HPI added a top tenant rep from the local branch of a commercial real estate institution as the firm continues its expansion in Dallas-Fort Worth.

After nearly 20 years with Cushman & Wakefield, Robbie Baty has joined the Austin-based full-service real estate firm to launch its new Dallas tenant advisory group. HPI’s assets under management have grown exponentially in Dallas over the last five years, and Baty said that momentum makes this the right time to launch his new team.

“When I look at the growth trajectory of Dallas, and the abundance of companies based in North Texas, I see a region that’s ready for additional, locally based tenant representation companies,” Baty said in a statement. “HPI already has the platform in place to help us to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact in the market.”

HPI partner Hunter Lee said Baty is a deeply respected industry vet who embodies the firm's “competitive, client-first mindset.”

Baty spent the last five years as Cushman & Wakefield's tenant representation leader for its Dallas office and was promoted to vice chairman in late 2022.

During his time as Cushman’s tenant rep leader, Baty represented tenants in nearly 9M SF of transactions. The biggest of those was representing Santander Consumer USA when it renewed its more than 211K SF headquarters lease in 2024. That was one of Downtown Dallas’ biggest office leases of the past five years.

The addition of Baty comes one year after HPI hired former University of Texas and NFL quarterback Colt McCoy to launch its Fort Worth office. McCoy has worked to build a full-service platform in the city, from third-party leasing and management to development and acquisition.

And just like McCoy built out his team with the addition of pros like JLL vet Matt Montague as executive managing director, Baty aims to hire up to a dozen producers for each of the office and industrial tenant representation teams he will oversee.

“My focus is serving clients – I’m dedicated to building a team of professionals who will deliver the best client experience and outcomes possible,” Baty said. “It is also important to me that HPI is a Texas-based company. This is my home, and I firmly believe local companies want to work with local groups like HPI.”

Baty also plans to incorporate data center representation into his team’s long-term strategy, as he said there is a significant opportunity in the asset class.

Google in November announced a $40B investment in Texas data center development that will grow its footprint in the region. And the high-profile Stargate data center backed by Oracle, OpenAI and SoftBank is also slated to be constructed in Abilene.