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TEAM BLACK 

Our marriage and business began with a common goal - build something that will last for generations. We have five children that fulfill our personal goal. In hopes to do the same professionally, we launched FOREFRONT. 

Steve Black

Steve is co-founder and Managing Member of Forefront, where he guides the firm’s strategic vision of “Healthy Buildings For All.”

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Prior to launching Forefront, Steve was instrumental in leading the wellness real estate movement as Vice President, Global Market Development at The International WELL Building Institute   , a public benefit corporation that administers the WELL Building Standard    and Vice President at Delos, a wellness real estate and technology company and founder of the WELL Building Standard   . 

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Over the last six years, Steve has worked with industry-leading real estate companies and practitioners, multinational corporations and world-renowned medical institutions, the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, advancing the healthy building movement. His work encompasses multiple property types, throughout four continents, exceeding 65,000,000 square feet of space.

 

Steve is a WELL Accredited Professional and one of ~200 WELL Faculty members in the world, making him a leading expert in healthy, high-performance building design and operations. Involved in over 175 WELL projects, his role encompassed introducing the concept of WELL, analyzing properties and portfolios and developing strategic implementation plans compliant with the technical and scientific performance requirements of the standard. His involvement included guidance through technical aspects of the standard, onsite inspections and performance testing required to achieve WELL certification.

  

Steve started his real estate career at Greystar, the largest operator of apartments in the United States. Serving the multifamily industry for over twelve years, he has held executive positions with other firms such as Korman and Pennrose. Over this time, he succeeded in roles that span many aspects of the industry including; property management, investment, construction, strategic change management, business development and asset management. 

 

Steve earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston where he was honored as an Academic All-American while Captain of the Men’s Swim Team. Steve is a member of the NMHC, past Co-Chairman of ULI Young Leaders and served on the Board of Directors of the Charleston Apartment Association. He dedicates his time to initiatives and charitable organizations focused on advancing therapies and developing a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

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Sarah Lawson Black

Sarah is co-founder and Managing Director of Forefront, where she is in charge of financial operations, project management and marketing.

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Prior to launching Forefront, Sarah worked in her family marketing company for 15 years where she excelled at developing strong customer relationships to enable profitable business growth. She worked with Fortune 500 companies including DuPont, Chemours, and W.L Gore developing and implementing strategic marketing plans on a global platform using customer and market insight. Her strong communication skills in marketing management, retail, and sales round out her core competencies. 


She is the mother of three children, stepmother to two children and enjoys an avid yoga practice to keep her balanced.

 

Sarah earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Boston University. She also holds a Certificate from Moore College of Art in graphic design.

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