A.J. Morris graduated cum laude with a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business and earned his M.B.A. from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate. During his time at Goizueta, AJ served as President of the Goizueta Real Estate Group and received the Artz Dietz Faculty Award for Excellence in Finance, which is awarded to the MBA student who achieves the highest performance in the study of finance and related areas.

AJ has worked for Fortem Holdings LLC for the past eight years and now serves as Vice President of Investments for both Fortem Holdings and SouthVale. At Fortem, AJ evaluates alternative investments across a wide range of sectors, including real estate, homebuilding, healthcare, insurance, construction services, car washes, tax credit investments, private equity, and venture capital.

During AJ’s tenure at Fortem Holdings, he has developed a focus in managing residential development and homebuilding portfolio companies, where he helps evaluate future investment opportunities, structure new transactions, maintain and procure new banking relationships, manage equity and cash flow, and guide key operational and strategic decisions across the businesses. His work has supported David Patterson Homes’ growth into a leading semi-custom production homebuilder in North GA, with nearly 200 homes sold and $130 million in realized gross sales since 2021. His experience also includes managing joint ventures with regional homebuilders across the full investment lifecycle, from acquisition through exit.

At SouthVale, AJ’s role extends into the development and disposition of residential lots. He helps monitor active development projects to ensure they remain on time and on budget, while assisting with builder engagement and identifying the ultimate end user or builder for each deal. To date, AJ has underwritten residential development opportunities totaling more than 7,000 lots across Georgia.

Separately, AJ has assisted with the acquisition and disposition of more than 4,000 acres throughout the Southeast for other legacy businesses, helping evaluate land opportunities and support transaction execution.

Across Fortem Holdings, David Patterson Homes, and SouthVale, AJ wears many hats, touching nearly every financial aspect of the businesses while also supporting operations, development execution, capital strategy, and transaction structuring.

AJ lives in Marietta with his wife and golden retriever. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, going to the gym, hiking, and exploring new restaurants.