Power Networking

Look who we found enjoying themselves at Bisnows happy hour event last week: Transwestern leasing agent Evelyn Ward, VP Mark Fowler, and EVP Michelle Wogan. Michelle tells us she and Evelyn signed two leases that took up all the sublease space at 450 Gears in Greenspoint. The deals total 17k SF to 212 Resources and Hunting Energy Services. The duo also signed over 43k SF at Greenspoint Park including new tenants, expansions, and renewals. And she promises to have more deals to announce in a few weeks. (She's keeping pen ink companies in business.)

Northwestern Mutuals Lynn Borker, Silversand Services Angie Gentry, and Boxer Resorts Caroline Allison. Silversand did the landscaping at Phoenix Tower, which graciously hosted us. Caroline does hotel/resort acquisitions for Boxer Property. Shes looking at two in Barbados now--which doesn'tmean as much travel time in the Caribbean as you might imagine, and shes eying a Houston deal coming to market soon. (Boxer owns all the office buildings right around it, which seems to make the deal a no-brainer.)

Heres CBRE VP Jared Chua with Hartman Income REIT research analyst James Decman and acquisitions manager Julian Kwok. (Jareds teammate Bernard Branca managed to duck out right before we took the picture.) The trio of acquisitions gurus was mum on what theyre working on.

The calm before the storm of 275 networkers hit. Some last tidbits on our sponsor Phoenix Tower: Parkway Properties managing director Mike Fransen says its an iconic asset that had become somewhat forgotten. But it tapped Cassidy Turley to lease the asset and theyre working hard to reposition the building and bring it to the forefront of everyones mind. Many changes being made are a direct byproduct of feedback the two firms got from tenants and the tenant rep community during underwriting.