Partners arranges sale of last remaining building for TNRG Development at Intercontinental Crossing Business Park

Posted on by Mia Goulart

Partners Real Estate, one of the largest independent commercial real estate firms in Texas, recently arranged a 23,100-square-foot sale at 18315 Aldine Westfield Road to close out a three-building industrial spec development project, totaling 93,350 square feet for TNRG Development at Intercontinental Crossing Business Park.

  • 18321 Aldine Westfield Road: 50,000-square-foot freestanding dock-high loading distribution building on ±2.56 acres
  • 18311 Aldine Westfield Road: 20,250-square-foot freestanding dock-high loading distribution building on ±1.50 acres
  • 18315 Aldine Westfield Road: 23,100-square-foot freestanding dock-high loading distribution building on ±1.30 acres

Partners’ Clay Pritchett, SIOR and Zane Carman represented the seller, TNRG Development, in each of these transactions.

Chicago-based W.E. O’Neil to launch Austin office June 1

Posted on by Mia Goulart

Chicago-based W.E. O’Neil Construction, a nationwide leader in the commercial construction industry, announced the official opening of its Austin office on Thursday, June 1. Members of the media will have the opportunity at the event to speak with W.E. O’Neil executives about the company’s Texas launch, their plans for the Greater Austin/Central Texas market and O’Neil’s steady growth since its founding in 1925.

In May 2022, W.E. O’Neil announced it had acquired Austin-based DCA Construction. DCA’s management team will remain in place and the firm will officially become W.E. O’Neil Construction on June 1. The Austin offices are located at 8868 Research Boulevard, Suite 500.

W.E. O’Neil, a 100% employee-owned firm, has completed several projects for longtime clients in Texas over the past decade. The firm brings a deep well of in-house resources, financial strength and nearly 100 years of construction expertise to the Austin commercial real estate and development market. With the DCA acquisition, O’Neil now has a total of 12 office locations in about 20 markets nationwide.

The Austin office will serve the entire state but will focus on penetrating the Greater Austin/Central Texas area’s multifamily, hospitality and retail segments, as well as counter-cyclical markets like aviation, healthcare, higher education and senior living. Goals for the local market are to generate $375 million in opportunities and secure $75 million in awards, leading to $100 million-plus in real 2023 backlog while achieving 10% consistent sales growth and at least a 60% net promoter score from clients year over year.

W.E. O’Neil has projects in progress across Texas, from Fort Worth to Austin to Corpus Christi. They include Junction 2035, a 14-acre site with 3,500 square feet of spec office and restroom build-out (Fort Worth); Kyle Retail, consisting of the construction of two retail shell buildings totaling 19,000 square feet separated by a lighted courtyard (Kyle); and Nordstrom Park Lane, the 27,000-square-foot interior renovation of an existing Nordstrom Rack store, including flooring, bathroom fixtures and finishes, mother’s room, dressing room partitions and finishes, breakroom, employee lockers and cash-wrap relocation (Dallas). O’Neil is also renovating Nordstrom Rack stores in Allen, San Antonio and Plano. Earlier this month, the Texas Department of Public Safety awarded the firm a contract to build a 13,000-square-foot vehicle licensing and registration/driver testing facility in Plano. A list of other notable completed projects can be accessed here.

In 2025, W.E. O’Neil Construction will celebrate its centennial anniversary. This year, in its 98th year of business, W.E. O’Neil expects to rack up annual revenue of more than $1.4 billion, which includes 80% repeat business.

The acquisition of DCA enables W.E. O’Neil to better serve clients by offering several additional resources, including full-time building information modeling (BIM) and virtual design and construction (VDC); preconstruction and estimating department with a staff of 15; mechanical, electrical and plumbing management; and marketing and business development. Over the past 12 months since the acquisition, W.E. O’Neil has hired five new employees and plans to hire more with a goal of 28 employees by 2025. Currently, the Austin office employs 19. The firm is actively recruiting project estimators, project managers and project superintendents. W.E. O’Neil Construction is an employee stock ownership (ESOP) firm, meaning it is 100% employee owned. Currently, O’Neil has approximately 503 employee-owners, 42% of whom have been with the company for more than five years. Its senior leadership team has an average of 30.3 years of industry experience.

