Meet Matt Arends, Market Analyst and new HLC Team Member!
Matt Arends joined Holt Lunsford Commercial in 2023 and serves as a Market Analyst on the Office Tenant Rep team. Matt is responsible for executing transactions on office properties in the DFW metroplex.
Matt grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago. While college hunting, he visited Oklahoma State University and fell in love with their campus and brand-new business school. While at OSU, Matt started his own fraternity and was a member of the Marketing Club. He graduated with a BSBA in Management and minor in Human Resources and Psychology.
Prior to HLC, Matt was an intern with Bloomfield Homes where he gained experience in residential home sales and project management.
What brought you to HLC?
During my time as a residential real estate intern, I realized I wanted to explore commercial real estate. I dove deep into networking for the next 9 months and met with several commercial real estate companies. Between all my options, it was clear that HLC was the best. HLC aligns with my goals of wanting to build a foundation of real estate knowledge while encouraging entrepreneurship.
How do you hope to grow at HLC?
I want to gain a foundation of real estate knowledge, practice my sales skills, and build a strong network.
What about your role at HLC most excites or interests you?
I think it’s super exciting to have to go out and prove myself every day. That is what drives me to do better in my role.
Which HLC value resonates the most with you and why?
I think integrity is valuable, especially as you grow in your career.
What three words would you use to describe the HLC culture?
Integrity, trust, and respect.
If you could tell one person “thank you” for helping me become the person you are today, who would it be and why?
My college roommate, Sam. We talked a lot about what we’re going through professionally and in college. We talked about how our job search was coming and where we wanted to be in ten years. He helped me discover a lot about what I wanted to do moving forward.
Who or what inspires you?
What inspires me is creativity. Discovering new things.
What are three interesting things about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume?
My favorite genre of music is 70s yacht rock, I’ve never been to six flags, and I’m red/green colorblindness.
How do you define success?
I define success as a happy balance between working hard and being fulfilled.
How do you like to spend your free time?
Athletic challenges, building things and relaxing with my friends.
Where is the furthest you’ve traveled?
Italy
If you were the CEO of a company name one thing you would make mandatory in the office and one thing you would ban.
Mandatory would be some sort of team building experience. Sports or leisure, maybe going on a boat. I think it’s super important to have those experiences with coworkers outside of work hours. I would want to encourage that. There is nothing I would ban.
Favorite quote?
“The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” – Rabindranath Tagore
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Pistachio
What character would you be in a book, movie or TV show?
Batman, just because he was my favorite superhero growing up
What’s the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it?
Whiplash with J.K. Simmons and Miles Teller. It’s one of my favorite movies and I was showing it to a friend for the first time.
What was the last gift you gave someone?
My grandpa gave me a cigar box when I was little that I would put knick knacks and important things in. Because it was so special to me, I gave an empty cigar box as a graduation gift to my friends as a place to hold their treasures.
If you could steal credit for any great piece of art, song, film or book, which one would you claim?
Any Led Zeppelin album.
If you had to choose, what would your last meal be? No limits.
The Bolognese from Davio’s Italian Steakhouse with one of their bread popovers. Then a filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and hollandaise sauce.
Welcome to HLC, Matt; we are glad you are here!
