Dallas-Fort Worth Industrial Real Estate Insights

Sean Dalfen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dalfen Industrial and leads the firm’s investment committees and management committees across its platforms. Under Sean’s leadership, Dalfen Industrial’s portfolio has grown to over 50 million square feet of industrial properties from coast to coast, making it one of the nation’s largest owners and developers of industrial real estate and a leader in the last mile sector. Over his career, Sean has transacted on an excess of $10 billion USD. Prior to Dalfen Industrial, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities, sits on the boards of multiple charitable organizations and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity & commercial real estate industry events. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.ral Partner’s Fund IV Investment Committee. After joining the firm in 2006, Sean was instrumental in the firm becoming one of the largest buyers of industrial real estate, having executed over $1.4 billion of transactions involving in excess of 30 million square feet of industrial properties in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to Dalfen, Sean worked at NAI Commercial as an Investment Sales Broker where he was one of the company’s Top 10 producers in Canada. Sean is involved in a variety of philanthropic activities and is a frequent speaker and panelist at private equity industry events in both Canada and the U.S. Sean studied Psychology and Finance at Tel Aviv University’s Lowy School and McGill University.

Jacob Milligan, senior vice president, head of operations for the Central Region, is responsible for the strategic planning, overseeing all leasing and operating metrics, coordinating the region’s disposition strategy, and managing the region’s operations team of approximately 160 employees. The Central Region is comprised of 275 million square feet including Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville and San Antonio. Previously, Mr. Milligan was senior vice president, market officer in Dallas. In this capacity, he oversaw all operational activities for the Dallas/Fort Worth portfolio including strategy, leasing and property management. Since joining Prologis in 2008, he has been located and responsible for the marketing of Prologis assets in multiple markets, including Dallas, Memphis, and Houston. Mr. Milligan received his masters and undergraduate degrees from Texas A&M University.

Bill Burton serves as Executive Vice President, Marketing & Development for Hillwood, developer of AllianceTexas. As EVP, Bill is responsible for leading the vision and strategy of AllianceTexas by overseeing the development of office, industrial and retail as well as leasing and sales. Bill continues to play an active role with key stakeholders and clients—maintaining relationships that support the forward-thinking and innovative mission that drives the growth of AllianceTexas. Bill joined Hillwood in January 1989 and has been directly involved with developing AllianceTexas from raw ranch land to a 27,000-acre, master-planned development. Bill’s expertise is centered on developing customer relationships that nurture long- term success. He has directed build-to suit and lease transactions totaling more than 53 million square feet with companies such as Amazon, AT&T Nokia, Bridgestone-Firestone, General Mills, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and Volkswagen of America. In addition, he has managed portfolio sales in excess of 1 billion dollars and coordinated more than 1,800 acres of land sale transactions with companies such as Citigroup, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, Intel, KRAFT Foods, and more. Bill remains involved with and supports numerous professional and community development organizations. Beyond his professional affiliations, Bill supports several non-profit organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, March for Babies, and the Christian Prayer Breakfast of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

As a third-generation builder, Greg Gordon has spent the last 25+ years continuing his family’s legacy in construction and real estate. The guiding passion through it all has been a passion for serving others. Whether it’s serving clients, subcontractors, employees, or his own family, Greg truly believes in the principle of servant leadership combined with the commitment to excellence. It’s with these in mind, that Greg founded Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership, Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth becoming one of the top General Contractors in DFW. Recently the company was awarded the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work award, further reflecting Greg’s ongoing commitment to the people around him.

