Houston's Industrial Renaissance

Keith Bilski is the founder of the Finial Group and oversees the firm’s service business and investment and development activities. Mr. Bilski has more than 15 years of experience in the brokerage, development and investment of real estate with expertise in site acquisitions, capital structuring, and project management. Some current and past projects since launching Finial Group include the development of Fairview Industrial Park- a 15 acre deed restricted business park located in Northwest Houston and comprised of six free standing crane capable buildings built in partnership with a private investor, Draper Lake- a 36 acre land investment in Florida with syndicated limited partner equity, Louetta Business Park- a 13 acre business park with nine free standing buildings with syndicated limited partner equity, Bear Creek Industrial Park- a 10 acre business park with two free standing buildings with syndicated limited partner equity, World Houston Business Park- an 11 acre business park with six planned buildings in joint venture with Panattoni Development Company, Bell Heights- a mid-rise residential and lot development deal with a private investor, Heights Mercantile- a retail development with a private investor, purchase/leaseback of the 72,726 SF ErgoGenesis world headquarters in partnership with a large investment firm, development of Hillshire Village Market Square- a 32,000 SF mixed-use office and retail project, purchase and development of Navasota Market Square Phase 1 in partnership with a large investment firm, the purchase and development of Navasota Market Square Phase 2 in partnership with a large investment firm, the purchase and renovation of Shoppes at Westpark- a 24,000 SF Class A retail center, and acquisition of a 1.2 million square foot portfolio of single tenant NNN leased industrial buildings for a Finial Investment fund . Additionally, over the last 15 years Mr. Bilski has been significantly involved in over 1,000 industrial, land, office, and retail transactions with aggregate deal size in excess of $900 million. Prior to forming Finial Group, Mr. Bilski served as Vice President of Caldwell Companies where he completed the following investment and development projects: Round Up Business Park- a 228,400 SF industrial development in Northwest Houston comprised of institutional quality front and rear load buildings built in partnership with Sun Life Financial, Greens Crossing IV- a 68,000 SF industrial development comprised of an institutional quality rear load building in North Houston done in partnership with Sun Life Financial, Remington Square- a 383,000 SF class A office and retail mixed-use project in Northwest Houston built in partnership with Sun Life Financial, and Spring Cypress Village- a 97,000 SF Class A retail redevelopment renovation done in partnership with Sun Life Financial.

Michael J. Plank is the Chairman & CEO of The Plank Companies, Inc., a diversified holding company consisting of numerous operating entities engaged in manufacturing, real estate development and rail services. One such company is National Property Holdings, a Houston-based industrial property firm with a focus on the development of rail-served industrial parks and related buildings. An affiliated company, Rail Logix, is a comprehensive rail services company focused on the development of rail yards and rail-car storage facilities throughout Texas and the Gulf Coast. Together, National Property Holdings and Rail Logix develop and operate rail-served industrial parks vital to supply chain logistics. Mike is a 1983 Honors Graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Graduates in 2000 and currently serves on the Engineering Advisory Board. He also serves as Chairman of A&M’s Political Action Committee and serves on the Commandant’s Advisory Council for Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets. Deeply involved in numerous professional and charitable organizations, Mike is past President of Houston’s Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Children’s Museum of Houston. He currently serves on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership, YMCA of Greater Houston, and is on the President’s Leadership Council at Methodist Hospital.

Joe Llamas founded Generational Commercial Properties Co. in 2013 with the goal of creating long-term value for clients. Generational is a development and project management firm specializing in Office, Industrial & Multi-Family projects. In addition to providing strategic direction, Mr. Llamas’ responsibilities include leading all firm investment and development activities. Prior to forming Generational, Mr. Llamas was a Vice President for McShane Development Company. He oversaw McShane’s Texas office including the development of 600,000 square feet of Class A office, 1,300,000 square feet of industrial space, and 600 apartment units. While under Mr. Llamas’s leadership, McShane’s Texas office was named a Top 5 Developer from 2007-2012 by the Austin Business Journal. Prior to McShane, Mr. Llamas worked at RREEF, the $68 billion real estate private equity management business of Deutsche Bank. While at RREEF Mr. Llamas structured development joint ventures and acquisition deals nationwide. Mr. Llamas earned his MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School and a Bachelor of Science in business from Indiana University Bloomington. He is a member of ULI, CLBA, RECA, NAIOP and the U.S. Green Building Council.

Nazir Khalfe, AIA,RIBA, is a Principal for Powers Brown Architecture. Nazir spent more than 10 years of his career as a project manager in the Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Denver, and Washington, D.C. markets. Completed projects include industrial and office master plans, as well as spec office buildings, corporate office buildings, and distribution, assembly, and manufacturing facilities. Nazir has demonstrated the ability to design and document buildings that are attractive, economical and durable. Evidence of his ability to develop designs that are efficient and cost-effective can be found in the numerous projects completed for his repeat clients.

Michael Preiss, P.E. established the Houston office of Pape-Dawson Engineers and has driven its growth. A managing principal of one of Texas’ largest civil engineering firms, Michael’s experience and influence spans the Houston region where he leads transformational infrastructure projects, working with local agencies, such as Harris County, Harris County Flood Control District, the City of Houston, and the Texas Department of Transportation. Serving the commercial real estate industry for 23 years, he has overseen surveying and civil site design of numerous Houston multi-family projects, including Barvin’s Blackwell Med Center, Allen Harrison’s Boone Manor, Bridgewood’s Village of Southampton, and Aspen Heights Houston. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University and remains active with his alma mater as a member of the Dean’s Council. He volunteers his time and expertise to many industry organizations, including the Urban Land Institute and American Council of Engineering Companies, and has served as Board President for the Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District 159 since 2004.