Holt Lunsford Commercial (HLC) is focused on growing its team of 150+ talented professionals and expanding its footprint in Houston. A leading commercial real estate provider in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, HLC oversees 77 million square feet of office and industrial product for private and institutional owners.
“Houston has our focused attention,” stated Holt Lunsford, HLC Founder and CEO. “We are adding significant personnel in support of our new Houston Office initiative and bolstering our Industrial business as well. Both Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth have plenty of growth opportunities, but our leadership team sees tremendous value in building our Houston operations to emulate the strength and brand that we have developed in DFW.”
HLC has announced the following recent team promotions and additions:
- Hutton Lunsford, Managing Principal, named Chief Investment Officer
- Jim Brice, Partner, now tasked to implement a new Industrial Big Box Development Initiative
- Scott Moore and Holden Lunsford both named Managing Partner
- Tyler Howarth hired as Managing Principal – Tenant Representation
- John Dickenson named Managing Principal – Dallas Office Leasing
- Craig Bean and Brandon Avedikian both promoted to Managing Principal in Houston
- James Engels promoted to Senior Vice President – Dallas Office Leasing
- Justin Gallagher hired as Vice President of Acquisitions
“We strive to continually hire best-in-class talent,” said Lunsford. “Our financial health allows us to make strategic investments in talent, and our flat corporate structure enables us to train our people and operate efficiently. Our leadership team aims to build up our people, and then empower them to build our business.”
“We’re always hiring, because you never know when the best talent will come along,” he added. “We are seeking people with the desire to invest in themselves. That is the simple foundational concept that collectively drives our corporate growth.”
Below are further details on the personnel changes.
- Hutton Lunsford, Managing Principal, named Chief Investment Officer. Hutton joined HLC roughly 14 months ago as the Managing Principal of the investment platform. He now oversees the development and implementation of investment strategies and initiatives.
- Jim Brice, Partner, now tasked to implement a new Industrial Big Box Development Initiative. This effort is focused on large buildings of at least 400K SF. The development strategy will secure large land sites to serve as great locations for large industrial users, and then develop functional buildings on a speculative basis.
“Jim was our first employee in 1994 and was instrumental in the firm’s growth and success,” explained Lunsford. “He is considered by many to be the best industrial real estate professional in DFW. We are excited that our most senior industrial broker is now focused solely on developing large buildings, a strategy that will serve our clients well and which he is uniquely and overly capable of directing.”
- Scott Moore and Holden Lunsford both named Managing Partner. They will focus on growth, operational, and cultural initiatives, plus standardization for the service company. Moore joined HLC in 2003 and was named Managing Principal of Management Services in 2009, Executive VP in 2014, and has served as COO since 2014. He was critical to HLC’s growth from approximately 12M SF in 2003 to over 77M SF today. Holden Lunsford joined HLC in 2014 as Managing Principal, tasked with building a Dallas office leasing division, where he was instrumental in growing it to over 8M SF of product. In 2019, Lunsford was promoted to oversee HLC’s leasing business lines and founded HLC’s first tenant representation division, formalized the HLC Analyst Program, and created standard protocols for HLC’s leasing divisions.
- Tyler Howarth hired as Managing Principal – Tenant Representation. Howarth will form a new tenant representation division in Dallas. He is responsible for recruiting and leading the division and will advise clients on their office and industrial relocations, acquisitions, dispositions, lease renewals, and restructures. Additionally, he will oversee the HLC Analyst Program in Dallas.
- John Dickenson named Managing Principal – Dallas Office Leasing. Dickenson will replace Holden Lunsford and will lead the office leasing and management platform comprised of roughly 8M SF of product. Dickenson joined HLC in 2018 and has contributed to the addition of roughly 3.5M SF of office leasing assignments throughout the Dallas market.
- Craig Bean and Brandon Avedikian both promoted to Managing Principal in the Houston office. They are charged with growing the HLC Houston leasing and management platforms. Bean will oversee the industrial division, while Avedikian will lead the office division. Bean previously served as Senior VP of leasing in Houston. Avedikian relocated from Dallas to Houston in February 2020, where he successfully secured 600K SF of new office assignments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- James Engels promoted to Senior Vice President – Dallas Office Leasing. Engels joined HLC’s Dallas office division in 2014 and is responsible for a portfolio of approximately 2.5M SF. He has been instrumental in sourcing new business opportunities, is consistently a top producer at the company, and is an engaged mentor to HLC’s junior agents.
- Justin Gallagher hired as Vice President of Acquisitions for the firm’s investment platform. Gallagher will lead all local and national acquisition initiatives. He will be responsible for sourcing new opportunities and overseeing the execution of new acquisitions.