Romy Cheema is the Founder and CEO of CanTex Capital, a Dallas-based real estate investment firm which owns, manages, and operates Class B light industrial buildings in the Dallas/Fort Worth market. Romy has led CanTex's growth with his relentless energy and thoughtful decision making, and over the last three years the firm has invested in over $180M of industrial projects in the DFW market. CanTex Capital is one of the most active investment groups in the Class B infill industrial space with over 3.8M SF of product that will be acquired by the end of 2021. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Romy was introduced to real estate via the hospitality industry at a young age. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics at the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from SMU’s Dedman School of Law. After law school, he went to work at a large international law firm focusing on work with commercial real estate private equity, community banks and local investment firms. Having founded his namesake business law firm Platt Cheema Richmond PLLC in 2015, Romy saw an opportunity to start a unique CRE investment firm, and in 2018, CanTex Capital was born. Romy’s extensive investment experience across geographic markets, asset types, and market cycles allows him to evaluate opportunities from diverse perspectives. These experiences have crafted his unique outlook toward real estate and investing.

Jacob Rich serves as Senior Vice President, and Texas Market Officer for Faropoint. Headquartered in Hoboken, New Jersey, Faropoint is a vertically integrated investment manager focused on last mile industrial real estate throughout the US. Under Jacob’s leadership, Faropoint’s Texas market team is responsible for the acquisition, leasing, construction, and management of the company’s portfolio holdings across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin. Since opening the local Dallas office in 2021, Faropoint’s Texas market team has assembled a portfolio of roughly 3.5 million square feet across 46 properties, serving over 70 tenants. Prior to joining Faropoint, Jacob served as an Associate Director for Marcus & Millichap’s Capital Corporation (MMCC), leading over $1B in services across the firm’s capital markets and advisory platform. Prior to joining MMCC, Jacob served acquisitions for Spirit Realty Capital, a publicly traded net lease real estate investment trust.

Mr. Timmons joined Arden Group in 2021 as the Managing Director of Asset Management for Arden Logistics Management. Prior to joining Arden, Mr. Timmons was a Director at Rialto Capital Management where he was responsible for the operational oversite and strategic execution of all owned assets within the industrial platform. Portfolios managed by Mr. Timmons comprise over 25 million square feet in 11 markets with an aggregate market value of approximately $2.0 billion. Additional professional activity includes various roles within investment banking, development, and appraisal/consulting. Mr. Timmons earned his BBA in Finance and Real Estate from Baylor University and an MBA with concentrations in Corporate Finance and Alternative Investments from Southern Methodist University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) designation.

Brandon leads the operations and growth of FCL Southwest and manages FCL teams across the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston offices. Under his leadership, the region has expanded its geographic footprint and client base significantly, while earning prestigious regional recognition and rankings. With over two decades in construction management, Brandon possesses extensive experience in all facets of large-scale project development including pre-construction, estimating, field supervision, contract negotiations, stakeholder relations, P&L oversight, risk management, and long-term strategy. Always one to take a hands-on, open book approach, he is known for his deep enthusiasm in building close relationships with clients, employees, and trade partners alike as well as developing collaborative, winning teams.

Zach Sams joined Kensington Vanguard in November of 2016 after serving as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Fidelity National Title’s Dallas/Fort Worth division from 2012-2016. Zach is focused on expanding KV’s footprint in the D/FW, Texas, Arizona and National markets. From selling real estate for to business development roles at prominent local and national title insurance companies, Zach has been active in the in the real estate market since 2005. Prior to the title industry, Zach attended The Golf Academy of America in San Diego, then spent two years playing professional golf on various mini tours in Southern California. Zach is a Veteran of the US Army. Zach lives in Argyle, TX with his wife Amber and their two boys 11&13. In his free time Zach enjoys playing competitive amateur golf and traveling with his wife and kids.

As Founder & Managing Principal of Saxum, Anthony oversees all aspects of the firm’s strategic initiatives and operations, including investment strategy, acquisitions, capital raising, leasing activities, development and the execution and management of the firm’s portfolio. Over the last decade since Saxum’s inception, Anthony has leveraged his extensive knowledge of individual markets and his distinct understanding of demand drivers to establish Saxum’s unique investment strategies. He capitalizes on his vast network and personal relationships within the real estate community to create opportunities and respond to market changes that are unseen and overlooked by others. Anthony has led Saxum through explosive growth to become one of the fastest growing real estate private equity firms in the nation, with a team of over 30 professionals, multiple offices and a nationwide investment portfolio totaling over 10 million square feet and nearly $3.0 billion in investment capitalizations. Prior to founding Saxum, Anthony served as an advisor and consultant within the brokerage community. In various roles, he oversaw the leasing and management portfolio of four million square feet of assets on behalf of corporations, REITs, family offices, special servicers, and private equity and institutional investors. His responsibilities included project leasing and marketing, portfolio management, acquisitions and dispositions, and asset management in a variety of product types including office, retail, multifamily and industrial.

