Opening Keynote Session: The Transformation of the City of Mesquite

A case study on how the city is developing for both new and current residents

• 

  Mehrdad Moayedi

  Mehrdad Moayedi has been a fixture in the construction and development business for more than 40 years, observing the real estate and market trends of North Texas to consistently drive business success. In 1990, he established Centurion American Custom Homes and has taken on executive duties as president and CEO of Centurion American Development Group. Centurion works closely with cities, investors, community members and key stakeholders to engage in real estate projects covering all areas of development spanning residential master-planned communities, commercial properties, mixed-use projects, and hospitality assets. More than 200,000 lots have been developed spanning approximately 75,000 acres in more than 300 premier developments since its inception. Under Moayedi’s leadership, Centurion American was recently awarded “Best Real Estate Deal of 2024” by the Dallas Business Journal for the company’s largest development to date, Legacy Hills in Celina, TX. A host of other local, regional, and national accolades have been given over the years for notable projects, community involvement and leadership in the industry. Moayedi himself has received the John Harbin Visionary Award for his dedication and impact in Tarrant and Denton counties. A few notable current developments are: · City Point in North Richland Hills, TX · Legacy Hills in Celina, TX · Collin Creek Mall re-development in Plano, TX · Platinum Ranch in Gunter, TX · The Statler Hotel and residences in downtown Dallas, TX In addition to his achievements, Moayedi is very active in giving back, underwriting several local charities that touch lives and benefit our communities. Over the years, he’s been a proud supporter of many community partners and associations across the state of Texas.

  Centurion American Dev Group

  President and CEO

  Mehrdad Moayedi

  President and CEO

  Centurion American Dev Group

• 

  Phillip Huffines

  Creating an organization built on integrity, professionalism, and attention to detail, Phillip Huffines has worked tirelessly to create a legacy that will be spoken about for years to come. Continuing a practice of three generations of business and community work in the Dallas area, Phillip and his twin brother, Co-Owner Donald, have developed their Land Development and Land Investing legacy by creating superior master planned communities and multifamily community living styles. The firm has developed over 15,000 single family homesites, 2,800 multifamily units in the DFW metroplex, and invested in thousands of acres of land. The Huffines name has become widely esteemed within the industry and the State of Texas. Huffines Communities has assembled over 100 limited partnerships, created hundreds of jobs in North Texas, and generated billions in asset values. In 2021 alone, Huffines Communities invested over $120 MM in land. Phillip has established an unblemished reputation of high integrity. He brings to every project undaunted enthusiasm, a commitment to excellence, and an unwavering dedication to success for everyone involved. He has been married to Holly Hartwell for more than 36 years; they have three adult children, Haley, Hayden, and Garrett. Phillip graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981 with a BBA in Petroleum Land Management. Phillip enjoys exercising, skiing, biking, hunting, and mountain climbing. He is passionate about teaching business classes at local high schools as a volunteer with Junior Achievement, where he serves on the Board.

  Huffines Communities

  Co-Founder, Co-Owner

  Phillip Huffines

  Co-Founder, Co-Owner

  Huffines Communities

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  Sean Terry

  Sean Terry, Vice President of Entitlements, has been deeply involved in the North Texas community since moving to the area after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1995. A former member of the Texas A&M Aggies football team, he was named a team captain during his senior year. In 2013, Terry began his tenure as mayor of Celina and was re-elected to his first full term in 2014, serving until 2023. A sixth-generation Collin County resident, Terry lives in Celina with his wife, Angie, and their children, Kylee and Kade.

  Centurion American

  VP, Entitlements

  Sean Terry

  VP, Entitlements

  Centurion American

• 

  Kim Buttram

  Kim Buttram is a native of Dallas, Texas, working to help build community through economic development on the east side of the metroplex since 2007. As the Director of Economic Development for the City of Mesquite, she represents the city in commercial land development, retail and business attraction, strategic relationships, redevelopment, and tourism initiatives. Kim is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a Certified Economic Developer, a credential held by about 25% of members of the International Economic Development Council. She has served on the editorial board of the North Texas Commission (NTX), is a Leadership North Texas alumnus, and has led several North Texas cities in award-winning development efforts recognized by organizations such as the Texas Downtown Association, National Main Street, the Texas Economic Development Council, and most recently the Dallas Business Journal BRED 2024 Industrial User of the year award. Kim and team are having fun ushering new businesses into the North Texas region by working with partners to maximize Mesquite’s renaissance. She loves representing Mesquite as a long-standing, tried-and-true Texas hotspot for can-do spirited business and innovation (Mesquite built the first ever air-conditioned indoor mall in the U.S., established the first to be globally broadcast rodeo, has its own high school student-run radio station, and more she’ll gladly tell you about). The most enjoyable and impactful aspect of her job is finding the “why” for each person on a project and then blazing the trail to the collaborative finish line. She and her husband have four grown children and ten grandchildren, raise chickens and bees, and have a new puppy because they just weren’t busy enough already.

