Market Trends and Strategies in Office

Adapting to a Changing Landscape

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  Brad Maples

  Brad Maples is the Market Leader and Managing Director for TCC's Austin office, which develops throughout Central Texas. Brad is responsible for the execution of all development and acquisition projects, the sourcing of new business pursuits, and oversees the finance and overall day-to-day operations of the office. Maples joined TCC in 2005 as a development manager, transitioned to a Senior Associate role in 2011, was promoted to Principal in 2017 and became Managing Director and Market Leader in 2020. Since 2011, Brad has been directly involved in every completed and in-process project in the Austin office, totaling 12 million square feet of developments valued at more than $5 billion. During his career, Brad has been responsible for every aspect of the development process on projects spanning multiple product types, including office, industrial, multi-family, and mixed-use developments throughout Central Texas. Maples is a board member for The Trail Foundation and the Downtown Austin Alliance. He also serves as a member for the Real Estate Council of Austin and Urban Land Institute where he serves as a mentor to the Young Leaders Group. He earned his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and his undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University.

  Trammell Crow Company

  Austin Market Leader

  601 West 2nd Street

  Brad Maples

  Austin Market Leader

  Trammell Crow Company

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  Brooke Harlander

  Brooke Harlander is Regional Partner for St. John Properties, Inc., and oversees all development activities for the company’s Texas office. St. John Properties is one of the largest privately-held commercial real estate developers in the nation. They manage site selection, acquisitions, development, design, construction, leasing, marketing, financing, and property management, all in-house. St. John Properties has developed, constructed and owns more than 22 million square feet of office, flex/research & development, retail, and warehouse space. In 2020, Harlander was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Maryland Daily Record for her leadership and commitment to community service. She earned a degree in Law & American Civilization from Towson University, and a Masters in Real Estate and Infrastructure from Johns Hopkins University. Harlander is a member of NAIOP, the Urban Land Institute and the Real Estate Council of Austin, and currently serves on the Real Estate Alumni Network board for the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

  St. John Properties

  Regional Partner

  Northline

  Brooke Harlander

  Regional Partner

  St. John Properties

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  Colin Rosenbaum

  Colin Rosenbaum is a Senior Director on the Americas Direct Commercial Acquisitions team. In this role, he is the lead responsible for sourcing, underwriting, negotiating, due diligence and closing of commercial investments across the firm’s various Direct funds and separate accounts for the southern United States. Prior to joining CBRE Investment Management, Colin, who is based in Dallas, was Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for Regent Properties, where he led acquisitions across the South and co-led the Dallas corporate office. Prior to that, he served as a Managing Director at Parkway Properties, a diversified real estate investment firm, where he was responsible for acquisitions, dispositions and capital markets activities across the Sunbelt. Colin brings a track record of more than 15 years of diverse experience in institutional real estate investment management and development and has successfully completed more than $10 billion in transactions across sectors and risk/return profiles during his career. Colin earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, Cum Laude, in Real Estate Development from the City University of New York, Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business.

  CBRE

  Senior Director

  Colin Rosenbaum

  Senior Director

  CBRE

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  Connor Greissing

  Founder

  Brick Row

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  Dewitt Peart

  Dewitt (De) Peart leads the DAA team in fulfilling its mission of preserving and enhancing the value and vitality of downtown Austin. De became the President and CEO of the Downtown Austin Alliance in February 2015. He guides the DAA’s vision and strategy, supervises staff and ensures the organization’s fiscal health. He also leads its advocacy efforts, acting as head liaison to the DAA board of directors and informing public officials and the community of our priorities. Prior to taking the helm at the DAA, De served as executive vice president, economic development and public affairs at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and is president of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) and president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce – both affiliates of the Allegheny Conference. The PRA markets the benefits of conducting business in southwestern Pennsylvania to companies worldwide that are growing, relocating or expanding and supports the growth of existing employers in the Pittsburgh region.

