KAI 360 Construction Services hires senior project managers in Dallas and St. Louis

KAI 360 Construction Services hired Senior Project Managers Keith Traywick at its Dallas-Fort Worth office and David “Hoss” Seitz at its St. Louis headquarters.

As senior project managers, Traywick and Seitz are responsible for the overall management and success of projects and to serve as principal liaisons to the client.

Traywick is an experienced, licensed architect with 29 years of experience in design and planning. His expertise spans international project management, urban planning and construction administration, with a focus on multifamily, retail and high-rise building design.

Prior to joining KAI, he worked as a freelance design manager on the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) Master Plan and as a Project Manager at Claycomb Associates in Dallas. At KAI, Traywick is currently assigned to projects with the KBHCCD and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and the MetroLink Green Line, the current expansion project of the St. Louis light rail system.

Traywick’s career has taken him around the world, including work on projects in Saudi Arabia such as a multi-year design-build project in the King Abdullah Financial District, consisting of 56 buildings ranging from 17 to 70 stories. He also served as assistant resident engineer for the College of Science at Sabah Al-Salem University in Kuwait.

He holds a degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and has completed coursework in LEED AP BD+C for commercial buildings, Project Management Professional (PMP) training, and Registered Accessibility Specialist certification through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Traywick holds National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) certification and is a member of the Saudi Council of Engineers.

Driven by passions for economic empowerment, education, environmental advocacy, and human rights, Traywick channels his energy into meaningful causes. When not working, he enjoys remodeling houses and real estate projects. A twin, he lives in Dallas with his wife, Jan, and their son, Jon.

With 43 years of expertise in pipeline design, facility management, and utility infrastructure, Seitz strengthens KAI 360 CS’s capabilities on Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) initiatives. His extensive experience will be instrumental in advancing critical projects, including the Lemay 3 Pump Station and Force Main development.

Before joining KAI, Seitz served as a project coordinator for Pacific Steel Group, where he developed procurement and cost control guidelines for a $600 million steel rebar mill. He played a key role in securing utility services—including power, gas, data, water and nitrogen—for the complex development.

Seitz holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Bradley University. In his free time, he enjoys the outdoors with his wife, Janet, along with their three grown children and six grandchildren. His hobbies include hunting, logging, developing wildlife habitats and handyman work.

With the addition of Traywick and Seitz, KAI 360 CS continues to strengthen its leadership team and deepen its capacity to manage complex, community-impacting projects across the country. Their combined experience and dedication to excellence will play a critical role in advancing KAI’s growth and delivering high-quality results for clients.

Avison Young names SVP in Austin office

Avison Young promoted Sullivan Johnston to Senior Vice President in the firm’s Austin, Texas, office.

Johnston is a founding member of Avison Young’s Land, Development, and Industrial Advisory (LDI) team, where she represents a diverse range of clients, including institutional investors, private developers, corporate users, and landowners, in the acquisition and disposition of commercial properties and development parcels across Texas and the U.S. She leverages her background and experience to provide clients with strategic insight and hands-on guidance at every stage of the deal process.

Sullivan joined Avison Young in 2016 and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

Cheryl Huffman hired at Kinder Foundation

Cheryl Huffman is a registered Landscape Architect and Urban Designer with extensive experience leading signature park planning, design, and implementation. She revels in bringing challenging projects to life. Notable Houston works include Trebly Park, Eastern Glades/Seymour Lieberman Trail, Trees for Houston Campus, Barbara Bush Literacy Plaza, and 20 SPARK Parks. In her new role, Cheryl will support upcoming projects in Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou East, among other community initiatives.

Darren Conner, PE promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Dewberry

Darren Conner has been named Dewberry’s chief operating officer (COO), where he will oversee business development and strategic planning for the firm’s 60 offices, which provide architecture; construction; engineering; environmental; geospatial, mapping, and survey; planning, consulting, and advisory; and technology services. Conner will also align Dewberry’s client management program to further serve the needs of its new and existing clients. He was appointed COO of Dewberry’s holding company.

JLL Capital Markets closes $26 million sale of University Park mixed-use building in Austin

JLL Capital Markets completed the $26 million sale of University Park, a 206,657-square-foot, mixed-use building in Austin, Texas.

JLL represented the seller, Lionstone Investments, in the sale of the property to the City of Austin.

Located at 3300 N. Interstate Highway 35, University Park is just north of the University of Texas and adjacent to St. David’s Medical Center. The property is close to a variety of restaurants, retail shops and entertainment options at The Triangle, The Drag, Mueller and Manor Rd. In addition, University Park is just 2.5 miles north of downtown Austin and 1.6 miles from the burgeoning Innovation District, Austin’s emerging life sciences hub.

University Park was built in 2008 and offers eight stories of Class A office space with collaborative workplaces and views of downtown and Western Hill Country. The property was approximately 20% leased at the time of closing.

The JLL Capital Markets Investment Sales and Advisory team representing the seller was led by Managing Directors Ryan Stevens and Drew Fuller.

JLL report: Retailers vacate more space than they fill during first quarter

For the first time in 16 quarters, more retail space was vacated in the first quarter of this year than was occupied, according to JLL.

In its first quarter U.S. retail outlook, JLL reported that net absorption in the country’s retail sector fell to negative 2.7 million square feet in the first three months of 2025.

JLL also reported that announced retail closures from 2024 through early 2025 totaled more than 9,900 locations, with big names such as Party City, Big Lots and JOANN leading the way.

These closures might result in higher leasing activity, with JLL saying that they are returning millions of high-demand square feet back into the market in the second quarter of this year.

Freshly vacated space often gets leased quickly by retailers that are expanding. According to JLL, nearly one-third of the 17,248 new leases signed in the first quarter of the year sat on the market for less than five months. More than half of the new leases were signed within 10 months of the space being listed.

A good example of this can be found in the bankruptcy auction of Party City space. Nearly one-third of Party City’s 695 leases were bought by other retailers. Value stores like Five Below and Dollar Tree led this buying spree.

JLL reported that U.S. retail investment volume in the first quarter grew 13% on a year-over-year basis. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, though, retail investment volume dropped 7%.

Despite challenges, the U.S. retail market remains resilient. JLL reported that the sector’s vacancy rate stood at 4.1% in the first quarter of the year, while average market rent hit $25.51 a square foot.

A total of 44.7 million square feet of new retail space was under construction as of the end of the first quarter.