September, 28 2020
Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Lee.
Ty, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s in Architecture, I started my career at Perkins+Will, a global architecture firm in Dallas, TX. I really enjoyed my experience there and worked on some really exciting large international projects. There were many late nights but the rigors of architecture school did a good job of instilling a strong work ethic in us.
After a decade of practicing architecture, I found my way into CBRE, the world’s largest real estate company. My role was to oversee design and construction projects for CBRE’s clients. My love for the business side of real estate really blossomed during my time there. The culture, work ethic and comradery were a perfect fit for my personality. I also learned that the secret to creating well-designed environments started way before an architect was hired. The deal structure of real estate had to be created in a way to support good design.
After a few years at CBRE, I had an opportunity to join Quadrant Investment Properties, one of the best creative office and mixed-use development shops in Dallas. I told myself I would regret not seizing the opportunity to learn the principal and development side of the business. I learned so much during my time there. We worked really hard but had a great time doing it. I oftentimes tell recent grads that in order to be successful in real estate development, you have to be creative and diligent with ten different subject matters simultaneously. When it all works out, the rewards are great and the feeling of accomplishment is unparalleled but the pressure and the risks are high. For me, its an environment that I thrive in.
Today I’m honored to be the Dallas Principal of Triten Real Estate Partners. Our development approach is very similar to Quadrant Investment Properties. We focus on mixed-use, creative office, experiential retail, restaurants and place-making development. It is an exciting time to be in real estate in North Texas. The pandemic has certainly wreaked havoc on our industry but it won’t last forever and we have a lot of runway for growth in this part of the country. You can find some of our current projects here: https://workshopdallas.com/, https://themkt.com/, https://tritenre.com/
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a fairly smooth road but there have certainly been challenges along the way. Our generation has experienced a great recession and a pandemic. Stating the obvious, those are two really devastating events. Both in terms of economic collapse but the mental and psychological fatigue that probably have lasting impacts on people. On the optimistic side, though, we’ve had one of the longest economic rallies in history and we’ll emerge out of these types of events stronger and better equipped to deal with them. My career path wasn’t predictable. I don’t think I could have told you that I would be a commercial real estate developer while I was in college. I think at some level, people tend to gravitate towards what they enjoy doing most and I believe that’s what happened to me. Valuing long term relationships and hard work created opportunities and optionality for me. Super grateful for the support of my friends and family.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Triten Real Estate Partners Story. Tell us more about your work.
Triten Real Estate Partners (TREP) focuses its efforts on two real estate sectors. The first is where value can be created through a tailored experience focused on the changing trends in social demand, with a heavy focus on unique mixed-use developments that incorporates placemaking and fosters social interaction. The other is focused on the rapidly changing trends with supply chain logistics and retail landscape that drive demands on trucking, warehouses, and industrial spaces. Triten is active in the development, value-add repositioning, or when operational expertise can drive value. Triten was founded in 2011 and has offices in both Dallas and Houston and pursues opportunities across Texas.
I am a Principal in the Dallas office and we are heavily focused on creative office, experiential retail, mixed-use developments, and adaptive reuse projects. We really enjoy deploying our ability to see potential in older buildings where others may not. For example, at our Work/Shop project located along restaurant row in Addison, there are many restaurants and bars but they were all surrounded by a sea of parking. There was no green or public space to create any type of social connection or energy. We saw the potential to create this type of dynamic environment within our development and some of the most sought after restaurants are interested in leasing space because of the environment we created.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Hard work, valuing long-term relationships, positivity, and rigor.
Contact Info:
- Address: 15110 Dallas Parkway, Suite 440
Dallas, TX 75248 - Website: https://tritenre.com/
- Phone: 832-214-5000
- Email: trepinfo@triten.com