  Downtown Austin Alliance

  CEO

  Dewitt Peart

  CEO

  Downtown Austin Alliance

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  Alex Taghi

  Alex Taghi, as Director for Franklin Street's Office Occupier Services Team in Austin, stands as a trusted partner in the commercial real estate realm. Taghi's tenure has recorded over two million square feet of office acquisition and disposition assignments across multiple markets. Starting his career with Cushman & Wakefield, his clientele includes prominent oil & gas companies, large publicly traded corporations as well as venture backed technology outfits. Alex continues to be deeply entrenched in the Texas community as a member of several boards and commercial real estate brokerage organizations. He previously led the Austin office tenant representation team for Partners, a Texas-based brokerage firm, prior to helming Franklin Street’s occupier services division in Central Texas.

  Franklin Street

  Director

  Alex Taghi

  Director

  Franklin Street

• Moderator

  Ryan Kasten

  SMD, Central Texas

  CBRE

Beyond the Workspace

Amenities and Features that Drive Employee Engagement

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  Peter Narvarte

  I primarily manage the execution of the design and construction process for the commercial development team for Hines in central Texas. I also provide support for the Region’s development teams across platforms for entitlements, budgets, permits, and schedules in the Central Texas region. I have managed more than $2 Billion of projects in my career ranging from heavy industrial, heavy highway, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and commercial office from west coast to the east coast and everywhere in between. Those projects have ranged in value from less than $1 Million to more than $300 Million. I have executed projects for Hines as the Design Manager, Development Manager, and Construction Manager roles for a range of Projects. My years in the General Contracting role for more than 20 years has provided valuable experience, specifically suited to manage this range of projects for Hines. The most recent project I completed for Hines was the award-winning T3 mass timber mixed use project on the east side of Austin in the Plaza Saltillo area. I have credentials with the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) and LEED Legacy. In the 2000’s I spent much of my time executing under Design-Build Contracts and in 2010, I spent approximately 3 years as the DBIA President for the Austin Region. In my spare time I spend my available hours supporting my family’s various pursuits in sports, art, and travel. Some of that time (less than we would like) is spent donating time to Austin Capitol Food Bank and Meals on Wheels. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 as a Structural Engineer. While at UT I also played soccer for the men’s program which won one of their 3 national championships in 1995-96 during my senior year. After graduation I chose to go directly into Construction Management instead of practice engineering and stayed at the UT men’s soccer program as an assistant coach. I also played semi-pro soccer for a brief time while working and tried to play professionally (when the MLS first started) only to realize quickly that I needed to work for a living!

  Hines

  VP, Construction

  T3 Eastside

  Peter Narvarte

  VP, Construction

  Hines

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  Carl Condon

  With more than 23 years experience, Mr. Condon has been involved with lease transactions totaling more than 2.6 million square feet on behalf of leading corporations and local organizations. Clients include RSM, Yodle, Sente Mortgage and Pirkey Barber PLLC. Mr. Condon is tireless in his commitment to his clients’ best interests and has landed in the Austin Business Journal noteworthy “Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter” list. He has also been recognized as one of the market’s top brokers for office lease transactions, as ranked by the Costar Group. Mr. Condon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and is an active member of the SIOR - Society of Industrial and Office Realtors®. This prestigious designation is recognized throughout the industry for denoting the most well-studied, capable, ethical and experienced brokerage practitioners. In the community, he is a member of the Commercial Brokers Association (CBA), the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce (SACC), and has served on numerous committees for the First Tee of Greater Austin.

  Avison Young

  Principal

  Carl Condon

  Principal

  Avison Young

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  Blair Nelson

  Blair Nelson has spent the last decade of her career as a commercial office landlord representative. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin, Blair spent 7 years working for Transwestern, a full service third party commercial real estate firm, splitting her time between Austin and Dallas. In 2015, Blair delightedly moved back to Austin to join her current company, Brandywine Realty Trust. Brandywine is a publically traded REIT headquartered in Philadelphia with Austin being one of its three focus markets. Brandywine is one of the largest landlords in Austin owning 2.7 M existing SF with 6.8 M either under development or under construction. Blair is active with The Junior League of Austin, Andy Roddick Foundation Leadership Council, Urban Land Institute, Real Estate Council of Austin and the Commercial Brokers Association. In 2016, she earned the designation of the Austin Business Journal’s #1 commercial landlord leasing representative and is currently nominated for the 2018 Austin Under 40 awards in the real estate category. Blair’s favorite hobbies are traveling, exercising and movie going with her husband, Will, and loving on her zoo consisting of a golden retriever, Labrador, two dachshunds and a ragdoll cat.

