Meet Cape Fear member
Mariana Molina! Mariana is the President & Founder of
Bella Vista Development Group.
Mariana Molina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina with her family in 1985.
Mariana attended UNC Wilmington and graduated with a B.A. in French. She earned a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law and an LL.M. in real estate law from John Marshall Law School. Upon graduating, Mariana joined the real estate practice group of one of Chicago’s most prestigious law firms where she practiced transactional real estate law, primarily representing developers in the development and financing of large commercial real estate projects, including joint ventures and co-investments, complex acquisitions and dispositions of real estate assets.
Mariana eventually returned to North Carolina and served as General Counsel for her husband’s Cary-based commercial real estate development company, Craig Davis Properties, Inc. (“CDP”). While working for CDP, Mariana developed a passion for the development aspect of the business and in 2019, she partnered with Craig and launched Bella Vista Development Group (“Bella Vista”).
Bella Vista is a HUB-certified real estate development company that is dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the commercial real estate industry. By partnering with women-led businesses throughout the development process, Bella Vista strives to make the commercial development industry more inclusive, while delivering development projects that are creative, financially sound and hold long-term significance in the community.
Mariana currently lives in Wilmington and during her free time, can be found on the driving range practicing her golf swing. She is a member of the North Carolina and Illinois (inactive) Bar Associations and the Cape Fear chapter of CREW.
While Mariana still loves working through the legal challenges of complex real estate transactions, these days her focus is on breaking ground. And maybe a glass ceiling or two along the way.