(HOUSTON) – James C. Buie, Jr., Co-CEO, West Region and Asia Pacific, and longtime veteran of Hines, announces his retirement from the international real estate investment firm effective January 1, 2020.
Since joining Hines 40 years ago in 1980, Mr. Buie has been involved in all phases of the development process and management of more than 110 million square feet of commercial real estate valued in excess of $31.6 billion. He created the Asia Pacific Region in 1996, which includes China and Australia. Additional highlights of his career with Hines include the development of 101 California and Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, Figueroa at Wilshire in Los Angeles, Embassy House in Beijing and One Museum Place in Shanghai. In 2017, Buie was inducted into the Stanford Real Estate Hall of Fame.
Buie advised, “I am very appreciative of what Hines has done for me and my family and am thankful for the relationships I have developed at the firm.”
“We very much appreciate the contributions Jim has made to our firm during his career. It is impossible to encapsulate his many achievements and contributions to Hines, but he has executed his duties with passion and dedication and a commitment to quality, integrity and delivering superior results to investors, all characteristics that are highly valued within the firm. Jim will be missed; however, we are happy for him and wish him the best in the future,” said Jeff Hines, president and CEO of Hines.
New Leadership for Hines West and Asia Pacific Regions
Effective January 1, Douglas Metzler, Co-CEO of the Hines U.S. West Region will be named CEO and Ray Lawler, Co-CEO of the firm’s Asia Pacific Region will be named CEO of that region. Both Metzler and Lawler spent the past year working alongside Mr. Buie as Co-CEOs to ensure a seamless transition. Both Metzler and Lawler joined the firm’s Executive Committee in 2018.
Metzler joined Hines in 2002 and most recently served as senior managing director with responsibility for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas offices. As head of those offices, he oversaw all development, acquisitions and operations activities in those markets. In addition to spearheading the firm’s first West Coast multifamily development and acquisition, he also aggressively pursued our expansion within the four real estate product types (office, living/housing, retail and industrial/logistics). Metzler graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS in Business Administration.
Lawler joined Hines in 2007 and most recently served as senior managing director responsible for pre-development, development, entitlement, asset management, acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing, as well as leading all new business efforts in Orange County. Before joining the firm, he was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and a naval aviator, receiving multiple commendations including the Bronze Star with Valor. Lawler earned his BA in Marine Biology from Boston University and his MBA from Harvard Business School. Mr. Lawler is a member of YPO Hong Kong and previously was a member of YPO SoCal and served as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Newport Beach.
Jeff Hines added, “The West Region is one of Hines’ most active and in Asia Pacific, there is great potential for growth in existing Hines cities and beyond. I am confident that these new leaders will continue us on a trajectory of success.”
New Leadership for West Region Markets
As part of this transition, Hines is also pleased to announce the following market-level leadership changes in the Hines U.S. West Region.
Paul Twardowski, senior managing director, has assumed leadership responsibilities for all of Southern California and Las Vegas. Since joining Hines in 1998, Mr. Twardowski has contributed to the development, acquisition, financing and/or management of 17 million square feet of commercial real estate, representing approximately $6 billion.
Senior Managing Directors Paul Paradis and George Clever will continue leadership of the San Francisco Bay Area market. Since arriving at Hines in 1989, Paradis has contributed to the development and marketing of more than 20 million square feet of commercial real estate. Clever joined the firm in 1995 and has contributed to the development, acquisition, financing, marketing and disposition of more than 12 million square feet of commercial real estate valued at more than $6 billion.
Cameron Falconer was promoted to COO/Deputy Head of Capital Markets in 2019, and is now responsible for coordinating capital raises for flagship discretionary funds, strategic separate accounts, as well as orchestrating and supporting coverage of real estate investors globally.
Dusty Harris, senior managing director, will continue to lead Hines’ activities in Utah, Oregon, Reno, NV—and has added Sacramento, CA, to his responsibilities. Since joining the firm in 2005, he has supervised all phases of development, management, leasing and/or acquisition of nearly 2.5 million square feet of commercial real estate with an estimated value of approximately $650 million.
Senior Managing Director Ty Bennion will continue to lead Hines’ activities in the Pacific Northwest. Since joining Hines, he has been involved in and contributed to all aspects of the successful planning, development, and leasing of premier high rises in both Seattle and Bellevue, Washington; all aspects of the development of a 100% pre-leased medical office building; as well as the successful purchase of approximately three million square feet of diverse properties in Seattle and Utah.
“We are thrilled to have such depth of tenured expertise in each of the markets in which we do business in the West Coast, and we look forward to a very bright future,” said Metzler.
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 219 cities in 23 countries. Hines has approximately $124.3 billion of assets under management, including $63.8 billion for which Hines provides fiduciary investment management services, and $60.5 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services. The firm has 148 developments currently underway around the world. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,362 properties, totaling over 449 million square feet. The firm’s current property and asset management portfolio includes 514 properties, representing over 222 million square feet. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world.