Mr. Bullard is a Development Manager with a focus on site selection, site feasibility, due diligence, land acquisition, capital sourcing, site design and construction associated with prospective & ongoing projects throughout the region. Prior to joining Seefried, Mr. Bullard worked on the management team for a national construction management firm where he was responsible for pre-construction, estimating, scheduling and project financials on a multitude of projects. Mr. Bullard has completed approximately 15 million sq. ft. of projects equating to over $1.2 billion in total project value throughout his professional career in commercial and industrial real estate.

Patrick Hazard has over twenty years of experience in architecture and planning experience. His expertise includes multi-family of varying types (adaptive re-use, three story walk up, five and six story wrap and high-rise). Additionally, Patrick has vast experience with industrial projects, hospitality, civic, educational, historical renovation/adaptive reuse, and sports facilities throughout the United States and foreign countries. Patrick is currently engaged in project management for a hybrid five story wood frame and eight story cold form metal framed multi-family project near the Bishop Arts area of Dallas with a shared six story cast-in place parking garage with residential amenities at the top level of the garage. Concurrently, Patrick is collaborating with this same developer on an approximate 420 unit “urban” style multi-family project in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards, consisting of five, four-story residential buildings with some tuck under parking and a separate leasing/amenity building. Beyond multi-family Patrick has recently completed or nearing completion of over one and a half million square feet of combined speculative industrial buildings at sites in Roanoke, Midlothian, and Plano. Patrick led the team on the Historic Jefferson Hotel in Downtown St. Louis, originally built in 1904 and later added on to in 1928, the building will be renovated to mixed- use, with retail ground level, a 225-guestroom Marriott AC Hotel and 235-key residential. Additionally, he oversaw the team working on a 24-story high-rise multi-family tower in downtown San Jose, California, with 374 residential units. Patrick’s other projects include Cambria Hotel and 1900 Pacific Residences, an historic adaptive reuse of the 1933 Tower Petroleum and 1951 1900 Pacific buildings in downtown Dallas, Texas. It includes 150 residential units, 177 guestrooms and a rooftop pool; several Aspen Heights single family for rent style student housing projects thought out the United States; the Galleries at Park Lane residential in Dallas, Texas, and the historic Sinclair Building in Fort Worth, Texas. The Sinclair is being converted into a hotel, featuring a steak house, rooftop bar and prime location next to downtown Fort Worth’s Sundance Square. Here, he is implementing modern technologies, including power over ethernet lighting. Other experience includes management of school renovation projects for Dallas Independent School District and industrial warehouses adjacent to Andrews Air Force Base. Patrick also worked closely with Aspen Heights for their Daymark project, a 202-bed community southwest of Historic Downtown Waxahachie, for high functioning, intellectually disabled young adults. This project required careful coordination with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (TDADS) and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

Stephanie Martinez is Vice President of Industrial at Catamount Constructors. Starting with Catamount in 2012, Stephanie has developed significant long-term relationships with major national industrial clients. Her strong background in project management and program development has continued to build Catamount’s industrial portfolio over the last decade. In Stephanie’s current role, she works closely with other executives to grow the company’s industrial expertise with existing and new clients nationwide.

Trevor Heaney joined ARCO/Murray in 2019 as a Project Manager and has grown to lead sales efforts nationally for ARCO/Murray. He is responsible for understanding his client’s businesses and discovering opportunities to provide value through the Design-Build process in the DFW market and nationally. He's active in key industry segments, including industrial, manufacturing, cold storage, adaptive reuse, and office TIs. Prior to working at ARCO/Murray, Trevor’s skillsets have been earned through many facets of real estate from transaction, investment, development, and construction. He earned Bachelor of Business Administration Degrees in Finance and Management from Texas Christian University’s MJ Neeley School of Business.

