Joshua Martinez, PE, will serve as Integrated Design Director for the Marine and Industrial business unit. He has worked on numerous marine structural projects including container and LNG terminals, DOT ferry landings, storm surge walls, and above and underwater structural condition assessments. He is also a Major in the Air Force Reserves and serves as a Civil Engineering officer for the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall AFB. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in TX, LA, AL and CA.

Dallas, TX, March 15, 2023 – Partners Real Estate (“Partners”), one of the largest independent commercial real estate firms in Texas—and the company formerly known as NAI Partners—today announced that distinguished research expert Steve Triolet has been hired as Senior Vice President, Research & Market Forecasting. Mr. Triolet joins Partners inits rapidly growing Dallas office, coming over from Dallas-based CRE firm Younger Partners.

In his new role, Mr. Triolet will be instrumental in championing national research initiatives, representing the firm across all markets in research, thought leadership, market forecasting, and industry participation.

“At Partners, we are committed to providing our clients with the highest-quality research and analysis to help inform their real estate decision-making and investment strategies,” said Jon Silberman, Managing Partner of Partners. “Steve is highly regarded in Dallas CRE circles and frequently sought out for market commentary by members of the DFW media, making him the ideal head of our expanded research and thought leadership capabilities.”

Mr. Triolet is a decorated commercial real estate research expert with over 20 years of experience. He has worked for some of the largest commercial real estate companies in the world, including JLL, CBRE, Xceligent, and CoStar.

Prior to Partners, Mr. Triolet served as Director of Research at Younger Partners, where he was primarily responsible for explanations of market trends through presentations, industry publications, and social media. He has established himself as a “go-to” resource for myriad industry publications for his insights and opinions on a wide range of CRE topics.

“Steve’s impressive track record in the industry and his deep expertise in research make him an ideal fit for our firm as we continue to augment the comprehensive research and analysis our clients have come to expect from Partners,” said Travis Rodgers, Partner and COO of Partners. “Equally important, Steve’s values and work ethic align with our firm’s culture, and we are confident that he will be an outstanding addition to our organization. We look forward to Steve delivering unparalleled insights to our clients.”

For more information, please contact Ash Harley-Majic, Corporate Communications Specialist, at 713.275.9641.

But, Can the Same be Said for Houston?

Texas’s office market has proven itself to be one of the strongest in the U.S. The market has continued to reflect positive trends throughout its post-pandemic recovery, though the numbers differ slightly from city to city.

Houston, for example? Vacancy and availability continue to rise, despite office brokers reporting increased activity and leased commitments.

To break it down, Partners recently analyzed the area’s activity during the first eight months of the year — August 2022 compared to August 2021.

Houston Office Vacancy at 25.5%

Overall vacancy was at 25.5% in August 2022, based on the report, up 100 basis points from last year’s 24.5%. Availability was nearly 30%, up 80 basis points from August 2021. Partners said the difference between this figure and the vacancy rate reflects expected future move-outs. Houston has recorded 9.3 million square feet of leasing activity of both new leases and renewals, which is down 13% from the 10.7 million square feet recorded at this time last year. Net absorption is at negative 100,000 square feet, up from negative 2.2 million square feet year-over-year. In addition, the amount of construction underway is at 2.5 million square feet — down almost 30% from last year.

Downtown Office Leases

Even though leasing activity is down from last year, this year’s new and renewed leases are quite large. In the largest office lease of 2022, law firm Baker Botts renewed and extended its lease in the former One Shell Plaza at 910 Louisiana Street. Baker Botts will now lease a total of 173,201 square feet where the company’s CBD headquarters has existed for over 50 years, according to the report.

Oil and Gas

Oil prices trended downward in August 2022, closing at just over $93 on August 26. The Baker Hughes rig count report for that date reflects a slight rise in active rigs compared to July — 765 active drilling rigs in the U.S, according to Partners. One month ago, the total active rig count was 758, and one year ago it was 508.

The current oil rig count is 605 rigs, compared to 599 in August 2022 and 410 in August 2021. The current gas rig count is 158 rigs, compared to 155 in August 2022 and 97 in August 2021, based on the report.

JLL Capital Markets has closed the sale of Woodland Self Storage, a 92,288-square-foot, 952-unit, Class-A storage facility in Austin.

JLL marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Endeavor Real Estate Group. Extra Space Storage purchased the asset. The sale closed on July 19th.

Woodland Self Storage is a climate-controlled facility built in 2019 located along Interstate 35, near Downtown Austin at the intersection of I-35 and Woodland Avenue. With over 400 feet of prime highway frontage, the property benefits from excellent visibility to over 200,000 vehicles per day. The facility was 70% occupied at the time of sale and is fully equipped with best-in-class features and amenities, including electronic access control, secure fencing, elevator access, 24-hour video surveillance and a retail-oriented customer service office.

The property is further benefited by the explosive population in-migration and residential growth currently being experienced in Austin. More than 8,600 new apartment units and 730 new single family home sites are currently being added within a three-mile radius of the property. Woodland Self Storage is located within the Travis Heights neighborhood, which boasts an average household income of $112,000 and a median home price of over $1.3 million, ranking it among the most affluent neighborhoods in Austin.

The JLL Capital Markets team representing the seller was led by Managing Directors Steve Mellon and Brian Somoza and Directors Adam Roossien and Matthew Wheeler.