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Retail Deep Dive

Market Insights, Trends And Opportunities

Crystal Allen

Crystal Allen

Managing Director

Transwestern

Joan Collum

Joan Collum

Partner

Partners

Josh Friedlander

Josh Friedlander

Development Partner

NewQuest

David Littwitz

David Littwitz

Owner

Littwitz Investments

Brent Richardson

Brent Richardson

President

Cheyenne Construction

Phil Ward

Phil Ward

Senior Associate

MHOA

Caleb Trotter
Moderator

Caleb Trotter

Shareholder

Winstead

Crystal Allen

Managing Director

Transwestern

Allen leads the project leasing team to provide consulting, marketing, merchandising and

leasing services to landlords and developers. Her profound expertise covers a range of

asset classes including traditional neighborhood, regional and super-regional shopping

centers, mixed-use developments, lifestyle centers, and entertainment venues. Allen also

provides tenant representation services and market strategy for local, regional and

national retailers and restaurants looking to expand their concepts.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Prior to joining Transwestern in 2012, Allen worked as a senior leasing agent for Brixmor

Property Group (formerly Centro Properties Group), the second largest owner of open air

neighborhood and regional shopping centers in the nation. With an assigned portfolio of

more than 2.5 million square feet, she correlated the marketing, negotiation, construction

coordination, budgeting and overall execution of transactions with new and existing

tenants. She also played an integral role in multiple redevelopment projects. Throughout

her tenure she was consistently a top producer not only within the Southwest region but

nationally, and she executed more than 2 million square feet of lease transactions alone.

Today, Allen has built a leasing portfolio of more than 3 million square feet of existing and

new developments, and, in the last 12 months has executed transactions that created over

$100 million in value. Crystal Allen currently leases many of the largest, most high profile

projects within the country, and is consistently requested by the company’s premier clients

to represent projects. She is a top producer within the firm, is considered a leader within

the retail industry and a mentor to her team members. Her clients include Brookfield,

Oliver McMillan, DC Partners, LNR Partners, Patrinely Group, CDC, Xenia Lodging, Imperial

Development, Skanska, 4M Investments, Woodridge Capital, Walton Street Capital and

Ley/Wilson Development as well as multiple tenants including Amorino Gelato, Habitat for

Humanity ReStore, Star Furniture, Voicebox Karaoke, Gigi’s Cupcakes and TF Supplements.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RECOGNITION:

Crystal is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the states of Texas and Colorado, a member of

ICSC and a member of Transwestern’s Women’s Leadership Council. In 2015 Crystal was

recognized as one of Globe Street’s Top Ten Emerging Retail Leaders and has recently been

named one of Real Estate Forum’s 2016 top 50 under 40.

EDUCATION:

Crystal graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Texas State

University in San Marcos, Texas.

Joan Collum

Partner

Partners

Joan began her career in 1984 as a real estate representative with WNS, expanding the Wallpapers To Go concept throughout the Southeast United States. She then moved to Pier 1 Imports, where she successfully opened over 100 new locations across the Southeast and Northeast markets. In 1994, she transitioned to tenant representation brokerage, leveraging her extensive retail expertise on the brokerage side. Joan also has extensive experience in retail real estate investment and development that she will further leverage with the Partners Capital and Development platforms.

Over the past 30 years, Joan has exclusively represented major brands such as Michaels, Pier 1 Imports, Applebee’s, Office Depot, Bar Louie, La Madeleine, and Popeye’s in the Houston market. Currently, she continues to represent Office Depot and Floor and Décor. Additionally, Joan handles leasing responsibilities for her own developments, including Seguin Marketplace, 1242 Witte Road, and Tomball Marketplace, and sources development opportunities in Houston and South Texas markets.

Josh Friedlander

Development Partner

NewQuest

Josh Friedlander joined NewQuest in 2010 and has been active in the retail real estate industry for over twenty

years. Josh currently serves as Director of Leasing and is a Development Partner. His areas of expertise include retail

project leasing, tenant representation, land brokerage, investment sales, and project development. In his tenure at

NewQuest, Josh has successfully completed over 450 transactions.

Josh graduated from The University of Texas in 2004 where he received a degree in finance. In his spare time Josh

enjoys family time with his wife and four kids, watching the Astros and Longhorns, and traveling.

Josh has been recognized in the Houston Business Journal’s “Heavy Hitter List” for Retail in 2017 and from 2019 to

2024. Josh received the Top Project Leasing Broker award at NewQuest in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. In

2023, he also earned the Power Broker award from CoStar.