  Brandywine Realty Trust

  Leasing Representative

  One Uptown

  Blair Nelson

  Leasing Representative

  Brandywine Realty Trust

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  Nena Martin

  As an Interior Design Leader at DLR Group, Nena Martin guides teams and collaborates with clients by creating transformative spaces through our integrated design process. By aligning with clients, she works hand-in-hand to deliver environments that are shaped by their policies, work patterns, and culture. Her passion for design goes beyond planning and aesthetics; she strives to make a positive impact on society, fostering sustainability and promoting holistic wellbeing.

  DLR Group

  Principal & Interior Design Leader

  Nena Martin

  Principal & Interior Design Leader

  DLR Group

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  Jennifer Seay

  Jennifer is the Founder and CEO of Art + Artisans. She has helped clients create meaningful, impactful spaces for the past 22 years. Jennifer is passionate about helping her clients succeed and showing them how art can be part of the strategy to achieve their vision and attract their ideal market. She believes that art creates spaces with unique identities that people love and want to visit again and again, bringing countless positive experiences that inspire and build community. Jennifer views her primary role today as Chief Relationship Builder both with clients and within her team. Jennifer has built a culture at A+A deeply rooted in delivering excellence in both client service and quality of work delivered. Developing and nurturing trust with clients, team members, artists and vendors is what has enabled Art + Artisans’ success for 22 years. Jennifer has led many large commercial projects across the country with clients who understand the importance integrating art to tell a story, convey their brand, build community, and engage people. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and has lived in Austin for over 30 years. She has served on the Executive Board of CREW Austin and as a Guardian Angel for the Center for Child Protection. In 2018, she was a nominee for the Austin Business Journal's Profiles in Power, a finalist for the Austin Business Journal's CEO of the Year in 2019, and a Bisnow honoree for Women Leading Austin Real Estate in 2024.

  Art + Artisans

  Founder & CEO

  Jennifer Seay

  Founder & CEO

  Art + Artisans

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  Nathan Wilcox

  Nathan leads our design team in Austin. He serves as our regional architectural business development lead and manages the architects and designers on our day-to-day work. He is an ideator, problem solver and questioner of the default – all great qualities his team and our clients want and respect in an architect. A typical day for Nathan, who joined Beck in 2021, involves discussions with clients and meetings with his team to review projects and planning studies. He brings a great perspective to our firm, and his diverse portfolio includes commercial office, hospitality, interiors, multi-family, mixed-use, health care, and higher ed projects. Nathan has over two decades of experience in architecture and design. He earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma and spent time studying his craft in Germany. Outside of Beck, Nathan is involved in several professional organizations, including the Urban Land Institute, the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Real Estate Council of Austin, NAIOP, and the Society of Marketing Professionals. He also contributes his time to Mobile Loaves and Fishes.

  Beck Architecture

  Principal

  Nathan Wilcox

  Principal

  Beck Architecture

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  Amy Lopez

  Amy Lopez is an Executive Vice President for McCoy Rockford Commercial Interiors with responsibilities in the Houston and Austin markets. In her 10 years with the company, she has focused on growing the business by leading in several areas including Brand Experience Team, Furniture Design Team, Healthcare/Life Science Market Sector and most recently the founder of the Idea Collider. Amy has 30 years of experience in architecture/design and is a licensed interior designer in the state of Texas. Prior to joining McCoy Rockford, she was a designer and principal at WHR Architects for 17 years and then spent 3 years with SSR (MEP Engineers) as a Studio Leader and principal. She is very active in professional organizations and has held national leadership positions with IIDA, AAHID and Women in Healthcare as well as serving in the local community as a Board Member and Board President for Fort Bent Women’s Center. Amy has a passion for inspiring new ideas and building strategies that provide a strong foundation for growth and inspiration.

  McCoy Rockford Commercial Interiors

  Executive Vice President

  Moderator

  Amy Lopez

  Executive Vice President

  McCoy Rockford Commercial Interiors