Tanya Ragan left her first career in the fashion industry in New York City over 19 years ago to pursue the Barnett Shale boom in Texas. Years later, she returns as a commercial real estate trailblazer and luminary. 

Ms. Ragan receives the equivalent of a Golden Ticket to join select industry power players from all across the country for an evening with the best of the best gathered in one room. Known for her glass-shattering bravado as a female entrepreneur, Ms. Ragan consistently defies limitations and rewrites the script, which earned her this elite invitation. Whether it’s moving a building brick by brick to a new location in the interest of historic preservation, revitalizing entire sectors of an urban core economically and socially, or quietly amassing the largest tract of land in a booming suburb, she doesn’t take no for an answer and raises the bar for all who follow in her path.

Out of 3000 ticket requests, Ms. Ragan is one of only 175 CRE professionals to be invited to this red-carpet, black-tie event—the Real Estate X Gala. This epic evening is hosted by New York real estate legends Don Tepman and Bob Knakal. The details are secretive and not available to the public.

Introducing the phenomenal #Retwit group, born from the popular X community and transforming the commercial real estate landscape! With a following of the industry’s top movers and shakers across the country, this group is making waves. Recently, its members have been featured in high-profile profiles, garnering attention from notable publications, including The New York Times and The Real Deal. Keep an eye on this explosive growth – the #Retwit community is taking the commercial real estate world by storm!

Organizations and media outlets can interview Ms. Ragan or invite her to speak during her time in NYC, April 23rd – 30th. Her brass-tack professional advice, bold and pioneering entrepreneurial influence, or even ‘how-to-dress to command a room” makes her a crowd favorite.

Among countless other awards, Ms. Ragan is a three-time Globe Street Women of Influence winner. She is a sought-after public speaker, a frequent podcast guest, and a renowned influencer both in CRE and for women and entrepreneurs. Some of her projects have been featured in Architectural Digest, The Business Journals, Buildings Magazine, Business Insider, Dallas Morning News, DCEO, ICSC, CBS Evening News, and many other media outlets. Her thousands of social media followers look to her for inspiration and guidance on how to succeed, particularly in areas that are in need of greater diverse representation.

HOUSTON – Cushman & Wakefield announced today that the commercial real estate services firm has hired Kristie Luby as Managing Director and leader of property management efforts in Houston. Luby will be responsible for overseeing a team of 45 professionals across a portfolio of 28 million square feet. 

“We are excited for Kristie to join us in Houston as our new city leader for property management. Since 2021, we have been hyper focused on growing this market and have more than tripled our portfolio during that time.Kristie’s knowledge and experience will lend itself to continuing to expand our presence locally,” said Brett Williams, Executive Managing Director and Central Region Lead for Property Management at Cushman & Wakefield. 

Luby has over 20 years of commercial real estate experience where her focus has been on leading property management teams to provide the highest level of service and value to their clients. Throughout her career, she has earned the trust and confidence of clients through her integrity, ownership mindset, and dedication. She has also been recognized consistently as being a leader who motivates and improves team performance and prides herself on operational excellence. Prior to joining Cushman & Wakefield, she was in a regional leadership role for the property management business across Texas for Avison Young.

“Kristie is an incredible addition to our group in Houston. Her proven ability to effectively serve clients and their properties will blend well with our existing approach to property management, and she will play a key role in ushering this business platform forward,” added Clint Bawcom, Managing Principal of Cushman & Wakefield’s Houston office. 

Luby earned her Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). During 2021 and 2022, she was on the IREM Education Committee where she played a key role in transforming the coursework for their Property Management 101 course. Today, she is still involved with IREM and a member of other industry organizations including the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). 

“I am very honored and excited to join the Cushman & Wakefield team and to work with some of the best leaders in the industry. Cushman & Wakefield’s Houston property management business has had amazing growth under the leadership of Brett Williams. I am honored to step into this role and do my part to help continue the upward growth and to support our clients and our property management professionals,” noted Luby.

ALLEN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FTK Construction Services, a nationwide General Contractor with completed projects in 33 states, is pleased to announce the promotion of Desiray Taylor to Vice President, Human Resources, effective immediately.

As the Vice President of Human Resources, Desiray is responsible for all Human Resources needs companywide for FTK. She manages recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, performance counseling, employment records, training, and certifications. Additionally, she oversees benefits management and administration, including healthcare, 401k, life insurance and ancillary services, as well as staff training events throughout the year. Prior to her promotion to Vice President, Desiray was the Director of Human Resources for the company. Before joining FTK in 2013, Desiray had over eight years of administrative experience in the construction industry.

John Sheehan has joined Colliers as an executive vice president with its Occupier Services group.

A multi market-specialist, Sheehan will advise corporate clients across the U.S., advising on real estate strategy and executing lease and sales transactions.

