FORT WORTH, TX—At the end of July, locally based Trademark Property Co. revealed that David Pratt has joined the firm as VP of mall and lifestyle leasing. Pratt brings 27 years of retail leasing experience to the firm, where he will be responsible for leasing of the company's lifestyle centers and malls. GlobeSt.com chatted with Pratt on how he got started in the industry and what led him to Trademark in the below interview.

GlobeSt.com: Congratulations on the new job. Tell us, how did you get started in the industry?

David Pratt: I started straight out of school in Austin after I graduated from the University of Texas. It was a challenging time in commercial real estate but a great time to learn. I know this sounds crazy but I knew early on what I wanted to do… it was definitely commercial real estate and more precisely retail real estate.  

GlobeSt.com: What were your job responsibilities while at General Growth Properties? 

Pratt: I had several responsibilities over the past 15-plus years. The first eight years was dedicated to our third party management group which for many years was a huge part of GGP's business. I worked on projects from Maine to Hawaii. My roots are in the client/service side of this business. That was one of the reasons this position at Trademark “spoke to me”. The second half of my GGP career was dedicated to our REIT properties. For about four years I headed up the leasing for our Texas and Oklahoma properties which at the time was 17 properties  including The Woodlands Mall, Stonebriar Centre and La Cantera. The most recent years I worked out of the GGP's West Coast Office and worked on a number of re-developments and leasing projects including Fashion Place in Salt Lake as well as Park Meadows in Denver. I have been very lucky to have worked on such great projects,  especially in fun markets like Colorado and Hawaii.

GlobeSt.com: How will you build upon your experience at Trademark?

Pratt: The transition is a natural one as I have worked in many of the same markets including Houston, Dallas and destination markets like Hawaii, Colorado and Monterey. I have been fortunate enough to have worked on some world class projects and with some phenomenal retailers. I am excited to get back to Texas and work on projects where I think I can truly make a difference.  

GlobeSt.com: What drove you to accept the position with the company? 

Pratt: I wasn't currently in the market, but from a career standpoint the timing felt “spot on.”  I have always admired Trademark's attention to detail and the quality of their projects.  The transition to a smaller company and in my home market was also a natural fit.  Everything felt right and a number of folks on the Trademark team have been long time friends.  

GlobeSt.com: What luxury brands did you work with previously? Who do you think can be lured to Fort Worth/Dallas that doesn't have a presence here/or there is room for growth for?

Pratt: Now do you think I'm going to give away all my secrets in my first two days? The DFW market has some “world class” shopping already, but there is always room for more.  Call it clustering, co-tenancy, districts, etc., once you get the 1^st-, 2^nd and 3^rd key player to commit,  there is always others to follow…

GlobeSt.com: What's your favorite part about doing what you do?

Pratt: This business gets my juices flowing and always has been fun.  I love what I do, and with all due respect to our friends on the office/industrial side of commercial real estate, it's a lot more interesting! There are many more moving parts. I'm that weird guy who actually likes to go out and see retail on vacation…whether  it is Abbot Kinney, Fillmore Street, SoHo, King Street,  Newbury Street, Bond Street, Avenue Montaigne, South Coast Plaza, the Design District in Miami… whatever… as stewards to our craft of merchandising it is imperative that we keep it fresh. My mentor and former boss Bob Michaels always taught us to go out and see what was going on in the world…you are not going to learn by sitting behind your desk. We are in an extremely competitive business and you have to give the customer an “experience”.  This term may be a little “over used” but more than ever it is so true…