This case study traces how Tom’s vision shaped Forsite’s evolution, from acquiring overlooked industrial assets to remediating complex environmental liabilities across the country.
Founding a New Kind of Redevelopment Company
Where others saw abandoned buildings, Tom saw potential.
Backed by a capital partner, he began acquiring and repositioning these facilities. But the 2008 recession disrupted capital flows, and Forsite’s investment partner paused new commitments. Tom decided to keep going — solo. That meant assuming more risk, but it also meant developing a new kind of business.
He began operating in spaces where traditional real estate investors wouldn’t go, acquiring properties that required patience, creativity, and often, environmental cleanup.
Early Forsite Development acquisitions focused on former textile and industrial facilities across the Carolinas. These early projects also laid the groundwork for the operational expertise later shaped by team members like Ryan Ford, whose engineering background and field experience would become essential as Forsite’s projects grew in technical complexity.
Leaning Into Risk: From Reuse to Remediation
By the mid-2010s, Forsite Development had shifted its focus to properties defined by environmental challenges — sites where cleanup and liability were central to the opportunity.
That shift began to take shape in 2014, when Forsite Development acquired its first coal-fired power plant. In 2016, the company completed its first formal risk transfer transaction by acquiring a former chrome plating facility. That was followed by a 2018 acquisition of a pesticide mixing site — both examples where Forsite assumed the real estate and the environmental liabilities in a single deal.
Reimagining Industrial Land: ReVenture and Renewables
Forsite Development’s commitment to reuse and remediation came fully into view at ReVenture Park — a 667-acre redevelopment of a shuttered chemical plant site along the Catawba River in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Once a federal Superfund site, the property is now being transformed into a Renewable Energy Industrial Park. Forsite worked closely with the EPA and Clariant Corporation to have the site officially removed from the National Priorities List — a rare outcome for legacy chemical sites. The redevelopment plan includes green collar job creation, clean energy infrastructure, and nearly 1.5 miles of restored public riverfront.
“What makes it a little unique is being able to put a project on a site like this that would be run to the ground… reusing the warehouse spaces productively” – Gerald Stroner, Project Manager
Clean Energy operations at ReVenture Park are supported by Technical Director Greg Coleman, who provides oversight for the engineering and operational aspects of the site’s renewable power generation facility.
Expanding the Model: Risk Transfer to Environmental Solutions
That model came into focus in 2024, when Forsite won the Big Cajun II project in Louisiana — a complex CCR (coal combustion residual) closure and remediation effort for an active power plant.
“This project demonstrates how we can decouple environmental liabilities from operational assets, enabling owners to keep moving forward.” — Kevin Harshberger, President, Forsite Environmental Solutions
COO Ryan Ford and Kevin Harshberger, President of Forsite Environmental Solutions, led the strategic planning and execution approach for the project. On-site, Project Manager Vernon Lang managed day-to-day operations with contractors, engineers, and plant staff.
In 2025, the company formally launched Forsite Environmental Solutions to expand this approach. The division offers clients a structured way to separate environmental liabilities from operational assets — with flexible delivery models that include full risk transfer, EPC contracting, and cost-plus options, all backed by strong indemnity coverage.
How Forsite’s Vision Continues to Evolve
Yet the company remains grounded in the same belief that shaped it from the start: that the value of real estate lies not in what it was, but in what it can become.
By operating in challenging environments — and delivering long-term solutions with real accountability — Forsite Development continues to shape a new standard for what responsible redevelopment can look like. That vision is carried forward not just by founder Tom McKittrick, but also by a growing leadership team — including COO Ryan Ford, and President of Forsite Environmental Solutions Kevin Harshberger — whose expertise ensures Forsite continues executing projects with integrity and long-term stewardship.