Latest DFW Hiring Round Adds Acquisitions VP at Cencor

Steve Hefner, a 15-year commercial real estate professional, initially will solo to source acquisitions and report to Randy Woodruff, Cencor's CFO. Hefner tells GlobeSt.com that he's "looking for any deal I can find, like everyone else. If it has retail associated with it, we'll look at it, but our forte is grocery-anchored centers."

Prior to Hefner's hiring, Woodruff and Marshall Mills, COO for the Weitzman Group, steered the acquisitions platform for equity partner, GE Capital. Hefner says the future could bring additional hires if the acquisitions side starts to push beyond $150 million in deals per year. Before the year ends, Hefner hopes to place his first contract for a new employer with a 2004 goal to acquire $100 million of retail properties.

Cencor, one of the nation's largest retail managers and operators, pulled Hefner from a vice presidency of real estate advisory services for Dallas-based Olympus Real Estate Partners' affiliate, WMC Management Co. David B. Deniger, Olympus principal, says he "highly recommended" Hefner for the Cencor job. His duties will be divvied among existing staff.

Hillwood Properties filled a new position of associate general counsel with Don Reid, who has more than 10 years as a real estate attorney. "As AllianceTexas continues to grow and diversify, Hillwood realized a need for an in-house attorney with a wide range of knowledge to provide the expertise and counsel necessary for the variety of project that are being developed," Mike Berry, Hillwood Properties' president, said in a press release.

Prior to joining Hillwood, Reid was an associate in the real estate section with Porter & Hedges LLP in Houston and previously a partner in the law firm of Turner, Seaberry, Warford & Reid in Eastland, TX. From 1966-99, he worked a some Hillwood projects while he was with the Dallas office of Hughes & Luce LLP.

At GLV Realty Advisors in Dallas, Chanda A. Gailey is on board as an assistant vice president. She previously worked with Poston Real Estate Co. in Dallas.

Staubach Co. hired Mike Husby as director of research and client solutions for the retail services division and promoted Janie French to vice president of knowledge management. For the last decade, Husby worked as a senior consultant for the George Group Management Consulting firm in Dallas.