Terra Alma Cumming, Georgia

Edie Weintraub is a recovering real estate broker turned place strategist who helps communities design with heart and scale with soul. As the founder and CEO of terra alma, Edie partners with builders, developers, Downtown Development Authorities, and Main Street organizations to transform underutilized streets and ground floors into vibrant, walkable destinations where local businesses—and people—thrive. Her specialty is the space where buildings meet everyday life. Edie advises on curating ground-floor experiences, strategically layering coffee shops, wine bars, boutiques, fitness studios, and gathering spaces that turn a project into a true neighborhood and keep people coming back long after the ribbon cutting. With more than 20 years in retail and restaurant real estate and firsthand research across 29 countries, Edie brings a global lens and a deeply human perspective to every block she touches. From historic downtowns to emerging master-planned communities, she helps teams move beyond square footage to create places that feel authentic, connected, and lived-in—places where people say, “I could see myself here.” When she’s not advising communities or sourcing neighborhood-defining operators, Edie is speaking at industry conferences, building platforms that support women in restaurants and retail, or traveling the world studying how great places foster connection, belonging, and joy.