About Merchant Real Estate Group
Merchant Real Estate Group is a land, industrial, and investment real estate advisory firm operating across the Southeastern United States. We advise landowners, private investors, and institutional clients on complex transactions involving large tracts, industrial assets, and strategic property positioning.
John Hetzler
Managing Broker & Co founder
John Hetzler is the Managing Broker of Merchant Real Estate Group and oversees land, industrial, and investment advisory assignments across the Southeastern United States. With more than two decades of experience in complex land and rural asset transactions, he brings a disciplined, capital-aware approach to property positioning and disposition.
He began his career in 2000 focusing on rural land throughout Tennessee and Georgia, advising agricultural and forestland owners on valuation, stewardship, and long-term asset strategy. In 2007, he became a certified conservation broker, developing specialized expertise in conservation structuring and land preservation transactions involving working forest and agricultural operations.
Over the past 23 years, John has managed more than 150,000 acres of forestland in the Cumberland Plateau region and has played a key role in the conservation of over 30,000 acres of agricultural and working forest properties across Tennessee and Georgia.
In 2014, he founded Merchant Land Holdings, a vertically integrated real estate investment platform with holdings in construction, development, brokerage, timberland, and commercial property investment.
John and his family reside in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
John@merchantlh.com
(423) 313-5457
Cardon Smith
Co Founder
Cardon Smith is a Principal and Co-Founder of Merchant Real Estate Group and Merchant Land Holdings. He oversees strategic direction and investment execution across land, industrial, and commercial real estate assignments throughout the Southeastern United States.
With more than two decades of experience in real estate development, brokerage, and investment, Cardon has been involved in a broad range of transactions spanning rural land, industrial assets, and commercial property investments. His work focuses on disciplined underwriting, asset positioning, and long-term value creation.
Cardon holds a degree in business from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Cardon@merchantlh.com
(423) 779-4857
James Moon
Head of Acquisitions
James Moon brings extensive land and acquisition experience to Merchant Real Estate Group, with a background spanning rural land transactions, energy-related land negotiations, and Southeastern asset acquisitions.
From 2010 to 2016, James worked as a petroleum landman across Oklahoma, Texas, and North Dakota, managing mineral ownership research, lease negotiations, and multi-thousand-acre acquisition assignments. As an in-house landman for GeoSouthern Energy and Devon Energy, he was responsible for forming drilling units, negotiating lease trades and joint ventures, and coordinating complex development initiatives.
Since returning to Tennessee in 2016, James has focused on acquisition strategy and asset sourcing throughout the Southeast, serving in senior acquisition roles and securing a range of land and commercial property investments. His experience in land structuring and multi-party negotiations adds depth to the firm’s advisory capabilities.
James@merchantlh.com
(931) 580-1864
Andrew Holt
Associate Broker & acquisitions partner
Andrew Holt brings more than a decade of brokerage experience across land, industrial, and commercial real estate sectors throughout Tennessee and Georgia. His background includes representation of landowners, investors, and commercial clients in acquisition and disposition assignments across a range of asset classes.
Licensed in both Tennessee and Georgia, Andrew focuses on disciplined transaction execution, client advisory, and asset positioning within Southeastern markets. His broad sector exposure supports the firm’s land and commercial advisory capabilities.
Andrew@merchantlh.com
(423) 280-3307
Barrett Kibble
Broker of operations & acquisitions partner
Barrett Kibble brings a strategic, operations-driven perspective to Merchant Real Estate Group’s commercial and investment assignments. His background includes brokerage, asset acquisition, and operational leadership across industrial, flex, and office property sectors throughout the Southeast.
Prior to joining Merchant Real Estate Group, Barrett worked within national brokerage platforms and regional commercial firms, developing expertise in acquisition and disposition strategy, leasing representation, valuation analysis, and investment sales. His role supports both third-party brokerage services and the firm’s investment platform, with a focus on disciplined underwriting and transaction execution.
Barrett@merchantlh.com
(423) 715.9645
Merchant Real Estate Group operates across key Southeastern markets with a focus on land, industrial, and investment real estate advisory. The firm combines brokerage expertise with disciplined acquisition strategy, serving landowners, investors, and institutional clients throughout the region.