About us
CPS Land brings a team of experienced professionals with all the passion for turning dreams into reality.
CPS Land Difference
All CPS Land communities begin with a well thought-out plan. Using a hands-on approach, CPS works closely with the builders, land planners, landscape designers, engineers and architects to achieve the long-term goals of each individual community. Our master-planning approach emphasizes preserving natural elements of the land and including factors that promote neighborly interaction among residents.
Builders and homebuyers who select CPS communities enjoy the added confidence that comes from dealing with a team that brings over 200 years of combined experience to each development.
This broad expertise of CPS Land is applied to each project, and the perspectives of many groups shape the development. CPS Land develops not only land, but also long-lasting relationships with all parties involved – builders, landowners, government officials, Realtors and homeowners.
All members of the CPS team live in Middle Tennessee and enjoy well-established reputations in the real estate community, yet they consistently track national development trends and apply the best ideas from other markets to meet the special needs of builders and local homebuyers.
CPS Land has the capability to get the job done. A depth of resources necessary for planning, acquisition, design, development, construction, marketing and management enhance the success of CPS projects. CPS Land has an increasing number of developments planned or underway in Middle Tennessee to which they bring the experience of developing over 6,000 lots.
Established 1997
Philosophy
“We are in the business of creating special places for people and families to live and foster relationships. We create communities where residents are connected to one another and to their natural surroundings.”
Dudley Smith, Partner, CPS Land
Rob Pease
Partner, President
CPS Land, LLC’s , Rob Pease draws on over two decades of experience and expertise in land planning, landscape architectural design, and land development. He has served as principal manager on CPS projects including Annandale, Burkitt Place, and Riverwalk, each of which has ranked in the top-10 among residential projects in the Nashville area over the last several years. Pease has worked with CPS Land since 1998. He also served as Land Planner with the nationally recognized architectural firm of RNM, in Newport Beach, California, Land Development Manager for Zaring Homes, and Project Manager with Nashville-based landscape architecture firm Hawkins Partners. A natural multi-tasker and creative personality, Pease enjoys the eclectic nature of his job, which requires a keen understanding of the details of development and the ability to envision the big picture. From planning to engineering to permitting to construction and marketing, it sometimes seems like he’s everywhere at once. “There are so many facets that come together here, and I really like the complexity of it,” he says. “It’s a process of weaving everything together, and then ultimately seeing the built environment. You go back and visit a community, and it’s maturing nicely and people love living there.”
Education
Arizona State University, BS, Urban and Regional Planning, Cum Laude.
Affiliations and Accreditations
Home Builders Association of Middle Tennessee board member (2010-2011)
Chairman – Nolensville Planning Commission (1997-2002)
Rob Humphreys
Partner, CFO
Nashville native, Rob Humphreys has over 25 years of Finance and Leadership experience in diverse industries. He draws on his vast experience in many disciplines: Banking, Corporate Finance, Investment Banking, Management Consulting. Believing curiosity is both a gift and a skill, Rob feeds this passion for learning and solving difficult problems with his creativity. He loves the big picture and excels with strategy, distilling complex problems into simple observations and solutions. Rob is actively engaged in the community, serving on the Advisory Board of Studio Bank and the Board of Directors for two nonprofits, The Nashville Software School and Isaiah 58. Rob is a graduate of Birmingham Southern College, with a BS in Business & Finance
Frank Horton
Partner, Vice-President
With 30 years experience as a landscape architect, community developer and all-around problem solver, CPS Land Development Manager Frank Horton is responsible for the coordination, planning engineering, permitting, marketing and construction of development projects. Horton also assists with finding new community development opportunities. Horton served as the day-to-day manager of Providence, an 800-acre, mixed-use development that includes 82 acres of commercial uses, 270 acres of business-park land, 3,400 multi-family and single-family lots and 200 acres of open space and recreational facilities. Frank joined CPS Land, LLC, in July, 2002. His previous work history includes 14 years as a landscape architect, land planner, consultant and bank asset manager in Dallas, TX.
When he is not busy with his many jobs at CPS Land and its sister company, Land Innovations, Frank loves spending time with his family and getting outdoors, whether it’s on a bicycle or on the golf course.
