HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Realtors Joe Rothchild and Jana Hayes, lead executives at Keller Williams Houston Central, have just moved into a fully-staffed office in the middle of Downtown Houston. The development, called GreenStreet, covers three blocks. It is bounded by Main Street on the west and spans over to Fannin and San Jacinto streets. It’s bounded by Dallas Street on the north and includes an 11-story office tower at 1201 Fannin.
Jana, company CEO, and Joe, the firm’s principal, were recent guests on the Ralph Bivins Project podcast discussing the rationale for taking their firm downtown and the significance of the move.
To Listen to the Entire Podcast Click Here for YouTube or Click Here for Spotify
RALPH BIVINS: We’re really pleased today to have with us Joe Rothchild and Jana Hayes. They are with Keller Williams Houston Central and several other Keller Williams companies.
What really caught my attention is that they have leased 9,500 SF in the GreenStreet mixed-use development in the middle of Downtown Houston for a major office location. A real estate office move into downtown is a rarity.
Joe has always been on the cutting edge of what’s been going on in the market for many years. So, Joe and Jana, when are you going to move into your new space?
JANA HAYES: We just moved in. We are very excited about the move. By the way, thank you very much for having us on your show. I am a big fan, and I have listened to many of your podcasts and Spotifies and episodes. You are well-versed in real estate and development in the Houston area.
We have been in the new office for several weeks. Joe will expand on why we selected this space. We are very excited and so are our agents.
RALPH BIVINS: GreenStreet. I don’t know if you can get any more in the middle of downtown. It’s a landmark completed in 2008, so it’s been there a while. The House of Blues is located there, attracting people to hear music. So, Joe, tell us why this is a good location.
JOE ROTHCHILD: Thank you, Ralph. It seems you and I are the ‘old hats’ who have been around forever – and we’ve known each other forever. Jana is our future. I’m proud to have Jana lead the way and I can work behind the scenes. Thanks for remembering my career. It was fun taking a step back.
You’re right about the visionary things. The way I see it, GreenStreet has a vision to build a hub. The way I see it, their vision aligns with our vision. We think that they are doing a phenomenal job and we are right in the best location for our agents to be the most successful they can be for both residential and commercial property. With all the changes they are making to the buildings there, it just adds to the quality of lifestyle and success we want to provide to our agents.
RALPH BIVINS: How many folks do you have working there?
JANA HAYES: Keller Williams Houston Central currently has over 130 agents. In our former space, we definitely saw the need for not only a new location, but a fresh start and alignment with what we want to represent as Keller Williams Houston Central. As you already know, Joe is well established in the Katy area. We have a very successful office there. And in the Southwest area, we have Keller Williams Southwest. This was just a very natural move to get an alignment among our offices and also concentrate on who we want to attract in the residential and commercial sector of real estate and what we want to represent as an organization.
When Joe first took me to that space and we walked through that area, you can immediately feel the vision the developer had for the entire space, meaning the convenience of having the lower hotel, the restaurants, the dynamic cuisine – representing the diversity of the entire Houston area. It is our vision and alignment, indicative of the growth we are experiencing.
RALPH BIVINS: With the House of Blues there, you may want to take in a concert. It’s right there.
JOE ROTHCHILD: And GreenStreet has been excellent. They are an excellent landlord to deal with. They are easy to work with and very helpful. They are more like a partner than a landlord. With Jana leading the team, I feel like (inaudible).
RALPH BIVINS: You said 130 agents. That’s a lot of agents.
JANA HAYES: I would say that’s actually on the smaller side compared to some of our suburban offices. I will say at the same time that the individual agents are established agents. They are experiencing tremendous growth and innovation in the commercial and residential market with guidance from a very experienced and strong leadership team [names not understandable] Of course, Joe and I support them along the way.
JOE ROTHCHILD: Ralph, I’m not sure you know this, but Keller Williams has the distinction of being the Number 1 training company for real estate in the world. It is very education-based. I learned more in my first six months at Keller Williams than I did in 20 years at my previous company.
RALPH BIVINS: Well, you did pretty well at your previous company. You were the Number 1 agent for Re/Max in Texas, then Number 1 in the country and also Number 1 in the world, correct?
JOE ROTHCHILD: Yes, Number 1 in the world for three years in a row, yes sir. Thank you. I am grateful to my previous company, Re/Max. But to me, Re/Max offers an island where you stand by yourself. Keller Williams – being the biggest training company in the world – is not just for beginners. It takes you through your career, and it teaches you all kinds of things – how to recruit, delegate and retain, etc. It even provides you with a vision of how to exit.
To Listen to the Entire Podcast Click Here for YouTube or Click Here for Spotify
Downtown Newcomer: Keller Williams Houston Central
Jana Hayes, CEO of Keller Williams Houston Central, and Joe Rothchild, the firm’s principal, have just opened an office in the GreenStreet mixed-use development in Downtown Houston. They also operate other Keller Williams offices.
It’s rare for a Realty company to locate in the urban environment of Downtown Houston – and the story behind the move is interesting.
“We chose GreenStreet – 600,000 SF development of retail, entertainment and office space — because we want Keller Williams Houston Central to be where Houston is going — not where it has been,” said Jana. “Being in the heart of the city gives our residential and commercial Realtors access to the energy, connections and opportunities that come with being in the center of everything.”
Keller Williams Houston Central is part of a Houston realty empire founded by Joe Rothchild, who began his sales career by selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door as a boy growing up in the Queens neighborhood of New York City.
For years, Rothchild sold homes in Houston, operated a major Re/Max office in Katy and was ranked the No. 1 Re/Max office in the world for three consecutive years.
Rothchild left Re/Max in 2010 and affiliated his office with Keller Williams. The new downtown office has a library and a training facility that accommodates 75 people.
“Our vision is to create an environment where ambitious agents are surrounded by the right people, resources and opportunities to grow at a higher level,” Jana said. “This move is about more than a new office — it’s about building a place where great Realtors want to be and where they have the support and freedom to build the business and life they envision.”
Sept. 15, 2026, Realty News Report Copyright 2026
Mark Your Calendar:
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THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT PODCAST
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Joe Rothchild and Jana Hayes with Keller Williams Houston Central
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Sam Scott of CommGate
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Stephen Meek of StreetLights Residential
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Mike Spears of Lee & Associates Houston
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Bob Parsley of Colliers Houston
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Mark Davis of Davis Commercial
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with David Hightower of Midway
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Alex Kamkar of Bold Fox Development
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Brad McWhirter of Trahan Architects
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Lacee Jacobs of Rebel Retail Advisors
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Danny Rice of Colliers
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Trey Odom of Avera
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Kris Larson of Downtown Houston +
LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Jim Carman of Howard Hughes Holdings
File:The Ralph Bivins Project: Podcast Guests Joe Rothchild & Jana Hayes house of Blues, The Ralph Bivins Project: Podcast Guests Joe Rothchild & Jana Hayes The Ralph Bivins Project: Podcast Guests Joe Rothchild & Jana Hayes GreenStreet