Houston's Industrial Dominance!

Rob Stillwell, SIOR, CCIM serves as an Executive Managing Director at the Newmark Knight Frank Houston office and has spent his entire career in commercial real estate. Prior to joining NKF, Mr. Stillwell spent over ten years in the third party logistics industry and has a keen understanding of distribution operations and facilities. As a market expert specializing in acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and build-to- suits as well as land sales, Mr. Stillwell focuses the majority of his efforts within the Houston metropolitan industrial market. He is an exceptional strategist and negotiator whose record includes industrial transactions totaling in excess of 5 million square feet and over 6,000 acres of vacant land valued at over $800 million. Mr. Stillwell has gained a wealth of experience, completing complex transactions that include industrial plant sales, terminal sales, port land sales and build-to- suits as well as other traditional consulting assignments and deal structures. His active transaction involvement over the past 20 years, provides clients with the added advantage of exceptional market knowledge and has helped dozens of clients achieve exceptional results over his career. His clients have also benefited from his motivation, innovative marketing and negotiating skills, and along with his positive attitude have assisted him in successfully completing numerous transactions. Mr. Stillwell's high level of commitment and professionalism during his 17-year tenure at the firm have also contributed to his success which gets consistent recognition as a top producer locally and nationally. Mr. Stillwell has a BBA in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated in 1982. He and his wife, Dawn live in the Clear Lake area with their two sons, Blake and Jacob. Mr. Stillwell is an active Boy Scout Troop mentor/leader as well as a volunteer and supporter of the Houston Food Bank.

John Talhelm serves as Senior Vice President of the Jones Lang LaSalle Industrial Services group. He has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry with a focus on land disposition, acquisition and development. He has assisted national and international companies in the design and implementation of distribution and manufacturing networks involving site location, new facility development and disposition of inefficient assets.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of The Richland Companies, Edna Meyer-Nelson directs all business activities for Richland’s many divisions. Since founding The Richland Companies in 1993, she has amassed a portfolio of 35 properties in five states representing more than 2.5 million square feet of commercially owned and managed property throughout the Southwestern United States valued in excess of $250 million. She began her career in the banking industry where she served as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer, and Marketing Director for several of the larger banks in Houston, such as: Great Southern Bank, Fondren Southwest Bank, American National Bank and Charter Bank. During her tenure, Meyer-Nelson’s duties included initiating commercial, small business and real estate loans, as well as executive lines of credit. While managing over $50 million in assets, she also assisted in the buy-outs of several independent banks, initiated and incorporated new, cost effective programs, and actively encouraged executive women to enter new business ventures. Meyer-Nelson is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with post-graduate degrees from the University of Houston and the University of Colorado. She is an active member of the National Association of Professional Women, CREW and the American Business Women’s Association as well as a frequent guest lecturer for a variety of graduate, undergraduate and continuing education courses at Rice University and University of Houston, where she sits on the Executive Advisory Board-Graduate Real Estate Program, C.T. Bauer College of Business. In 2010, she was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Council for The Texas Heart Institute’s Center for Women’s Heart and Vascular Health. A longtime board member of Houston Children’s Charity, in 2009 Edna earned the distinction of presiding as its first female President. She also serves on the board of the Houston Police Foundation. She is a member of The Cooley Circle, a Charter Member of Baylor Research Advocates for Student Scientists, a recipient of the CAPS Cherished Companion Award and a supporter of Houston Crime Stoppers. In 2017, Meyer-Nelson became the first woman to receive the Houston Business Journal’s Landmark Lifetime Achievement Award and was honored with CREW Houston's inaugural Circle of Excellence Award. She is an inductee of the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame, has been named Houston Business Journal’s Inaugural Best for Profit CEO and a finalist for their Women Who Mean Business Award, received CREW’s 2015 Networking Story of the Year, one of Real Estate Forum’s 2014 Women of Influence, one of CREW’s 2012 Top 15 Women in Commercial Real Estate, one of Real Estate Forum’s 2010 Women of Influence, a top finalist for “Business Woman of the Year” and “Entrepreneur of the Year” and continually garners top spots on The Houston Business Journal’s Top 50 Women Owned Businesses, Top 50 Fastest Growing Businesses, and Top 100 Diversified Businesses in the United States. She currently resides in Houston, Texas.

As Vice President for DCT Industrial Trust, Michael Flowers is responsible for managing the Company’s leasing activities in Houston and directing capital investment activities along side the Houston Senior Vice President. Prior to joining the DCT Industrial team, Mr. Flowers worked within the industrial division at Stream Realty Partners in Houston where he represented many of the largest institutional industrial owners across the country and completed transactions with a value in excess of $500 million. Before beginning his real estate career, Mr Flowers served in the U.S. Marines, completing two tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mr. Flowers graduated from Texas State University with his B.P.A. He is an active member of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association Houston Chapter and serves as a member of its Developing Leader committee.

John Atcheson serves as the Director of Business Development for ARCO Design/Build Southwest, Inc. a Houston based Design/Build Construction firm. John is responsible for sourcing and executing new opportunities within Texas and several other key markets throughout the US. John has over 10 years of construction and real estate development experience in multiple market segments, including industrial, commercial, retail and government facilities. During his career John has been involved in the development and construction of over two million square feet at an estimated cost of over $200 million. Previously John has served as a Project Manager for ARCO Design/Build in Atlanta, GA where he was responsible for project implementation from concept to completion. John graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management with distinction in business and law. John is a board member of the Association of Real Estate Professionals (ACRP), an active committee member of the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), and a supporting sponsor associate of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR).

Mike Spears, SIOR, CCIM has established a remarkable career spanning over 17 years with more than $850 million in transactions. He specializes in the greater Houston area, primarily focusing on the north and northwest submarkets. Over the course of his career, Mike has created and maintained professional relationships with industry leaders. As the managing principal at Lee & Associates-Houston, Mike oversees daily operations and supervises a team of 32 brokers and 12 supporting staff. Prior to his affiliation with Lee & Associates, Mike spent 15 years with TNRG, serving as the company’s president for seven years, where he was involved in over 560 transactions including leasing, sales, and industrial project development. Responsible for more than $200 million in annual transactions, Mike has been an important asset to the growth of what is now a multi-faceted company. In addition to his commercial real estate success, Mike is an active member of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR), an exclusive, nationally-recognized organization whose members produce at the top of their respective markets while upholding the highest ethical standards. He also holds the designation of CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and is a member of the National Association of Industrial and Office Professionals (NAIOP). Mike recently served on the advisory board of both Amegy Bank and Integrity Bank.