Dallas 2016: Economic Forecast

When it came time for Colin Fitzgibbons to choose a career, he followed in his parents’ footsteps. His mother was a journalist, and his father owned a commercial real estate firm, and Colin tried out both professions before realizing that commercial real estate was his passion. As a senior vice president of development with KDC, Colin is primarily responsible for new business development. He has been with the company since 2010. “If I won the lottery, I’d be right back here the next morning. I can’t picture myself doing anything else. I love being in an industry where people are rewarded if they’re willing to hustle.” Colin got his feet wet in the real estate business with an internship at The Staubach Company while he attended Washington & Lee University in Virginia. He interned in Staubach’s New York City office for two summers. He also spent a summer interning with D Magazine in Dallas. After graduating from Washington & Lee, Colin headed to Washington D.C. to cover high school and college sports as a reporter for The Washington Post. When he was offered the opportunity to join The Staubach Company as a tenant rep broker in New York City, he jumped at the opportunity. He spent roughly five years with the company, doing business around the nation. Colin moved back to Dallas for graduate school at Southern Methodist University, and after graduating with his MBA, he joined KDC. He’s been involved in a variety of projects including: development and leasing of 125,000 square feet of retail opportunities at CityLine, KDC’s mixed-use development in Richardson, Texas; development of NBC’s North Texas Regional HQ; development of State Farm’s 2 million-square-foot regional hub; and development of 1920 McKinney Avenue, a 150,000-square-foot, class A building. Of all the projects Colin has worked on, he’s most proud of his work with Liberty Mutual’s new regional office. “I’ve been involved with that project since the beginning.” Colin lives in Dallas with his wife and three young sons. He’s a fan of barbecues and loves using The Big Green Egg he received for his birthday. Professionally, he’s heavily involved with The Real Estate Council and is also a member of the Developing Leaders Forum through NAIOP and serves on the board of the Moorland Family YMCA in Southern Dallas.

Mr. Collins founded Gatehouse Capital and is responsible for the company's overall strategic direction and both capital and partner relationships. Prior to founding Gatehouse in 1997, Collins was a partner in a Trammell Crow family affiliate, COO of Hampstead Group, and COO of Americana Hotels and the affiliated investments of the Bass Family of Ft Worth. He holds an undergraduate degree in both liberal arts and teaching from University of Akron, and graduate degrees in both liberal arts and business finance from Southern Methodist University.

Matt Brendel is the Senior Managing Director of Legacy's Texas office where is responsible for development, construction, acquisition, and operations. Prior to joining Legacy Partners, Mr. Brendel was the Divisional President and Managing Partner of JPI, a national developer and builder of Class A multifamily, where he led the acquisition, development, construction and operations of over 30 communities in Texas with a combined project value of over $2 billion. Matt received both his B.B.A. in Accounting and his M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University and is a Multifamily Leadership Board Member of the National Association of Home Builders.