  City of Mesquite

  Director of Economic Development

  Moderator

  Kim Buttram

  Director of Economic Development

  City of Mesquite

Mastering the Master Planned Communities

With DFW an opportune place to build master planned communities, how are developers thinking about creating the optimal community for future demands and needs?

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  Fred Balda

  President of Hillwood Communities since 1992, Fred Balda provides strategic leadership and oversight of operations and performance, including acquisitions, design and development. Fred has played an active role in the development of more than 100 single-family master-planned communities across 13 states and two countries. Continually responding to everchanging homebuyer demands and market opportunities, Fred is focused on creating vibrant, innovative communities. His philosophy is simple: “Do right by the people and the planet. The rest will take care of itself.” And the result is consistent: placemaking that inspires a sense of belonging and creates enduring value for homeowners and other stakeholders. Fred’s real estate career began at Trammell Crow. He joined Hillwood Communities after a successful stint at ClubCorp. A proud graduate of Texas A&M University, Fred holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. He is passionate about sharing his industry insights and expertise through his role as a member of the Mays Business School Master of Real Estate Advisory Board at Texas A&M and his involvement with industry organizations such as the Urban Land Institute and Dallas Builders Association. His leadership and accomplishments have been recognized by D Magazine, Dallas Business Journal and with a Distinguished Graduate Award from the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M.

  Hillwood Communities

  President

  Fred Balda

  President

  Hillwood Communities

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  Craig Martin

  Craig Martin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tellus Group LLC, has had an exceptional track record of success over the last 40 years in the real estate industry with his focus on investing in and developing land and recapitalizing opportunistic and value add real estate assets. Craig’s leadership at Tellus Group has built an extraordinary team with decades of community development experience that combines exceptional financial expertise for targeting and recapitalizing Tier 1 opportunistic real estate. The company’s unique combination of talents affords Tellus Group a much better opportunity to achieve extraordinary risk-adjusted returns for our investors compared to other sponsors managed primarily by financial professionals. Prior to forming Tellus Group, Craig was the founder of Terra Verde Group and also the managing partner of several successful large land development partnerships, as well as golf and ski resort developments. Craig also spent seven years as a senior member of Robert M. Bass Realty of Fort Worth, Texas. At RMB Realty, Craig was active in the underwriting analysis, acquisition, and management of primarily large land development transactions and directed a best-of-class team of outside consultants. Other past professional accomplishments include serving as managing director of the Landmark Golf Company of Indian Wells, California and managing general partner of the Angel Fire Ski and Golf Resort in New Mexico. Craig began his career as a real estate investment broker for the Staubach Company of Dallas while studying real estate and finance at the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Craig is an active full member of the Urban Land Institute and currently serves on the Community Development Council – blue flight, and is an active member of the Dallas and National Home Builders Associations. Craig is the past Chapter Chairman of the YPO Gold Dallas Chapter (2016-2017). Craig has also served for seven years on the board of trustees of Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, consistently ranked #1 in the 5A Division of TAPPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools).

  Tellus Group

  Founder & CEO

  Craig Martin

  Founder & CEO

  Tellus Group

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  Peter Pincoffs

  eter Pincoffs is a Founder of PMB Capital Investments. Peter is responsible for strategic leadership, investor relations, business development and business planning. Founded in 2013, PMB owns or controls approximately 12,000 acres across DFW. PMB is a housing focused developer, both for sale and for rent. The company also develops significant commercial tracts that are incorporated into several projects. Prior to founding PMB, Peter was a Director in the Southwest Region at Hines. Peter holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Real Estate Finance and Construction Management from the University of Denver.

