Navigating The Ups and Downs of Houston Office Market

Trends, Challenges, and Innovative Solutions

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  Lesa Nickelson French

  As Corporate Managing Director in Savills Houston office, Lesa Nickelson French helps clients achieve their business goals through customized real estate solutions. She draws on her expertise from both her legal training and extensive experience in commercial real estate to serve tenants in lease transactions ranging from 2,500 to more than 500,000 square feet. Specializing in tenant representation, leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, she works strategically with her clients to understand their unique needs, regardless of size. Lesa helps companies of all sizes achieve their business goals by synthesizing her negotiation and contract skills with in-depth market knowledge, skillfully representing clients in finding the right space to thrive. Lesa joined Savills in 2019, after eight years as Senior Vice President with JLL, where she was a top performer in office tenant representation. Before that, she worked at CBRE for six years, representing mid- to large-size tenants. Before entering commercial real estate, Lesa practiced law for ten years. She was a commercial litigator and then spent six years at Service Corporation International, successfully supervising the firm’s U.S. and Canadian litigation. Lesa earned recognition as a “Heavy Hitter in Office Leasing” from the Houston Business Journal, and several awards for achievement at JLL, including Top Gun Designation, Gold Achiever Designation and Top Achiever Designation. She served as a Board Member and Client Relations Chair on the JLL Houston Women’s Network. She is also a member of several community organizations, including the Women’s Energy Network; the Houston Area Women’s Center, where she served as a Board Member from 2016-2018 and as Facilities Committee Chair in 2018; and as Board Co-Chair for the American Lung Association from 2015-2016.

  Savills

  Corporate Managing Director

  Lesa Nickelson French

  Corporate Managing Director

  Savills

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  Chris Lewis

  Chris Lewis is a co-managing principal at Lee & Associates- Houston. Chris specializes in landlord and tenant representation in the office sector of the Houston commercial real estate market. With over 25 years of real estate expertise, coupled with his extensive knowledge in tenant relocation, tenant expansion, lease negotiations, market analysis and property marketing, Chris has proven himself to be highly respected in the brokerage community. He utilizes a hands-on approach to oversee the needs of his diverse client portfolio, which allows him to successfully negotiate deals to procure office space and/or execute complex lease transactions. Over the past four years alone, he has completed over 300 transactions at $250,000,000 in transaction value. Upon completion of college, Chris started a career in real estate with Griffin Partners, Inc. as an analyst. Chris was eventually promoted to Vice President of Brokerage Services for Griffin Partners, Inc., and grew the brokerage arm of the company to lease millions of square feet of space in the Houston area. Chris remained with Griffin Partners for 14 years, until he was offered the opportunity to start the 55th office for the California based national real estate company, Lee & Associates, in 2014. Chris has grown Lee & Associates from 8 brokers to nearly 45 brokers in the past four years; putting the company on the map as one of the top 10 brokerage houses in the city of Houston. Chris was nominated for Best CEO of a small company in 2017 by the Houston Business Journal for his efforts. In addition, he has also led and participated in various professional speaking engagements and has been published in a multitude of high-profile business periodicals.

  Lee & Associates

  Managing Principal

  Chris Lewis

  Managing Principal

  Lee & Associates

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  Jamail Virani

  Partner

  LXG

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  Rudy Hubbard

  With over 40 years of commercial real estate in investment sales, Rudy’s primary focus is pursuing profitable real estate ventures and capital sources. Through his extensive institutional and private equity relationships and experience, he is able to provide value creation strategies to his clients to deliver successful results. In his career, he has been involved in more than $10 billion of commercial real estate transactions. Former Experience Most recently, Rudy was head of JLL Capital Markets Houston’s Office Investment Sales platform for 10 years where he focused on the sale of office buildings for both institutional and private clients. He was instrumental in identifying investment opportunities, underwriting and assessing value, client relationship management and communicating market and research activity. Prior to joining JLL, Rudy held a similar position as Managing Director with Transwestern for 18 years and his professional career has encompassed various other positions within the Houston and Austin markets. Beyond the Office Originally a Georgia native, Rudy has called Houston home for nearly 40 years. He attended Florida State University (FSU) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in English and Business and was a member of the Track & Field Team. It was during his college years at FSU that he met his wife, Jeanie, and they have been married for over 45 years. Rudy served as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and enjoys spending time with this family, boating and searching for the best slice of pizza in town.

  RH Interests

  Principal, Founder

  Rudy Hubbard

  Principal, Founder

  RH Interests

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  Jonathan Enav

  Jonathan Enav seamlessly bridges the gap between real estate investment and technology innovation. With a foundation in Engineering from Imperial College London and an MBA from Harvard Business School, he has successfully maneuvered his career across diverse landscapes. Jonathan's work involves directing strategic real estate investments across the U.S. and the Caribbean, as well as fostering the growth of regional tech startups. His balanced blend of academic grounding and practical experience fuels his ability to create value in each venture, championing a vision of sustainable growth and mutual success.

  US Property Management

  President

  Jonathan Enav

  President

  US Property Management

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  John Moody, Jr.

  John S. Moody, Jr., is Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has extensive experience in real estate development, leasing, acquisitions, sales and financing. He represents developers, owners, families, financial institutions, investors, retailers and private equity funds in acquisitions, sales, development, leasing, financing and construction of all types of real estate.

  Moody Law Group

  Manager

  Moderator

  John Moody, Jr.

