After 13 years at the helm, NewQuest Properties‘ Katherine Hatcher is stepping down as president and COO. She will remain actively involved as a partner and board member.
Austin Alvis has been selected to succeed Hatcher as president. He will be responsible for leading strategic initiatives and day-to-day management of NewQuest’s development, construction and asset management services, effective immediately.
“NewQuest’s founding partners are indebted to Katherine for her vision and legacy business model, which will sustain our company’s growth for generations to come. Through her efforts, we now have the best group of industry leaders and brokers in our 20-year history,” says Jay K. Sears, managing partner and a founding member of the firm. “She is stepping down, but not away and will remain a valued mentor, partner and board director.”
During her tenure, Hatcher oversaw the development of more than $2 billion in retail and mixed-use assets, nearly tripled the size of the brokerage and support staff teams and added multiple service lines and divisions while implementing systems and processes to successfully facilitate growth.
“It’s been an incredibly rewarding 13 years. I’m looking forward to my new role in the company,” Hatcher says. “The company truly is well-positioned for continued growth with the strength of its leadership team. Austin’s vision will continue to ensure NewQuest will remain a market leader.”
Hatcher is one of the most highly respected and distinguished veterans in commercial real estate in Texas. She serves on the boards of directors for Par Pacific Holdings Inc. (NYSE: PARR), Greater Houston Partnership, Children’s Museum of Houston, Houston Area Women’s Center, Youth About Business and Young Presidents Organization as well as the MD Anderson Board of Visitors. She is an alumna of The Center for Houston’s Future.
“We looked from within to select Katherine’s successor. Austin has risen up in our business and touched on every aspect thus far in his career,” Sears says.
Alvis joined NewQuest in 2015 and previously served as vice president of brokerage and a development partner with NewQuest, where he was responsible for procurement and oversight of projects in the Texas market. He began his career at BOK Financial (Bank of Texas), underwriting commercial lending relationships in Houston.
“Katherine was a tremendously important part of building this company,” Alvis says. “As a result of her dedication, NewQuest is among the top Texas real estate firms and I’m excited about the opportunity to carry on the legacy she established.”
NewQuest Properties, founded in 2001, is a privately owned, full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in development, land brokerage, leasing, tenant representation, investment sales and property management services. Headquartered in Houston, NewQuest owns a portfolio encompassing more than 80 retail and mixed-use projects exceeding $2 billion in value and provides leasing services for more than 10 million square feet of commercial space in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona and throughout the U.S.