  PMB Capital

  Partner

  Peter Pincoffs

  Partner

  PMB Capital

• 

  John Delin

  Managing Principal, CEO, Overseas Acquisition & Development activities for Ladera Active Adult. Integrity was formed in 2008 to assemble both its Residential and Commercial businesses under one organization. In 2011 Integrity, under the Ladera Active Adult brand, started its first For Sale Community in DFW. The project, selling 115 homes in 26 months, demonstrated Integrity’s unique ability to identify niche marketplace demands and pursue such. Integrity has completed 4 Ladera Communities and is actively engaged in 7 other Ladera Active Adult communities across the Metroplex. Today the Ladera Active Adult brand in DFW represents the most communities and options for the single-family, active adult community market. Integrity manages every aspect of the Ladera processes from acquisition, financing, development, vertical construction, and warranty. John has spent the last 15 years transforming Integrity Group from a small, family-owned company, into a full-service real estate development and building company with an active pipeline of over $500 million dollars in projects. As a lifelong resident of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, John has over 35 years of extensive knowledge and development experience working in the DFW and surrounding markets. He and his wife reside north of Justin, TX and he serves on the boards of Sower of Seeds Ministries International and the Metroport Chamber of Commerce.

  Integrity Group / Ladera Active Adult Communities

  CEO, Ladera Living, 55+ Communities

  John Delin

  CEO, Ladera Living, 55+ Communities

  Integrity Group / Ladera Active Adult Communities

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  Kenton Miersma

  Kenton is a Principal at LandDesign and leader in the Dallas office, playing an integral role in growing the firm’s master planned community portfolio both locally and nationally. He works with some of the nation’s leading developers to deliver resilient communities and future-oriented housing solutions that fit the vision and story of a place, while constantly striving to elevate the lifestyle and amenities associated with living in a well-planned neighborhood, town or city. Kenton helps champion the firm’s position as a leader in master planning services and leads a team that delivers high caliber community development projects.

  LandDesign

  Principal

  Kenton Miersma

  Principal

  LandDesign

• 

  Robert Fondren

  Robert Fondren serves as Director, Business Development for Centric Infrastructure Group. Robert focuses on the company’s strategic growth initiatives and the management of developer & builder relationships. In line with the company’s strategic vision to provide safe, reliable, and economical natural gas utility and fiber internet services to end-users, he actively works to leverage the company’s existing and new assets. Prior to joining Centric Infrastructure, Mr. Fondren worked as a Petroleum Engineer in upstream oil and gas, where he executed over $500MM in completions and production capital projects. Mr. Fondren holds a Master of Business Administration from Rice University and a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Fondren resides in Austin, and outside of work, he enjoys sharing his passion for Jesus, outdoor conservation & activities, golf, and flying drones with his family and friends. He is an active board member of The Fondren Foundation, where he seeks opportunities to support Texas non-profits in education, faith, and health & human services.

  Centric Infrastructure Group

  Director, Business Development

  Moderator

  Robert Fondren

  Director, Business Development

  Centric Infrastructure Group

Demand for Build-to-Rent and the Changing Housing Landscape

In an environment of low affordability, rising interest rates and inflation, will build-to-rent remain in high demand for both consumers and investors?

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  Dustin Davidson

  Dustin Davidson was the Managing Director on the Hines Land Development platform for over 7 years since starting with Hines in 2012. Dustin was overseeing the Lot and Single-Family Rental ("SFR") Development Business in Dallas-Fort Worth ("DFW") and Central Texas. Under his leadership starting in 2018, Hines' DFW land platform, from new acquisitions and existing assets, grew from ~900 lots to over 20,000 in under five years. Dustin successfully oversaw one of the largest master planned community transactions when Hines sold 11 communities to Starwood land in April 2025.

  Axim Partners

  Founding Partner

  Dustin Davidson

  Founding Partner

  Axim Partners

• 

  Ting Qiao

  Ting Qiao has played a key role in transforming the face of real estate across the state of Texas, disrupting residential community development and redefining what the term “home” means. Founded by Ting in 2016, Wan Bridge is now a leading operator of build-to-rent communities in Texas, with offices and projects throughout the Houston, DFW, and surrounding Austin areas. Ting believes in a leadership style that focuses on treating people with respect and giving them the support to “work hard, have fun and make a lot of money” while emphasizing the importance of innovation, technology, and team culture. Ting has been recognized as an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist for the past three years and several Houston Business Journal awards including 2022 Most Admired CEO. Under Ting’s guidance, Wan Bridge has been extended the recognition of many awards including the 2022 TAB Star Award, the 2022 Landmark Award, the 2022 The Fire Award, the 2021 Innovation Award, and Best Places to Work.

  Wan Bridge

  President & CEO

  Ting Qiao

  President & CEO

  Wan Bridge

• 

  Cyrus Zadeh

  Cyrus Zadeh is a second-generation real estate developer from Dallas, Texas. As a partner, he is actively involved in all day-to-day operations of Camden Homes and is one of the founding members of CooperZadeh, a single- family production builder that has organically grown to become an asset management company that invests in single family rentals, notes, commercial office space, and lot development. Cyrus received a B.A. in Political Science from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, an MBA from the University of Denver in Colorado, and received an AMDP in Real Estate from Harvard University.

