Duke Realty Wins North Texas NAIOP's Top Honor

Duke's Dallas group, led by SVP Jeff Turner, was one of five making the final cut for the 2004 developer of the year, Steve Bronner, NAIOP's president-elect in North Texas, tells GlobeSt.com. The Indianapolis-based Duke's Dallas team won the decision for "the work they've done, the contributions to the community and to our organization," Bronner says, "and the leadership they've shown to our industry." Mayor Laura Miller bestowed the award on Duke at the organization's annual "Vision for Dallas" breakfast in the Westin Galleria.

By midyear 2004, Duke's local team had just one vacancy in its 4.4-million-sf portfolio of 14 industrial properties and one office development in Dallas/Fort Worth. Turner's persistence to rope off developable land convinced the locally based Sowell & Co. to let Duke in on the $160-million Grand Lakes plan to open up 225 acres for distribution and retail development. Turner, chasing the deal for nearly three years, got his hands on 130 acres in a face-off with two other developers, also waving full-price offers for the Interstate 30-fronting land. With infrastructure work under way, the Duke team could be ready to start the first phase to a 2.5-million-sf plan by the end of the second quarter. Meanwhile, Duke is putting finishing touches to another 210,000 sf in its Freeport North Business Park and lining up plans for other acreage banked last year as the portfolio pushed to full.