David Littwitz

Owner

Littwitz Investments

University of Texas, B.S. Real Estate Finance;

Columbia University, MSRED – Masters of Science in Real Estate Development;

A licensed real estate broker in the State of Texas for over 35 years, David is a well respected commercial real estate executive with a varied background covering many facets of the retail industry. Presently he is building a specialized tenant representation brokerage practice focused on restaurant owners and investors in the metro Houston area. His well known client base includes: Panera Bread, B & B Butchers, El Tiempo Cantina, Niko Niko’s, The Union Kitchen, JAX Grill and Tookies Hamburgers amongst others. In prior years, he was the Director of New Store Development for North America for 7-Eleven, the East Coast Real Estate Manager for Shell Oil / Texaco and the Vice President / National Dispositions Manager for Trammell Crow Company on behalf of Mobil Oil Corporation.

Brent Richardson

President

Cheyenne Construction

Brent Richardson, President and Owner of Cheyenne Construction Group has grown into an industry

leader in Texas commercial construction within 4 years since the start of Cheyenne. With a strong focus

on retail, office, corporate interiors, banking, and industrial projects his team has many satisfied clients.

Throughout Brent’s career, he has established and nurtured long-lasting relationships with owners,

developers, architects, engineers, and consultants built on trust and doing what you say you are going to

do. Over the years, he has established himself as a boots-on-the-ground leader with a natural

talent for building a strong team and guiding his employees to accomplish their career goals.  Brent

received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University and is active in numerous commercial real

estate associations.  Husband and Father to two daughters, he enjoys his time outdoors spending time

with those he loves.

Phil Ward

Senior Associate

MHOA

Phil Ward is a Senior Associate at Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA). With over 20 years of professional experience, his career has covered flagship retail, large scale commercial, mixed-use, hospitality and residential work. Since joining MHOA in 2023 he has been working on a broad range of commercial and mixed-use projects across Texas with many active projects in the greater Houston area including the RO with Transwestern and the historic Swift Warehouse complex with Radom Capital and Triten Real Estate.

Caleb Trotter

Moderator

Winstead

Caleb D. Trotter is a deal maker, representing clients in a variety of industries on a wide range of real estate transactions from raw land development and construction financing, to leasing, asset management, and disposition. He leverages his broad real estate experience with a collaborative, responsive, and knowledgeable approach to bring tremendous value to each project and to get the deal done.

A primary focus of his practice is representing developers in connection with ground-up development of industrial, retail, office, and data center projects, as well as portfolio-level leasing and asset management for institutional landlords across all product types. Caleb has also represented both banks and private lenders, with an emphasis on construction loans and horizontal development.

As the need for data centers has surged in recent years, Caleb’s practice has also evolved to include the representation of land owners, developers, and operators in this emerging market. This work includes projects for data storage, Artificial Intelligence, data/cryptocurrency mining and other operations dependent on high-volume energy consumption.

Houston Mixed-Use

Placemaking & Tenant Mix Strategies

Ash Shah
Katy Boardwalk

Ash Shah

President & CEO

IMPEX Capital Group

Arsean Maqami
Thompson Houston Hotel

Arsean Maqami

Co-President

DC Partners

Kevin Freels
East River

Kevin Freels

EVP

Midway

Eric Hudson
Katy Boardwalk

Eric Hudson

Partner & Principal of Design Services

Method Architecture

Harrison Loew

Harrison Loew

Director of Acquisitions

The Wideman Company

David Flores

David Flores

COO

IMPEX Capital Group

Dr. Teresa Smith
Moderator

Dr. Teresa Smith

Director

PACE Transactions

Ash Shah

Katy Boardwalk

IMPEX Capital Group

Ash Shah is the President & CEO of IMPEX Capital Group, a Houston-based commercial real estate investment firm. The firm owns and manages over $1.8 Billion in various properties across the US, including ~$800 Million in Houston and Texas, in general.

To date, IMPEX has acquired over 10,000 multifamily units, 1500 units of new Multifamily Development & Built-to-Rent Projects, 600,000 sf of Industrial & Commercial office, and 400,000 square feet of Retail & Mixed Use. Mr. Shah’s schedule of real estate ownership also includes Hotels, Assisted Living with Memory Care, Storage Facility and Land parcel for housing development.

