nearly a decade and a half of experience as a business development representative for several notable General Contractors in North Carolina.
John's expertise lies in Commercial, Industrial, and Raw Land, and his network is unmatched in central and eastern North Carolina. Operating in Eastern North Carolina, he collaborates closely with clients to develop a comprehensive real estate strategy for each property that drives prospective interest and achieves the client's goals.
Leveraging his extensive firsthand knowledge of commercial construction and a deep understanding of property submarkets, John empowers his clients to make well-informed decisions at every turn. John is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill and is also an Eagle Scout.