Willis Weirich joined At Home Group Inc. (At Home) in 2022 and currently serves as Chief Supply Chain Officer. Willis is responsible for expanding At Home’s distribution network and the scope and efficiency of global logistics operations. As a member of the executive team, he is instrumental in guiding strategy that delivers profitable and sustainable growth and leading transformation aligned with At Home’s key pillars. Prior to joining At Home, Willis served as Executive Vice President, Group Operations & Chief Supply Chain Officer for Neiman Marcus Group (NMG). Willis led NMG’s, supply chain and global logistics, enterprise applications, loss prevention, customer care, facilities and engineering, and photo studio operations. Prior to NMG, Willis directed both international logistics and domestic transportation across multiple distribution networks at Target Corporation. Before Target, Willis worked at Airgas, inc.

Sarah Ozanne is a Senior Vice President for Stream Realty Partners’ Dallas / Fort Worth Industrial platform. Sarah joined Stream in 2015 and is responsible for business development and execution of industrial transactions, including project leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, development services, and tenant representation. To date, she has executed a transaction volume of over $1 billion in market value and over 26 million square feet. Prior to joining Stream, Sarah spent eight years at Goldman Sachs, working in investment and asset management. While there, Sarah’s responsibilities included oversight of the firm’s hospitality platform of over 300 hotel properties across three investment vehicles and included acquisitions, capital planning and strategic repositioning, and dispositions. Sarah graduated Summa Cum Laude from Wake Forest University. She is an alumna of TREC’s Associate Leadership Council and serves on its Steering Committee, a board member of Dallas CASA’s Children Council, and lives in Dallas with her husband and four sons.

As an Executive Managing Director and Leader of the Tenant Advisory and Leasing Team in Dallas, David Eseke focuses on advising clients in their commercial real estate relocations and lease renewals. This includes evaluating industrial and distribution properties, conducting financial analyses, and securing advantageous lease terms, concession packages, and municipal incentives. During his tenure with Cushman & Wakefield, David has represented clients in more than 15 million square feet in transactions across North America. The transactions have an estimated total value of more than $500 million.

Chris Shakesby, Vice President, brings 14 years of experience to the Resource Commercial Construction team. Having spent the entirety of his career in interior construction, he provides an elevated level of expertise and leadership to the industry. Since starting with Resource a few years ago, Chris has been a critical component of the company's growth, emphasizing extreme client service. As Vice President at Resource, Chris oversees the company's daily operations and supports each team member to ensure project success. Chris is a proud alumnus of the University of North Texas and is active in the North Texas community, raising money for small businesses and charitable organizations, and serves on the board of a youth hockey team. In his free time, he enjoys golfing and spending time with his wife and three children.

Marie Pflipsen works as the Corporate Economic Development Manager focused on the states in Xcel Energy’s northern territory. Marie joined Xcel Energy in May 2022, after most recently serving as the Community Development Director for the City of Becker, Minnesota, and formerly the Executive Director for the City of Lake City, Minnesota Economic Development Authority. Marie grew up in central Minnesota where she attended St. Cloud State University for her Bachelors in Planning and Community Development and later attended Hamline University where she completed her Master of Public Administration degree. Marie is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree and hopes to continue building her economic development network.

Dustin Gabriel, is with Petros PACE Finance (an Apollo Company). Dustin is based in Dallas and focuses on building the PACE business in the Dallas area and in other select PACE markets throughout the country. He joined Petros from the Real Estate Specialties Group (“RESG”) for Bank OZK (formerly Bank of the Ozarks), where he oversaw the construction and operations of a national loan portfolio with over 7 million square feet valued at $2.4 billion in commercial real estate. Prior to RESG, he worked at a commercial real estate investment management firm where he was responsible for asset management, leasing, disposition, finance and operations. He worked alongside other partners at NGN Capital in sourcing deal opportunities and capital to co-sponsor the development of suburban class A offices, land acquisitions and value-add multifamily. He is also a former strategy and research consultant at Cicero Group. Mr. Gabriel is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management and holds an MPA with an emphasis in finance from the Romney Institute. He is a former collegiate athlete and starting Strong Safety on a top 25 nationally ranked Cougar football team.