Mr. Shah currently serves as a Co-Sponsor, Key Principal or Equity Owner in over 50 properties. Prior to entering the commercial real estate sector, Ash was the founder and CEO of Impex Global, a Plastic Films, Paper and Packaging products company. After expanding the business into locations all over North America and operations in several international markets, Mr. Shah successfully sold the business to a private equity firm in 2012.

Ash holds an MBA from Thunderbird Business School of International Management, and his company has been ranked in the “Top 100” and “Fastest Growing Company” by Houston Business Journal and Inc. 5000 magazine.

Mr. Shah is also a former “International Entrepreneur of the Year” award recipient from the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and member of Forbes Financial Council.

Arsean Maqami

Thompson Houston Hotel

DC Partners

Arsean Maqami serves as President of DC Partners, where he holds a pivotal role in managing and directing all facets of the organization. With a wealth of experience in mixed-use properties, adaptive reuse, multi-family developments, and tenant fit-outs, Arsean is a seasoned executive with a comprehensive understanding of the real estate industry.

Education

Bachelors of Arts, Swarthmore College

Masters of Business Administration, Columbia University

Summary

Before assuming his current role at DC Partners, Arsean co-founded DB Partners, a real estate development and construction management firm, with Blake Berg. As leaders of DB Partners they successfully orchestrated the development and construction of over two million square feet of mixed-use projects across prominent locations in New York, California, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, Indiana, and Washington DC.

Arsean’s professional journey also includes significant tenures at Seritage Growth Properties, where he held the position of Vice President of Development and Construction, and at WeWork, where he served as a Senior Director of Development and Construction. In these roles, he demonstrated his proficiency in capital planning, real estate underwriting, and operational excellence throughout the entire development lifecycle.

Arsean Maqami holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. His academic background, combined with his extensive industry experience, positions him as a distinguished leader in the real estate sector.

Kevin Freels

East River

Midway

Kevin joined Midway and subsequently Parkway in 2021 as a Managing Director of the Investments Team, responsible for new acquisitions and equity relations across Sunbelt states. Prior to Midway/Parkway, Kevin was with HFF’s Houston office and subsequently relocated to Seattle to help establish and grow the outpost’s commercial investment advisory platform in 2016. Kevin spent 5 years as a Director in the Seattle office of HFF Capital Markets specializing in institutional-grade assets and developments across the West Coast, with a particular focus on the Pacific Northwest.

Over his career, he’s contributed to the sale, recapitalization (mezzanine and joint venture equity placement) and financing (permanent, bridge, construction debt placement) of mixed-use, office, retail, multi-housing, industrial and hospitality assets totaling in excess of $4 billion dollars. Most recently, he has been very focused in the office/mixed-use investment space—in 2021, he led the acquisitions of Conoco’s former headquarters in West Houston (now Watermark) which will be converted into 1.5m sf mixed-use district. In 2023, he led an all cash acquisition of CityWest Place (West Houston) and Post Oak (Uptown Houston) totaling 3.5m sf of office, which will also be adding mixed-use components over next 5 years including retail, hotel, and multi-family.

Eric Hudson

Katy Boardwalk

Method Architecture

Eric Hudson is a founding Partner and Principal of Design Services at Method Architecture. He oversees the firm’s Design Services department responsible for Sustainability, Design, Quality Control, and Technology. A Houston native, Eric received his bachelor’s in environmental design from Texas A&M University and master’s in architecture from the University of Houston. Eric and his teams have worked on adaptive reuse projects such as M-K-T, East Village, and East End Maker Hub. Eric is President of the University of Houston College of Architecture and Design Alumni Board and sits on the board for Spring Spirit, a local children’s non-profit.

Harrison Loew

Director of Acquisitions

The Wideman Company

Harrison Loew serves as the Director of Acquisitions for The Wideman Company, where he is

responsible for leading the company's strategic efforts in identifying and securing high-value investment

opportunities. With a keen eye for value-add assets and a deep understanding of the real estate landscape,

Harrison plays a pivotal role in driving the company's growth and expanding its portfolio.

Harrison joined The Wideman Company after his exit from Loew and Loew, a commercial Title

insurance and escrow firm which he co-founded with his brother. Harrison brought experience both from

his time at the equities division of Bank of America and his +2000 commercial and residential closings.

Known for his analytical prowess and strategic vision, Harrison excels in evaluating market trends and

assessing potential acquisitions that align with The Wideman Company's long-term goals. His approach

combines rigorous financial analysis with a forward-thinking perspective, ensuring that each acquisition

supports the company's mission of delivering exceptional value and growth.

