Bill Cawley

Distress is nothing new to Bill Cawley. He got a big helping of the personal variety nearly 30 years ago, when both of his arms and one of his legs were crushed in a motorcycle accident. He has nevertheless driven ahead on a career, building Cawley Partners into a leading investor in the Dallas office market. 

Cawley’s key move tracks back to In 1995, when he acquired Wilcox Cos. and began developing major office projects under the Cawley Wilcox name. Now known as Cawley Partners, its developments and acquisitions have accounted for more than 12 million square feet of commercial office space. 

His firm has completed more than 1.5 million square feet of Class A office space valued at over $500 million along the Dallas North Tollway corridor since 2021 alone, and more recently been a buyer in the market for distressed properties in the city’s Uptown district, picking up Harwood No. 1, also known as the Rolex Building, after Harwood International lost the building in foreclosure. It was Cawley’s first foray into Uptown, and he soon took another half step into the submarket, teaming up with Alamo Manhattan to buy a 27,000-square foot Uptown office building at 2909 Cole Avenue. This year should shed light on whether the price and timing are right on the joint venture, which plans to convert the Cole Avenue property into a mid-range hotel.