McMurrey, formerly of Transwestern, joins firm at the Equity Partner level
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Hinkle, also formerly of Transwestern, and Price come aboard as Senior Vice Presidents
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Announcement comes on heels of Partners’ significant Austin growth, necessitating move and expansion to new Class A office space in the heart of downtown Austin at 301 Congress Avenue

Partners Real Estate (“Partners”), a private partnership-led fully-integrated commercial real estate firm, today announced the hirings of Bryan McMurrey as an Equity Partner; Rye Hinkle as a Senior Vice President; and Chris Price as a Senior Vice President in the firm’s Austin office, adding major brokerage horsepower to its growing Central Texas operations. Mr. McMurrey and Mr. Hinkle join Partners from Transwestern, while Mr. Price comes aboard from Austin Commercial Advisors.

“Bryan, Rye, and Chris’ deep brokerage expertise across multiple product types throughout Central Texas and track record of best-in-class results will further bolster the enhanced service delivery our Austin-area clients expect from Partners,” said Peter Mainguy, Partner and Executive Managing Director of Services for Partners’ Texas Region. “These strategic hires underscore the growing appeal of Partners’ unique platform, which continues to attract top-tier talent eager to leverage our combined services, investments, and development capabilities to drive superior outcomes.”

This announcement comes on the heels of a flurry of high-profile moves by Partners during the past few months, including Mr. Mainguy joining Partners (former CBRE Houston head) earlier this month. The company’s new additions speak to the attractiveness of Partners’ unique partnership structure, which puts the client at the center of everything the firm does—dramatically increasing collaboration and significantly reducing silos, which are so prevalent in the traditional commercial real estate services model.

Mr. McMurrey focuses on multifamily and retail brokerage, advising clients on acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing strategies. He represents both private and institutional clients, delivering tailored solutions across all facets of the transaction process. With more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, Mr. McMurrey has built a diverse background in landlord and tenant representation, investment sales, and project leasing. He launched his career at Republic Commercial Properties before moving to NAI and later Trammell Crow Company / CBRE. Over the course of his career, he has completed more than 75 commercial sale transactions and negotiated over 1,000 commercial leases totaling more than $850 million in value. Mr. McMurrey has previously been recognized among CoStar’s Top 10 Power Retail Broker from 2004 to 2023, and earned his Bachelor of Psychology from St. Edward’s University.

Mr. Hinkle focuses on multifamily investment sales and land brokerage, advising private and institutional clients across Austin, San Antonio, and Central Texas. He provides comprehensive disposition services for multifamily assets and represents landowners and developers in the acquisition and sale of commercial land for development or redevelopment. He joined Transwestern’s Central Texas brokerage team in 2018 and has completed more than 60 commercial leases and 30 commercial sale transactions, totaling over $180 million in transaction value. Mr. Hinkle holds a Bachelor of Geography from The University of Texas at Austin. In addition, he completed the McCombs School of Business Energy Management Program.

Mr. Price will be focused on the Office Tenant Representation side of the business. He is a seasoned commercial real estate professional with over 14 years of experience representing tenants, landlords, and investors across the office, retail, and industrial sectors. Known for his strategic insight, market expertise, and relationship-first approach, he has completed over $500 million in transaction volume throughout his career. A Houston native, Mr. Price grew up around real estate and developed a competitive edge early in life through a nationally ranked tennis career. He was ranked #1 in both Texas and the U.S. during his junior years and went on to play collegiately at Duke and TCU before channeling that same drive into commercial real estate.

“The arrival of this trio of top-tier sales professionals significantly elevates our brokerage capabilities in Austin and throughout Central Texas,” said Ryan McCullough, Partner and Managing Director of Partners’ Austin office. “Each brings extensive transaction experience, strong client relationships, and a shared commitment to excellence that aligns perfectly with our client-centric approach. Combined with our recent expansion into premier new office space at 301 Congress Avenue, these additions position our growing Austin platform to capitalize on the market’s momentum and deliver even more comprehensive, integrated solutions through Partners’ distinctive partnership model that empowers collaboration across business lines and geographies.”

