Holt Lunsford

When Lunsford was a student at Abilene Christian University, he saw a list of the 100 richest Texans and noticed that many of them made their fortunes in real estate. He decided to take that path. 

He “begged and borrowed for a job at Trammell Crow,” where he was hired for industrial leasing and mentored by TIG Real Estate founder and CEO John Walsh, working in Northwest Dallas. At age 28 he started his namesake firm, a full-service commercial real estate firm based in Dallas. Lunsford specializes in industrial real estate but the firm launched a multifamily arm in 2025, starting with a development in Denton. Its retail division launched in 2022.

From the beginning, it was important to Lunsford to own real estate and not just offer brokerage services. The firm manages large portfolios, including leasing and property management, development, and investments in the office, industrial and multifamily sectors across the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets. Holt Lunsford Commercial Investments has developed or acquired over $1.9 billion worth of commercial real-estate projects and more than 275 properties, according to its website.

— Rachel Stone