KAI hires Jason Keung as project manager in Dallas-Fort Worth office

Posted on by Mia Goulart

KAI is excited to announce the hiring of Jason Keung, AIA, NCARB, NCIDQ, as project manager at its Dallas-Fort Worth office.

With more than 15 years of industry experience, Keung has engaged in a diverse range of projects, clients, environments and challenges within the architectural and construction industries. His area of expertise includes designing overall concepts, developing construction documents based on clients’ needs and coordinating with consultants in the development of the design.

As a project manager for KAI Design, Keung is responsible for the internal and external success of project design, schedules, deliverables and budgets. He will act as the primary point of contact and liaison between the owner/client and design team while facilitating a collaborative team within a multi-discipline environment. He will maximize the use of resources to improve design and build collaboration, increase profit per project, and improve the value-added building strategies provided by KAI. 

Prior to KAI, his expertise included restaurant, retail and general construction. He worked as a senior project manager for ENTOS Design and as a project manager for CallisonRTKL, both headquartered in Dallas; and LBL Architects in Arlington, Texas. His portfolio of projects includes restaurants: MOD Pizza, Pie Five, On The Border, Chilis, and Red Lobster; high-end custom homes; animal shelters; Caliber Collision; and Target.

He has a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. When not working, Keung enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and traveling.

HDA selected for new Love’s Truck Solutions facility in Natalia

Posted on by Mia Goulart

HDA Architects, one of the nation’s leading architectural, interiors and master planning firms, is nearing completion on one new Love’s Truck Solutions facility in Natalia, Texas.

Love’s Truck Solutions, Natalia, is a 252,500-square-foot, $23 million facility that will contain a tire warehouse, temperature-controlled storage space, retread bays and a 5,500-square-foot office. Building components include two drive-up doors, 24 full docks and four overhead door KO panels. Located adjacent to an existing Love’s Travel Stop, the concrete tilt-up facility will serve as an essential component to conveniently serving Love’s customers all in one location.

The location is on track to beat its expected completion date, wrapping up construction this August. The team consists of Catamount Constructors, Ambrose Property Group, Vickrey & Associates, LLC and Alper Audi, Inc.

Sale of neighborhood power retail center in Houston closes

Posted on by Mia Goulart

JLL Capital Markets has closed the sale of Steeplechase Center, a 195,575-square-foot neighborhood power retail center in Northwest Houston, Texas.

JLL represented the seller, Jones 1960 Crossroads, LLC, and Highland Capital acquired the asset.

The 82% occupied Steeplechase Center is leased to Goodwill, Melrose, Citi Trends, Uptown Beauty, Dollar Tree, dd’s Discounts, 99 Cents Only, Big City Wings, Leslie’s Pools, Rent a Center, La Reyna Tortilleria, Kim’s Hair Salon, Imperial Foot Reflexology, Iris Nails and Spa, Nancy’s Tailor, Metro PCS, Pho Town, Checkers and Ostioneria Michoacan.

The property is located at 10705-10951 Jones Rd. directly off of Cypress Creek Parkway. The center is approximately a 30-minute drive from Downtown Houston.

The JLL team that represented the seller was led by Senior Director John Indelli and Senior Managing Director Ryan West.

David Ladewig joins Manhattan Construction as director of business development

Posted on by Jordan Jensen

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Manhattan Construction Company, a top-performing national construction services firm, is pleased to announce the addition of David Ladewig as director of business development for the Houston region. Ladewig will be responsible for strengthening relationships, overseeing new business acquisitions, and strategic account management. “We are thrilled to welcome David to our team,” said Jason Fuller, Manhattan Construction Company vice president. “His professionalism, integrity, and knowledge of the markets we serve make him the ideal fit for this role. David’s background, specifically in the aerospace market, brings a unique perspective to Manhattan’s team, and we are confident that he will help us grow our business and serve our clients even better.” Ladewig brings more than a decade of experience working in operations and business development within the construction industry in Houston. He is deeply involved in the community serving on committees and various leadership roles with many professional and philanthropic organizations including Central Houston Inc., Urban Land Institute, Rice Design Alliance, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, and the Houston Marathon. He is active in his church, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, where he serves on the Lay Leadership Committee. Ladewig earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture at Texas Tech University where he currently serves as Chair of the Chapter Development Committee on the Texas Tech Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors. He also earned a master’s degree in Space Architecture from the University of Houston and is an advocate for the commercialization of space through his work as host of ‘That Space Podcast’.