Up Close with Kevin Poynter

Poynter Commercial Properties president Kevin Poynter has worked on every lease ever signed at Energy Tower I, 1.1M SF of deals over the last 15 years. (He spends more time with Energy Tower I than you spend with your kids.) Now he’s getting the opportunity to increase that stat—this fall, space came available for the first time in years.

Kevin came back from UT in 1984 (he grew up around the corner from his Energy Corridor office) and joined Mac Haik Enterprises. Throughout his 27-year tenure  (including serving as president from 2000 to 2011), Kevin did a bit of everything, but his favorite has always been office development. He partnered with Mac on the first two towers of Energy Plaza, first putting up Energy Tower I (now branded simply as Energy Tower) in 1999. Kevin leased over half of it to Aker Maritime before even breaking ground. A Franklin Street affiliate now owns ET, but Kevin still leases it exclusively. A big block came available Sept. 1, and another long-term tenant (Pacific Drilling) moved in on Sept. 5. He’s got 180k SF left to backfill, but he’s got several transactions pending, and numerous prospects in play.

The most challenging deal of Kevin’s career came when he and Mac went to build Energy Tower II in ’07—Kevin (pictured with wife Denise) closed three simultaneous leases with three different landlords for Technip to kick off development (376k SF in the second tower, 229k SF in the first tower and 86k SF in Offices at Park 10.) Between the leases and development, it was a $300M deal. Kevin also owns Skyline Executive Suites and originally started Poynter Commercial in 2000 to rep Skyline clients. It really took off, and he left Mac Haik in 2011 to run PCP full-time. (He’s working to grow it now, especially ramping up development and acquisitions.)

Here’s Kevin with his family, including sons Austin (25), Peyton (22) and Dylan (15). They’re big into the outdoors, and are major adrenaline junkies—he’s gone to Africa seven times for outdoors activities, and he and Peyton did an adventure tour of New Zealand, including a 15,000-foot skydive before they even checked into the hotel. Kevin’s bungeed many of the world’s biggest jumps, and it’s on his bucket list to do South Africa, one of the highest in the world. He’d also love to visit the Great Wall of China.