While at VCU, Chris also worked with the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE) as a coordinator for the Virginia Stock Market Game, a statewide educational program that introduces middle and high school students to investing, economics, and financial literacy. In this role, he helped organize competitions, support teachers, and guide student teams as they learned portfolio strategy, risk management, and market decision-making. The experience allowed him to contribute to financial education statewide while gaining early exposure to market analysis and economic behavior—skills that would later complement his professional real estate practice.

Chris launched his brokerage career in 1998 as a Licensed Salesperson with Divaris Real Estate, working out of the Richmond office in partnership with CRESA, the global leader in occupier-focused advisory services. Representing corporate tenants, he executed market studies, site selection, financial analysis, and lease negotiations—preparing RFPs, negotiating LOIs, and guiding clients through lease execution. His tenant and buyer clients included Cox Communications, Microsoft, EMC, Progressive Insurance, Hecht’s, Amcor Sunclipse, Medical Logistics, and many others. He also represented landlords in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield, negotiating transactions at One Franklin Square, Innsbrook, 360 West Shopping Center, and properties in the Museum District, VCU area, and Shockoe Slip.

After earning his broker’s license in 2001, Chris expanded into investment sales, corporate site selection, buyer representation, and broader regional assignments across Central Virginia and beyond, including Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Southwest Virginia communities such as Roanoke, Martinsville, and Radford.

Chris also became a Licensed Certified Real Estate Instructor (2001–2005), teaching Principles of Real Estate, Virginia Law & Regulations, Internet Skills for Real Estate, Exam Prep, Continuing Education, Ethics, and other courses for Moseley-Flint Schools of Real Estate, the largest provider of real estate education in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

From 2002–2012, Chris served as Owner and Principal Broker of Francoise Real Estate LLC, overseeing agents and supervising residential transactions involving homes, condos, and land throughout Central Virginia. His responsibilities included agent training, contract development, and advising buyers, sellers, and investors.

From 2004–2020, Chris spent 16 years as an Associate Broker with Wilton Realty LLC, providing commercial brokerage services for The Wilton Companies—one of Henrico County’s largest real estate developers. He helped lease and manage a diverse three-million-square-foot commercial portfolio valued at roughly $500 million. His work included retail centers, industrial warehouses, suburban and downtown office buildings, and mixed-use assets. He negotiated proposals, LOIs, leases, renewals, amendments, and contracts for corporate tenants throughout Henrico, Hanover, Richmond, Powhatan, and Chesterfield.

He also contributed to third-party leasing at Willow Lawn Shopping Mall and West Broad Village, and represented numerous local, regional, and national clients including CVHN, Health Care Concepts, Care Advantage, Design Depot Online, Electronics Doctor, Impact Makers, Indochine, and many others. Notable transactions included Nationwide Insurance, Toad’s Place Richmond, Alcatel-Lucent, Fresenius Medical Care, Lansing Building Products, March of Dimes Foundation, Humana, Werres Corp., Soundworks, Cater 2 Events, and multiple retail, office, and industrial users.

Throughout his career, Chris has completed more than 750 leasing and sales transactions exceeding $200 million, involving over 8 million square feet of commercial property across all major asset classes. He has represented landlords, tenants, buyers, and sellers in the strategic identification, acquisition, and disposition of commercial properties.

Chris is active in his community as a Board Member of C2Adopt, a Virginia-licensed nonprofit helping prepare, support, and place families adopting through the foster care system. He has previously served as a youth soccer coach at Fox Elementary, a volunteer instructor at the Peter Paul Development Center, and a volunteer for River City Crew. He is a member of GRACRE, VCU’s Association of Real Estate Alumni, and a long-standing member of ICSC.

Outside of work, Chris is an enthusiastic supporter of the Washington Capitals and Washington Commanders, attends several games annually, and invests in historic rehabilitation projects across Virginia. He enjoys traveling across the U.S. (having visited 49 states) and internationally to destinations including New Zealand, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, England, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Most of all, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife Janet, their dog Cubby, and their three adult children—two living in Richmond and one in Austin, Texas. His travels frequently take him to Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Wisconsin, New Mexico, California, and New Zealand.

Chris is married to Janet P. Peyton, the Richmond Office Managing Partner of McGuireWoods LLP. Janet has practiced law for 30 years with a focus on intellectual property and data privacy. Together, they have three grown children: Sophie Peyton (University of Texas, 2016), L.T. Francoise (Radford University, 2019), and Will Francoise (VCU, 2021).