Wade Bowlin has joined Lee & Associates — Houston as executive vice president, the company announced Wednesday.

Bowlin was most recently principal and managing director at Avison Young, where he came to lead the Houston office through its partial merger with Madison Marquette in 2022.

Prior to Madison Marquette, Bowlin was with Houston-based PM Realty Group, which Madison Marquette acquired in 2018. He has represented landlords in significant office deals, including a 259K SF lease for Shell in Downtown Houston.

At Lee & Associates, Bowlin will help expand the firm’s office leasing platform, advise landlords and developers, and focus on business development and mentorship for the brokerage team.

Lee & Associates says it is the biggest broker-owned brokerage in North America. Lee & Associates — Houston was founded in 2015 and today has a staff of nearly 90, according to its website.

“I’m excited to join Lee & Associates during a period of strong momentum for the firm,” Bowlin said in a news release. “The company’s entrepreneurial culture, national reach, and collaborative structure create an ideal platform to deliver exceptional results for clients.”

The staff addition comes amid Lee & Associates — Houston’s expansion across its office, industrial, land and investment advisory services, according to the release.

“We are thrilled to welcome Wade to our team,” Lee & Associates – Houston Managing Principal Chris Lewis said in the release. “His deep market knowledge, strong client relationships, and proven leadership in office landlord representation align perfectly with our continued growth strategy in Houston.”

Bowlin’s move comes amid a flurry of market head changes in Houston commercial real estate brokerages. JLL and Transwestern named their respective successors for Dan Bellow and Kevin Roberts, who are transitioning to new roles this year.

CBRE announced last week that Russell Hodges is stepping into its market leadership role for the Texas and Louisiana region, replacing Peter Mainguy. Days later, Partners Real Estate announced it had hired Mainguy.

CORRECTION, DEC. 4, 2:59 P.M. CT: This article has been updated to correct the status of the market heads at JLL and Transwestern. 

CORRECTION, DEC. 5, 9:21 A.M. CT: This article has been updated to correct Wade Bowlin's new title.