  Manager

  Moody Law Group

Maximizing Asset Performance

Innovative Approaches in Commercial Office Development, Design, and Construction

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  Dennis Yung

  Dennis Yung oversees Skanska’s USA Building’s Houston and Dallas offices while focusing on developing new client relationships, managing construction projects and cultivating new opportunities throughout the Texas market. Based in Skanska’s Houston office, Yung initially joined the company in 1999 and most recently served as senior vice president and national preconstruction director before moving into his role as executive vice president and general manager. In his time with Skanska, Yung has focused on innovative and strategic initiatives that advance the preconstruction and project planning services group. He has a wealth of regional project experience including the Texas A&M University Agriculture Headquarters Complex, Harris Health System Smith Clinic and the 3009 Post Oak office tower at the Galleria.

  Skanska USA Building

  EVP

  Dennis Yung

  EVP

  Skanska USA Building

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  Kelly Wheeler

  Kelly serves in multiple capacities as the Asset Services team leader for Transwestern’s Houston office and Central Texas Region. She is the single point of contact for select clients - ensuring consistent, elevated service delivery across geographies, supporting strategic property initiatives, capital planning and deployment, amenitization and tenant experience programs, and tactical property operations. Kelly strategically focuses on differentiating Transwestern by leveraging the power of the family of companies across the firm to provide clients with unsurpassable real estate solutions. Kelly has 18 years of experience in commercial property management in the Houston area. She has managed noteworthy properties such as 5 Houston Center, 1000 Main, Bank of America Tower, and the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical campus. Kelly built and led the Transwestern team that commissioned Bank of America Tower in 2019. Kelly is currently engaged as a national single point of contact for Beacon Capital Partners across all Transwestern-managed assets and supports multiple teams in a range of asset classes, including office and life sciences real estate.

  Transwestern

  SVP & Director of Operations & Strategy

  Kelly Wheeler

  SVP & Director of Operations & Strategy

  Transwestern

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  Dan Zimmerman

  A Houston native and born into a family of entrepreneurs, Dan Zimmerman quickly discovered his passion for design, art, hospitality, and real estate. After two years at Rice University, a football injury sent Dan to Dallas where he graduated with a degree in advertising from Southern Methodist University. Dan began his career as a development associate at Trevi Luxury Hospitality Group where he continued to explore his passion for hospitality and hone his unique perspective. A move back to his hometown of Houston led Dan to pursue a career in commercial real estate with Hankamer & Associates. Following his exploration and interest in commercial real estate, Dan became an independent commercial real estate broker. With over a decade of real estate experience and Dan’s passion for artful real estate curation, he launched NewForm Real Estate—a full-service real estate development firm specializing in the acquisition, sale, leasing and marketing of select commercial properties. At the center of the firm, Dan and his team work to develop unique real estate opportunities and build strategic relationships with lasting value. Dan pursues additional investments in areas he is passionate about including hospitality, contemporary art, technology and more.

  NewForm Real Estate

  President

  Dan Zimmerman

  President

  NewForm Real Estate

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  Jason Atkinson

  Jason R. Atkinson founded Grey Wolf Engineers in early 2020 on the best practices learned from four of the top civil engineering firms in Texas. He is a sixth-generation civil engineer and surveyor who started in the business at age 13 carrying the surveying bag for his family’s firm. He has over 27 years of civil engineering experience in Greater Houston. His primary role is in project and client management.

  Grey Wolf Engineers

  President

  Jason Atkinson

  President

  Grey Wolf Engineers

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  David Euscher

  As a parents of four busy children, David and his wife of 30 years know well that teamwork is essential to managing a two career family – great training for managing projects and serving complex organizations. He has learned from from his children and his clients that each one has different needs and goals, and that one size does not fit all. When David is not thinking, writing or speaking about the intersection of technology, culture and human behavior on the built environment, he enjoys gardening. The challenge of creating an environment unique to its location where things can grow and thrive energizes him and fuels his parallel passion for creating spaces where organizations and people flourish. (When basil is in season, he is particularly proud of his homemade pesto) David leads the Interiors Studio in the Houston office of Corgan, an international firm of researchers and innovators who bring curiosity, passion and dedication to Interior Design and Architecture worldwide.

  Corgan

  VP, Interior Design Studio Leader

  David Euscher

  VP, Interior Design Studio Leader

  Corgan

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  Jeffrey Abel

  Jeffrey Abel has over 20 years of experience in architecture and design. As Managing Principal of Abel Design Group, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the firm and its personnel and provides the strategic vision for Abel Design Group. His goal is not to helm the biggest firm but the best firm, providing a superior product for his clients and a work environment where employees can grow and prosper. Jeffrey has extensive experience dealing with large corporate clients, including Bechtel, Banco Santander, Superior Energy, and W&T Offshore. He has also worked with several institutional clients, including Houston Community College. Prior to starting Abel Design Group, Jeffrey spent 8 years at Lamoureux Associates, where he was a Portfolio Manager and specialized in space planning and interiors. During his tenure there, he managed an average of 30 buildings as part of his building representation portfolio and started a tenant representation group. He spearheaded the growth of the company from 3 to 27 employees by taking on more creative and challenging projects. Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Texas. He is an associate AIA member, USGBC member, LEED AP, and serves on the board of Scenic Houston.

  Abel Design Group

  Managing Principal

  Jeffrey Abel

  Managing Principal

  Abel Design Group

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  Jared Graeve

  Jared Graeve is the Director of Business Development for GSD Construction in Houston. He has served in that position for a little more than a year. Previously, he worked for engineering company that serviced the heavy highway, civil, industrial and commercial markets here in Houston working on project such as the SH-288 Expansion, US 290 Expansion, Ship Channel Bridge, Addicks Barker Dam rehabilitation, and the Grand Parkway Segments F, G, H, and I. In his previous life, he served in Senegal, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer working in agricultural development. A graduate of Iowa State University, Jared has lived in Houston for nearly 12 years, is married to his wife Aryn, and has two young children (Jack and GiGi).

  GSD Construction

  Director of Business Development

  Moderator

  Jared Graeve

  Director of Business Development

  GSD Construction