Ex-Colleyville Mayor Joins Realty Capital

Realty Capital founder Richard Myers tells GlobeSt.com that the hiring of Donna Arp is just part of the 2004 plan for the company. Three more developers will be added to the list for equity investments; 20 instead of 15 projects will be developed; and larger undertakings are under consideration for funding by the investors' pool that Realty Capital has built. At last count, the equity roster contained more than 500 European and US investors.

Arp's experience in commercial real estate, marketing and managing Fortune 500 companies and six-year reign in city politics led up to Myers' decision to step down as president. In the 1980s, she oversaw a shopping center portfolio for the now-defunct Pearcy Christon Co. She subsequently worked in marketing and management for Boise Cascade Corp. and Proctor & Gamble Inc. The one-time council member just wrapped up a four-year term as Colleyville mayor, electing to return to the business world rather than seek a second term.

Myers says they've known each other for a decade or more. "I have always admired her enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit," he said in a press release. "She has a powerful combination of talents and abilities and will provide strong leadership for our company."

The five-year-old Realty Capital Partners is the equity raiser for development affiliate, Realty Capital Corp., which is known in the region as a builder of garden-style business parks with "for sale" or "for lease" product. To keep product flowing for investors, Realty Capital Partners built a list of developers for equity investments of $3 million to $4 million, most often using a pool of 15 to 25 investors. The equity stakes office, retail and single-family projects plus land acquisitions for the in-house developer, St. Ives and Hayden Cutler development companies. Although Texas metros have the focus, the Colleyville-based Realty Capital currently manages about 60 partnerships with holdings in more than 20 cities in North Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida. A project in Palm Springs, CA is under consideration.