Sheehan joins from CBRE where, as a Senior Vice President, he led the pursuit of new portfolio accounts. Over the past five years, he represented U.S. and global occupier accounts including Buckingham Strategic Wealth, Caleres, SSM Health, TTM Technologies and The Keefe Companies. In 2023, his efforts resulted in more than $165.8 million in transaction volume, including three corporate headquarters relocations. 

Sheehan is also a committed civic leader and has served his community throughout his professional career. He currently sits on the board of directors of numerous organizations including the American Cancer Society’s CEO’s Against Cancer, The Magic House Children’s Museum, Logos School, and St. Louis Public Radio. He also serves as the Regional Board Chair for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Christian Kurtz, director of business development for the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) in Pflugerville, Texas, recently earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).

Kurtz joins over 1,100 people worldwide who have been recognized for their skills in economic development by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Of the six candidates who successfully passed the examinations this month, Kurtz was the only Texan and is one of 141 active statewide designations in the state.

“To achieve certification in economic development from the International Economic Development Council, professionals must remain dedicated and committed to education and training over several years,” said Amy Madison, PCDC Executive Director. “Christian’s commitment to advancing his skills in the economic development profession to serve our community is exemplary, and we are proud to celebrate this accomplishment with him.” 

At least four years of full-time, consecutive, paid economic development experience are required to qualify to sit for the exam. In addition, all candidates must complete an economic development basic course, along with six of the eleven courses currently offered through IEDC’s professional training program. Once eligible, candidates must pass a rigorous and comprehensive two-day examination which includes a multiple choice short answer, essay, and interview process.

“Learning is a constant in life and an important part of the journey is celebrating milestones that measure successes personally and professionally,” said Kurtz.

Since joining the PCDC in August 2012, Kurtz has served in several capacities for the organization but has spent the last five years in his current role in the recruitment and retention of domestic and international prospects. He is a member of the IEDC, the Texas Economic Development Council, and the TeamTexas marketing group.

Historic structures are being demolished every day across the country to make way for modern, new developments and buildings. While often a challenging endeavor, sometimes all it takes is a good brick, an experienced specialty contractor and a dedicated preservationist to save these important relics from the bulldozer.

In Houston, Texas, efforts are being made by Preservation Houston to save many of the city’s historic structures. Western Specialty Contractors – Houston Branch was recently honored by the association with a pair of Good Brick Awards in the Institutional Category for its exceptional efforts to restore the facades of Houston’s oldest fire station and a 1940s Gothic-style church in Woodland Heights.

Preservation Houston has presented the Good Brick Awards since 1979 to recognize outstanding contributions to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of Houston’s architectural and cultural heritage.

Award recipients are selected annually by a jury of community leaders, preservation and design professionals and previous award winners. The 2024 recipients, including Western’s Houston Branch for restoration of Fire House Station No. 7 and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, were honored at a March 8 dinner at River Oaks Country Club.

“We are so honored to have received a pair of Good Brick awards from Preservation Houston for our efforts to restore these historic and important structures of the community,” said Western’s Houston Branch Manager Brian Dolezal. “It’s nice to be recognized for our historic restoration skills and expertise.”

Restoring Fire Station No. 7 (The Houston Fire Museum)

Western was tasked with restoring the exterior of downtown Houston’s Romanesque-style Fire Station No. 7 opened in 1899 at 2403 Milam Street. The fire station remained active until 1969 when a replacement was built. It currently houses the Houston Fire Museum.

Western’s scope of work on the project included:

• Demo/removal of exterior stucco to expose the original brick façade
• Replacing 10,000 broken bricks with salvaged bricks from the early 1900s
• Tuckpointing all exterior brick joints at exterior masonry
• Rebuilding brick window heads and installing stainless steel rods for strength
• Installing 4,000 stainless steel helical rods to strengthen the brick parapet wall
• Repairing brick and tuckpointing brick joints at interior masonry
• Cleaning the exterior brick with low pressure water and mild detergents

Project team: REPRACTICE, Tellepsen Builders, BMP Group.

Restoring St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

Completed in 1940 at 600 Pecore Street, the gothic-style St. Mark’s United Methodist Church is located in the historic Woodland Heights neighborhood. Western was tasked with restoring the historic sanctuary’s cast stone masonry and limestone exterior.

Western’s scope of work included:

• Cleaning exterior cast stone masonry and limestone with low pressure water and mild detergents
• Repairing spalled/damaged cast stone and limestone
• Tuckpointing exterior cast stone and limestone joints where needed
• Rebuilding two limestone columns and the sanctuary entrance
• Replacing the damaged original cross with a new cast stone cross
• Applying a clear water repellent to all exterior masonry

Project team: Merriman Holt Powell Architects, W.S. Bellows Construction, CJG Engineers, W.W. Bartlett, Inc.