Education
Kansas State University, College of Architecture and Design, Bachelor of Science, Landscape Architecture.
Affiliations and Accreditations
American Society of Landscape Architects, Member 1980 – 2004
Urban Land Institute, Member 1984 – 1990; 1989 – 2001
Registered Landscape Architect: Kansas, Texas and Tennessee
Cliff Smith
Partner, Vice-President
Cliff Smith, P.E., is a goal-oriented professional with 23 years of progressive experience in real estate development, project management, business operations and contract negotiation. He has a history of producing strong financial results through superior project management, team leadership and implementation of quality processes. Before joining CPS Land, Cliff served as Senior Vice President of Community Development for another large, Middle Tennessee land developer for 11 years. As a Professional Engineer, he also served as a project engineer and a civil engineer with firms in both Nashville and Memphis.
At CPS Land, Cliff is responsible for business development and the management of development projects. He especially enjoys the entrepreneurial environment of the company and the ability to work of a wide variety of real estate projects. In his spare time, Cliff enjoys spending time with his family, running, hiking, gardening and grilling.
Education
Christian Brothers University – B.S. in Civil Engineering
University of Memphis – Master of Science in Civil Engineering
Affiliations and Accreditations
Professional Engineer, State of TN
Craig Leanza
Land Development Manager
A native of Tullahoma, TN, Craig Leanza has experience in nearly every facet of land development, from his start as laborer and heavy equipment operator, to most recently managing the construction of over 800 multi-family units in the Nashville area. At CPS Land, Craig is responsible for engineering coordination, permitting, and construction management of development projects, including
Rosebrooke, the newest 150+ acre luxury residential development under the CPS portfolio. When not working, Craig enjoys spending his time outdoors, doing activities like golfing and watersports.
Education
Middle Tennessee State University – BS Concrete Industry Management
Allen Patton
Founding Partner
A Nashville native, Allen Patton has over 40 years of real estate experience, both residential and commercial development, in the Nashville area and in 17 states coast to coast. Prior to forming CPS Land in 1997, Patton served as Managing Director of Nashville Operations for American General Land Development. In that position, he was responsible for overseeing Fieldstone Farms. Previously, Patton was vice president for Nashville-based The Mathews Company, a leading local real estate company. He began his career in 1974 with Intereal Company, a real estate joint venture with investments in 17 states.
Education
A veteran of the United States Navy, Patton is a graduate of Duke University with a graduate degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
R. Dudley Smith, Jr
Founding Partner
Nashville native, R. Dudley Smith, Jr. has been involved in site planning, engineering, home building and the design and development of multiple complex residential communities in Middle Tennessee since 1978. Dudley is an innovative and intuitive visionary who has both an engineering degree and an artist’s eye.
Unsatisfied with the status quo, Dudley enjoys the challenge of reshaping communities and assisting in facilitating new environments that inspire the way we live, work and express ourselves. His passion is to facilitate the development of living environments that provide a return on investment well beyond the pocketbook. Prior to co-founding CPS Land and sister company, Land Innovations, he served as vice president of land acquisition, land planning, design and development for Fox Ridge Homes, a Brentwood, Tennessee-based home-building and real estate company from 1985 to 1997. Dudley also worked as an engineer for Cumberland Techtonics, a landscape architecture and planning firm from 1978 to 1985. Today Smith finds his niche identifying land, deal making, team building, and managing infrastructure design and development. A pragmatic, detail-oriented executive with uniquely creative instincts, Smith is able to indulge both his keen intellect and his fertile imagination through CPS Land’s ambitious and groundbreaking projects.
Education
Southern Polytechnic State University, BA, Civil Engineering,
University of Tulane – Civil Engineering
Jill Stamps
Executive Assistant
Jill has embraced Nashville as her home for nearly three decades, considering herself a native. Her professional journey has been as diverse as it has been enriching, spanning various roles that reflect her versatile skill set and unwavering dedication. Her ability to wear multiple hats and navigate complex projects became a hallmark of her career In 2023, Jill took the next step in her career journey by joining CPS Land LLC.