These hirings don’t just add to Partners’ headcount—they compound a year of strategic wins and high-profile announcements that demonstrate the firm’s longstanding commitment to enhancing the services it offers its clients, including acquiring Atlanta-based property management firm Seven Oaks in October; bringing on Mitchell Hanzik to oversee development across Texas; and the highly regarded Office Agency Leasing team of Chip Colvill, Michael Anderson, Win Haggard, Damon Thames, Brad Beasley, Diana Bridger, and Connor Saxe joining last spring.

Additionally, Partners’ continued growth in Austin has necessitated an expansion, with the company recently moving to the heart of Downtown Austin at 301 Congress Ave in a transaction arranged by the company’s Harrison Schuhmacher, a Vice President in Partners’ Office Tenant Representation group. Located only minutes away from the Texas Capitol and Lady Bird Lake, 301 Congress features over 430,000 sq. ft. of best-in-class office space, including a state-of-the-art conference center and a 24-hour fitness center.

Professionals joining Partners appreciate that the company’s services platform is fully integrated with its investments and development businesses and enables its brokers to participate in those opportunities. 

About Partners

Partners is one of the largest privately-held and independently-owned commercial real estate firms in the U.S. with three key operating segments: 1) Full-service Occupier & Investor business; 2) Partners Capital, an investment management platform specializing in the acquisition and disposition of office, industrial, and retail properties via multiple investment funds; and includes Partners Finance, a registered broker dealer and FINRA / SIPC member engaged in offering real estate investment funds and individual investment opportunities to qualified individual investors, family offices and institutions; 3) Partners Development, which creates first-class development projects for our clients & investors. www.partnersrealestate.com

LJA Engineering has promoted Matt Stoops, PLA, to Senior Director of Houston Planning and Landscape Architecture. He will integrate the firm’s Planning and Landscape Architecture teams to provide a unified, creative approach for our land development and public clients. Stoops joined LJA more than seven years ago and has grown the Planning team from four members to twenty-four members, expanding its work to include major public projects such as the Western League City Master Plan and the Port Lavaca Downtown Waterfront Master Plan. With over 30 years of experience, he has led planning efforts for Houston-area developments including Harvest Green, Jubilee, Pomona, George Ranch, and Twinwood. He also serves in leadership roles with the West Houston Association and Houston Urban Land Institute. This promotion reflects LJA’s confidence in his ability to drive innovation across its planning and landscape architecture sectors.

Dunaway has appointed Shaun Kirk, PE, to Principal. Shaun serves as a Senior Director in Dunaway’s Structural Engineering practice, bringing nearly three decades of experience and a proven track record of exceeding client expectations. His work spans diverse market sectors, including corporate commercial campuses and highly complex urban infill and mixed-use developments, where his technical leadership and strategic insight drive project success.

Ferris Clements, a native Austinite, has been promoted to Partner at Armbrust & Brown, PLLC, effective January 1, 2026. His practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, representing developers, investors, and businesses in acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, and financing matters. Ferris also represents clients before city and county governmental entities in connection with land use and zoning matters.

Jared Smith, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, has been promoted to Principal at SmithGroup’s Dallas office. With over two decades of experience, Jared specializes in higher education design and has led major projects across Texas and Oklahoma. His expertise spans science and technology, recreation facilities, and hospitality. Jared holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University and is a Registered Architect in Texas.

Cushman & Wakefield added Travis Overall as managing principal in its Houston office.

In his new role, Overall will lead Cushman & Wakefield’s advisory business in Houston, where the firm has more than 250 employees, including 60 brokers, and a property management portfolio of 34 million square feet. Additionally, he will be charged with recruiting emerging and industry-leading talent to Cushman & Wakefield’s Houston team.

Overall joins Cushman & Wakefield from Brookfield Properties, where he served as Executive Vice President for the firm’s Houston office business and had oversight for all aspects of the region’s activities, including leasing, operations, property management, legal, accounting, development and construction. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2017, Travis spent 19 years with Hines, where he was responsible for the acquisition, disposition, development and management of Class A commercial real estate valued at over $2 billion.

He is a past President of the Houston NAIOP chapter and currently serves on the boards of Texas Medical Center, Boys & Girls Country, Central Houston and the University of Houston School of Architecture Advisory Council. He has previously served on the Children’s Fund, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center’s board and the Houston Downtown Management District board. Overall received his BBA from the University of Texas and his MBA from the University of Houston.