Todd Hubbard, SIOR is a player-coach with NAI Robert Lynn Fort Worth office and one of NAI Global’s Top Producers in 2021. He opened the Fort Worth office for NAI Robert Lynn several years ago. The company now has over 100 employees and 65 agents between Dallas and Fort Worth, the latter of which has 16 agents. NAI Robert Lynn’s core businesses include office, industrial, retail and capital markets brokerage services, as well as property management.
The offices are led by George Dutter, CEO, and player-coaches Mark Miller and Todd Hubbard. There is also a group of about a dozen principals that participate in company guidance, strategy, initiatives and management.
NAI Robert Lynn is one of the biggest names in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market and consistently a top 3 company in the market based on transaction volume.
A Brownwood, TX native, Todd earned an MBA from Texas Tech and went back home after college and started his career in accounting, yet left for an opportunity with Robert Lynn Company to launch his career in commercial real estate.
Todd’s main practice is in industrial real estate and runs a team of four. Some of the deals the team did in 2022 (over 240 transactions!) included working with an investor that acquired an older industrial park comprised of crane-served metal buildings with 980,000 square feet and upgrading the condition of the buildings and park overall, which led to getting 8 lease transactions completed in the year and over 500,000 square feet. He mentioned some other deals his team closed last year as well as a reference to the off-market work that they do.
For listeners unfamiliar with the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, both markets have become more institutional. While there has been some blending of the two communities, they each have their own unique qualities. Fort Worth itself has grown substantially and is now the 12th largest city in the U.S. One of the biggest reasons the DFW Metroplex has grown in recent years can be attributed to the collaboration of the economic development groups from Dallas and Forth Worth, compared with earlier years when the two municipalities competed with each other for business.
Todd spoke of his SIOR designation and how it really is a prerequisite to success in industrial and office brokers.
When asked why he is a successful broker and business man, Todd gave an excellent and extended answer that is very much worth a listen. He started by talking about mindset and managing one’s emotions, then shifted to responsiveness, listening more than talking, having systems in place and other elements, such as being a professional at all times. Being prepared, being nice and loving what you do are the keys to success, as simple as it sounds.
In terms of developing careers in commercial real estate, Todd would tell a high school senior or college student that commercial real estate is not for everyone, and the most important thing for young people is to find something they love. He encouraged people to get internships and talk with as many people as possible before fully committing to a career in CRE.
For 2023, his company is setting goals and doesn’t expect the year to be as good as the last few. However, Dallas-Ft. Worth is a little more insulated compared with other U.S. markets because of ongoing population growth and business expansion in the Longhorn State. Todd also mentioned that DFW’s office market is relatively strong and more and more companies are bringing employees back to the office, which should strengthen that sector of their business. They do expect some challenges in the capital markets but are optimistic based on the strength of owner-user sales.
Todd reminded us that even in a down market there are tons of opportunities and you just have to find them.
In early January, the announcement was made that NAI Robert Lynn has taken over the Houston territory in 2023 and backfilled a vacated spot in the NAI Global platform.
As a company, the NAI Robert Lynn leadership team is very excited to expand into America’s 4th largest city. He expects a seamless integration between the three offices and the move will be beneficial to their corporate clients, tenants and investor relationships.
A group of seven principals have been tasked with identifying and recruiting a leadership team for the Houston office. NAI Robert Lynn does business a little differently than many brokerages, by assigning brokers and brokerage teams to specific submarkets within a wider marketplace. Cultural integration is one of the cornerstones of its business. They plan to take that same territorial, market-knowledge approach to the new operation in Houston.
Reach Todd Hubbard: 817-501-2012
Find out more about NAI Global: www.naiglobal.com
