Two new real estate companies bearing the name Crosland - companies made up of former members of the prolific Charlotte development company - are opening offices in Charlotte.

CNL Crosland Commercial Real Estate will focus its Charlotte operations on leasing and management of retail, office, industrial and multi-use projects in the Carolinas, Virginia and Tennessee, the new company said Friday. It plans to expand to a full-service firm that serves all real estate sectors.

The company is affiliated with CNL Commercial Real Estate, based in Orlando, Fla. Its staff will include 16 former employees of Crosland LLC, the Charlotte development company that announced last month it was exiting the development business to focus on managing its assets.

Susan McGuire, previously a senior vice president with Crosland LLC's retail property team, will lead the new company.

The other new company, Crosland Southeast, will focus initially on retail and multi-use development and acquisition throughout its seven-state geographic footprint. The company, formed by partners James Downs, Peter Pappas, Tim Sittema, Mike Wiggins and Austin Williams, will receive $100 million in capital from CNL Financial Group, an affiliate of CNL.

The two new companies plan to move to Charlotte offices in coming months.

Longtime Charlotte developer Crosland LLC has no ownership stake in either business. The company began divesting some operating units in June as part of a decision to focus solely on managing its asset portfolio.

The new CNL Crosland will begin by managing a nearly 3 million-square-foot retail portfolio that includes assets held by Crosland LLC, such as Charlotte's Sharon Corners and Blakeney.

Crosland Southeast projects include managing the redevelopment of Quail Corners in south Charlotte and shopping center expansions in Kentucky and Georgia. The company plans to begin site work on Quail Corners in September and begin building next spring if it receives proper permits, partners said.

Pappas and Wiggins said the partnership between CNL and Crosland Southeast, in addition to other capital investors, could allow their company to acquire retail of "just about any size."

The move continues the expansion of Orlando-based CNL Commercial Real Estate. It will now have offices in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla., Dallas, and Charlotte. The company manages or leases more than 9 million square feet.

Consolidation and partnerships among real estate companies has been common in recent years as developers look for joint funding sources, Pappas told the Observer.

Crosland and CNL have worked together in the past. The companies' relationship, the national reputation of the Crosland name and economic growth in the area helped attract CNL to Charlotte, said Paul Ellis, president of CNL Commercial Real Estate.

"We believe that real estate is a local business, about boots on the ground," he said. "When looking at key markets from an investment standpoint, we're looking at the Southeast."

In a June interview, Crosland LLC President Adam Ford wouldn't say whether Crosland is out of the development game for good. Ford said his team will "continue to evaluate the company's strategy as it relates to development in the future."