  Camden Homes

  CEO

  Cyrus Zadeh

  CEO

  Camden Homes

• 

  Bruce McNeilage

  Bruce W. McNeilage brings more than 31 years of financial and real estate investment experience to his role as CEO of Kinloch Partners. In the past 12 years, he has invested in hundreds of properties throughout Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. McNeilage has also been an owner and developer of several multi-family residential and condominium communities. Prior to launching Kinloch Partners, McNeilage was a partner in both Harpeth Development and DEL Real Estate. In 2005 he was an early pioneer of what is now commonly referred to as the "Build to Rent" industry and started building and acquiring brand new rental houses in Spring Hill, Tennessee growing the business throughout the Nashville MSA, as well as key markets throughout the Southeast United States. McNeilage holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics (BS) from Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida, and serves on the National Board of Directors of the Florida State University Alumni Association. He is also a Chartered Financial Consultant. McNeilage is a member of the Homebuilders Association of Middle Tennessee and is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Think Realty magazine. He is a resident of Brentwood,TN is married to Melanie McNeilage and is a father of three.

  Kinloch Partners

  CEO & Co-Founder

  Bruce McNeilage

  CEO & Co-Founder

  Kinloch Partners

• 

  Tina Firgens

  Tina Firgens has over 27 years of planning experience working for municipalities in Texas, including Denton, Farmers Branch, Richardson, Plano, McKinney and Victoria. Her professional experience includes being a planning director for both large and small cities, project management for enhancement/redevelopment areas, managing the review and processing of development projects and zoning applications, administering long range planning and historic preservation programs, and providing recommendations to elected and appointed officials regarding various planning related projects. She received her bachelor’s degree from Southwest Texas State University (present day Texas State University), and has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners since 2004. Ms. Firgens is currently the Deputy Director of Development Services/Planning Director for the City of Denton.

  City of Denton

  Deputy Director of Dev. Services/Planning Diretor

  Tina Firgens

  Deputy Director of Dev. Services/Planning Diretor

  City of Denton

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  Felipe Castillo

  Mr. Castillo has over 22-years of experience in commercial real estate and development with another 9-years in architecture. He is also an Architect and a U.S. Army Veteran, plus, holds both a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Architecture degrees from Texas Tech University. Throughout Mr. Castillo’s real estate development career, he has led real estate development efforts for multiple build-to-rent, multifamily, and high-rise mixed-use development projects, moreover, he has personally managed over 29+ zoning cases for multiple development projects across the United States. Before coming to PlaceMKR, Mr. Castillo was the Managing Director for Urban Moment, a Build-to-rent/Single-family-to-rent Texas based development firm with over a $1BN in equity allocated toward BTR/SFR developments. He led the company’s corporate development, partnership, and acquisition strategy. During and prior to his period with Urban Moment, he has been working on BTR/SFR and multifamily development efforts for several years, with numerous communities developed and/or breaking ground. He has an extensive understanding of the BTR/SFR development process and has a versatile background which understands real estate development from multiple points-of-view. Prior to Urban Moment, Mr. Castillo was the Chief Operating Officer for De La Vega Capital and led the company’s strategy and growth with an emphasis on De La Vega’s national real estate development efforts. Prior to De La Vega, Mr. Castillo was the Senior Vice President for HALL Group and lead the development efforts for HALL; he oversaw real estate endeavors, entitlements, design, and financial oversight for all new ground-up development projects for Dallas, Frisco, and Napa.

  PlaceMKR

  Partner

  Felipe Castillo

  Partner

  PlaceMKR

• Moderator

  Steve Robinson

  Partner

  ABHR

Opening Remarks

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  Scott Davis

  Scott Davis is the President of Location Strategy, LLC, a real estate strategy and consulting company. Previously, Scott introduced Zonda to the Texas markets for Meyers Research, and was the Houston Regional Director for Metrostudy. Scott was a top producer locally and regionally CBRE, received the “Land Deal of the Year” award from the Houston Business Journal, and has written two books on how the Millennial generation changed the workplace and faith communities. Scott is a graduate of the University of Texas and is a licensed Texas real estate broker. He has two daughters in high school and volunteers as an assistant debate coach at St. Agnes Academy in Houston. Headshot: attached

  Location Strategy

  President

  Scott Davis

  President

  Location Strategy