HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – MetroNational, the developer of West Houston’s 300-acre Memorial City mixed-use destination, announced the promotion of Scooter Hicks to President, effective Jan. 1. Jason Johnson, who previously held the dual role of President and CEO, will continue as CEO. Founded in 1954, MetroNational owns and operates more than 10 million SF of office, retail, medical, hospitality and multifamily in Memorial City. Hicks joined the MetroNational organization, which has 358 employees, in 2013.
HOUSTON – Restaurant entrepreneur Gigi Huang, who was with Hunan Restaurant on Post Oak for a number of years, has joined Compass as a Realtor Associate.
HOUSTON — Frances Thomson has been named Chief Marketing Officer for the Transwestern organization, leading marketing strategy for its integrated platform spanning real estate services, development, investment management and hospitality. A member of Transwestern’s executive committee, Thomson will oversee the planning, development and execution of brand, marketing and communication agendas. Thomson joins Transwestern from CBRE.
ATLANTA – Houston-based Partners Real Estate announced that York Murray has joined the company as a Partner and Managing Director of Development in the Southeast, based in Partners’ Atlanta office. Most recently, he served as the Regional Director of Development at the Jamestown company, overseeing the office and residential development of Ponce City Market – Phase II. Murray has held leadership roles with Strategic Property Partners, Madison Marquette, and Forest City Realty Trust. John O’Neill is President and Managing Partner, Southeast in Partners’ Atlanta office.
HOUSTON – Oxford Partners appointed Derek Savage as the firm’s Executive Vice President. Savage has represented buyers and tenants in office, industrial, retail, and land development in Houston and Austin. Savage, a graduate of Texas State University in San Marcos, will assist Oxford in expanding with a future office in Austin.
ATLANTA – Tony Wilbert, a regional editor at CoStar News, has been elected 2025 President of the National Association of Real Estate Editors. NAREE is a non-profit journalism organization founded in 1929. NAREE will hold its annual Real Estate Journalism Conference in New Orleans in June.
AUSTIN — Texas Realtors have announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Travis Kessler will retire on March 31, 2025, from the position he has held since 2010. Texas Realtors. Executive Vice President Mike Barnett will move into the role on April 1, 2025. Kessler led Texas Realtors formerly known as the Texas Association of Realtors, through a period of unprecedented growth, from a membership base of 75,000 to its current roster of 155,000.
ATLANTA – National developer Portman hired Sean Henry as Senior Vice President to lead the company in a new venture dedicated to acquiring multifamily properties. Before Portman, Henry served as Chief Investment Officer for the LMS Investment Management multifamily firm.
IRVINE, Calif. – Stream Realty Partners is expanding its Investment Sales brokerage business into the multifamily sector in Southern California. This strategic growth is led by the addition of 22-year industry professional Pat Swanson, who joins Stream as Managing Director of Multifamily.
HOUSTON – Greg Lee, formerly of DuWest Realty, has hired on as a CRE broker for Jolink Wallace Commercial, a firm led by Bruce Wallace and Radkey Jolink.
DALLAS – Lion Real Estate Group, a Dallas-based multifamily investment firm, has hired Hunter Heatly as a Senior Vice President of Asset Management in the firm’s Los Angeles office.
Jan. 7, 2025 Realty News Report, Copyright 2025
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Image: Courtesy MetroNational