Caleb S. Smith, president of the Dallas-based Spire, tellsGlobeSt.com that the best and final pitted JLL against Transwesternafter interviewing practically every major brokerage house in themetroplex. JLL's vice president Ted Headings caught the owner'sattention, but the firm's addition of managing directorsJon McNeil and MattCraft were the closers, according to Smith.

Smith says the changing of the guard is just the beginning ofthis year's plans for his local real estate: the 1.1-million-sfBryan Tower at 2001 Bryan St. in the CBD; 449,251-sf MockingbirdTowers at 1341 W. Mockingbird Lane in the Stemmons Corridor; and250,963-sf Park Stemmons at 8700 N. Stemmons Freeway. Smithconfides he bought an 87,000-sf parking lot two days ago, pushinghis ground holdings to five acres behind the Plaza of the Americasand nearly seven acres in all in the CBD.

Smith says the company, conceivably the owner of the largestblock of raw land in the Downtown, intends to keep the acreage forpublic parking for now although his team is fielding several callsper week from developers who want to buy or partner on building outthe dirt. "We are entertaining offers, but we're not activelymarketing it to sell," he says.