When he is not working on acquisitions, Harrison finds joy in spending time with his family,

playing golf, and working with his Alma Mater, Rollins College, through mentorship and internship

programs to grow the next generation of real estate leaders.

David Flores

COO

IMPEX Capital Group

David V. Flores is a 20 year professional in Commercial Real Estate Business. In his current role as Chief Operating Officer at Impex Capital Group he is involved in asset management, underwriting, acquisitions and capital market for their extensive portfolio. Previously, Mr. Flores held several prominent positions of Vice President and Director at Greystar Real Estate Partners, Nitya Capital, PM Realty and One Real Estate Investment. David has been involved in over $2 billion in transactions. Notable projects include a turnaround portfolio worth $450 million that comprised of 28 properties in four major markets. In a separate r two year period he led the effort in acquiring $800 million in assets (24 properties) in 22 months. He has done single asset purchases to large portfolios and Class A high-rises to Class C turnarounds. He also has vast experience in property management, leasing and hand-on skills with financial analysis and valuation. David’s background is a unique blend of breadth and depth in the multifamily business

Mr. Flores graduated from Texas A&M and then served as a Field Artillery Officer in the U.S. Army. He earned an MBA from the University of Houston and did a study abroad at Monterrey Tec (Monterrey, Mexico), the #1 rated business school in all Latin America. He continues his personal development by completing the Real Estate Executive Seminar at Harvard Business School and is a Senior Fellow at the American Leadership Forum.

Why You Should Attend this Houston Retail & Mixed-Use Commercial Real Estate Event

What You’ll Learn:

  • What factors contribute to Houston’s retail market having an average occupancy rate near 95 percent despite current market tightness and low vacancy rates?

  • How are the dynamics of supply and demand affecting the availability of restaurant space?

  • What are the key trends driving success in the local retail market, and how are industry players adapting to meet the demands of today's consumers?

  • What role do mixed-use developments play in meeting the evolving needs and preferences of consumers locally, and how are these developments shaping the city's urban fabric?

  • How are retailers in Houston leveraging experiential retail concepts to foster growth and engagement, and what lessons can be learned from successful implementations?

  • Why are Houston suburbs becoming increasingly more popular as mixed-use developments?

  • What are the benefits and challenges of creating mixed-use developments away from traditional urban centers?

  • How is Houston performing as a real estate market compared to other Texas and U.S. cities?

  • How are developers incorporating innovative design and placemaking strategies to create vibrant and engaging retail destinations in Houston

How You'll Do More Business From Attending This Event: Despite retail being known as a somewhat difficult asset, the Houston market has experienced consistent growth and demand with lower vacancy rates than other markets. Between a boom in development in mixed-use projects to increasing interest in developing retail centers in local submarkets, the greater Houston area is growing by leaps and bounds. Join us to connect with industry leaders, visionaries and key decision-makers to unlock new partnerships, investments and collaborations. 

Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the industry, this event provides unparalleled networking opportunities, insider knowledge and actionable insights to propel your business forward. Stay ahead of the curve, discover untapped growth prospects, and position yourself for success in Houston's evolving CRE market.

Who You’ll Meet During Networking:  Investors, developers, owners, architects, designers, general contractors, tenants, brokers and more!

Why You Should Attend: Bisnow events bring together the biggest power players in the industry to identify opportunities, build your network and expand your business. With the largest audience of commercial real estate professionals in the world, no one knows how to help your business more than us. Join Bisnow as we jump into the market to analyze its strengths and strategize on its areas of opportunity. You don't want to miss this event!

Questions about your ticket purchase or interested in sponsoring? Reach out to customerservice@bisnow.com for customer support. 

For questions, recommendations, comments, or press inquiries please email our Texas event producer Ansley Bird at ansley.bird@bisnow.com.

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact shannon.dearaujo@bisnow.com no later than 7 business days before the event.

Houston Retail & Mixed-Use News & Projects

Venue

The Westin, Memorial City
945 Gessner Road
Houston, TX 77024

Ballroom: 2nd Floor, Magnolia Ballroom & Pre-Function


On-Site Parking Daily: $26
Valet Daily: $36

Get Directions

Agenda

Time Activity
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
Breakfast and Networking
2:00 PM
2:45 PM
Retail Deep Dive

Market Insights, Trends And Opportunities

2:45 PM
3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
Houston Mixed-Use

Placemaking & Tenant Mix Strategies

3:45 PM
4:15 PM
Closing Networking

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