Apex First Development

Apex First Development is co-owned by two highly respected and successful businessmen Warren C. Halle and Mike Howington. The Town of Apex chose the company to create a world-class, mixed-use community that enhances the small town charm of historic, downtown Apex. The developers of this upscale, vibrant community have designed a place for you to call home that is Historic. Contemporary. Extraordinary.

Creating such a livable place means being an excellent steward of the land. The company donated the acreage to build a private elementary school, Thales Academy, as well as land for the 13-acre Hunter Street Park, a two acre dog park and athletic fields for soccer and baseball.

Being part of the Apex community is of primary importance to the developers. The Halle Cultural Arts Center in downtown Apex is named for its primary benefactor, Warren Halle, and the Center’s Auditorium has been named in honor of Mike Howington for his generous donation.

Warren Halle and Mike Howington met overseas in the late 1990s. Both share a common interest in the refurbishment of show-quality motorcycles. Halle and Howington met in Europe while on an international tour to showcase their award-winning bikes, which had been selected as two of the top 25 refurbished motorcycles in the United States. The two became fast friends.

A resident of Wake County since the mid 1970s, Howington owned Apex Electric for more than 30 years after founding the company in 1984. His knowledge and expertise regarding the Triangle construction industry plays a key role in the success of The Villages of Apex community.

Warren Halle is CEO of The Halle Companies, one of the most highly respected and successful developers of premier residential and commercial real estate properties in the nation. The Halle Companies have developed several award-winning projects in metropolitan Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

In recognizing the Triangle as one of the most desirable areas in which to live, the two men began purchasing small parcels of land in Apex, Clayton and other parts of the Triangle. Halle and Howington established Apex First Development to manage their numerous Triangle projects.

Mark Gramling
Apex First Development Project Manager

Civil engineer Mark Gramling has spent his entire career in real estate site development. His wide-ranging expertise in the field includes residential, commercial, highway, dam and bridge development/construction. Mark moved to North Carolina from his home state of Pennsylvania in 1997, first working as a project manager for a Charlotte area developer before relocating to the Triangle