Spotlight On: Mike Berry, President, Hillwood

Spotlight On: Mike Berry, President, Hillwood

2022-10-26T13:43:26-04:00October 26th, 2022|Dallas-Fort Worth, Real Estate, Spotlight On|

2 min read October 2022 — Mike Berry, president of national industrial, commercial and residential real estate developer Hillwood, talked with Invest: about what sets the company apart from other businesses in North Texas. Berry also discussed what clients are looking for and the pressing need for infrastructure improvements.

What sets Hillwood apart from other businesses in North Texas?

The first thing would be our scale. When you can provide housing solutions, workforce development and training and real estate solutions, you bring a lot to the table. That has been our philosophy for years and it’s one of the key differentiators of our company. We’re not just a real estate company; we’re trying to be an economic engine for the region.

What are clients looking for when they come to your door?

Every customer is different. If there was a common thread, it would be that most of the companies that we’ve dealt with over the last few years are focused on being in a location where they can attract and retain talent. Talent is the No. 1 driver for all of our customers. Companies feel they can grow their talent pool here well into the future and we have the advantage of providing a low-cost environment. 

For example, we’re working hand-in-hand with MP Materials. Earlier this year, we announced that we’re going to build their first U.S.-based manufacturing facility at AllianceTexas. They’re going to take rare earth metals and manufacture them into magnets, which are then put into high-powered, essential batteries. This, in part, is due to the entire electric vehicle movement but the batteries also power robots, wind turbines, drones, defense systems and more. MP Materials came to North Texas because they felt that they could recruit skilled and trained workers to ensure a robust talent pool. 

Does winning the Developer of the Year give you an edge in hiring and recruiting?

Any sort of publicity or award makes you visible so that award and the others we’ve won in the real estate arena have certainly helped strengthen our brand and our ability to recruit. We’ve been successful throughout the years because we try to think with the future in mind and we have been steadily growing across the region. 

What are the opportunities you see for national investors that are interested in North Texas?

When you see top companies expanding as well as the overall population growth in the DFW area, capital markets start to take note. One thing we are seeing is that more and more top investment firms are looking at DFW as a top market for real estate investment. All asset classes are attracting investment capital, with industrial and multi-family being the most prominent. 

What are the most pressing needs for infrastructure?

We have huge challenges, such as education, workforce development and physical infrastructure. Those are the biggest challenges anywhere for sustainable and continued growth. The good news regarding infrastructure is that we have spent $15 billion in the North Texas region to build new highways that get people and goods to their destinations quickly and efficiently. At the growth rate we’re experiencing, we have to continue to do that. We also have to continue building additional capacity to support the people who are coming. 

On the power side, the entire country saw what happened with the freeze in February 2021. There is a huge focus right now in strengthening our power grid. We have to continue doing that in order to support the amount of growth we’re experiencing in the state of Texas. 

I would give Texas high marks for regional water planning. With that being said, there is still a lot of infrastructure that needs to be built, which is something we cannot lose sight of. New reservoirs are going to be needed for new water systems, so we need to be thinking ahead of the curve on how to ensure the land and resources are available for building them moving toward the future. 

Infrastructure isn’t one of those problems you can fix in a year. You need to be proactive on the front end because it’s something that takes years to develop.

What is your outlook for Hillwood?

We’re very bullish. One particular thing we’re working on is mobility innovation, especially innovation that relates to freight. AllianceTexas is home to a one-of-a-kind intermodal hub and the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), which is a first-of-its-kind “do tank,” leading smart infrastructure deployment to create a robust ecosystem for commercializing new technologies across the supply chain. We saw firsthand the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain, so we’re seeing a lot of capital being invested in autonomy. 

For more information, visit: 

https://www.hillwood.com/ 

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