Craig Curry spent over 30 years as a consultant in the field of land planning and engineering prior to forming Greater Texas Land Resources in 2003. Greater Texas Land Resources was established in order to provide land acquisition, entitlement, development, disposition, and general consulting services for properties primarily located in north Texas. Craig is the Managing Partner and establishes the focus of the company and serves as the primary contact with the investment groups for each of the properties. Prior to his creating Greater Texas Land Resources, Mr. Curry was Executive Vice President and Regional Service Manager for the Central Region Civil Engineering Services at PBS&J. His responsibilities included managing the land planning, civil engineering, and surveying operations within the central states’ area. Craig previously served as President of The Nelson Corporation/PBS&J Texas operations. While at Nelson/PBS&J, Craig led teams that planned, entitled and prepared design plans for various projects including resort communities, residential subdivisions, and commercial centers throughout the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex with a focus on the high growth corridor north of Dallas. Craig began his career with Jack Nicklaus and Associates where he assisted with the planning and development of golf course communities throughout the United States, including Castle Pines Village in Denver, Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, and St. Andrews Village in New York. Mr. Curry graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1977. He has been a member, officer, and/or board member for many professional organizations during his career including American Planning Association, Urban Land Institute, Consulting Engineers Council of Texas, Greater Dallas Planning Council, and Dallas Academy. Craig and his wife, Michelle, live in Frisco, Texas. He has two sons (Hunter and Nicholas), and two daughters (Macy and Maggie).

Ross leads Anthony Properties’ land development efforts on over 7,000 acres in the DFW area. He is responsible for all tasks required to create and manage mixed-use master planned communities including design, finance, and construction. In addition, Ross is involved in the company’s financial underwriting and investment decisions. Ross received his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business in 2017 with concentrations in Real Estate Finance and Private Equity Finance. Prior to joining Anthony Properties in 2017, Ross had previously worked for Dell Computers and led North America Merchandising for the Alienware division.

Kurt Griffin is the co-lead for their 5 person Industrial Brokerage team in Dallas-Fort Worth. He is an industry veteran of the commercial real estate business whose specialties include project leasing, tenant representation, site selection, building sales, land sales and build to suits. Kurt is widely recognized as a Dallas-Fort Worth market expert with a deep knowledge and understanding of industrial real estate. He and his team determine a customized facility solution for each client by conducting supply chain analyses and carefully considering their logistics strategies. Over the course of his successful career, he has built his business around a client-centric, best-in-class service model. He has closed over 65 million square feet of transactions totaling in excess of $2 billion in value and is the recipient of numerous Top Producer awards. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, Kurt was an Executive Vice President with JLL where he helped establish the firm’s Agency Leasing team. During his time with JLL, his team’s portfolio of industrial commercial real estate totaled more than 15 million square feet. In the last two years alone, Kurt and his team at Cushman & Wakefield have closed more than 10 million square feet of leasing transactions, sold 2.6 million square feet of buildings, sold over 1,500 acres of land, and been involved in 18.5 million square feet of new industrial developments.

Ray Dunlap is the President of the Terrell Economic Development Corporation, after having spent the previous ten years with the Fairview Economic Development Corporation. His background includes hotel management, including a term as President of the Longview, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. Ray is the immediate past chair of Team Texas, a statewide marketing organization, that is a part of the Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC). He will serve as chair of TEDC in 2023. Ray and his wife Robin have two 14-year-old daughters, Chloe and Ashley and he sings in a Southern Gospel Quartet, The Brookside Quartet, a group which he helped form.