Project management & development leader working across renewable energy and real estate — land strategy, permitting, and stakeholder engagement from concept to completion.
Cody Rife is a project manager and licensed Tennessee real estate broker with a decade of experience leading multi-million-dollar development projects in renewable energy and commercial real estate, along with more than 300 real estate transactions. He brings a project-management mindset to every stage: site origination and acquisition, permitting, stakeholder coordination, and delivery.
His focus is projects that bring technical feasibility, financial performance, and community value into alignment.
Profile and experience on LinkedIn ↗Land acquisition, title and curative review, site-control strategy, and due diligence for utility-scale renewable energy projects, with a focus on stakeholder coordination and landowner partnerships.
Serves as liaison between the Board and city officials on zoning variance requests and land-use matters. Vice-Chair in 2023 and 2025; Chairman in 2024 and again in 2026.
Licensed in Tennessee real estate since 2014; broker and owner since 2018, serving the Johnson City firm in an advisory and executive capacity.
Permitting, project controls, and coordination across multidisciplinary teams.
Advisory support for utility-scale renewable energy, permitting matrices, and liaison work with agencies and landowners.
Early-stage development and permitting of utility-scale solar across the TVA, Southern Power, and PJM markets; contract through July 2023, then full-time.
Budget and Finance Committee, 2022–2024. Professional Standards Committee chair, 2021–2022; vice chair, 2020–2021; member, 2019–2020.
Diversity Committee, 2017–2020; Young Professionals Network Advisory Board, 2016–2020.
Director, 2017–2020, supporting operations oversight and strategic planning.
Adjunct instructor, 2019–2021. Developed and taught real estate courses covering practices, regulations, and ethics.
Volunteer intern, 2011–2013.
Cody attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, Kaplan College, East Tennessee State University, and Radford University, completing coursework across communications, real estate, public health, and biochemistry.