By Elizabeth Breyer Johnson
When Jon Cohen moved from Stamford, CT, to Charlotte,, he didn’ t simply relocate a business. He began laying the foundation for a new chapter grounded in purpose, possibility, and Jewish values. A seasoned commercial real estate developer and general contractor with a strong record in the Northeast, he arrived in the Queen City with a rare willingness to begin again. What guided him, he says, was the principle that has shaped every step of his life: build with honesty, build with integrity, and build to improve the community. In Charlotte’ s fast-growing landscape, he sees not just real estate but the opportunity to create spaces where people work, grow, and connect, brick by brick.
For most general contractors, success rests on one essential advantage: local knowledge. To build effectively, one needs the skill to navigate a heavily regulated industry and the relationships that turn drawings into reality. In Connecticut, Cohen had all of that. He grew up in Stamford, the son of a family deeply woven into the community, particularly its Jewish institutions. After Tufts and Cornell, he worked for national and merchant developers, strengthening a network on which he could rely. By the time he launched his own firm, J. Forrest Development LLC, he had scaled it to 10 employees, propelled by relationships cultivated over decades.
But even with that hard-earned momentum, he sensed the constraints of what Connecticut could offer.“ I believed I was limited by opportunity,” Cohen said.“ My State, familiar and beloved, simply wasn’ t a highgrowth market.” Quietly, he began looking toward cities where the pace of development aligned with his ambitions. The true catalyst, however, was personal. When his then-girlfriend, now wife, Maricel, became pregnant, the happy news sharpened his focus.“ I would not have gained the courage to expand into new and unfamiliar territory if not for that moment,” he recalled.“ As we prepared to become parents, I began scouting developable land in Charlotte.”
At the end of 2021, he broke ground on what would become the most meaningful project of his career: The Oliver, a 222- unit multifamily community near UNC Charlotte. Built on the light-rail extension at the Tom Hunter station, it represents a deliberate investment in a historically underserved neighborhood that lacked clean, safe, affordable housing. His apartment complex was the first development in the city to fully integrate affordable units under the lightrail zoning overlay and, at the time, accounted for every unit created through that program.
It also carries the name of his son, Oliver Lawrence Cohen, a connection that brought an added layer of accountability.“ If this development is going to
The Cohen Family
have my son’ s name on it, then it will be built on the values I wish for him: honesty, equity, opportunity and inclusion,” Cohen shared. Those commitments took visible form on the construction site. At peak production, the project employed 170 workers, 35 of them women, the largest number of female tradesmen he has had on any site in his 20-year career.“ That mattered to me a great deal,” he continued.“ I firmly believe a thriving community should reflect the very people who reside within.”
While career opportunity drew him south, it was the Jewish community, more specifically, Shalom Park, that made Charlotte feel like home.“ Stamford and Fairfield County have large Jewish communities, but their institutions operate independently,” Cohen explained.“ Charlotte, by contrast, offers a cohesive ecosystem where synagogues, schools, and community organizations move in step, and this level of interconnection is
The Charlotte Jewish News- Janurary 2026- Page 13
All in the Mishpacha: Building Charlotte, Brick by Brick
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extraordinary.”
When their son, Oliver, attended the Charlotte Jewish Preschool( where Maricel is now a half-day teacher), the generous warmth their family received reinforced that sense of belonging.“ Every time we brought him to Shabbat services at either of the synagogues, we were welcomed openly as if we already belonged,” Cohen noted.“ And now, we are proud members at Temple Beth El, where Oliver attends Hebrew school in the kindergarten class.”
Cohen also found himself moved by Shalom Park’ s physical design.“ I couldn’ t believe there was one central campus housing so many institutions essential to Jewish life,” he said.“ I realized if I could grow my construction business and relocate here to do it, Shalom Park would be at the center of our lives.” Since relocating, the family has lived in three homes, each one closer to the campus than the last.
In Connecticut, Cohen’ s professional networks were almost generational, built across years of relationships with government contacts, lenders, tradespeople, and construction partners who had long known and trusted him. Here, he is building that trust anew, which has required grit, discipline, and a deep sense of responsibility to the people who make the work possible.“ Whether I’ m developing a major apartment community or a single home, I’ m shaping the spaces where families will root their lives. That requires trust, transparency, and the Jewish values that guide my work,” Cohen said with a smile.“ And if you’ re creating something brick by brick, this is where you want to be. For my little family, Shalom Park has become the center of that journey. It’ s the very place where our values anchor us and our amazing community carries us.”
All in the Mishpachah celebrates the people, practices and traditions that make Jewish life in Charlotte so vibrant. Every family has a story, whether it’ s the way you mark the holidays, a weekly ritual that connects generations, or a creative tradition uniquely your own. If your family, friends, or community circle fits this spirit, please reach out to elizabeth. johnson @ charlottejewish. org with a brief note about your tradition.
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