ATLANTA—Thad Ellis has been in the commercial real estate industry longer than some of the newcomers have been alive. He leads Cousins Properties' Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte and Raleigh office portfolios, has over 30 years of real estate expertise including development, leasing and property management.

Before joining Cousins in 2006, he was the managing director of GVA Advantis' Atlanta office and a member of the firm's executive committee. Ellish began his real estate career in 1984. He joined Peterson Properties in 1986 and rose to executive levels at Peterson Properties through its 1996 merger with CarrAmerica.

Ellis was the Managing Director for CarrAmerica's Atlanta and Florida offices. At CarrAmerica, he was directly involved with the acquisition, disposition and/or development of the office product and was a member of the firm's Investment Committee. GlobeSt.com caught up with Ellis to discuss where he came from and where he's going in this exclusive interview.