Cam Ayles has joined the Houston office of CBRE as a vice president, becoming the newest member of a growing team known for its finance-driven approach to occupier leasing and corporate portfolio advisory.

Ayles joins CBRE from Newmark, where he served as an associate specializing in tenant representation and corporate advisory services. Prior to that, he spent two years as an analyst at Brookfield Properties, where he developed a unique technical skillset and understanding of how landlords manage assets and underwrite tenancy.

Recognized as one of Houston’s rising stars in commercial real estate, Cam has represented high-profile clients across various sectors and geographies, establishing a strong track record of fulfilling multifaceted real estate requirements. In just over two years at Newmark, Cam advised clients on lease transactions covering roughly 250,000 square feet, the most notable of which was the North American headquarters for a global renewable energy company, one of the largest direct deals in Houston’s Central Business District in 2024.

Pfluger Architects, a Texas-based education architecture firm, welcomes Certified Public Accountant Lisa Fitze as the firm’s Director of Finance, Senior Associate. With extensive experience across multiple industries including commercial real estate, transportation and infrastructure, Fitze will lead the firm’s financial strategy and oversee its financedepartment. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, she is recognized as a strong leader and team builder with expertise in both high-growth start-ups and mature global organizations. Most recently, she served as Director of Finance for Loram Technologies, Inc. in Georgetown. Fitze will be based in Pfluger’s Austin office and oversee financial strategy for firmwide operations across five Texas locations.

 JLL Capital Markets expanded its Texas Industrial Investment Sales and Advisory team with the strategic relocation of Senior Director Witt Westbrook to Dallas and the addition of Rob Ellwood as Director in the Austin office.

Both Ellwood and Westbrook will be part of JLL’s National Capital Markets Industrial group, led by Senior Managing Directors Trent Agnew and John Huguenard.

Senior Director Witt Westbrook will relocate from Austin to Dallas by year-end to strengthen JLL’s presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth industrial market. He will continue to provide support to Central Texas, where Rob Ellwood and Kyle Mueller will cover the region. Westbrook joined the firm’s Austin office in May 2024, where he has been advising industrial clients on dispositions, acquisitions and equity raises while remaining active on land transactions. He brings eight years of combined real estate experience, having closed over $1.5 billion in transactional volume.

Westbrook was recognized as the Austin Business Journal’s “Heavy Hitter” for building sales in 2024, leading the market with four deals totaling 2.3 million square feet of property sold. Working alongside Senior Managing Director Trent Agnew and the broader Central Texas team, his notable transactions included the sale of the 1.4-million-square-foot Kyle 35 Logistics Park, one of the largest Class A industrial trades in Central Texas market history.

Rob Ellwood joins JLL as Director, bringing specialized knowledge and experience in the industrial real estate sector along the Central Texas trade corridor. Prior to JLL, Ellwood worked at Transwestern, focusing on industrial leasing across the Austin, San Antonio and Laredo markets, with additional buyer representation experience.

A native Spanish speaker born in Monterrey, Mexico, and raised in San Antonio, Ellwood brings valuable bilingual capabilities alongside previous experience on the principal side of business in Mexico. This background positions him as an immediate asset in helping cover the growing border market regions of Laredo, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish International Trade and Economics from Auburn University.

Since 2021, the Texas Industrial team has completed $13.6 billion in industrial sales, totaling over 120 million square feet. The expanded team now includes Senior Managing Director Trent Agnew (Houston), Managing Director Charles Strauss (Houston), Senior Directors Tom Weber (Dallas), Kyle Mueller (San Antonio) and Witt Westbrook (Dallas), along with Directors Rob Ellwood (Austin), Pauli Kerr (Dallas) and Lance Young (Houston). 

McFarland PLLC announces the addition of Nick Victor as a Condemnation Attorney in the firm’s Dallas office.

Nick began his career as an associate attorney at a civil litigation and appellate firm after a stint playing professional basketball in the Norway professional league (BLNO). He earned his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. cum laude from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

He will focus on eminent domain and condemnation litigation matters.

McFarland PLLC announces the addition of Thomas Cooke as a Condemnation Attorney in the firm’s Houston office.

Tom began his career as an associate attorney at a complex commercial litigation firm after serving as a law clerk for the Honorable Sim Lake of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He earned his J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law.

He will focus on eminent domain and condemnation litigation.

Sean Shumpert has been promoted to Tax Incentives Senior Manager at Calvetti Ferguson’s Houston office. A licensed Professional Engineer in 29 states, Sean brings a unique blend of engineering and project management expertise to his role. He works closely with clients across diverse sectors, including construction, building design, manufacturing, and energy, to deliver specialized tax incentive consulting solutions that drive value and innovation.