Ian Labitue

President and CEO

Ian is a legal and finance professional championing diverse, equitable, and inclusive economic development.

Prior to joining AHT, Ian served as Of Counsel at Ice Miller. As a member of Ice Miller’s Government Affairs and Regulatory Law Group, he focused his practice on public affairs and economic development. Ian works to cultivate and maintain relationships between business, government, real estate entities, and public-private partnerships to deliver transformational real estate development projects that positively impact the community. His extensive background in finance and real estate allowed him to provide multi-dimensional service to his clients. 

Additionally, Ian was the Director of Business Development & Strategy for a Columbus-based real estate development firm, where he served as in-house counsel and was crucial to the creation and implementation of company strategy in the areas of economic development initiatives, commercial leasing, and finance. Ian spent his first four years as the firm’s Director of Finance, managing the finance and accounting team functions; sourcing for and maintaining lender relationships; and negotiating and closing acquisition, construction, and permanent financing for the company’s real estate development projects.

Ian has also served as an Assistant General Counsel at a nationally recognized real estate development group, where he provided legal and strategic guidance, analysis, and management of various projects within its real property portfolio, including acquisitions and dispositions, office and retail leasing matters, construction financing, and land use matters. Ian also helped to manage outside counsel in connection with commercial transactions, including purchase and sale matters, leasing matters, and land use and zoning matters. He also collaborated with internal asset management, development, accounting, and marketing departments on development and management of commercial real estate projects and was responsible for compliance with internal investment regulations and policies.

Ian’s early legal career was spent as an associate at law firms in Atlanta and Columbus, where he worked in their respective real estate practice groups.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Finance, cum laude, from Morehouse College and his juris doctor from the University of Michigan Law School.