Austin Creative Office

Herbert McDowell Pike, Jr. (Mac) is currently chairman and co-owner of The Sutton Company, an Austin based real estate development and investment company. Mr. Pike has primarily been involved in all aspects of the development process, from the acquisition of a property to the construction and sale of the project. The Sutton Company has been involved, as a general partner, in several downtown projects including the Plaza Lofts at Fifth and Guadalupe in downtown Austin, a 60 unit high rise condominium project, and the Brazos Lofts and Avenue Lofts, both on Fifth Street and conversions from business use.From 1989 to the present, Mr. Pike, through the Sutton Company as general partner, developed such Austin area projects as Stratford Hills Section I (purchased from the University of Texas), Hunterwood (purchased from Davenport Ranch), the Estates at Blackacre in West Lake Hills, the Island at Westlake, two sections in Great Hills in northwest Austin, the Enclave at Mesa in Northwest Hills, Northpark and the Club at Wells Point in Pflugerville, Round Rock Ranch in Round Rock, Quest Towne Center in Cedar Park as well as other commercial projects such as the Apple Computer Customer Service Center on HWY 183.Prior to moving to Austin in 1989, Mr. Pike was owner and president of McAllen Aviation Center, an aviation fixed based operation with air charter certificates in both the U. S. and Mexico, as well as being one of the largest Exxon aviation franchises in the country. In addition Mr. Pike was a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of InterNational Bank of McAllen, a privately owned bank in McAllen, Texas. From 1980 until 1985 Mr. Pike was co-owner and dealer operator of Weslaco Motors, a General Motors dealership in Weslaco, Texas. Mr. Pike was in charge of the operations and sales of the dealership, which grew to one of the top selling new car dealerships in the Rio Grande Valley. During this time Mr. Pike was partner in Tejas Building and Development, which developed over 700 residential lots and 400 warehouse units in the Valley. Upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1972 with a degree in Finance, Mr. Pike became Vice President of Commercial Lending at McAllen State Bank and later became Executive Vice President of First National Bank of Brownsville prior to becoming co-owner of Weslaco Motors. Mr. Pike has served on the state boards of the Texas Lyceum and the Gulf Coast Conservation Association as well as President of McAllen South Rotary, Board member of Gladys Porter Zoo, President of Hidalgo County United Way and various duties with the Boy Scouts of America, including Eagle Scout. Mr. Pike was recently on the board and executive committee of the Downtown Austin Alliance and a board member and executive committee member of the Real Estate Council of Austin.

What drives you? I strive to be the best, and I want the same for the company we’re building. I want Cielo to deliver the highest level of customer service, the most well planned spaces a tenant could imagine, and the highest risk adjusted returns to our investors. If we do that — and I can also be the best husband and dad I can possibly be — then I can go to sleep at night knowing I didn’t leave anything on the table. How do you envision Austin in the next 25 years? I expect that Austin will continue to be one of the most sought after places in the country for people to live and work 25 year from now. This means our population could triple in that time, creating many challenges and opportunities. I believe that our urban core must continue to increase in density with more high-rise and mid-rise developments, just as we’ve seen over the last five years. The alternative is much more traffic and sprawl to the detriment of our environment and quality of life. How did you start the company? Bobby and I share Texas roots and were introduced by a mutual friend. I liked his vision and creative energy immediately. Two months later, we formed our company and bootstrapped it from there. Why Austin? Austin is one of the best cities in the world without a doubt. It appeals to people of all ages and just has so much going for it. We are the Capital of Texas, home of the University of Texas, soon to be home to a new medical school, the tech capital of the south, and the Live Music Capital of the World. Austin offers a beautiful natural environment and countless ways to enjoy it. It’s a business friendly city with a thriving restaurant scene. If you’ve spent a few days here eating barbecue, listening to live music, or water skiing on Lake Travis, you know why so many people want to be — and are becoming — Austinites.

Andrea is a Project Executive at DPR Construction, with over 19-years of construction industry expertise providing a balance of private and public sector residential, hospitality and commercial developments. In this role, Andrea delivers projects successfully by combining strategy, direction and highly-motivated leadership with experience, organization, passion and dedication. She oversees commercial and corporate office projects, and guides ongoing preconstruction process and strategic client partnerships. This scope of work encompasses supporting regional growth strategies and administering business development best practices. Andrea has spent her career in the professional services industry, specifically in engineering and construction. Prior to joining DPR Construction in 2014, Andrea served as Project Director for Webcor Builders, where she led the preconstruction efforts on the $400 million Moscone Convention Center Expansion project in San Francisco, CA. She also delivered the following corporate office projects, SFPUC Headquarters in San Francisco and Western Asset Plaza in Pasadena, CA.  Andrea is active in a number of industry and community organizations including RECA and Girlstart. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Management from Oregon State University. For more information about DPR Construction, please visit www.dpr.com.

Bret Boyd is Vice President of Stratfor’s Custom Intelligence Services, focused on helping clients use Stratfor’s intelligence, forecasting and advisory capabilities to increase revenues and manage risk. Prior to Stratfor, Mr. Boyd served in leadership roles at several high-growth companies and as an officer in the United States Special Operations Command. During his military service, Mr. Boyd deployed to combat operations in Iraq four times as well as to stability operations in other regions. Mr. Boyd is deeply familiar with intelligence operations, developing nations and civil-military relations. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he studied international relations.